President Obama Rather Be Really Good One Term President
I have wondered if Obama ever intended to be a two term president. I’m not sure he intends to run for re-election.
President Obama, buffeted by criticism of his massive health care reform bill and election setbacks, said today he remained determined to tackle health care and other big problems despite the political dangers to his presidency.
“I’d rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president,” he told ABC’s “World News” anchor Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview today.
Obama sat down with Sawyer two days before he will deliver a State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress, and he acknowledged the political setbacks of his first year in office.
The State of the Union will be Obama’s chance to jump start his agenda, but he ducked when Sawyer asked if he could guarantee there would not be a tax increase for anyone making less than $250,000.
“I can guarantee that the worst thing we could do would be to raise taxes when the economy is still this weak,” he replied.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:04 am
This does not surprise me. Obama wouldn’t have made a book deal right before his inauguration if he had planning on running for a second term. It just would not have made sense. Plus, he wouldn’t have been able to skate on the “birth certificate issue” that is still broiling. His whole presidency just reeks of a far-left bulldozer move that didn’t work. He’ll have his world-wide vacations and a pension forever and that is that back to the obscurity he came from.
timesr Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 10:42 am
@Lonni, “His whole presidency just reeks of a far-left bulldozer move that didn’t work.”
If Obama is far left, its because the US as a whole has moved to the far right.
“I shall propose a sweeping new program that will assure comprehensive health-insurance protection to millions of Americans who cannot now obtain it or afford it, with vastly improved protection against catastrophic illnesses”
Believe it or not, those words are not Obama’s, they are Richard Nixon’s from 1974. (google it)
Neocon propaganda works!
Sage Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Actually, the birth certificate issue has been settled except for far right wingers. He was born in Hawaii and it was confirmed by officials of the state of Hawaii. Nothing else is needed.
January 26th, 2010 at 6:21 am
I remember when GHWB said from some platform in Japan that if Hillary ran for the presidency he would give her hell and he repeated it to Chris Wallace on Wallace’s Sunday talk show when Wallace asked if he had said that. From my POV Obama was the perfect successor to the Bush Throne as evidenced now by his continuing of the Bush policies … The Bushes could not stand for anyone who would outshine the dumbness of their dimson and Obama has to great length delivered on the Bushes desires to make their son’s presidency shine. The Bushes couldn’t pull the wool over many people’s eyes. They managed to do it through the installation of Obama.
January 26th, 2010 at 9:19 am
This is interesting because I never really thought about ‘what if he DOES not run again’? All presidents run again, right? But I also think the upswing in jobs and economics would have to be a virtual CATAPULT for him to be re elected. Which, let’s face it, would be awesome for everyone AND the Potus. So although not an Obama fan, I’ll say today I’d be glad if he were re elected and here’s why: it would mean things are so great in 3 years that we cannot believe our eyes. So if that happens, I say RUN O RUN !
But I will not be placing any bets on the matter
January 26th, 2010 at 10:37 am
As you look back, the difference between the Obama campaign and the Obama presidency is striking. In the campaign, it was Obama against Bush. Now in the presidency, it has been Obama against Bush. The problem is that the voters are comparing the Obama campaign against the Obama presidency and asking the old Clara Peller question: “Where’s the Beef”?
Now we see Obama start lurching to the right with the spending freeze proposal, which he promised 4 times in the campaign he wouldn’t do. The image comes to mind where Obama is like a stuck motorist who is desperate and will use anything they can think of for traction to get back on the road.
It may be sort of like like the desperation a lot of us have when we have been stuck in our cars somewhere this horrible winter. If he is expecting Congress to be the tow truck that will rescue him, forget it.
Sage Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
And there lies my confusion. What was it about Obama that led people to believe he was anything other than a politician? All campaigns promise things that can’t be delivered….always have and always will. I honestly believe many of the Obama supporters wore rose colored glasses and thought somehow he would be different…mainly because he is black. I saw the phenomena in my 83 year old father. He is now disappointed and when I asked him why he thought Obama was going to be so different, his only real answer was “because he is the first black president.” Well, black politicians are politicians just like white politicians.
I supported Hillary but not because I thought she was anything other than a politician, but because I thought she was best equipped to handle the economy which I felt like was our biggest issue. It turns out I was right about it being the biggest issue.
skyagunsta Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 7:44 am
@Sage, Sage, I think one piece of the puzzle as to what attracted so many people to vote for Obama: THE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR CORPORATIST/RIGHT WING INCLINING PRESS. I remember ANDREA MITCHELL PUTTING DOWN HILLARY AT ANY TURN, THEN CLAIMING THAT OBAMA WAS SO INSPIRATIONAL WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING INSPIRATIONAL ABOUT HIM … IDEM FOR ALL OF THE MSNBC PUNDITS … and so many of the black people voted for him, “just because he is black,” like my dear friend BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN of 30 years told me.
timesr Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 10:26 am
@skyagunsta, “I remember ANDREA MITCHELL PUTTING DOWN HILLARY AT ANY TURN, THEN CLAIMING THAT OBAMA WAS SO INSPIRATIONAL WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING INSPIRATIONAL ABOUT HIM”
I did support Obama over Hillary; in a nutshell, here’s why:
“The last bill that came before President Clinton was that bankruptcy bill that he had intended to sign, and he vetoed it. In her autobiography, Hillary rightly took credit for that veto. She got it. She understood about bankruptcy. After she became Senator Clinton one of the first bills that came up was that bankruptcy bill, that Professor Warren likens to a vampire that will not die because of all the money behind it. Her husband had vetoed it at her urging. Hillary voted in favor of that same bankruptcy bill.
Why would she do that?
On Senators the pressures are very different.
Consumer Credit is a well-financed industry. Many don’t realize that the industry that has given the most money to Washington over the past few years was not the oil industry or the pharmaceuticals. It was consumer credit products. Hilary has taken money from them, and is concerned about them as a constituency.”
http://www.restore-government-accountability.com/bankruptcies.html
Clearly Hillary knew what was right as First Lady, and which side her bread was buttered on as Senator.
I saw the interview bill Moyers did with Elizabeth Warren when she told that story.
January 26th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Actually he needs to be the bulldozer that moves congress to the liberal policies of John F. Kennedy: Universal Healthcare for All.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I don’t know why he expected bipatisianship from polar views. The people expect some moderate movement from both sides and it isn’t happening. Instead we have officials operating purely on party politics. I am more disappointed in the House and Senate than Obama.
There is an old saying that applies to them “If you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit”. Personally, I am baffled.
Wizcon Reply:
January 26th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
@Wizcon, After I posted the above I went on and stumbled across this
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35083918/ns/politics-white_house
January 26th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
I think that most of the country is in the middle. Most people have a few lefty and few righty ideas, but most people don’t agree with any or very little of the FAR LEFT or FAR RIGHT. But it seems like the parties get farther to each side and leave us ALONE in the middle.
Is it just me who thinks this?