Scott Brown wins in Massachusetts and we’re at the one year mark of Obama’s presidency.
So what do you think?
We haven’t had an open political and economic discussion in a bit so I thought today might be a good day to do so given some of the important events of late.
All reasonable comments are welcome whether you are liberal, conservative, independent, libertarian… The only rule here is keep it polite!
What do you think of Obama so far? Better than you expected? Worse? Glad you voted for him Wish you could have your vote back? Wish you had voted for him?
What are your thoughts on the economy? Housing? What are you seeing or experiencing where you are?
Anyone live in Massachusetts? I’d be interested in hearing about the Scott Brown thing from a local perspective.
Brenda@Coffeeteabooksandme
The current administration actually scares me. My sister and I were talking about this recently, saying you know it is bad when you actually miss the Clinton Administration! It is spooky to me how someone who is a virtual unknown can raise quickly through Chicago politics to become a senator and then a president and how the American people would accept a socialist agenda (or perhaps Mass. is showing us they are not).
It is strange seeing how people react to the economy here. On one hand, there are still a lot of people out of work and the government is having to make major cuts in education and city services. But the mall is packed when I drive by and my neighbor bought a new Hummer (although my more well to do neighbor has had the same van since we moved here).
I have a young juvenile diabetic friend who has lost a toe and is in danger of losing a leg this year if he does not change his diet. Yet, his wife finds candy wrappers all the time. It seems there are a lot of people in that same kind of denial with the economy as they spend money like everything is the same as it used to be.
Ellen
I feel hopeful for the first time in at least a year after yesterday’s election. This is the first time there has been a Republican Senator from Massachusetts since 1972. The Democrats in Congress ignored the massive public demonstrations. They ignored the angry citizens that came out to town hall meetings. They ignored a Democrat getting voted out in N.J. At this point, I couldn’t care less that they have decided to ignore the fact that MOST AMERICANS ARE NOT WITH THEM. Finally, it won’t matter if they want to ignore anymore. This 60th vote is going to shut them down…
TheNormalMiddle
I didn’t vote for Obama, but being an American I wanted him to be a good president because that would be good for our country. I’m unimpressed. Do I think he’s the worst ever? No…not yet. I’m not thrilled. I think he’s an egomaniac who cares more about what people think of him than real policy. I think he’s a little lost and has no clue what to do about the economy and two wars; he’s throwing sticks at the fire hoping it gets better but all the while it stokes and rages. He lacks the right tools.
Personally, I’m tired of POLITICS. Scott Brown winning Mass tells us one thing distinctly: WE NEED TERM LIMITS. There is no cotton-pickin’ reason Ted Kennedy should have held that seat for nearly 50 years. NONE.
Give ’em two or three terms and then never be eligible again. And forget health care and pay for life. Move on and be a “real” citizen the rest of your life just like the rest of us.
Do I sense change? Yes and no. I sense it, but I’m not sure anything in American Politics as we know it will ever really “change.”
Jesus, come back. Soon.
TheNormalMiddle
forgot to address my local economy:
state budgets in NC are drying up because there is little tax revenue from last year to fuel them. Our school is looking at losing teachers again this year (might just be me! not necessarily a bad thing)
Housing economy has slightly turned up, but there are still too many houses on the market. If people are buying, they’re usually buying foreclosures.
unemployment remains very high in NC but it has been growing steadily for 10+ years as we were always agricultural and textile based—for years we’ve shipped everything to China and Mexico and now we’re paying for our walmart mentality. So part of it is our own problem and own blame, really.
things are only SLIGHTLY better….but no where near over or “recovery” as the news tells us. Many hard years to come.
Peggy
We are seeing businesses around here slowly but steadily disappear. But we are also seeing “Help Wanted” signs staying up for a surprisingly long time. I think this is because people don’t want to sacrifice their extended unemployment benefits for a much lower-paying, lower-status job.
I get the impression from the local real estate ads that the number of million-dollar-and-up homes on the market has increased recently.
I am expecting another dip down in the recession, there still is a lot of deferred reality and economic pain left to face.
Color trends are now one of my personal economic indicators. The trend the past few years has been toward what I call “Drab Sophisticated” colors (which on my blog I traced to granite countertops, and then blamed the granite for ruining the economy). I’m watching for brighter unsophisticated colors in a “Poor, but still Cheerful” palette to come into style as a precursor of economic recovery. Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen in 2010.
There were reports that the Treasury Dept. is about to start taking public comment on allowing 401k contributions to go into fixed-rate annuities, i.e. IOUs from the government. That the government would eventually raid 401k’s has been anticipated for many years, but this is an ominous first step. I don’t think it will get far unless there is another big drop in the stock market; the comments I’ve seen so far tend to mention tar and feathers.
Politically I hope Brown’s election shocks the leading Democrats out of their state of clue-resistance. Dropping the health care reform bill would be a good start.
karen
It was very difficult for me to not be able to vote for our first black president. I went to the store that day and there were a huge number of black people out and about dressed very sharp. Just coming from voting they looked so proud and happy and I got a glimpse of how that must feel to finally feel that they had someone they could vote for. Then I saw Jesse Jackson crying on TV ( personally can’t stand the man) It moved me to tears also. I am probably not describing this slice of life correctly , I was sad that obviously so many people hadn’t gotten the message long ago that this was their country too and that they should have been participating all along. Would I have been voting all these years if I only had black men to vote for? I really don’t know to be honest. It really struck me that day and will stick with me forever.
I think the Democratic party is doing a horrible job , I also don’t think much of the Republicans at this point either. The goverment has gotten out of hand and I did not feel I had much of a choice for pres. in the last election ( or for gov. in our state either come to think of it )
On the economy, looks like around here those without jobs are still without, those with jobs seem to be working a lot. My husband ( automotive ) went from 70 hours pre fall 2008 to 32 hours a week until fall 2009 back up to 70 a week again . I must say that year of 32 was a learning experiance and a good one for us . Some are buying the houses that others lost I don’t see any new houses for sale or abandoned lately .
I think those that were over their heads lost their homes cars etc. very quickly when the economy first went, now it has been a gradual wearing down and I wonder if the price of gas continues upward those of us who were able to hang on by the skin of our teeth may be shaken loose by a second go round. I hope not. I do see that our relatives who were always on the edge financially and lost quickly seem to have learned a few conservative lessons since then. At least they talk the talk now.
I feel I understand how are goverment runs better now and I know more of what I don’t agree with . I know I don’t have many choices of who to vote for and right now I seem to be on the Throw them all out side. I have stopped thinking that our answer is a president. We the People have done this to our selves. By not paying attention or being greedy or not having foresight. Financially and politically and morally I might add we seem to be just where we have as a country driven ourselves, and now we don’t like our view. I am talking in general here of course .
A lot of folks have thrown on the brakes, too little too late? only time will tell.
Ann
I voted for McCain, but only because I was in such a blue state anyway it didn’t matter and I like to vote against the one that is going to win so they don’t win with such an overwhelming majority. I’m not sure who I would have voted for had I lived in a swing state or we didn’t have the electoral college system and it was determined by popular vote. I probably would have stayed home or voted for McCain anyway. I actually think McCain was ok, it was Sarah Palin that scared me.
I think Obama is doing an ok job. I don’t think he is particularly good at his job, and like his predecessor, I don’t think he likes his job very much and that is becoming apparent, and is a problem. As much as people hated the Clintons, Clinton liked the job and was willing to engage. I sense that Obama is running away from the hard issues and is trying to please everyone, which just leaves everyone unhappy.
Anyway, those are my random jumbled thoughts!
Dana M.
I will freely admit that while I didn’t vote for Obama, I was hoping that my impression of him was wrong and that he would turn out to be far better than the rather cardboard egomaniac that I perceived. I don’t think it has turned out that way.
Nothing in his extremely short and rather lackluster record shouted that he would be a good leader or had the wisdom to surround himself with people more experienced and wiser than himself.
It was easy, I guess, to get caught up in a campaign that was all about (supposed) positive change and togetherness. It seemed no one really stopped to ask what change, how to go about it, what it would cost, etc.–and certainly Obama didn’t offer those specifics. While some would argue that what we had wasn’t good–and I’m not saying it was all good–I would argue that without facts it is possible to jump from the frying pan directly into the fire!
I honestly don’t know which direction things are headed–sometimes I feel that there is no direction!! However, there is great comfort and peace in knowing that God is in control and is sovereign–and that absolutely nothing that happens takes Him by surprise. I have to trust in that.
Zan
I’m just over the line in NH (my husband is from the Boston area). Brown being elected to Ted Kennedy’s seat is the closest thing to a political miracle that we’ll ever see. My husband knows life long liberal Democrats in Mass who voted for Brown because they were so disgusted by how sleezy the Dems had been with their bribing and changing the rules in the process to suit their policies. It is amazing. This area is generally very liberal, but the economy in MA is very bad. They hated the health care plan because they already *have* their own health care plan in MA. What are they supposed to do? Pay for their own and other’s? They’re taxed so much already. There is also a lot of corruption in MA politics. I think they’ve had 3 state senators resign due to corruption in recent years. Deval Patrick is doing a horrible job! Coakley’s Red Sox gaffe was really bad, too. Don’t diss Curt Schilling! lol! 😉
I think that voters felt liberated the there was no Kennedy on the ticket. They didn’t have the guilt that they had to keep Camelot going and used their brains instead. The local news showed some people coming out and saying they voted for Coakley because they were a Dem and that’s what Dems do. One man even stated “What am I supposed to do. I’ve been a Democrat all my life. I can’t vote anyway else.” But, a significant amount have become fed up with both parties and voted because they were angry with the spending and debt. I think that’s what sent Brown over the top. They also hated the way the Dems felt entitled to the Kennedy seat. When Brown stated that “it’s not Ted Kennedy’s seat…it’s the people’s seat…” it really resonated with a lot of voters. There’s a lot of hope up here now. I hope Brown lives up to his promises.
Amie
I am rather enjoying seeing all the liberal talking heads brains blow up. Ofcourse I am one of those crazy Glenn Beck / Rush limbaugh / Tea Party people. 😉 I am really looking foward to getting more involved in the political process as the elections approach. It is awesome to see so many American’s waking up to what is happening in our country, I am glad that I am.
Sallie @ a quiet simple life
Really interesting comments. My thoughts in random order…
I still cannot figure out Obama. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but how can someone be that clueless as to the collective anger and outrage in this country? I think he was enamored with becoming president and he had absolutely no clue what it was actually going to be like. I think he thought everyone would just blissfully follow him. His lack of experience and having never been truly tested by anything difficult/serious opposition that he couldn’t steamroll with the Chicago machine is glaringly obvious.
The overwhelming thought I have of the past year is just the incredibly overwhelming arrogance of the Democrats as they were prepared to do WHAT.EV.ER. it took to pass this health care bill. How out of touch are they to think that people were going to stand by and not get upset as they push this country to the brink of oblivion? Can you imagine if the Republicans tried to pull some of these stunts when passing legislation?
Peggy’s comments about colors were interesting to me both for the political aspect and also the fact that every night I look at houses online that have been recently listed. I cannot BELIEVE how many are filled with dark, drab colors. I’ve told David if we do move we’re going to have to budget a huge amount of money just to get the entire house painted before we can move into it. Oranges and browns and purples… I would go nuts if I had to live in a dark house like that. And all the earthy colored tiled floors. That is just not me and it would have to go. (Totally off topic, but it’s been on my mind!)
I thought Ann’s comment about Obama not liking being president as compared to Clinton was an interesting observation. I suspect Obama liked the theory of it all and the idea of being president, but not the work associated with it. I think he’s more in love with the idea of everyone being in love with him. I agree that Clinton liked being president in a different way that projected a more positive image of the office (Monica aside). At least with Clinton he seemed to grasp the big picture and the various aspects of the office. I don’t get that same sense with Obama.
Brenda is right. It is pretty bad when the current administration makes you miss the good old days of the Clinton Administration! 😯
Florence
I never dreamed that Obama and the Democrats would be as ineffective as they have turned out to be–what a relief!!
The economy here in Texas (near Houston) is probably the best in the country. Housing prices never skyrocketed and have not collapsed either. Jobs are not as plentiful as they were but work is available for most.
Every time I get to thinking that maybe national healthcare would be a good thing, I think of FEMA after Hurricane Katrina and Ike and am jolted back to reality. It is looking like the current healthcare proposals aren’t going anywhere but we still have Cap and Trade coming and Financial Regulation too. Politics for the foreseeable future is not for the faint of heart.
Laura
I have read a couple columns suggesting that Mr. Obama would have liked it if he could be king and have a prime minister doing the actual work while he just attends to the ceremonial aspects and receives adulation. I am frankly concerned. I don’t believe Mr. Obama’s background (including zero executive or managerial experience) or temperament have prepared him for the years of difficult work and challenges that come with the Presidency. There seems to be quite a bit of anger bubbling to the top in some of his recent appearances, such as today in Ohio.
As a random side note, I always feel a bit perplexed at Obama being considered the first “black” President, when the reality is he’s multi-racial, and his ethnic heritage is equally black and white. Why is his ethnic background on his mother’s side so ignored? (It almost feels unpolitically correct to even mention it, which is interesting too.)
Best wishes,
Laura
Sallie Borrink
It is so interesting to go back and read these older posts and comments, especially the stuff about Obama. I’m glad I kept these posts and did not simply delete them when I unpublished them. I’m going through the archives and republishing them as-is for the historical record.
Amazing how we all knew something was wrong, but we couldn’t full grasp how wrong things truly were.