What an amazing day! As usual, the people I meet at Obama events are so wonderful. From all different walks of life, from very young to the wise seniors, I made many new “friends.” The diversity was a true respresentation, not only of this county, but the United States itself.
People were courteous and helpful, being short, it was truly challenging getting any pictures, so this very nice young man was more than happy to offer to take pictures for me (he was at least 6 feet tall!) Originally from the Richmond area, he moved to Loudon County after graduating with his MBA. He was raised by his hard working mom who was, from his description growing up, one of those 47% that Romney dismisses, the working poor. He was really such a nice young man who understood the meaning of hard work and sacrifice.
To my left were more students, studying for an exam while we waited in the sun, anticipating that oh so fabulous breeze that would blow over the crowd just as the heat seemed to become unbearable. When I realized they were studying for an exam on the constitution, I just had to take a picture! What better subject to study when at a rally, celebrating our democracy, our freedom to assemble peacefully and support our candidate. Oh, did I mention they had LGBT buttons on.
Mark Warner, speaking from his business perspective, reminded us about business 101. Invest in your people, invest in your facility, invest in ensuring your product remains competitive. How does the Romney plan address those basic rules. It doesn’t! We invest in our people by investing in education and health care. We invest in our “facility” by investing in our infrastructure and finally, we invest in the future by supporting research and development, not only within government, but in the private sector.
President Obama reminded us that there is still more work to be done. Obviously, he took Romney at his word, and reminded us that every American counts, not just the ones that have risen to the top. This country isn’t about the 1%, the 99%, or the 47%, it’s about ensuring that every American has the opportunity to achieve their dreams.
As the crowd slowly ushered out, spirits soaring and invigorated, I noticed a woman, Latino, in a wheelchair, probably close to my age, next to me. She noticed my Obama shopping bag and we chit chatted. Out of the corner of my eye, I see an elderly woman, in her late 70’s, with a cane. The crowd was at a standstill at that point, waiting for the gates to open, it was wall to wall people on ball field. She had come alone and was she was struggling. A nice young Asian woman had been guiding her through the crowd, supporting her. The woman in the wheel chair insisted she sit on her lap. A man from, probably India, his voice heavily accented started saying, “make some room, let the wheelchair through please.” And off they went through the crowd that parted for the women in the wheelchair. This was, for me, the most beautiful representation, not only from the outside, but from within people, of why I love being at Obama rally’s.
Elena, sorry I missed you there. Hope you’re feeling OK. You are right, an amazing crowd and lot’s of fun.
I heard from my spies down there (not Elena) that there were lots of white men down there too. Some even had signs and beer bellies–thus dispelling that myth.
Ivan,
Sorry I missed you too! Were you in the bleachers or the field?
Ivan,
Sorry I missed you too! Were you in the bleachers or the field?
Moon,
Let me just say, if there was “type” of person, they were there, every entity of human being was represented at the rally!
I bet he did not talk about his “accomplishments” reducing unemployment. The unemployment rate went up in 26 states last month and remains at 8.1% nationally. A record of failure this bad in the private sector would result in a “VFR direct” path to the unemployment office.
The fact that he drew 12,000 people illustrates his true talent, which is campaigner in chief. If Romney were in the president’s league as a campaigner, I believe he would easily be up by 20 points.
http://www.usatoday.com/test/money/business/story/2012/09/21/unemployment-rates-rise-in-26-states-in-august/57819052/1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=206567
Lots of moms and babies and toddlers also.
@kelly_3406
Woulda coulda shoulda
You all have complained and chest thumped for 4 years. Where is this super candidate who is going to rid the world of Obama?
Bird feathers!!
I am not so sure anyone could fix the economy in 4 years. What is fixed?
I don’t see a record of failure. Not at all.
What would you see as success?
I guess its good we don’t all want the same thing in our leaders.
Moon,
I think its really just adolescent thinking. It took a long time to get in this mess and it will take time to get out. The whole was deep and wide, filling it requires a steady hand. Did you see a recent article about the seven wealthiest counties in the world? Guess where they are, all of them surround DC. Gee, I wonder why 😉
@Elena
Government handouts and crony capitalism? Do I win a prize??
I was at the entrance until the program started. Then I was on the outfield perimeter.
@Moon-howler
Here is what I would view as success:
1) An upward trend in the employment/participation rates over multiple months. Not looking for anything earth shattering here, but after four years there should be measurable improvement if his policies are hworking.
2) Stabilization of the debt. If the economy is expanding, then the number of people on unemployment, medicaid, and food stamps should decline. Overall tax revenues should increase as profits increase, so the U.S. debt should stabilize.
3) Improved strategic standing. The U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is clearly failing and our overall strategic position in the Middle East is the worst it has been in at least 25 years. We have very few friends and even less influence as it is clear that we are on the retreat. Remember that Afghanistan was defined as the good war by Obama, but the U.S. just returned to its pre-surge troop levels without accomplishing any of our goals for security and stability in the region.
4) Reduced cost and improved quality of medical care. The purpose of Obamacare was to reduce costs and improve coverage. So far neither has happened as overall costs jumped by 8.5% in 2012. Employers have also selected cheaper insurance coverage with employees bearing more of the costs.
So none of these four signature areas have resulted in tangible improvements. I would call that failure on all counts.
I disagree across the board. You want to wave a magic wand and it all goes away. That’s isnt hou it works. Think back to the 1930s.
@Moon-howler
How do you define success for these four things? I am not suggesting that everything has to be perfect, but the trends should at least be in the right direction. After nearly four years, they stilll are not. How long should he have before improvement is expected? At what point does the buck stop with Obama?
And I AM thinking back to the 1930s. Some economists now believe that FDR’s policies prolonged the Great Depression.
According to Bloomberg, Democratic presidents have created 42 million jobs during their presidencies, compared to only 24 million under Republican presidents.
That is why Virginians turned out in force today to support our President. We know that going back to the policies of the Repugs in the 2010a s would be a disaster for our country.
The Truth-O-Meter Says:
“Since 1961 … our private economy has produced 66 million private-sector jobs. So what’s the jobs score? Republicans 24 million, Democrats 42 (million).”
Bill Clinton on Wednesday, September 5th, 2012 in a speech to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.
Bill Clinton says Democratic presidents top Republican presidents in job creation
Our ruling
Clinton’s figures check out, and they also mirror the broader results we came up with two years ago. Partisans are free to interpret these findings as they wish, but on the numbers, Clinton’s right. We rate his claim True.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/sep/06/bill-clinton/bill-clinton-says-democratic-presidents-top-republ/
Just the facts
It would really be American to move beyond the past and get on with the future. I’d say the mess is 50/50 between parties and 90/10 between men and women. So.
According to the conservative Heritage Foundation, the percentage of Americans not paying federal income tax increased from 14.8 percent in 1984 to 49.5 percent in 2009, an era that includes three Republican presidents and some GOP-controlled Congresses. President George W. Bush’s income tax cuts, for example, knocked nearly 8 million families off the tax rolls.
@Starryflights
Bill Clinton is not on the ballot. Neither is JFK. The Democrat who is on the ballot has record of one million fewer jobs now the last month of Bush’s presidency.
No, but Hilary might be in 16. Let’s try the 10%
@Lyssa
No doubt Hillary will on the ballot in 2016. The 2016 Democrat primaries will be a coronation and Republicans should plan accordingly now.
@Need to Know
So jobs is it? Maybe he should just hire them all to do the infrastructure work he tried to get through. Is that the definitive measure–jobs?
Tell you what…you Republicans have had 4 years to come up with Mr. or Ms. Fix Things. You have been lip smacking about it for 4 years. Bitching, complaining, whining threatening.
Where is your candidate? In 4 years, you should at least be able to come up with a simple candidate who can whup the arse of anyone as sorry as Obama. Where is he?
Obama hasn’t fixed the jobs situation? You cant find one person to do one job.
Tired of hearing it. Put you all’s money where your mouth is.
I never cared for her. I liked McCain and this times round supported Huntsman who was sadly overlooked by the Repbulicans. I’m through with parties. I’m just going to do what’s best for America, regardless of party. I can’t stomach what howveither party GENERALLY portrays itself.
I really liked the idea of McCain considering Leiberman..it was positively radical.
If Obama wins, then it will be another 4 years of listening to the criticism, whining, finger pointing, vitriol.
4 years to find a candidate ….and you all come up with R2D2 Romney/Ryan 2 detatched.
Add appealing to seniors to get rid of their medicare as one of the latest Republican game plans. 🙄
I meant to add that my personal dislike of her has been overcome by her great results. She’s also more likely to pull a crossover either in cabinet or ticket….
The Republicans are losing followers. Die hard pal just gave it up to become an Independent. He was fierce in the 90’s and early 2000.
@Need to Know
None of us know who the Democrats will chose or if Hillary will even want to be Prez. there is also Biden and the whole sea of new faces at the convention.
You all will then have had 8 years to come up with a candidate that your party doesnt hate and that doesn’t shoot itself in the foot.
Frankly, I would start by cleaning up the party. You need to find some good moderate folks to run instead of the rejects from everyone the Values people and the tea party didn’t kill off. those people’s candidates will never surivive. No one wants them.
Outlaw the name RINO.
Lyssa is right. Huntsman was a great candidate who stood for conservative principles. He was mainstream. He had experience. He had loads of foreign policy experience with the very people we will need as a nation. But no, he wasn’t an extremist so he was rejected.
Sorry, that’s just how we see it. Those of us speaking up anti-Republican aren’t Democrats. We are independents.
@Lyssa
The Republicans have been losing followers for 25 years. They have got to get the extremists out of the running.
That bunch of primary candidates looked like a clown parade. That was the best entertainment if it werent so sad.
I think those people ought to just form their own party and let the republicans become the moderate party, sort of like they used to be. They really have become progressively the “tin foil hat” party.
Both parties are losing followers. The Tea Party turned rabid and took Americans for Prosperity $ from Koch. There’s nothing American about them – Koch. They’re causing me and mine to distance ourselves from Republicans…
When I think of figure pointing … hmmmmmmmmmmm … one person comes to mind, but hay it can’t be Obama after all the buck stops with the president, right? … Maybe not.
SA, you have to be dead and blind to say that. Your ears are clogged up.
You surely remember what kind of Republicans Nixon and Ford were? They were moderate. I don’t want to hear any trash on Nixon either. He didnt do anything anyone else of that generation didnt do.
Furthermore, he inherited the Vietnam War big time.St. Kennedy and St. Johnson had us mired in that one.
It’s on both sides. It’s immature. And I’ve realized it’s ALL men. Dump the men.
So we have RINOS and Rabid Republicans….yea those R’s are really impressive. On the other side we have Blue Dogs and Looney Tunes.
I have no problem with blue dogs or rinos. The thing is, Blue Dog isnt a bad word like rino is. The Democrats don’t try to run people off because they are smart enough to know if they run people off, they won’t prevail.
I am waiting for the flat earthers to figure that one out.
Lyssa,
You go girl, I’m with you. In fact, let women run the whole friggin planet!
I watched this great show about women being trained to be soldiers in Afganastan. It was truly awesome watching our American female soldiers train their “sisters” in Afganastan.
@Elena
Did you see the UK soldier (may have been a Royal Marine IDK) who was deployed while pregnant and gave birth a few days after our troops got slaughtered in Afgh?
She had no clue she was prego and was still running, climbing and ass kicking (as well as the Brits can)
As for women running the world? No.
There would probably be a whole lot less war if they did run it.
So why again don’t we want women ruling the world?
We wouldn’t be in Afganistan if women were in charge. First we would just tell everyone to be quiet and start doing with less oil. And a lot less everything else. Overall, women have far better communication skills than men.
Because I don’t care about gender in electing a leader. Its a non-issue for me. I care about merit. If its a woman so be it. But to say that they should run the show because of their gender? hell no.
JFK was not going to get us massively involved in Vietnam as Johnson did, according to most historians. I guess we’ll never know. Eisenhower’s involvement there was limited to military advisors and covert stuff.
Vietnam was Johnson’s war. We see where that got us.
Reagan used military action to a limited extent, but did not get us bogged down in long-term nation-building exercises. He once said that the biggest mistake of his presidency was sending Marines to Lebanon intending long-term stays.
Bush should not have attempted nation-building in Iraq or Afghanistan. That has cost us trillions of dollars and thousands of lives, and look where we are with it.
One of the positive things about Obama is that we are getting out of Iraq, and he has not intervened, aside from drone attacks and such, anywhere. I’ll give credit where credit is due.
Let’s hear it for the non-interventionists!
So let me understand…we are to go shock and awe a country…tear the hell out of it and then just leave them gutted and on their own? We sure didn’t do that to Germany and Japan even.
I would vote for not going into Iraq in the first place.
We simply don’t know what Kennedy would have done. Does that include the covert activities in surrounding countries by what i would call mercanaries?
Non intervention, turn our focus inward – keep an eye on the horizon. M
And Entitlements grew under four presidents – three were Republicans. So what’s the fingerprinting about? I think the time has come for more purposeful thinking than party line.
I always want “entitlements” definded.
I will never apologize for one penny that comes into my house in the way of social security and I will not apologize for MediCare. I will also not apologize for one pension (well there is only one) and I will not apologize for any 401k or 403B money. Our employers and we have paid into everything we now get. We are not anyone’s charity case.
I also pay federal income taxes.
Even if I didn’t (and I wish I could figure out legally now to not pay them) I would still pay federal taxes. I buy gasoline and booze. I have bought enough cigarettes in my life to carry me over into the one where I no longer buy them. I pay for enough goods that have a federal excise tax on them like tires, cell phone service. fishing and archery items…all sorts of stuff like that.
@Lyssa
Entitlements have been growing since Johnson’s war on poverty, and poverty is as big a problem now as it was then. BOTH parties need to get it through their heads that prosperity and job creation do not come from expanding government, or corporate welfare.
I support Romney over Obama because Obama has been a disaster with the economy and has done nothing but grow the government even more.
Neither candidate is ideal from both a small government and non-interventionist perspective.
The poverty has changed and is for a different reason. Let’s not kid outselves.
Wealth has redistributed a great deal since Johnson was in office.
I sit and follow the threads…the discussion back and forth of Obama or Romney….and I ponder voters.
What if…what if…come November we see the “revenge” vote? Those who will vote for Romney simply as a way to express their anger.
Saw that here in Manassas City with Councilman Wolfe who took the highest number of voters on election day. Talk is some voted for him simply as a revenge to those who had spoken about his so-called dealings with the Ballet, etc.
It is a factor I sit and run a hypothesis on…..a revenge vote.
Who will the anger be at, Ray? I have heard nothing for the past 4 years but Obama bashing. What if the same thing happens there. I know people who will vote for Obama just because they are tired of hearing the masses gripe about him.
I agree with you NTK. I’m leaning Obama because this class thing scares me and so do those Koch Brothers. Neither is a good deal for America. I did read that 1% increase in GDP results in long term results in the trillions BUT spending has to go down. Frankly the amount of greed that appears to be behind Romney is frightening. I’d like an increase in GNP, care for the needy, more business investment in America – if they reduce profit I’m okay because my profit is down too – and not feel like the mercenaries are pillaging the country.
NTK,
The war on poverty WAS working as a matter of fact. LBJ had to make a choice, war on poverty or war in vietnam, history tells us which choice he made. Want to talk to people who were IN the trenches, my father and godfather are your best resources. Nutrtion for the poor was the committee my dad headed up under LBJ, his “baby” was headstart and it has been VERY successful.
The cycle of poverty,well, that is a very complicated problem to fix. My godfather, Edgar May. wrote a fabulous book after winning the Pullitzer Prize for investigative journalism into the broken welfare system and I doubt much has changed since 1968. It’s called “The Wasted Americans” and if you want an insiders view of whats wrong with welfare, its a must read.
Wars on poverty cannot change every time the administration changes. Ending poverty involves education and job training. It involves good nutrition. Hungry children don’t learn. Babies born into poverty don’t have the learning potential if their mothers have not had good nutrition or have abused alcohol.
Doing away with poverty takes a real national commitment. I haven’t seen it in my life time and don’t expect to. Everyone wants a 4 year fix. No such thing. It takes several generations.
As far as Head Start goes, any time you can get kids in school ahead of other time to learn basics that their parents haven’t taught them gives that child a leg up on formal learning. A kid who knows shapes, colors, alphabet, how to hold a pencil and scissors is going to be more successful than one who doesn’t. Kids who have exposure to good grammar, strong vocabulary are going to read earlier than those who have had no exposure. Kids who have been read to will be light years ahead of those who have had no exposure.
For all those who bitch and moan about public TV–many a child got a head start from watching Sesame Street, when no formal Head Start was available. It came over the airwaves. Cable wasn’t necessary.
What a shame. for want of a nail a shoe was lost. For want of a shoe a horse was lost. For want horse a rider was lost……
People have no idea how without basic skills some poor children really are. Imagine a child afraid of a flushing toilet. Children who don’t have scissors in the house sure come to school not knowing how to use them. How do you discuss elevators and escalators with country children who have never seen them. Its a whole other world.
Kelly, in answer to your points, which I think are fair questions:
1. Unemployment has trended down over Obama’s term- but not fast enough. Most of the newly unemployed in the past 2 years have been from the public sector, which would not have happened if the stimulus to states hadn’t been eliminated. Most experts estimate about one point to this effect, so we would be looking at 7% unemployment instead of 8%. Those public workers spend money and pay taxes, so the economy loses when you lay them off. The president sponsored a jobs bill that the Republicans blocked last week, like they did with his other jobs bill earlier in the year. The latest one would have provided jobs for unemployed servicemen and women in the police, firefighting and National Parks areas.
You can’t allow your own team to constantly block all attempts to put people back to work and them complain about unemployment!
2. The number of folks on unemployment HAS declined, and the economy IS expanding, by around 2% per year. Admittedly not as fast as I’d like, but investors and banks are sitting on a LOT of money- are they trying to hold the economy back in an effort to get their lackey into office? I don’t know.
3. The middle east is a subject that we could discuss for hours- it changes by the minute. Afganistan is a work in progress, Iraq is coming along fairly well. The Obama administration has obviously taken a different tack than the neocons that preceded him. He is trying to gain consensus to deal with the situations there rather than beating people into submission. Obviously, the region is more in transition than anytime in the past 100 years, so we’ll see how it shakes out. I don’t think anyone would argue that we can continue to start wars to try to influence the region- we can’t afford it, for one reason.
4. Medical insurance costs actually increased less last year than previous years, but the Affordable Care Act hasn’t even really taken effect yet, so it would be unfair to blame or credit it for changes to costs in medical care or insurance.
The president has made a lot of progress in dealing with the fallout of top-down economics and neocon mindsets- I think things will look a lot better after he has four more years to work on it.
@middleman
Middleman, thanks for your reply. Here is my quick rebuttal:
1) The unemployment rate has trended down only because so many are considered “non-participants” in the work force and are no longer counted in the statistics. The employment participation rate is at its lowest level since 1981. I can provide you a link if you like.
2) A growth rate of only 2% is considered stagnant. The growth rate following the official end of the recession in June 2009 has NEVER been this slow.
3) My point is that Obama’s approach has been completely ineffective. When he took over, Iraq was relatively stable and all that remained was to negotiate a status of forces treaty. He did not do that , so we pulled out and in effect lost out in influence to the Iranians. We have ended joint patrols with the Afghans, so our training of their security forces is in question.
4) Companies are adjusting their policies in advance of Obamacare taking effect. Costs have continued to increase, plus a larger proportion is being borne by employees. My payments have increased substantially this year due to rising and shifting costs. Companies are also dramatically cutting back on coverage for retirees.
I suspect that you and I will just have to agree to disagree, but I do appreciate your answer.
Companies rarely cover retirees in their coverage, at least not in Virginia. When I retired I paid the full cost out of pocket from day 1. It isn’t cheap. Let’s put it this way, none of my car payments have ever been as expensive as one month’s insurance. that was with or without Obama care.
Shame on the companies for raising your rates. Mine were not raised.
Iran has been a problem for the past 35 years. It hasn’t been stable from my perspective.
Blaming the middle east issues on Obama is almost funny. I would say a preemptive strike on an independent country, toppling that country’s leader might have something to do with setting off a firestorm in other parts of an already unstable region might have had a little to do with causing kittish nations.
One thing affects another. I am not sure I think blame is the least bit productive.
I do know one thing…an iron fist simply isn’t going to work any longer. Middle Eastern people are overthrowing these dictators a mile a minute. The end result might not be what we really wanted.
Kelly-
1. See my comments about public employment. We could debate at length about the private sector, but the trend for years has been to off-shore, mechanize, etc., to eliminate human involvement in processes from the assembly line to customer service. That’s partially why this recession is different, along with the fact that it was the worst since the Great Depression. Also see my comment about blocked jobs bills.
2. First you said the economy is stagnant, now you say that 2% growth is considered stagnant. Economists would be amazed at that statement! Most of the Eurozone would LOVE to have 2% growth. One can’t argue on a hypothetical as far as what would have been without Obama’s policies, but what we do know is that we used stimulus and now have 2% growth, europeans didn’t and are still in contraction for the most part. What you call failure is actually success.
3. Obama “ineffective” in the Middle East? Well, we neutralized the actual group that attacked us, engineered wide based sanctions on Iran that are working, worked with international partners on Libya to remove Quadaffi, stopped letting Israel decide our foreign policy, and so forth. The unprecedented upheaval in the region leaves many questions to be answered (and opportunities), but to blindly support one group over another in Syria, for example, would be a mistake.
4. This is Republican dogma, pure and simple. First, they argue Obama hasn’t accomplished anything, then that his policies are affecting things before they even take effect! Why would companies adjust their policies and pricing when there’s a real possibility that Obamacare won’t happen? Wouldn’t this be an incredible waste of management time? This is obviously an excuse to raise rates, very thinly disguised.
We can agree to disagree, but we can’t ignore the reality of the situation. I definitely have issues with the president, but I have to be fair about it. Have we missed some opportunities along the way- absolutely. But we’ve also accomplished a lot, and that’s important.