LOL. My lib co-worker who loves Obama...

[Jeff Spicoli]

...and hates ALL republicans is still using the "Obama hasn't been able to accomplish anything yet because he's still cleaning up the mess left by the previous administration" argument.

Bwaahahahahaha!

[YOhio]

Sounds like PaloAltoCougar.

[Tim]

...and hates ALL republicans is still using the "Obama hasn't been able to accomplish anything yet because he's still cleaning up the mess left by the previous administration" argument.

Bwaahahahahaha!

What are your thoughts on Obama's job? Has he had to clean up any of the previous administration's mess?

[Indy Coug]

He's had enough time off from cleaning up "Bush's mess" to do things like a brutally ineffective $800B stimulus package and nefarious schemes like ObamaCare.

[old_gregg]

and nefarious schemes like ObamaCare.

[Uncle Ted]

He's had enough time off from cleaning up "Bush's mess" to do things like a brutally ineffective $800B stimulus package and nefarious schemes like ObamaCare.

But Obama has:

• shut down Guantanamo Bay detention center in his first year of taking office.
• pulled our troops out of Iraq in 16 months after taking office.
• created the most open and transparent government in history.
• Delayed signing anything for five days after reaching his desk.
• Has gone "line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely" before signing anything..
• eliminated capital gains taxes for small businesses.
• eliminated warrantless wiretaps.

Or, well, at least promised to.

[Indy Coug]

[CardiacCoug]

But Obama has:

• shut down Guantanamo Bay detention center in his first year of taking office.
• pulled our troops out of Iraq in 16 months after taking office.
• created the most open and transparent government in history.
• Delayed signing anything for five days after reaching his desk.
• Has gone "line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely" before signing anything..
• eliminated capital gains taxes for small businesses.
• eliminated warrantless wiretaps.

Or, well, at least promised to.

OK, I'm not an Obama fan, but I don't understand most of these criticisms coming from a conservative/libertarian perspective.

Isn't it a good thing that he showed a practical side once he assumed the Presidency and didn't keep bad campaign promises like pulling out of Iraq quickly and closing Guantanamo?

Sure, the transparency and cutting of capital gains taxes for small businesses would have been nice. But based on that list, it seems like Obama backed away from about an equal number of "liberal" and "conservative" campaign promises. And can we really blame him for not being "more transparent" than any prior Republican president?

[il Padrino Ute]

What are your thoughts on Obama's job? Has he had to clean up any of the previous administration's mess?

When will it be time for Obama to be held accountable for his failed policies?

[Sleeping in EQ]

Many supporters of Obama are trying to be patient.

[pellegrino]

When will it be time for Obama to be held accountable for his failed policies?

as soon as it is for other politicians . . .

[il Padrino Ute]

as soon as it is for other politicians . . .

True. All politicians love to blame the other side for the problems.

I suppose the question I should have asked Tim was when will it be time for him to hold Obama accountable for Obama's failed policies.

[RobinFinderson]

This graph really doesn't say anything that wasn't obvious to everyone... the private sector was hemorrhaging jobs, states were cutting a few nonessential jobs, and the federal government held steady. That is all the graph is depicting. What doesn't show up in this graph is the fact that private sector job growth has been rising steadily throughout the entire Obama presidency (give and take minor difference from month to month). So the private sector has stopped hemorrhaging jobs on Obama's watch. Here is a nice video, put out by the administration, that does a good job of explaining some of this:

[YOUTUBE]QmybtPlga1U[/YOUTUBE]

[Katy Lied]

The Larry H. Miller (May he rip) Company got a stimulus loan to expand their theater at thanksgiving point.

I wonder if I can get in on that action.

Like an earlier poster, I'm glad Obama has deferred action on some of his campaign promises. Good sense. However, I think that the stimulus didnt do what it was supposed to do.

[RobinFinderson]

The Larry H. Miller (May he rip) Company got a stimulus loan to expand their theater at thanksgiving point.

I wonder if I can get in on that action.

Like an earlier poster, I'm glad Obama has deferred action on some of his campaign promises. Good sense. However, I think that the stimulus didnt do what it was supposed to do.

Then how do you respond to Austan's argument to the contrary?