Something to think about….before the election.
[I’m rushing through this so I hope you will bear with me. I don’t ask you to agree only to be open and receptive.]
Here’s why I love Obama and support him….because I love America. Before he was even elected, Obama cared enough about the country to prepare himself for the biggest challenge our country has faced since the 1930’s, Wall Street’s Great Recession. Obama prepared for America’s economic crisis while his Republican opponent and the Republican President himself were so uninformed they dropped out of the crisis discussions and let Obama take over.
He was the only one running for office who cared about the economic- crisis enough to take the time, interest, and effort to get consistently and regularly briefed and participate in Washington’s Bail out hearings with Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke as they attempted the impossible feat of saving us from total Wall Street collapse which would have meant total economic collapse.
Have we forgotten the crash and how business and lending was at a stand still when Obama took office? I was in the market then and it was scary and potentially catastrophic moment to moment. Everyday we waited for the other shoe to drop as another giant went under taking the rest with them. Remember the Bail outs the Republicans hate Obama for were not his. They were initiated in the Republican administration to try to save the country from the devastation they had created.
Having said that, let me say I am not denying Obama has made mistakes, been naive and promised things he didn’t realize the system would never let him do, he’s taken bad advice, and he has disappointed us as all, as heroes we elevate do.
But most of all, he was not hands on after his brilliant efforts to bring together every service industry of the medical community for a meeting of the minds for his health care reform bill. He allowed congress to handle one of the most important pieces of legislation that presidents have been trying to pass since Teddy Roosevelt. Being politicians, they were so self serving in their building of the bill, it has been widely declaimed when its necessity is indisputable to stop the country from going bankrupt from runaway medical costs. This was a major first mistake that taught him a hard lesson.
But he has passed more beneficial legislation for the American people than any President since Roosevelt. He isn’t the kind of person who can easily talk about his good work so dozens of speakers from all walks of life, including President Clinton, came to the Democratic Convention and told us about the incredible impact Obama has had on this country in our hour of need, not for the wealthy, for us, the working citizens who are the first to come to the aid of others in any emergency….those of us who know we are all in it together and that’s what makes America great.
So let’s get to why a lot of us are afraid to elect another Republican ticket when we haven’t recovered form the last one.
Have we forgotten how we got in this deep recession where we’re losing everything we’ve worked for all our lives, including the American dream?
The party of the 1% got into office and…
…sent our youth to fight a phony war they borrowed money from China to pay for increasing our National Debt to $808,306,218,270, 217 and still incurring interest every minute,
….gave breaks to Wall Street bankers and continued deregulating them so they could sell fraudulent vehicles worldwide, make billions, hedge their bets with insurance against their own vehicles, make Too Big to Fail a reality, and take down the world economy.
This is what Romney wants to return to. Romney has already pledged….
to roll back Obama’s regulations on Wall Street bankers, return things to how they were before Obama, guaranteeing a great depression.
Obama’s Wall Street reform act Romney can’t wait to reverse…
The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into federal law by President Barack Obama. Passed as a response to the late-2000s recession, it brought the most significant changes to financial regulation in the United States since the regulatory reform that followed the Great Depression. It made changes in the American financial regulatory environment that affect all federal financial regulatory agencies and almost every part of the nation’s financial services industry.
Romney wants to guarantee more tax cuts for the wealthy increasing our national debt by five trillion dollars,
….raise middle class taxes by removing tax exemptions,
….balloon the deficit for ten years,
….take away medical insurance for 47 million people in the richest country in the world
….allow insurance companies to make billions denying coverage to the insured and the uninsured, reverse Obama’s Affordable Care Act, the 80/20 rule requiring that insurance companies reimburse unused premiums. So far, over a billion dollars have been refunded to customers.
….stop Obama’s investing in American infrastructure, renewable technology, education, energy alternatives, factories, manufacturing, and science using Ryan’s plan to divest in America at our most critical time of rebuilding our economy,
…..privatize Medicare for the elderly who have already paid for it,
and the list goes on.
Can we afford to have another Republican in the white house who is solely invested in the wealthy getting wealthier and ignoring the needs of the rest of the country and the country itself? The 1% don’t need the middle class anymore and they’re making that evident in the most painful way to American families.
How qualified is Romney?
Among the many speakers at the convention was Governor Deval Patrick, who gave Romney a “red hot denunciation” across the board saying he left the state in massive debt, even for Massachusetts, and was not responsible for all government improvements he touts that make him qualified to be President.
It wasn’t Romney’s universal health care plan in Massachusetts, it was Senator Ted Kennedy’s that he is taking credit for, and at the same time, criticizing Obama’s plan which was based on the Massachusetts health care plan that he is so proud of.
Being a good debater has nothing to do with being a good President, especially when you are wiling misquote and make up facts. The Republican party stated they would not let the facts interfere with their campaign and they haven’t.
At this last minute before the election, Romney has once again claimed he has changed his positions, denied the position he has run on, so that the only thing we know about Romney is that he is either has no stable plan for the recovery of America, or will say anything to get elected. Even as governor of liberal Massachusetts he changed in mid stream to the conservative side as preparation for running for President.
After ignoring the middle class all year suddenly he is talking about us as though he cared and had intentions of supporting our recovery from the recession.
He claims he cares about America and her citizens….
Romney’s thinks we should let the foreclosures continue because he has so many houses and cars, losing one of them has no meaning for him.
He wants to deregulate the banks completely.
Obama, who came from a hardworking American family and rose to the top through his own efforts understands and has provided us with foreclosure alternatives, Making Home Affordable, HAFA and other federal programs to help us stay in our homes, putting the bank’s feet to the fire.
Romney’s claim to care about the economy…..
He has millions so he is self insured against a Depression if he takes office.
Romney’s party yacht flies the Cayman Island flag. Instead of supporting America by putting his money to work here, he hides it offshore to evade taxes.
Instead of actually putting American citizens to work, he is a big proponent of sending jobs offshore. As a stock holder he is profiting from offshoring manufacturing jobs and was the engineer of the Bain playbook and taught them to layoff Americans and send jobs overseas, “shrugging off workers cry for help in middle America as they had to train their Chinese replacements.”
Romney says marriage is for one man and one woman…..
He is a loyal and devoted Mormon, a sect not known for one man and one woman marriages.
Obama repealed the don’t ask, don’t tell policy for the military and supported legislation that prevents the federal government from denying same-sex couples the same protections received by their straight counterparts.
President Obama has led the way on significant advancements in equality for the LGBT community. From his historic endorsement of marriage equality, to repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,”
What about our Veterans?
A national shame we all share is the way we treat our returning veterans. It is heartbreaking to compassionate and grateful citizens who honor and appreciate the youth of our country giving their lives and limbs and sanity in war to preserve our way of life that the government does not take care of them before they go to war, in war, and when they come home.
Obama has consistently stood by our veterans and their families.
He signed the largest increase of funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs in 30 years to ensure veterans receive the health care benefits they’ve earned, expanding mental health services and counseling particularly for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, assured job opportunities and the respect they have earned, funded services for newly discharged Veterans, continued the drive to end homelessness, improve access to benefits and services, and reduce the disability claims, compensation, and pension backlog which is unconscionable.
He has signed two tax credits into law encouraging businesses to hire unemployed veterans and wounded warriors.
He has expanded GI educational options. As part of his Wall Street reform law he put a consumer cop on the beat to crack down on colleges and predatory lenders that prey on veterans and military families by misleading them about financial aid, job placement programs and home mortgages.
On the other hand…
“Rather than honor the sacrifices of our service members and families and make them a priority, Governor Romney has chosen not to propose any significant plan to directly put veterans back to work. He called ending the war in Iraq “tragic,”
….[and] even suggested turning veterans’ health care into a voucher system, which the VFW opposes.
As Governor of Massachusetts he cut veteran outreach and other services by hundreds of thousands of dollars in his first month in office, and proposed a reduction in Massachusetts’ government hiring preferences for veterans.
If any American who has been blessed with the rewards of hard work and opportunity is concerned about sharing the wealth of the country with those who need a hand up, if they are stuck in the “what about me” syndrome, they are forgetting what it means to be one of God’s children and part of the humanity that is God’s family. When we help one of us we help all of us.
Republican’s empty job growth promises….
The very thing the Republicans claim is Obama’s downfall was orchestrated by them. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell revealed the GOP’s true intent: “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”
“In midst of the economic meltdown the minority leader of the Senate expressed that the number one agenda of republicans was to make this a one term presidency and by refusing the pass any bill he sent to congress that would help the country recover, they may succeed at the expense of the country. Congressional republicans we’re going to say no not because we disagree on substance and not because we have historically opposed a point of view but because we want to embarrass and defeat and diminish this president.”
“It’s officially clear to everyone, even the foreign press, that the GOP will do nothing to help the economy,….” the GOP has actively sabotaged job growth.
The Republican Non- job Creation list for sessions of congress in 2011 is in the 80’s. http://republicanjobcreation.com/ A vote for a Republican is a vote against the American people.
Contrast this concentrated effort to undermine job creation by the Republicans and claim Obama has done nothing for the country, to this:
The first month Obama was in office the American Recovery Act cut taxes for the middle class and put people to work building roads, railways and runways.
We went from losing 700,000 jobs a month to adding over 4.5 million jobs in 29 consecutive months as of August.
More than 500,000 manufacturing jobs have been created, an increase for the first time since 1990s.
Restructuring the automobile Industry saved more than I million jobs not just at dealerships and auto parts, but in manufacturing all over country.
Obama believes and demonstrates that we’re all in this together.
Romney opposed the plan to save the auto Industry, once known as the backbone of the American economy. Romney is in it for Romney.
Foreign Affairs….
Contrary to Romney’s blunders, Obama has done more to re-establish trust and confidence worldwide in an informed, astute, compassionate American President than any president since the ‘90’s.
“He attended the G-20 London summit and later visited U.S. troops in Iraq. On the tour of various European countries following the G-20 summit, he announced in Prague that he intended to negotiate substantial reduction in the world’s nuclear arsenals, en route to their eventual extinction. In October 2009, Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”
Our last Republican President, a member of the global elite, who also believed in lining the pockets of the wealthy, was hated universally. The signs and graffiti I saw overseas about Bush and our country were staggering. He destroyed America’s reputation for decency, honesty, intelligence, and generosity.
I could go one forever citing the vast differences in these two candidates. If you want to gamble on America surviving under another Republican whose agenda is the Bush agenda, vote for Romney. I have children and grandchildren that I want to have an American future as the land of opportunity for all citizens, not just the wealthy.
If you still believe the Republican platform, Obama has done nothing for this country, take a look at his Legislation and Executive Orders.
Washington (CNN) — Congress gave final approval Friday to a giant transportation funding bill as part of a package that includes a measure holding down interest rates on federal student loans. Both issues are priorities of President Barack Obama’s, and the legislation demonstrated rare bipartisan agreement in the deeply divided Congress.
Within minutes of taking the Oath of Office on January 20, Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, issued an order suspending last-minute federal regulations pushed through by outgoing President George W. Bush, planning to review everything still pending.[32] Due to the economic crisis, the President enacted a pay freeze for Senior White House Staff making more than $100,000 per year,[33] as well as announcing stricter guidelines regarding lobbyists restricting them from financially contributing to his administration and forcing them to stop lobbying while working for him in an effort to raise the ethical standards of the White House.
[34] He asked for a waiver to his own new rules, however, for the appointments of William Lynn to the position of Deputy Defense Secretary, Jocelyn Frye to the position of director of policy and projects in the Office of the First Lady, and Cecilia Muñoz to the position of director of intergovernmental affairs in the executive office of the president, leading to some criticism of hypocrisy and violation of his pledge for governmental openness.[35][36]
In his first week in office, Obama signed Executive Order 13492 suspending all the ongoing proceedings of Guantanamo military commission and ordering the detention facility to be shut down within the year.[37][38][39] He also signed Executive Order 13491 – Ensuring Lawful Interrogations requiring the Army Field Manual to be used as a guide for terror interrogations, banning torture and other coercive techniques, such as waterboarding.[40] Obama also issued an executive order entitled “Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel”, setting stricter limitations on incoming executive branch employees and placing tighter restrictions on lobbying in the White House.[41] Obama signed two Presidential Memoranda concerning energy independence, ordering the Department of Transportation to establish higher fuel efficiency standards before 2011 models are released and allowing states to raise their emissions standards above the national standard.[42] He also ended the Mexico City Policy, which banned federal grants to international groups that provide abortion services or counseling.[43][44]
In his first week he also established a policy of producing a weekly Saturday morning video address available on whitehouse.gov and YouTube,[45][46][47] much like those released during his transition period.[48][49] The first address had been viewed by 600,000 YouTube viewers by the next afternoon.[50]
The first piece of legislation Obama signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 on January 29, which revised the statute of limitations for filing pay discrimination lawsuits. Lilly Ledbetter joined Obama and his wife, Michelle, as he signed the bill, fulfilling his campaign pledge to nullify Ledbetter v. Goodyear.[51] On February 3, he signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIP), expanding health care from 7 million children under the plan to 11 million.[52]
After much debate, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was passed by both the House and Senate on February 13, 2009. Originally intended to be a bipartisan bill, the passage of the bill was largely along party lines. No Republicans voted for it in the House, and three moderate Republicans voted for it in the Senate (Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania).[53] The bill combined tax breaks with spending on infrastructure projects, extension of welfare benefits, and education.[54][55] The final cost of the bill was $787 billion, and almost $1.2 trillion with debt service included.[56] Obama signed the Act into law on February 17, 2009, in Denver, Colorado.[57]
On March 9, 2009, Obama lifted restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research,[58] and in doing so, called into question some of George W. Bush’s signing statements. Obama stated that he too would employ signing statements if he deems upon review that a portion of a bill is unconstitutional,[59][60] and he has issued several signing statements.[61]
Early in his presidency, Obama signed a law raising the tobacco tax 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes.[62] The tax is to be “used to finance a major expansion of health insurance for children”, and “help some [smokers] to quit and persuade young people not to start”.[62]
Major legislation
2009
• January 29: Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
• February 4: Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act
• February 11: DTV Delay Act
• February 17: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
• March 30: Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009
• April 21: Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
• May 20: Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act
• May 20: Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
• May 22: Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009
• June 22: Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
• August 6: Cash For Clunkers Extension Act
• October 22: Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act
• October 28: Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
• October 30: Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act
• November 6: Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009
2010
• January 27: Emergency Aid to American Survivors of Haiti Earthquake Act
• March 4: Travel Promotion Act
• March 18: Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE Act)
• March 23: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
• March 30: Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
• May 5: Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010
• May 17: Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act
• July 1: Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act
• July 21: Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
• July 22: Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010
• July 22: Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010
• August 10: SPEECH Act
• September 27: Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010
• December 9: Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010
• December 13: Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
• December 17: Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010
• December 22: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010
2011
• January 2: James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (H.R. 847)
• January 4: Food Safety and Modernization Act, Pub.L. 111-353, H.R. 2751
• August 2: Budget Control Act of 2011
• October 21: United States-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implemention Act
• October 21: United States-Panama Free Trade Agreement Implemention Act
• October 21: United States-South Korea Free Trade Agreement Implemention Act
• November 21: VOW to Hire Heroes Act[86]
2012
• April 5: Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act
How dare the Republicans perpetrate the lie that we are no better off than when Obama took office!
So with all the learning and adjusting a President makes in the first few years, all the mistakes he is bound to make and did make, the errors in judgment, with the most devastating and total financial collapse since the Depression, with a Republican congress determined to destroy his presidency, President Obama still managed to accomplish major legislation and executive orders that have undone much of the damage done by the former incumbents and transformed the landscape the average American citizen is living in substantially. I am grateful and happy to give him another four years to finish the job of restoring America.