President Obama needs to focus on what is important
Posted by Mike Sylvester - 9/29/09 @ 5:34 pm - Filed Under National Politics
I am really irritated at the President. He keeps taking the time to make a media blitz and appear on the Sunday Talk shows, prime time TV, Saturday night live, etc. Now he has decided to go and personally ask for the Olympics to be held in Chicago in 2016.
There are a lot of things President Obama should focus on; getting the Olympics to be held in Chicago should not be on the list.
Here are some items President Obama should focus on that I feel are more important than a personal appearance in Europe to lobby for his home city of Chicago:
1. President Obama appointed a new General in Afghanistan. This new general (McChrystal) has put in a request for about 40,000 more troops and for a change in strategy. So far the White House is putting off making a decision on this request. President Obama should sit down with his advisers and decide what to do in Afghanistan and he should do it now. He has been President for over eight months…
2. The United States has spent TRILLIONS of dollars to bail out the financial sector in the United States. Some of this money was spent in late 2008 (Under President Bush; however approved by a Democratic Congress including President Obama) and the balance was spent in 2009. So far NOTHING has been done to install new financial regulations over this industry that the taxpayers bailed out. This is shameful and I blame the Democratic Congress; however, President Obama shares some of the blame as well.
3. The President keeps telling Americans that health care reform is vital to this country and that it must be passed now or the financial future of the country is in danger. His health care reform plan has gone nowhere and if he thinks it is that important I would think he could rally his supporters and get his ideas passed through Congress.
4. A large number of Democrats oppose the Patriot Act as a violation of American Civil Liberties. President Bush and the Republicans were demonized over the Patriot Act by Democrats. That being said the Democrats have had strong Congressional majorities since 2006 and they still have the Patriot Act in place. I would think President Obama should focus on getting parts of the Patriot Act repealed… Oh wait, he now supports the Patriot Act now that he is President… Good Grief…
I could go on and on; however, I think you get the idea.
President Obama is doing a terrible job and needs to seriously change course. I still am convinced that he will serve just one term unless the Republicans run a complete moron in 2010 (Which is very possible).
Mike Sylvester
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18 Responses to “President Obama needs to focus on what is important”
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Mike said:
He doesn’t have much in the way supporters. In the latest Rasmussen poll taken yesterday:
He needs to get his ass of TV, quit panning for the Olympics to the benefit of his cronies and start governing.
Rasumssen polls reflect voters- not necessarily the general population.
CBS /NYT poll from 9-23-09
“Regardless of how you usually vote, who do you think has better ideas about reforming the health care system: Barack Obama, or the Republicans in Congress?” 52% Obama / 27% GOP
“Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government-administered health insurance plan — something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get — that would compete with private health insurance plans?” Favro - 65% Oppose- 26%
2010? We don’t vote for President until 2012. Even a “complete moron” knows that.
Craig,
Yep, 2012…
Mike
Craig,
Why don’t you make a meaningful comment on the post. I do appreciate the correction; however, I think you can do better…
Mike
Honest Abe,
He has a lot of supporters. I agree his approval numbers have dropped; however, a lot of people still support the President.
Mike
Kevin Knuth,
I have looked at a lot of polls as well.
If a clear majority of Americans support reforming healthcare please explain to me why the Democrats who have commanding majorities in Congress do not pass reform?
Mike
Mike,
The bills are making their way through Congress- Healthcare will pass this year.
Mike,
I like you and your writing.
However, an honest thinking person knows this was an easy out to vent frustrations in other areas. It’s very much the Fox News style attack in the evening by individual commentators, though not the network as a whole.
It would be like chastising Bush, whom I know you are not a fan, for meeting the NCAA men’s basketball champions, instead of concentrating on the conflict in Iraq.
Some duties come with the office, and while your points are accurate and well made, your offhand entrance to challenge the president is not, in my opinion, a respectable way to present a legitimate argument.
Though I do not have the facts, something tells me Chicago was working on this bid far before Obama became president. And it should not matter if they were not.
But I’m certain we can both agree that bringing such games to the US would create jobs and revenue, even if only for a short while.
Charles,
What is not respectful about my post?
I feel that President Obama is wasting his time and is not addressing items that he promised to fix. I even listed four things that I feel are far more important than securing the olynpics…
Your comments about the olympics mystify me somewhat. Of course Chicago was in the running for the olympics long before President Obama even decided to run for office. My point is that he has more important things to do then to go and lobby for the olympics.
You then say “But I’m certain we can both agree that bringing such games to the US would create jobs and revenue, even if only for a short while.”
No we certainloy cannot agree on that. There have been many studies done about the economic effect of the olympic games; oftentimes, the host city actually loses money.
I go to Chicago frequently. I cannot imagine what the olympics would do to traffic in Chicago.
In fact a poll came out today that says that 45% of those polled in Chicago oppose having the olympics in Chicago and only 47% support it.
Many reasons were given; however, you must realize that many residents feel that there will be a lot of corruption in the contracts awarded for the olympics and that there will be large cost over-runs. Chicago and Illinois are currently in dire financial straits. In order to host the olympics they would have to deficit spend BILLIONS of dollars.
Do you really think The President of the United States should lobby for something that only half of the people in Chicago want?
Seriously?
Mike
Mike,
To be fair- you don’t think he is working on other stuff while he is there? Want to guess why there is a conference room on Air Force One?
Kevin is right… again. Anything that can be done in the Oval Office, can be done on AF1. I just wonder what impact the leader of any country could have on the IOC’s decision making process?
Kevin,
I agree he can multi-task.
That being said I feel that he is not prioritizing things at all…
Mike
Kinda like when Bush went to the games in China for 4 days when he was running two wars…..
Kevin,
Yes Kevin, just like that… Also when former President Bush took a month off at his ranch in Texas…
Mike
““Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government-administered health insurance plan — something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get — that would compete with private health insurance plans?” Favro - 65% Oppose- 26%”
The second question should have been, how much are you willing to pay to have Medicare Style Insurance”
$3000 each dependent under 18
$5000 each person 19 to 45
$7000 each person over 45 and under 65
$19,000 each person between age 65 and 85
$23,000 each person over 85
What most polls ask is what people want, not what they are willing to pay for.
Once again, it’s not the reality of any given situation that get’s ya in hot water with the public, it’s the PERCEPTION. Of course when ANY President is ANYWHERE he is in touch and at work except when asleep. It’s not a job you can “leave at the office”.
I have no doubt Barry can still efficiently multi-task on destroying our nations economy, his government take over of industries, and the ever popular socialist takeover of all things “health” related while still cheerleading for the 2nd city to host a financial and logistical debacle.