This Fox headline says the Van Jones resignation “could” embolden critics of the Obama administration. They’re already months past emboldened. The Bush administration wasn’t even over before they were having their grand freakout over a black president. Hell, before the election had even taken place they were pretty sure Obama had the mark of the beast on him.
These people are just going to escalate, like they always do.
Tbogg was good on this (possibly NSFW image):
http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2009/09/05/glenn-beck-rules-our-world/
Obama seems to have forgotten that he won in November.
From the article:
Now that Jones is out of the way, Republicans are turning their fire on czars in general.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, called the czars “an affront to the Constitution” since they are not approved by Congress.
“I don’t think (Jones is) the issue. I think the czars are the issue,” Alexander, R-Tenn., said on “FOX News Sunday.” “We have about two dozen so-called czars — the pay czar, the car czar, all these czars in the White House.”
As pointed out in the other thread, conservatives complaining about “Czars” in the Obama administration are hypocritical sacks of shit.
Bush had 36 czars in his Whites and a total of 46 appointments over his eight years, 25 of which were appointed without Congressional confirmation hearings.
So far, Obama has a total of 32 czars, and a total of 34 appointments, 23 of which were appointed without Congressional confirmation hearings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._executive_branch_czars
I am not holding my breath for anyone at Fox to ask Alexander whether he felt Bush’s use of czars was “an affront to the Constitution.”
Most of America has no idea who Van Jones is- and they won’t after the weekend either. If by “emboldened” Fox means ratchet up the crazy – then the Republicans will be standing around on the first Wednesday of Nov. 2010 wondering why they weren’t able to make any progress in taking back “their” country.
If anything were capable of, as it were, disemboldening these people, the historical landslide elections less than a year ago and in 2006 should have done it. They don’t really require the external validation that “emboldening” suggest; indeed, they don’t consider anyone else Americans but themselves.
“I am not holding my breath for anyone at Fox to ask Alexander whether he felt Bush’s use of czars was “an affront to the Constitution.”
Or Mike Pence either. Even though he was in Congress the entirety of Bush 43’s two terms (Pence was elected to Congress in November, 2000), I can’t find one example of him complaining about the constitutionality of the 43rd president’s “czars.”
To clarify my earlier post: Pence has been recently echoing the same sentiment about Obama’s “czars” as Senator Alexander has in his Fox News Sunday appearance that fafaroo mentioned.
Kth;
if you want to talk about historical landslide elections go look at the results from 1984.
As far as this administration it was doomed when Obama brought in Emmanuel, Daschle and the rest of the Clinton clan.
Yep, change we can believe in, sorry not what I voted for when I voted for Obama.
But it is somewhat fun to see his policies derailed by a private citizen and a facebook account.
Obama’s still got seven years. I wouldn’t count your chickens yet. If anything, he’ll learn a few things from the past few months (at least, he should):
1) Give up all hope of ever working with Republicans on anything for the next seven years. They have no positive (both senses of the term) vision for America beyond “oppose the black guy.” Hence, it’s counter-productive to work with them on anything.
2) Fight force with force. Obama has been far too passive recently in trying to broker deals with the GOP. Similar to point 1, stop treating the GOP like a rational party of loyal opposition. They are a lunatic asylum of hate, anger, and bigotry. Treat them as such.
3) Get a more effective team together for messaging. For whatever reason, Obama’s people have forgotten how to get a meme out. Which is strange, because they were so good at doing it during the election.
But it is somewhat fun to see his policies derailed by a private citizen and a facebook account.
Yes. It’s always fun when lies win out.
This is the second time this week that you’ve equated disagreeing with the Obama Administration with Oklahoma City. And that’s just dispicable.
And that’s just dispicable.
Says a person who knows despicable comparisons from the inside out.
But it is somewhat fun to see his policies derailed by a private citizen and a facebook account.
That’s typical of the right wing these days: they’ll applaud anything as long as it scores a point against their enemies. Lying? Distorting? Misrepresenting? Hey, but it’s sure got those lefties in a tizzy!
Our side wilts like a flower every time. We support a bunch of people like Glass Joe from the old Punch Out video game. The netroots deserves better than the Washington Generals-esque adminstration, senate and congress
As soon as the economy turns around and it will shortly, the grand old pricks are doomed. It’s much easier to be a war time president than to govern during the recession caused by the war time president and his band of christian marauder.
I think “embolden” is the right word. Think of it as a war. Obama just signaled retreat. I would feel emboldened as well. I would be looking to maximize my advantage. Obama and team had better start hitting back or they will be party to a rout.
Yep, change we can believe in, sorry not what I voted for when I voted for Obama.
That’s a funny one, claiming you voted for Obama, then feigning outrage that his campaign manager became his chief of staff.
“I voted for Obama, but no way was I voting for bailouts or stimulus spending or health care reform” is bullshit. Totally untenable. Obama made his intentions crystal clear during the campaign, and has not proposed one thing that deviates from his campaign promises in the slightest (except to significantly water down many of those promises to make them more palatable to centrists and the Beltway establishment).
Nice one kth. Playing the dissembler is a common wingnut tactic.
Speaking of emboldened:
Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the debate over Iran’s nuclear program is over, while he is ready to discuss a range of international issues with President Barack Obama.
At his first formal press conference since his June re- election, Ahmadinejad said today he didn’t recognize deadlines for talks on Iran’s nuclear plans and isn’t willing to negotiate on its “undeniable” rights.
Maybe when Obama takes the gavel at the UN he can just apologize to Iran and say it was all just a misunderstanding.
william, you are exactly right: xenophobic religious extremists are the subject of the original post, and Ahmadinejad is just as on-topic as his American equivalents like Glenn Beck. Whenever you are dealing with poorly-educated and easily-frightened people, be they the supporters of Ahmadinejad or Rush Limbaugh (again, apart from their language and ethnicity nearly indistinguishable), you have to consider whether failing to engage them fully will embolden them; more importantly, whether their emboldedness has greater power to harm our country than what would result from the other tactical alternatives.
Maybe when Obama takes the gavel at the UN he can just apologize to Iran and say it was all just a misunderstanding.
Then, if your predicted Republican resurgance takes place in 2012, the next President can get down to business and invade Turkey.
Oliver keeps bringing up Oklahoma City and talks about how “they always escalate.” So, what was the escalation after that?
His entire premise rests on a single datum. One that’s coming on two decades old.
I said it before, I’ll repeat it again: the major difference between Timothy McVeigh and William Ayers was that McVeigh was more competent. Ayers talked a big game, and gave it the old college try, but McVeigh was simply better at it.
And would anyone care to speculate on whether or not McVeigh would have been embraced by the Right had he failed as much as Ayers was (and is) embraced by the Left?
J.
“The Bush administration wasn’t even over before they were having their grand freakout over a black president.”
For a guy always claims that he doesn’t like to bring up race, OW sure does a lot of it. But then it’s liberal way to play the race card in lieu of any and all criticism on Barry, they just can’t help themselves. The criticism of Barry’s vetting process, from all the tax cheats (Daschle, Geithner, Killfer, et al) to 9/11 Truther and admitted commie Van Jones, has been more than valid and thats why Jones had no choice but to resign. Then too, what’s an opposing party in the minority and supposedly on death’s door supposed to do other than fight? When Bush and the GOP ran Congress the Left didn’t just say “oh, fuck it” and quit–yet OW expects the GOP to do exactly that. Bottom line, Barry got his mandate in Nov., he has the votes–there’s no excuse for him not getting his agenda done. If he believes in healthcare reform so badly than he should channel Teddy R., say fuck the GOP and go down fighting.
If he believes in healthcare reform so badly than he should channel Teddy R., say fuck the GOP and
go down fightingwin!Yr wlcm.
His entire premise rests on a single datum. One that’s coming on two decades old.
Suddenly things that happened ~20 years ago aren’t relevant? Does this mean we won’t hear any more about:
Chappaquidik
Robert Byrd
William Ayers
Anti-Vietnam War protesters
Waco
Bill Clinton’s penis
Somolia
You’re not going to have much left to talk about, Mr. Tea.
Quaker, each of those are parts of trends. Whereas Oliver keeps talking about how the right wing is constantly escalating things, but his graph of atrocities maxed at 1993.
J.
Quaker, each of those are parts of trends.
Hunh?
Chappaquidik was a trend? Bust out the sixpack early today, Mr. Tea?
But I digress. If I understand you correctly, you are reserving the right to bring up your own cherished, but ancient outrages while you wag your finger at those who recall the OK City attack and the Americans who died there.
Good to know.
he should channel Teddy R., say fuck the GOP
I never realized that I channeled TR five or six times a day.
Did you know that TR called for universal government health care? Neither did I.
Anyone who declares others to be racists solely because they don’t support the President is so mentally deficient as to be unable to differentiate right from wrong or truth from lie. Is that really as broad as your mind can stretch?
Most Republicans would have voted for a black woman (Condoleeza Rice) in a heartbeat. You see, they value the content of one’s character over the color of one’s skin, and Obama’s character has been shown to be lacking (look at the character of the people with whom he willingly associates) on multiple occasions. If you ever gain the ability to discern character, you might try judging people by that instead of the narrow-mindedness you currently seem to use.
Given the left likes to equate the right as simple or stupid, why not keep it simple. As a candidate Obama promised transparency in government, no more lobbyist, no more pork, and a promise of cooperation (Pelosi never got the memo). None of this has come to pass, lie to me once shame on me, lie to me twice shame on you, lie to me again I can’t hear you and will not try. If he had accomplished the above I would say this is a man worth listing to, now however he is no different than those who preceded him.
Van Jones is a self confessed Communist. His views do not reflect the values of 95% of American citizens. No matter how you try and spin it, the people in the white house under George Bush represented the views of the vast majority of American citizens. Right now Dick Cheney is within 10 percentage points of Obama in positives.
What is hilarious, is to see conservatives adopt far left tactics, and watch how the far left has no answer except to label and demean. All far left zealots have is three words found in nearly all of their posts, hate, racists, liar. Fill in the blank on the rest, no facts. Way too funny too see Saul Alinsky tactics applied by conservatives !
Obama and his ideals are dropping like a rock in every legitimate poll. 60% or more of people do not trust the man. At this rate he will be a one term president unless he throws the far left under the bus, pronto.
For those of you hoping the economy has been fixed, stand by, there will probably be an inflation fueled mini recovery followed by hyper inflation and an even worse inflation in the coming two years.That folks is reality, not hate.
And Obama was elected because he promised he knew how to fix the economic problems. Seems he is incapable of that at this point.
I love coming across blogs like this. It just makes me chuckle so much. A bunch of frustrated, petulant, crude and, lacking in substance, posters whose sole ability is accusing anyone who opposes President Obama’s actions of racism and stupidity.
Do the people that lash out like this ever review and think about their postings before they press the submit button? Is it all possible to these people that there can be honest and honorable disagreements? The majority of the responses on this site just demonstrates how a movement or ideology can have its butt kicked by a bunch of so called, uneducated, racists.
The whole bunch of you are laughable. The President loses more support every day, much of it because of ill-advised decisions; but also because more and more reasonable Americans are realizing that so many supporters of President Obama display the same crude and irrational attitudes of the posters on this site….and they don’t like it and don’t want to be associated with it.
So you highly educated, prejudice-free, intellects just keep on doing what you’re doing. After the election results last November, I was really worried about the long term direction of the country. But you guys are making it way to easy. It’s fun just to sit back and watch.
Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Conservatives: First, FREEZE the Radical Liberals; then, FRAME the Radical Liberals. Truth will trump over their empty shell game in the end. One example: who’s been at the power center of some of our nation’s most urban areas? Liberal Democrats. Hmmm….compassionate Liberals have let them rot under their noses.
It was John Kerry who taught us through a negative life example that you don’t try to reason with Republicans, you simply have to swing back as hard as possible.
Grow a spine, Mr. President, and start fighting back.
If Oliver Willis’ tagline (’Like Kryptonite To Stupid’) were correct, he’d be feeling the burn as this is about as stupid a remark as ever had been uttered (even by the Left). Really? By taking down a bigoted and openly communist ‘czar’ you believe that the Right will now begin to commit terrorist acts???? Wow! Too funny! What will happen is that the Right will continue to fight [within the law] against people like Van Jones being in power. Jones can believe what he wants and can spout anything he wants, but he cannot be in a position of power in the US Government. That’s all.
Here’s the basic difference between the Left and the Right: the Right believes that the Left is misguided and uninformed but basically good, while the Left believes that the Right is evil and must die.
Wow, a troll influx. What do you want to be they;re all drive-bys, not hanging around for the reasoned response to their hysteria?
I’d like to thank all our new guests for exemplifying the moron status that is the GOP.
The right is committing suicide all by itsel (i.e., Chairman Rush). You don’t need any help from us.
SamAdams, I guess you’ve been asleep since the revolution. I just heard Mark Levin on a tirade telling his listeners that Obama “hates” them and “hates” their ideas, that he couldn’t care whether they were “dead or alive.” I could have listened right on through to the encore performance of Sean Hannity and heard the same lame thing in a different octave or turned to another AM radio station and heard the Savage Weiner telling his audience that America is about to be invaded by Iran because Obama is a wimp. At least be honest about your side.
If what you said were true, Bush and Cheney would be in jail right now.
And Obama was elected because he promised he knew how to fix the economic problems.
I’m pretty sure he was elected not because of anything he said, but because the alternative was McCain/Palin.
No one ducked out before a response to their comments was posted. I have yet to see any reasoned response, but I do see name calling and labeling. Making a statement that conservatives, or Republicans, or whoever, will somehow resort to violence is laughable. It can not be considered even relevant to the Van Jones discussion. It is a cheap strawman arguement.
Petulant children of the far left will find ways to deny reality. Van Jones was a communist, an elitist, and should have been vetted before he was appointed. Van Jones is also a confirmed racist.
Van Jones writings about white polluters etc. would never have stood muster if he was white and had said what he did about black people. Don Imus was castigated nationally for one remark he made, how is it Van Jones is allowed a free pass everywhere he speaks?
Beck has his first scalp, true. Thanks to the appointment of others like Van Jones odds are he will have more very soon.
And Obama was elected because he promised he knew how to fix the economic problems.
No I believe he was elected because he made promises that moderates and independents found appealing, and they made the difference. Honest government, no lobbyist, transparency, and a new era of bipartisan government. If all these had been his first priorities and established, the rest would have been comparatively easy. But no he allowed Pelosi to define his Presidency, and that was the same old tired BS both side are tired of.
Oh goody. A visit from the black-people-are-the-real-racists crowd.
Of course the Becks, Limbaughs, and assorted other liars and shouters are going to escalate. They sure as hell aren’t going to think, “Well, we got rid of that awful Van Jones. Now we can just go about our business.”
P.S. to Mr. Citizen: If you’re going to cry about name-calling, you might want to avoid engaging in it in your very next paragraph. Just a friendly suggestion.
Van Jones writings about white polluters etc. would never have stood muster if he was white and had said what he did about black people.
I know! It’s amazing how protected and coddled all these black corporate polluters are by the politically correct crowd! We all now how these black owned corporations dump their toxic run off and spew their air pollution into our middle class suburban neighborhoods but we can’t say anything about it, unless we want to risk being called racist!
Most seem to forget Van Jones earlier as a young man spoke of, if you want to effect change then do not fight the establishment become part of it, and work from within to make changes. His agenda never changed his modes of operation did. His hatred of the system drove his activities, not his love of country. Maybe we should thank that little liberal Berkley wannabe for asking the question that led to his undoing.
His agenda never changed his modes of operation did.
Really? Do tell, Aisha. What was Jones’ agenda?
More on subject, has anyone actually seen, or heard where President Obama acknowledge accepting the resignation or are we being played?
More on subject, has anyone actually seen, or heard where President Obama acknowledge accepting the resignation or are we being played?
Oh gee, right wing and a paranoid freak. Imagine that.
I’m I to believe you failed to watch or listen to his many rants against what he saw as the enemy to his cause. I.E. tear down white corporate America, not corporate America but white, and there in was his undoing.
I.E. tear down white corporate America, not corporate America but white, and there in was his undoing.
That’s what you think his top secret agenda was? Tear down white corporate America?
You’re an idiot. A paranoid idiot.
Why do liberals always resort to name calling when their arguments are questioned? You would suspect with their superior education they could do better. Sorry for giving more credit than you deserve.
Deny his own words if you choose, he said it, I did not. Again read his writings listen to his speeches he said what he said. But again believe as you choose, has will I.
Why do liberals always resort to name calling when their arguments are questioned?
Now wait a second Aisha. You weren’t questioning anyone’s argument. You were stating your belief that Jones had a secret agenda to destroy white corporate America.
That’s a moronic, paranoid statement on its face.
There’s no point in even talking to someone who begins with that position. How could I convince you that you were being a paranoid idiot? I couldn’t. If I cite you sections of Jones’ book in which he advocates for free market solutions to environmental problems all you’re going to do is tell me that he’s masquerading as a free marketer in order to destroy America from within!
If I asked you how Jones, as the “green jobs czar” was going to destroy white corporate America, what you tell me? That this completely innocuous position some how gave Jones the power to pass legislation, enforce regulations and seize private property? You really believe that?
So Aisha, in the interest of proving what a paranoid fucking nut you are, please explain to us all how Jones was going destroy white corporate America as the green jobs czar.
I’m sure this is going to be fascinating.
“And would anyone care to speculate on whether or not McVeigh would have been embraced by the Right had he failed … .”
He was the right. He was paranoid, racist, religious, deluded and he thought the all gubamint was statist (a la Levine). I’m sure many still chant his praises.
First in many of the post prior to mine, that was the case, and you seem to fit the profile rather nicely. Next I have no idea of his ideas or plans,he sure would not make them common knowledge and lastly most times it is pretty easy to spot a racist white or black.
Next I have no idea of his ideas or plans …”
The modern conservative movement in a nut shell.
I stand by my original description. You’re a paranoid moron.
And fafaroo opines:
“I stand by my original description. You’re a paranoid moron”
Sorry fafaroo, your enemies complex is shining through. The remark about Van Jones and conservatives has been made, it is nothing more than petty ideological candy for those who live in an echo chamber of thought. Namely a far left echo chamber. Van Jones should have been vetted, he was not. Who should fall on their sword for that mistake?
Get some fresh air. Go out, meet a conservative, shake hands with an independent, make some new friends,
Oh my, I almost forgot. Shadow statistics.com that monitors government statistics has the “real” unemployment rate at near 17%. All indicators seem to point towards even more higher unemployment in the future.
Do you consider these statistics “hate” ??? What is Obama going to do about it? Does Mr. hope and change have any ideas?
Well first, Van Jones had to go, I am against all czars, Bush II had a few, Bush I had a few, Clinton a few, Obama, more Czars than the Romanov Dynasty, this is Clearly unconstitutional and being used to bypass an already owned congress, so it may be stupid as well.
Republican or Democrat these “Czars” should be fully vetted by the public, and questioned by the congress and or senate, before appointment.
Obama created this problem for himself, this is not the making of Fox News, but merely a symptom of bypassing the constitution. Oh, and did I say that the Democrats have both houses with a veto proof majority! Obama needs to fire the people who are advising him on the Czar issue, and fire them fast, Glenn Beck will be picking the Czars off one at a time, and Obama cannot afford this. The Czars must go for Obama to succeed.
You were stating your belief that Jones had a secret agenda to destroy white corporate America. That’s a moronic, paranoid statement on its face.
Yes, but saying opposition to Van Jones is going to lead to another Oklahoma City type terrorist attack is perfectly reasonable and intelligent statement.
Well first, Van Jones had to go, I am against all czars, Bush II had a few, Bush I had a few, Clinton a few, Obama, more Czars than the Romanov Dynasty, this is Clearly unconstitutional and being used to bypass an already owned congress, so it may be stupid as well.
99 percent of this sentence is wrong.
Yes, but saying opposition to Van Jones is going to lead to another Oklahoma City type terrorist attack is perfectly reasonable and intelligent statement.
Well, let’s see, Jay, we’ve got a bunch of paranoid people, several of whom have commented in this thread, who believe that Obama is secretly determined to destroy the United States and everything it stands for.
You yourself are an avowed believer in using extremism in defense of liberty.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable that when you encourage a bunch of paranoid extremists that their country is in danger of being destroyed by an internal enemy that we might see a paranoid extremist response.
Oh my, I almost forgot. Shadow statistics.com that monitors government statistics has the “real” unemployment rate at near 17%. All indicators seem to point towards even more higher unemployment in the future.
Here’s a guy who attacks me for living in an echo chamber and then cites a guy who makes a living telling people that the government is lying to them and that only he knows the real truth about how horrible everything really is.
Brilliant.
“…but I do see name calling and labeling.”
(The very next paragraph): “Petulant children of the far left…”
Self-awareness and Original American Citizen obviously have never met.
…or maybe OAC has just an egocentric view of the world where name calling and labeling shouldn’t be characterized as such if the names and the labels are being uttered by HIM.
I am not only a conservative, but I am also not a member of any political organization; I am registered Independant. Like millions of other “regular joes” like myself, I AM FED UP WITH DEMS AND REPUBLICANS ALIKE.
That said, you are speaking like an idiot; Van Jones, like most of the other liberal nutjobs in DC, HATE AMERICA and don’t even attempt to hide the fact. I am sick and tired of radicals in DC who are blatently attempting to dismantle the greatest Nation ever known; I happen to believe that America is an experiment in awesome greatness and I’ll be damned if I am gonna sit back and allow commys and quacks to destroy this Nation so that my children cannot have the same freedoms and rights and not be looking at trillions of dollars in debt. I WISH LIBERALS WOULD JUST GROW THE HELL UP. Oh, and yes, every single one of the czars will be examined, right down to what they feed their house pets. Count on it.