Rooting for presidents to fail

[The_Trouvere]

Wall Street on Track for Record in Profits

The Democrat party is doing a fine job fucking up the country.

By ZACHERY KOUWE Published: November 17, 2009

In a report released Tuesday by Thomas P. DiNapoli, the comptroller of New York State, Wall Street profits in 2009 are on track to exceed the record set three years ago, at the height of the credit bubble...

“The national economy is slowly improving, but Wall Street has recovered much faster than anyone had envisioned,” Mr. DiNapoli said in a statement...

“Wall Street remains the engine that drives New York’s economy,” Mr. DiNapoli said in a statement. “It’s encouraging that the industry is recovering faster than forecast.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/business/18wall.html?_r=1&ref=business

 

[John Doe]

America did well under Clinton. Did you hope he would fail?

You not comparing Obama to Clinton, are you?

 

[KingOrfeo]

You not comparing Obama to Clinton, are you?

Why not? His politics are no more than five degrees to Clinton's left (and Clinton was the most conservative Dem POTUS since Grover Cleveland -- and RW asstards still called him a Communist ). From the RW POV, they're pretty much the same.

 

[busybody..]

Whoever called for the assassination of George W. Bush? Right here on the GB people have expressed the desire that Obama die. When men carry guns to Obama's appearances they do not have those guns to protect the President.

there is a DIFFERENCE calling for assasination of someone and WISHING for the death of someone

carrying GUNS in an open carry State is LEGAL, whats the BIG DEAL?

 

[Luk]

You not comparing Obama to Clinton, are you?

No, this was about wanting the Democratic Party to fail.

 

[John Doe]

No, this was about wanting the Democratic Party to fail.

Okay...Clinton was a Democrat. So what?

 

[Luk]

His policies will fail. That's why we want their implementation to fail.

The only way to save America is for the Democrats to fail.

Okay...Clinton was a Democrat. So what?

I was specifically responding to offhisrocker's post. When America was lead by a Democrat last time, America did well.

 

[John Doe]

I was specifically responding to offhisrocker's post. When America was lead by a Democrat last time, America did well.

Then let's hope it's not really the last time.

 

[Byron In Exile]

I was specifically responding to offhisrocker's post. When America was lead by a Democrat last time, America did well.

Congress makes the laws. The President doesn't "lead" anything.

That's like saying a hood ornament leads a car.

America did well under a Republican Congress.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Congress makes the laws. The President doesn't "lead" anything.

That's like saying a hood ornament leads a car.

America did well under a Republican Congress.

Have you no comprehension of the way our system works?! Of course the president leads! He's not as all-predominant as the prime minister in the British system, but he's no figurehead either.

 

[off2bed]

Have you no comprehension of the way our system works?! Of course the president leads! He's not as all-predominant as the prime minister in the British system, but he's no figurehead either.

Yes, of course the President is expected to be a leader. I guess Obama wants us to bow to foreigners and apologize for our country while tearing it apart piece by piece, based on the leadership example he's setting.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Yes, of course the President is expected to be a leader. I guess Obama wants us to bow to foreigners and apologize for our country while tearing it apart piece by piece, based on the leadership example he's setting.

In all respects an improvement over his predecessor, at any rate.

 

[off2bed]

In all respects an improvement over his predecessor, at any rate.

You forgot the to signify that you're joking around.

 

[JustSkye]

It's beyond me. I thought W was a shameful and dangerous leader. I was glad when his time was over. But I didn't spend a day of his eight years hoping that he would fail. Quite the opposite. I spent every day of his administration hoping he'd do alright for my country.

In fact, with one exception, I've never voted for any major-party candidate for president. I've disliked most of them in my lifetime. And in all that time, I've never spent a moment hoping any of them would fail.

They fail, we fail.

Dumbasses.

Great post.

Then the thread went downhill from there.

 

[KingOrfeo]

I guess Obama wants us to bow to foreigners and apologize for our country . . .

Call his approach to foreign relations that if you like, but it's still a definite improvement over W's you're-with-us-or-against-us approach. Arrogance makes enemies and alienates friends; respect and courtesy cost nothing.

. . . while tearing it apart piece by piece. . .

How so? I can understand being alarmed over the deficit, but America has survived massive deficit spending many times before. For the rest, anything that nudges America even slightly leftward (and any push Obama is giving it is very slight), towards the vital center now occupied by the rest of the world's industrialized democracies, is a good thing. Have you not noticed that nowadays, most of the time, things in general go better in Europe and Canada and in Japan than in the U.S.? That they have lower crime rates and less poverty? All "socialist" countries by your standards, and yet they remain free countries. And don't gimme any bullshit about how they can only afford social democracy because we're paying for their defense; it's anachronistic. No country really needs American military protection any more, not even South Korea nor Taiwan.

 

[Sonny Limatina]

Call his approach to foreign relations that if you like, but it's still a definite improvement over W's you're-with-us-or-against-us approach. Arrogance makes enemies and alienates friends; respect and courtesy cost nothing.



How so? I can understand being alarmed over the deficit, but America has survived massive deficit spending many times before. For the rest, anything that nudges America even slightly leftward (and any push Obama is giving it is very slight), towards the vital center now occupied by the rest of the world's industrialized democracies, is a good thing. Have you not noticed that nowadays, most of the time, things in general go better in Europe and Canada and in Japan than in the U.S.? That they have lower crime rates and less poverty? All "socialist" countries by your standards, and yet they remain free countries. And don't gimme any bullshit about how they can only afford social democracy because we're paying for their defense; it's anachronistic. No country really needs American military protection any more, not even South Korea nor Taiwan.

In a normal world, this quite excellent post would prompt a real and interesting debate.

On Lit, you'll be called a liberal poopie-head and life will go on.

 

[busybody..]

In a normal world, this quite excellent post would prompt a real and interesting debate.

On Lit, you'll be called a liberal poopie-head and life will go on.

of course Bush never said

with us or against us

did he?

 

[JustSkye]

of course Bush never said

with us or against us

did he?

"Over time it's going to be important for nations to know they will be held accountable for inactivity," he said. "You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror."

Bush said threats by Osama bin Laden to use weapons of mass destruction must be taken seriously. "This is an evil man that we're dealing with, and I wouldn't put it past him to develop evil weapons to try to harm civilization as we know it," Bush said. " And that's why we must prevail, and that's why we must win."

Bush said bin Laden has threatened in the past to use such weapons, but said there is no evidence bin Laden or his al Qaeda terrorist organization possesses such weaponry.





(and he's still at large, but we sure whooped that other guy.)

 

[Colonel Hogan]

It's beyond me. I thought W was a shameful and dangerous leader. I was glad when his time was over. But I didn't spend a day of his eight years hoping that he would fail. Quite the opposite. I spent every day of his administration hoping he'd do alright for my country.

In fact, with one exception, I've never voted for any major-party candidate for president. I've disliked most of them in my lifetime. And in all that time, I've never spent a moment hoping any of them would fail.

They fail, we fail.

Dumbasses.

As much as I agree with the spirit of your post, I think it fails to adequately distinguish between "loyal opposition" and irresponsible partisanship. To be sure, there is always a measure of America's success as being irreconcilably tied to the President's success. But it is hardly absolute or unlimited.

To wish for the failure of specific policies that you perceive as "dangerous" (whether you are Rush Limbaugh or flat5ive and whether the President is Barack Obama or George Bush) is not disloyal or self-destructive as an American citizen. Far from it. It is your patriotic duty to oppose those policies and work toward their failure.

Wishing the President to fail miserably simply because he is a member of the opposition party is decidedly unpatriotic and self-destructive. Failing to extend the full measure of respect to him and the office because of one's irresponsible partisanship is off-the-charts stupid.

The biggest failure of this entire country is that we long ago forgot how to tell the difference between dissent and disrespect.

 

[JustSkye]

The biggest failure of this entire country is that we long ago forgot how to tell the difference between dissent and disrespect.

we can find a lot of both here on Lit.

 

[Colonel Hogan]

we can find a lot of both here on Lit.

Unfortunately, you can find a lot of both almost everywhere. My point is that they have become virtually inseparable -- they are characteristic of the nuttiest internet poster on up to, and including, most members of Congress.

It is our greatest failure as a society.

 

[John Doe]

*sigh* Sometimes I don't know why I bother with the quotes.

Maybe I should just stick to the funny ones.

 

[KingOrfeo]

To wish for the failure of specific policies that you perceive as "dangerous" (whether you are Rush Limbaugh or flat5ive and whether the President is Barack Obama or George Bush) is not disloyal or self-destructive as an American citizen. Far from it. It is your patriotic duty to oppose those policies and work toward their failure.

Wishing the President to fail miserably simply because he is a member of the opposition party is decidedly unpatriotic and self-destructive. Failing to extend the full measure of respect to him and the office because of one's irresponsible partisanship is off-the-charts stupid.

David Frum, at least, is clear on the distinction; see post #17.

 

[The_Trouvere]

The biggest failure of this entire country is that we long ago forgot how to tell the difference between dissent and disrespect.

During the War in Vietnam the anti-war movement alienated potential supporters with disruptive tactics, and by deliberately offending middle class standards of decency. The anti-war movement needed to model itself after the civil rights movement between the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 to the March on Washington in 1963. Demonstrators needed to be neatly dressed and orderly. The movement needed to be closely allied to mainline religious organizations. As much as possible the movement needed to appeal to traditional American values. By 1970 the American people disliked the War in Vietnam while hating the war protesters.

 

[Ham Murabi]

It's beyond me. I thought W was a shameful and dangerous leader. I was glad when his time was over. But I didn't spend a day of his eight years hoping that he would fail. Quite the opposite. I spent every day of his administration hoping he'd do alright for my country.

In fact, with one exception, I've never voted for any major-party candidate for president. I've disliked most of them in my lifetime. And in all that time, I've never spent a moment hoping any of them would fail.

They fail, we fail.

Dumbasses.

Let me put it this way.
If Obamacare passes and crushing taxes are imposed on us in the middle of a recession, well, yeah - I hope that fails.
If cap-n-trade passes and my monthly bills to heat and cool my home go up by $1,800 a year, well, yeah - I hope that fails.
But all that doesn't matter. He's already tripled the deficit, jilted our allies, sucked up to the bad guys. He has already failed.