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Serena
and don't forget he avoided depression 2.0
how are the rich to get richer if their are not unemployed to take advantage of?

Who believed that any politician could all that Obama stated in his campaign, especially after one year? It's a campaign after all, not governance with the reality of obstinacy from big business (whose actual existence depend on a stable federal government) and hardball partisan politics.

Plus many Obama supporters from all ideological perspectives projected their desires onto the candidate without looking deeply into his background which showed then, as now, that he was center-left politician with a moderate personality. Begone with those radical characterizations.

And guess what, this is coming from an Obama supporter. People need to realize that it is THEY - the citizens of the United States - that must help to change and then implement things.

Obviously we need leadership, but what about leading ourselves in our own communities creating what we want? Democracy is not just about elections, it's also about continual civic engagement.

Wonderful hindsight. I well remember the pundits or so-called experts, all offering conflicting suggestions. The problem is not so much with Obama's decisions as to the vast opposition from the scoundrels in the Republican Party with a few Democrats thrown in, plus the petroleum and coal industries, the insurance companies, and the scoundrel banks. It is bank's fault that they failed and when Obama pulled them out, they go on business as usual. So much for "free enterprise."

To get rid of discrimination based on preexisting conditions, we have to have a mandate, and that is the biggest wrench in getting health insurance reform passed. I myself understand why we can't have universal coverage without a mandate, because of my personal experiences trying to get health insurance. But most Americans don't "get" this or don't want to accept it. They want to have their cake and eat it too. That would be nice, but it's impossible.

As I recall, much of the stimulus was aimed at shovel-ready projects and assumed that only mfgr jobs were needed. What about jobs for those in non-mfgr sectors? These are(were) higher paying positions and require more education background - masters and doctorate degrees.

Obama's first year was an abject failure. First, no health plan never mind a public option. Bailout and yet no regulation of the financial industry. No immigration reform to help out of status immigrants. No job creation only losses. His represention at the Copenhagen Climate Conference was disappointing to say the least. Isn't he an educated flim flam man? His campaign was a bait and switch.

america got gangbanked by the financial companies. that is all.

the infrastructure projects and healthcare reforms need to be integrated into the economic reforms discussion as a matter of jobs & recovery, which is going to be the responsibility of the White House, since congress can't get the job done, especially now with the recent supreme court 'decision' [activist judges, anyone?] [and did congress give itself another 'cost-of-living' raise again this year?]

Are you underrating Obama's loss of public support? The public supports the elements of the health care plan, but not "The Obama Plan" in total. Can we expect these quazi-Democrats and Republicans to support a plan that's unpopular in their districts? Conversely, if the public did support Obama's plan, does the opposition in the Senate disappear? Thus does some of the blame fall on Obama for losing the media battle to Fox News and the far right?

the internet feed is down AGAIN!

Hendrik Hertzberg just said that we would be having a different conversation if we were talking about health care reform as a success (i.e. Martha Coakley had won and the House/Senate merger bill passed).

However, he is wrong. Even had it passed, it would not be a "success" and I take issue with Hertzberg calling it that.

The bill was a mess - a real dog - and the American people on both the left and the right hated it.

There would have been no success there.