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The Obama Administration

ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
edited December 2011 in Debate and/or Discourse
So, as everyone knows, I'm hardly ecstatic about the Obama administration thus far, but today marked two big victories for them.

The first is the thorough cockslapping given to AT&T's bid to take over T-Mobile. They had already said that it wasn't going to happen, but now they've said "not only is it not going to happen, but also: Suck it, AT&T!" A blow struck for the little guy!

Second, Boeing announced that they were going to be constructing new planes in Washington, after another thorough cockslapping by the Obama administration. For those of you who don't know, Boeing had announced that in order to punish the unions in Washington, they were going to move their operations to South Carolina in order to punish the unions in Washington. The NLRB, under the Obama administration's leadership, told them that that was illegal retaliation, and to fuck right the hell off.

So, this thread is for the discussion of the trials, tribulations, and successes of the administration.

Thanatos on
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Posts

  • ChanusChanus Harbinger of the Spicy Rooster Apocalypse The Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered User regular
    The White House released a thing on their blog today about how music and movie piracy funds terrorists and drugs and I swear I thought I was back in the Bush Administration.

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/11/29/numbers-141000?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

    Allegedly a voice of reason.
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    Oh, hey, I use T-Mobile. I guess I get to keep them now. Thanks for the news!

  • Brian KrakowBrian Krakow Registered User regular
    edited December 2011
    The NLRB isn't under the Obama Administration's leadership. It's made up of presidential appointees but it's a largely independent body.

    Not saying that to dis Obama, it's just an important point that they're acting to enforce labor law rather than doing Obama's bidding.

    Brian Krakow on
  • ElldrenElldren Is a woman dammit ceterum censeoRegistered User regular
    Chanus wrote:
    The White House released a thing on their blog today about how music and movie piracy funds terrorists and drugs and I swear I thought I was back in the Bush Administration.

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/11/29/numbers-141000?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

    How does it fund anything?

    Something needs to make money to fund things

    fuck gendered marketing
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    Supposedly Obama has threatened to veto the Defense Authorization Bill because of a provision that allows for indefinite detention without cause. I really hoping they follow through on it.

    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • ChanusChanus Harbinger of the Spicy Rooster Apocalypse The Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered User regular
    Elldren wrote:
    Chanus wrote:
    The White House released a thing on their blog today about how music and movie piracy funds terrorists and drugs and I swear I thought I was back in the Bush Administration.

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/11/29/numbers-141000?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

    How does it fund anything?

    Something needs to make money to fund things

    I guess they're trying to claim drug dealers and terrorists sell bootleg movies and albums to fund their operations?

    Or something stupid?

    Allegedly a voice of reason.
  • DetharinDetharin Registered User regular
    edited December 2011
    The silly goose also just sealed the murder case of Brian Terry claiming national security.

    http://nation.foxnews.com/brian-terry/2011/11/30/obama-admin-seals-records-murdered-border-patrol-agent-implicated-fast-and-furious

    as for why you should care my thread which I am waiting on Holders Dec 8th testimony before congress to update.

    http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/143121/operation-gunwalker-eric-holder-lied-before-congress

    Detharin on
  • ElldrenElldren Is a woman dammit ceterum censeoRegistered User regular
    Chanus wrote:
    Elldren wrote:
    Chanus wrote:
    The White House released a thing on their blog today about how music and movie piracy funds terrorists and drugs and I swear I thought I was back in the Bush Administration.

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/11/29/numbers-141000?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

    How does it fund anything?

    Something needs to make money to fund things

    I guess they're trying to claim drug dealers and terrorists sell bootleg movies and albums to fund their operations?

    Or something stupid?

    This isn't a thing that happens in the US

    fuck gendered marketing
  • ClevingerClevinger Registered User regular
    wwtMask wrote:
    Supposedly Obama has threatened to veto the Defense Authorization Bill because of a provision that allows for indefinite detention without cause. I really hoping they follow through on it.

    Here's to hoping.

  • ChanusChanus Harbinger of the Spicy Rooster Apocalypse The Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered User regular
    Elldren wrote:
    Chanus wrote:
    Elldren wrote:
    Chanus wrote:
    The White House released a thing on their blog today about how music and movie piracy funds terrorists and drugs and I swear I thought I was back in the Bush Administration.

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/11/29/numbers-141000?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

    How does it fund anything?

    Something needs to make money to fund things

    I guess they're trying to claim drug dealers and terrorists sell bootleg movies and albums to fund their operations?

    Or something stupid?

    This isn't a thing that happens in the US

    Yeah... I think it's actually more a "scare people into hating digital piracy" propaganda thing.

    Allegedly a voice of reason.
  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    No, it really does happen overseas in china and east asia. It's very common for bootlegs to be sold on the street over there. I have no idea where the money goes, but wouldn't be surprised if some of it winds up going to drugs/terrorism/etc.

    of course I'm quite sure this campaign will immediately also encompass online piracy because look that's just how this shit always works

    NREqxl5.jpg
    it was the smallest on the list but
    Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
  • ElldrenElldren Is a woman dammit ceterum censeoRegistered User regular
    No, it really does happen overseas in china and east asia. It's very common for bootlegs to be sold on the street over there. I have no idea where the money goes, but wouldn't be surprised if some of it winds up going to drugs/terrorism/etc.

    of course I'm quite sure this campaign will immediately also encompass online piracy because look that's just how this shit always works

    Well yes. The links between Mexican street piracy and the drug cartels are documented well enough.

    But Mexico and China are not the US, and in the US street piracy is basically contained to a handful of population centers whereas digital piracy is far more common.

    fuck gendered marketing
  • Fallout2manFallout2man Vault Dweller Registered User regular
    edited December 2011
    No, it really does happen overseas in china and east asia. It's very common for bootlegs to be sold on the street over there. I have no idea where the money goes, but wouldn't be surprised if some of it winds up going to drugs/terrorism/etc.

    of course I'm quite sure this campaign will immediately also encompass online piracy because look that's just how this shit always works

    Exactly, simple PR, if you talk about Physical piracy but just say Piracy then you program people to think primarily in terms of physical piracy when the word comes up and then when Digital Piracy comes up they can just say "Piracy!" and technically be correct but have now drawn an entirely different and misleading picture in someone's mind about what you're talking about. (To your advantage)

    Fallout2man on
    On Ignorance:
    Kana wrote:
    If the best you can come up with against someone who's patently ignorant is to yell back at him, "Yeah? Well there's BOOKS, and they say you're WRONG!"

    Then honestly you're not coming out of this looking great either.
  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    In the spirit of the Obama Administration's online petition system, I present you the best one ever written:
    We demand a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response to this petition.

    Since these petitions are ignored apart from an occasional patronizing and inane political statement amounting to nothing more than a condescending pat on the head, we the signers would enjoy having the illusion of success. Since no other outcome to this process seems possible, we demand that the White House immediately assign a junior staffer to compose a tame and vapid response to this petition, and never attempt to take any meaningful action on this or any other issue. We would also like a cookie.
    https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/we-demand-vapid-condescending-meaningless-politically-safe-response-petition/gCZfn86x

    You've only got 4 days to get it 10k more signatures!!!

  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    Well, what did they expect from an online petition?

  • RchanenRchanen Registered User regular
    shryke wrote:
    In the spirit of the Obama Administration's online petition system, I present you the best one ever written:
    We demand a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response to this petition.

    Since these petitions are ignored apart from an occasional patronizing and inane political statement amounting to nothing more than a condescending pat on the head, we the signers would enjoy having the illusion of success. Since no other outcome to this process seems possible, we demand that the White House immediately assign a junior staffer to compose a tame and vapid response to this petition, and never attempt to take any meaningful action on this or any other issue. We would also like a cookie.
    https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/we-demand-vapid-condescending-meaningless-politically-safe-response-petition/gCZfn86x

    You've only got 4 days to get it 10k more signatures!!!

    I may have to sign that one. And encourage all my friends to do so. Shit, you guys are my friends. Go sign the damn thing. Its funnier then hell and something I want to see submitted. If only because it is John Stewart funny. Funny because its true.

  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    I don't know what I can say here that I haven't said before.

    He retained all of the Wall Street thieves in his administration, he did not close the U.S. concentration camp in Cuba, he awarded Bush Sr. the 'Freedom Medal' in February, he assassinated Bin Laden and called that 'justice' (because apparently shooting people in the head is how justice is now done), he didn't utter a whisper of support for the OWS protests (in fact, he more or less stayed in keeping with the media blackout), he did not support nationalized healthcare and has not implemented national programs to employ people (or even to just get them some fucking money for rent and food).

    He's a hypocrite and a lying scumbag.


    I guess at least he's not also a young earth creationist?

    With Love and Courage
  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    The Ender wrote:
    I don't know what I can say here that I haven't said before.

    He retained all of the Wall Street thieves in his administration, he did not close the U.S. concentration camp in Cuba, he awarded Bush Sr. the 'Freedom Medal' in February, he assassinated Bin Laden and called that 'justice' (because apparently shooting people in the head is how justice is now done), he didn't utter a whisper of support for the OWS protests (in fact, he more or less stayed in keeping with the media blackout), he did not support nationalized healthcare and has not implemented national programs to employ people (or even to just get them some fucking money for rent and food).

    He's a hypocrite and a lying scumbag.


    I guess at least he's not also a young earth creationist?

    So let's see: actual mistake, something he couldn't do unilaterally, meaningless symbolism, something we can argue about but I'm not exactly blaming the soldiers for not taking extra risks to capture him, a good thing (making them explicitly partisan would have been the fastest way to kill them), something that would have been pointless, and another thing he couldn't do unilaterally.

    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
  • RchanenRchanen Registered User regular
    I don't mind Bush Sr. Bush Jr is the one who pisses me off the most. Also don't mind the assassination. Definitely want Gitmo closed, though.

  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    Bush Sr. is an asshole too. Iran-Fucking-Contra and all that.

  • RchanenRchanen Registered User regular
    edited December 2011
    The Ender wrote:
    I don't know what I can say here that I haven't said before.

    He retained all of the Wall Street thieves in his administration, he did not close the U.S. concentration camp in Cuba, he awarded Bush Sr. the 'Freedom Medal' in February, he assassinated Bin Laden and called that 'justice' (because apparently shooting people in the head is how justice is now done), he didn't utter a whisper of support for the OWS protests (in fact, he more or less stayed in keeping with the media blackout), he did not support nationalized healthcare and has not implemented national programs to employ people (or even to just get them some fucking money for rent and food).

    He's a hypocrite and a lying scumbag.


    I guess at least he's not also a young earth creationist?

    So let's see: actual mistake, something he couldn't do unilaterally, meaningless symbolism, something we can argue about but I'm not exactly blaming the soldiers for not taking extra risks to capture him, a good thing (making them explicitly partisan would have been the fastest way to kill them), something that would have been pointless, and another thing he couldn't do unilaterally.

    And that's something I want to point out. Its something that pisses me off.

    THE PRESIDENT DOES NOT HAVE GODDAMN SWEEPING DOMESTIC POWERS. Seriously, the President of the United States is not a goddamn Prime Minister. limited domestic powers. A lot of the blame for that stuff does fall on congress. When it comes to domestic policy they were purposely given the lions share of the power.

    Rchanen on
  • RchanenRchanen Registered User regular
    shryke wrote:
    Bush Sr. is an asshole too. Iran-Fucking-Contra and all that.

    True. But also keeping us out of a Vietnam-quagmire in Iraq. Building better foreign relations, basically being the opposite of his son.
    The man was not perfect, but he was a much, much better President than his kid.

  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    Rchanen wrote:
    shryke wrote:
    Bush Sr. is an asshole too. Iran-Fucking-Contra and all that.

    True. But also keeping us out of a Vietnam-quagmire in Iraq. Building better foreign relations, basically being the opposite of his son.
    The man was not perfect, but he was a much, much better President than his kid.

    He was an asshole, but not an awful President (certain pardons not withstanding). But since every President since at least Nixon has either done something blatantly illegal or assisted the previous administration's blatant illegality to go ignored (except Carter!), he remains the best President from 1969 to 2009. Go America!

    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    something we can argue about but I'm not exactly blaming the soldiers for not taking extra risks to capture him

    Sure. So why call it 'justice', then? Even if you agree with the assassination (having thought this over for quite a while, in the end I think it was a prudent call. Bin Laden had essentially consented to being dealt with lethally), why can't we have leaders who own-up to it honestly?
    True. But also keeping us out of a Vietnam-quagmire in Iraq. Building better foreign relations, basically being the opposite of his son.
    The man was not perfect, but he was a much, much better President than his kid.

    Bush Sr. really began two incredible damaging things: the political war against environmentalism, and the smear campaign strategy via conservative media.

    With Love and Courage
  • dojangodojango Registered User regular
    The Ender wrote:
    something we can argue about but I'm not exactly blaming the soldiers for not taking extra risks to capture him

    Sure. So why call it 'justice', then? Even if you agree with the assassination (having thought this over for quite a while, in the end I think it was a prudent call. Bin Laden had essentially consented to being dealt with lethally), why can't we have leaders who own-up to it honestly?
    True. But also keeping us out of a Vietnam-quagmire in Iraq. Building better foreign relations, basically being the opposite of his son.
    The man was not perfect, but he was a much, much better President than his kid.

    Bush Sr. really began two incredible damaging things: the political war against environmentalism, and the smear campaign strategy via conservative media.

    Hasn't the smear campaign been around since Julius Caesar's famous debate with Bibulus?

  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    edited December 2011
    And Rush Limbaugh existed before the Bush Presidency. Pretty sure Reagan started the war on environmentalism. Hell, that existed during Carter's Presidency.

    enlightenedbum on
    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited December 2011
    shryke wrote:
    Bush Sr. is an asshole too. Iran-Fucking-Contra and all that.

    Bush Sr is the reason my dad was shot in Laos and then denied the proper honors for it because you couldn't have been shot in Laos we have no troops in Laos, until the class action lawsuit

    Edit: it might have been Cambodia, I'd have to check, but he was one of the rangers sent to blow up bridges

    override367 on
  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    What I really love is when conservatives use Obama's continued use of Gitmo, the Bush tax cuts, the Afghan War, and the Operation Gunwalker fiasco as evidence of his ineptitude as a president and the foundation for any argument for his being voted out of office.

    "NoBama said he was gonna get ridda all them things from Bush's presidency, and look! He's doing the same shit! Man, he's fucking worst! We gotta get the Republicans back in the Oval Office."

  • DetharinDetharin Registered User regular
    edited December 2011
    I mean sure you can order the Assassination of an American citizen, funnel thousands of guns to Mexico resulting in numerous deaths of Mexican citizens, and then attempt to cover up your ineptitude after your callous disregard for both the Constitution and International law gets an American citizen killed by just slapping a "Sealed due to national security" sticker on it.

    At this point supporting Obama has to take some massive cognitive dissonance. I mean sure you can jump on the Republican hate wagon, and vote against them. That at least makes a bit of sense, but to actually support Obama at this point is baffling to me.

    Hell whomever wins the republican nomination could pull an audience member onto stage, ritually disembowel them, and hang them by their entrails from the lighting fixtures and still end up being the lesser of two evils.

    Detharin on
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    And Rush Limbaugh existed before the Bush Presidency. Pretty sure Reagan started the war on environmentalism. Hell, that existed during Carter's Presidency.

    Roger Ailes was given his big break at the behest of Bush, which is what I was referring to.


    Bush ran his entire campaign about how, "We are going to be up to our ears in owls and out of work for everyone," and, to this day, denies man-made climate change. Reagan might have deity-like status among Republicans, but Bush had much broader influence because of his appeal to independent voters.

    With Love and Courage
  • nightmarennynightmarenny Registered User regular
    Detharin wrote:
    I mean sure you can order the Assassination of an American citizen, funnel thousands of guns to Mexico resulting in numerous deaths of Mexican citizens, and then attempt to cover up your ineptitude after your callous disregard for both the Constitution and International law gets an American citizen killed by just slapping a "Sealed due to national security" sticker on it.

    At this point supporting Obama has to take some massive cognitive dissonance. I mean sure you can jump on the Republican hate wagon, and vote against them. That at least makes a bit of sense, but to actually support Obama at this point is baffling to me.

    Hell whomever wins the republican nomination could pull an audience member onto stage, ritually disembowel them, and hang them by their entrails from the lighting fixtures and still end up being the lesser of two evils.

    Ok I'm up on things enough to know that most of this is ridiculously slanted but can someone tell me how Obama "funneled guns into Mexico"?

    Quire.jpg
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    Detharin wrote:
    Hell whomever wins the republican nomination could pull an audience member onto stage, ritually disembowel them, and hang them by their entrails from the lighting fixtures and still end up being the lesser of two evils.

    -.-

    Uh, nope.

    None of the Republican candidates at all approach 'lesser evil' status, much less do it when compared to Obama. Obama's another wealthy Washington scumbag interested in representing his millionaire friends; the Republicans are just flat-out insane.

    It's the difference between Churchill and the fascists (but with less brandy).


    If you're into the whole bichromatic politics bit, Obama is the only reasonable choice. I'm just not of the bichromatic sort.

    With Love and Courage
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    Ok I'm up on things enough to know that most of this is ridiculously slanted but can someone tell me how Obama "funneled guns into Mexico"?

    It was not Obama, it was the ATF through the Gunwalker program. A few people in Obama's administration probably knew about the strategy and did not speak up (Obama is probably one of those people, but this was not directly his initiative).

    With Love and Courage
  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    The Ender wrote:
    And Rush Limbaugh existed before the Bush Presidency. Pretty sure Reagan started the war on environmentalism. Hell, that existed during Carter's Presidency.

    Roger Ailes was given his big break at the behest of Bush, which is what I was referring to.

    Bush ran his entire campaign about how, "We are going to be up to our ears in owls and out of work for everyone," and, to this day, denies man-made climate change. Reagan might have deity-like status among Republicans, but Bush had much broader influence because of his appeal to independent voters.

    350px-ElectoralCollege1984.svg.png

    Um, come again?

    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
  • DetharinDetharin Registered User regular

    Ok I'm up on things enough to know that most of this is ridiculously slanted but can someone tell me how Obama "funneled guns into Mexico"?

    Check my previous post on this page for a link to the thread. Basically

    Step 1. The ATF, DOJ, FBI, IRS, and ICE decides Mexican Cartels need a fuckton of guns.
    Step 2. The alphabet agencies proceed to give them guns, tons of guns, violate their own policies to give them guns, and then make sure that it is really hard to trace said guns if you are in Mexico. As in as far as their system for tracking guns was concerned these guns do not exist. If you entered them in the system it gave you an error.
    Step 3. Border Patrol agent gets killed with one of these guns, and the field agents who normally get blamed for everything decide to turn whistleblower because even when they went directly to the DOJ they were told everything is fine. Fun quote "If you do not think this is fun, you are in the wrong line of work."
    Step 4. Senator Grassley finally takes a notice after months of people trying to find someone, anyone in DC to take this seriously. He gets told basically to fuck off. He calls Issa. Issa gets told basically to fuck off.
    Step 5. Shitstorm.

    That Border Patrol agent was Brian Terry, and this week Obama sealed the murder investigation under the guise of national security.

  • nightmarennynightmarenny Registered User regular
    Detharin wrote:

    Ok I'm up on things enough to know that most of this is ridiculously slanted but can someone tell me how Obama "funneled guns into Mexico"?

    Check my previous post on this page for a link to the thread. Basically

    Step 1. The ATF, DOJ, FBI, IRS, and ICE decides Mexican Cartels need a fuckton of guns.
    Step 2. The alphabet agencies proceed to give them guns, tons of guns, violate their own policies to give them guns, and then make sure that it is really hard to trace said guns if you are in Mexico. As in as far as their system for tracking guns was concerned these guns do not exist. If you entered them in the system it gave you an error.
    Step 3. Border Patrol agent gets killed with one of these guns, and the field agents who normally get blamed for everything decide to turn whistleblower because even when they went directly to the DOJ they were told everything is fine. Fun quote "If you do not think this is fun, you are in the wrong line of work."
    Step 4. Senator Grassley finally takes a notice after months of people trying to find someone, anyone in DC to take this seriously. He gets told basically to fuck off. He calls Issa. Issa gets told basically to fuck off.
    Step 5. Shitstorm.

    That Border Patrol agent was Brian Terry, and this week Obama sealed the murder investigation under the guise of national security.

    I meant someone who wasn't making ridiculous claims, bro.

    Quire.jpg
  • psyck0psyck0 Registered User regular
    Wait when did detharin go off the deep end? That is beyond birther levels of crazy talk right there. Oh, and please don't link to fox news as a source of actual news. Link to something independent.

    Play Smash Bros 3DS with me! 4399-1034-5444
    steam_sig.png
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    The Ender wrote:
    Detharin wrote:
    Hell whomever wins the republican nomination could pull an audience member onto stage, ritually disembowel them, and hang them by their entrails from the lighting fixtures and still end up being the lesser of two evils.

    -.-

    Uh, nope.

    None of the Republican candidates at all approach 'lesser evil' status, much less do it when compared to Obama. Obama's another wealthy Washington scumbag interested in representing his millionaire friends; the Republicans are just flat-out insane.

    It's the difference between Churchill and the fascists (but with less brandy).


    If you're into the whole bichromatic politics bit, Obama is the only reasonable choice. I'm just not of the bichromatic sort.

    I'm pretty critical of Obama but I disagree, I think he honestly believes he's blowing with the wind of the populace here, 2010 really shook him up and he took on a much more conservative demeanor.

    He's certainly a big fan of corporations and millionaires sure, but I believe he also genuinely wants to improve social services, education, and all that jazz - but it seems like he thinks over half the nation is teapers (which watching the news with no outside sources is certainly what I'd conclude)

  • manwiththemachinegunmanwiththemachinegun METAL GEAR?! Registered User regular
    Giving the order to cap Osama Bin Laden won Obama brownie points in my book. I'm *not* a liberal, and I don't like a lot of choices he's made in office. But the Republic have a shitty field right now, and I give the man credit for having a pair of big brave President balls.

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    I'm waiting for the general where Romney tries to say Obama is weak on terrorism

This discussion has been closed.