Obama Archives - Curmudgeon Alley

2023/04/202023/04/21

More Genealogy Silliness – Presidents

What triggered this latest round of silliness was that I was watching a Wondrium (formerly Great Courses) course, America’s Founding Fathers. On the class about one of my early idols, Thomas Jefferson, it mentioned that his mother was Jane Randolph. The brother just younger than me is named Paul Randolph. The Paul is after our Uncle Paul of USS Carr fame. I am not recalling the provenance of his middle name right now, but my father’s side of the family will occasionally use the family name of one branch or another for a middle name. For instance, my father’s middle name was Marrs. All this started me wondering about a connection to Jane Randolph and sent me to FamilySearch.org, the genealogy site ran by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aka the Mormons. Stayed tuned.

A few thoughts before I delve deeper.

First, this blog posting will most likely be of more interest to the handful of my relatives that read my blog.

Secondly the Mormon genealogy site is very well administered. I am sure that the Mormon portion is meticulous in its research. The portion open Continue reading “More Genealogy Silliness – Presidents”

2018/01/13

Respect for the Office of POTUS

I do not think Obama was a great President, but I do think he was a good President. I do believe that if we had not had a Republican congress hell bent on creating a shit-hole of a banana republic out of this country for their rich sponsors, he might have been a great President. He was a bit of a disappointment to me as a progressive as he listened to the military much too much, and I found him to be somewhat conservative. 20 or 25 years ago, his policies would have been Republican policies. Continue reading “Respect for the Office of POTUS”

2011/08/092022/09/19

New York Times Editioral: What Happened to Obama?

This editioral appeared in the Sunday New York Times. What Happened to Obama? I personally think it is a must read if you are wondering what the hell happened to our country and Obama.

The last paragraph of the editorial pretty much sums up the situation for me.

“But the arc of history does not bend toward justice through capitulation cast as compromise. It does not bend when 400 people control more of the wealth than 150 million of their fellow Americans. It does not bend when the average middle-class family has seen its income stagnate over the last 30 years while the richest 1 percent has seen its income rise astronomically. It does not bend when we cut the fixed incomes of our parents and grandparents so hedge fund managers can keep their 15 percent tax rates. It does not bend when only one side in negotiations between workers and their bosses is allowed representation. And it does not bend when, as political scientists have shown, it is not public opinion but the opinions of the wealthy that predict the votes of the Senate. The arc of history can bend only so far before it breaks. ”

I was rooting for Hillary from the git-go of Bush’s first term. The woman has her issues (Bill?), but she knows the ropes, has the respect of her peers or least as much as you can in Washington. And she is tough as nails. I truly believe she has the good of little people in mind.

In part I blame the election of Obama on Oprah. She spent years with every woman in America hanging onto her utterances. However, when it came down to it, she chose race over gender. Which is particularly sad considering how inexperienced Obama was and how experienced Hillary is. But I also think that the corporate powers that really rule this country do not want competent leadership in Washington. If that happens they might not be able run roughshod over the rest of us.

Deep sigh.

2011/04/222011/04/25

We Can’t Make It Here Anymore

This song and video pretty much nails the American malaise. It is a little dated as Bush is the president, but the sentiments still work.

I have several disappointments with Obama, one of the biggest is that he has not gotten us out of these wars. Another is that he seems to be in the pocket of the korporate overlords.

2010/01/202010/01/21

WTF is Right

From an online discussion (I just love civilized discourse):

Obama is the president. He can only sign the bill the house of representatives pass and send to his desk. Executive branch cannot make the legislative branch do anything they do not want. Clinton tried in 1992. How did that go…..

As for the Legislative branch: If I remember, the Soap went something like this:

GOP: we will block and sabatoge anything important to Obama no matter what

(Senate Dems : kisses Olympia snow’s butt to try and get 60 votes. But apparently party loyalty is more important than the country…) Continue reading “WTF is Right”

2009/08/24

Where is Hillary when you need her?

Perhaps I should have phrased it a little differently… an email to the White House via their website.
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I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am in Obama and his wavering on the public option. Without a public option, IMHO, there is no health care reform.

I wish he would stand up to Right that are doing everything they can to defeat health care reform. It is time to grow a pair.
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I had some much hope when he got elected. He is turning out to be much too conservative for my taste, and too willing to compromise. To throw something as important as health care reform into the dysfunctional family that is Congress was a bad, bad, move. And now he is about to surrender about the public option. Where is Hillary when you need her? She has a pair.

2009/04/07

Obama the Utopian

I describe myself as a Utopian. I have a friend who when I said that would laugh and tell me I was being unrealistic.

I am a Utopian, not because I believe we will ever achieve Utopia, but because unless you aim high you will not achieve high.

It is obvious to me that Obama believes this principle. He is a fellow Utopian.

2009/03/122009/04/08

To my email buddies/correspondents:

Anyone who knows me even slightly knows that I like to argue and talk politics. They also know that I am somewhere to the left on the political spectrum.

I am probably not as near open minded about listening to other opinions as I fancy myself. Nevertheless that is my goal.

I’ve been known from time to time pass on emails, editorials, jokes, Continue reading “To my email buddies/correspondents:”

2009/03/052015/09/19

Letter on Health Care Reform

There is fixin’ to be a big brouhaha in Congress about Health Care reform.

Below is a letter (email actually) that I have sent to both my Senators and my representative. You may not agree with some or all of my comments, but you need to make your voice heard on this. We do not need to let the profit driven corporations dictate our level of health care or even if we have health care any longer.

Find your Senator’s email address here

Find your Representative’s email address here

Dear Senator/Representative:

There is going to a concerted effort by the Obama administration to Continue reading “Letter on Health Care Reform”

2008/06/092008/07/08

Obama, The Messiah, I don’t think so

I’ve never voted for a Republican, and I am having a hard time getting excited about Obama. The media is fueling some of that lack of excitement. They love to show Obama with some sort of halo around his head. I do not believe him to be the Messiah or a saint.

I also got so tired of the depiction of Hillary as a bumpkin from Arkansas. She is not a bumpkin nor is she from Arkansas. If they were not doing that, they were painting her as a shrewish old woman.

Obviously, he has managed to woo the media and Clinton has managed to alienate them. Or maybe it is as Paul Krugman suggests, racism is declining, but not misogyny.

I really wonder if having news 24×7 on multiple medias is really doing us a service. Especially when they use such broad strokes.