CommentsMY TURN-Almost like clockwork, the conservative talking heads are expected to spew forth the Fox brainwashed propaganda comment of “We suffered 8 years under Obama.”
I admit, my jaw drops when they say this, because I, like many, reeled under the recession, market crash and economic horrors that were left as dust when Bush left office. Are these conservatives living in another universe? Do they have short term memories that keep them from recognizing the destruction of the country that a Republican President yet again caused? Beyond just the obvious less-than-hidden agenda that they can’t look past President Obama’s color, it appears that they have completely become devoid of common sense.
Propaganda sources such as Fox/Breitbard/Sinclair, et al accomplish a daily barrage of brainwashing techniques. Even as people were losing jobs, homes were being foreclosed on, savings accounts drained, and lives were being destroyed, they refused to blame President Bush and his cronies for the problems. President Obama was handed one of the worst economies in history, and when he took office, Fox and the conservative mouthpieces took a shift and realigned their strategies to take the blame-game in his direction. No one can “fix” all these woes overnight, but we never heard a word of complaint or whining from Obama; instead, he set out to do what he was hired to do: work for the American people.
We experienced a slow turn-around and as the economy improved, we saw more jobs and better lifestyles for all. This is why it is confusing when someone says they “suffered” under the eight years of the Obama Presidency.
While we know that presenting these same people with “facts” is almost a moot point, here are just some of the most important aspects to shake their little brains up and remind them of how President Obama took us from the edge of the abyss and saved us as a people and a country; thanks to Debra Lynnette McNeal:
“*The day Obama took office, the Dow closed at 7,949 points. Eight years later, the Dow had almost tripled.
*General Motors and Chrysler were on the brink of bankruptcy, with Ford not far behind, and their failure, along with their supply chains, would have meant the loss of millions of jobs. Obama pushed through a controversial, $8o billion bailout to save the car industry. The U.S. car industry survived, started making money again, and the entire $80 billion was paid back, with interest.
*While we remain vulnerable to lone-wolf attacks, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully executed a mass attack here since 9/11.
*Obama ordered the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.
*He drew down the number of troops from 180,000 in Iraq and Afghanistan to just 15,000, and increased funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
*He launched a program called Opening Doors which, since 2010, has led to a 47 percent decline in the number of homeless veterans.
*He set a record 73 straight months of private-sector job growth.
*Due to Obama’s regulatory policies, greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 12%, production of renewable energy more than doubled, and our dependence on foreign oil was cut in half.
*He signed The Lilly Ledbetter Act, making it easier for women to sue employers for unequal pay.
*His Omnibus Public Lands Management Act designated more than 2 million acres as wilderness, creating thousands of miles of trails and protecting over 1,000 miles of rivers.
*He reduced the federal deficit from 9.8 percent of GDP in 2009 to 3.2 percent in 2016.
*For all the inadequacies of the Affordable Care Act, we seem to have forgotten that, before the ACA, you could be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition and kids could not stay on their parents’ policies up to age 26.
*Obama approved a $14.5 billion system to rebuild the levees in New Orleans.
All this, even as our own Mitch McConnell famously asserted that his singular mission would be to block anything President Obama tried to do.
*While Obama failed on his campaign pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, that prison’s population decreased from 242 to around 50.
*He expanded funding for embryonic stem cell research, supporting groundbreaking advancement in areas like spinal injury treatment and cancer.
*Credit card companies can no longer charge hidden fees or raise interest rates without advance notice.
*Most years, Obama threw a 4th of July party for military families. He held babies, played games with children, served barbecue, and led the singing of “Happy Birthday” to his daughter Malia, who was born on July 4.
*Welfare spending is down: for every 100 poor families, just 24 receive cash assistance, compared with 64 in 1996.
*Obama comforted families and communities following more than a dozen mass shootings. After Sandy Hook, he said, “The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.” Yet, he never took away anyone’s guns.
*He sang Amazing Grace, spontaneously, at the altar.
*He was the first president since Eisenhower to serve two terms without personal or political scandal.
*He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
President Obama was not perfect, as no man and no president is, and you can certainly disagree with his political ideologies. But to say we suffered? If that’s the argument, if this is how we suffered for 8 years under Barack Obama, I have one wish: may we be so fortunate as to suffer 8 more. Here’s a news flash, folks: though you may be entitled to your own opinions, you are not entitled to your own facts.”
President Obama Is Cool
(Image Source: MTV)
One of the things that really make conservative Republicans mad is the fact that they are represented by cold, stodgy, old white guys and Democrats seem to have those that are “cool.” Whether it was President Clinton playing the saxophone on Arsenio Hall or President Obama singing Al Green or appearing on Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix show “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee,” liberals seem to have the keynote on the edge of cool.
You won’t find many articles on this topic because it veers towards the main psychology of exactly “who” conservatives and liberals are. However, this isn’t an opinion that is shared by only Americans, we can see this happening around the globe with various world leaders. Let’s face facts: when it comes to positive attitudes, smiles and being congenially accepted, Democrats win, hands down.
Of course, the argument that inevitably comes from the Repubs is that these things should be taken more seriously or that politics shouldn’t be treated as a game. Not so. Everything in life must be tempered as a balance and the mere fact that liberals seem to be able to do that on a national and international scale, just chaps-the-butts of the tight-a$$ed conservatives.
In another Netflix show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, President Obama talks about how he relates to his daughters (and many others) with his “Dad dancing.” Elle relates this concept in their article stating:
“Obama, more than any other dude, is a coolness paradox. Everything he does shouldn’t, logically, be cool. And yet here we are, giving it a lifetime achievement award on MTV or something. Twenty bucks says Obama is P!nk’s new choreographer.”
President Obama made it cool to be able to sing and dance, but also to be incredibly smart. He shared his book lists every month and, demonstrated respect to foreign peoples by learning some of the languages. This approach is one of the reasons that Presidents Clinton and Obama were so well-received around the globe and why the Republicans aren’t.
The problem with being open and cool is that the jealousy on the other side of the table is so strong, they simply don’t have the ability to reach back. This is another reason conservatives hate liberals…because conservatives are just “uncool.”
When Good and Evil Exists: Whose Side are You On?
When making a judgement call one should always have the facts. However, in today’s internet driven world, “facts” are dependent upon perception. We exist in a global community and yet American conservatives don’t want to accept this idea. Instead, they are choosing a cloistered and limited perspective that involves only the media that reinforces their opinions, devoid of the truth.
We have seen these attitudes before in pre-WW II Germany. The desire to blame specific groups of people, religions or cultures for the bad choices they made and then when all of those were rid, they moved on to the next group. Prisons, camps, and even the final blow of “Lugenpresse” (false press), where they threw journalists into the camps and finally adopted only government approved media.
No other American administration in our history has been so hated around the world. Millions of people in so many countries turned out for the “Women’s March” in 2017 to show that none of us support a regime based on sexism, racism, bigotry and hate.
Almost everyone knows of or is exposed to those who repeat, in drone-like fashion, the brainwashed, cult following words and when they finally run out, they inevitably invoke Obama and Hillary.
Rather than being angry at their idiocy, I typically just think of the statement by John Cleese indicating that some people are just too stupid to realize how stupid they are!
In a universe where we think good and evil do exist, remember to step back and make your choice based on truth, reality and facts. We are seeing huge numbers of people and even companies doing just that….and history will remember that you and they were on the correct side.
(S. Novi is a journalist who worked in the media and continues to seek out truth and integrity. A liberal and one who is suspicious of cults and empty promises. Her posts originate at Medium.com. She is a contributor to CityWatch.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
