Congratulations America.

[Sea Demon]

No congratulations are needed. We've been doing this a long time. I am not optimistic about this new President. Nor do I think I will support his domestic policies if he goes the "big government" song and dance. If he does the typical Dem "raise taxes", rapid government growth, and weakens national security bit, I certainly will oppose. But I will give him the courtesy and respect he is due. I certainly wish the left-wing trash would have shown the same courtesy to our last President. Even just half as much. Fortunately for the country, we have more class than those lowlifes and bottom-feeders of the left.

If Mr. Obama does well, I will give him credit. But if he screws up, I won't be shy about complaining about it. Suck it up weenies. It's your turn now. The ball's in your court. The fix is up to you. And Mr. Obama will fail if he does what most of his voters want. I hope for his sake...he knows that.

[Enigma]

Showing class as always, Demon.....

Suck it up weenies. It's your turn now. The ball's in your court. The fix is up to you.

You've clearly, yet unsurprisingly, missed the point. It's up to all of us. All of us. The partisans full of hatred *ahem* will be left behind under a successful President of any political stripe, and rightly so.

This thread had a nice tone to match a good day up until now. Lets go back to our originally scheduled programming....

[baggygreen]

im just glad the inaugration went off without a hitch

I wanna hear what his plan is the the 'new' financial system of which he spoke ( a few weeks back now, obviously not in his speech - the writer of which he owes a great deal). Needa know which shares to put my money into

[August]

Originally Posted by baggygreen

im just glad the inaugration went off without a hitch

I wanna hear what his plan is the the 'new' financial system of which he spoke. Needa know which shares to put my money into

You can't go wrong buying land...

[Sea Demon]

Originally Posted by Enigma

Showing class as always, Demon.....

You've clearly, yet unsurprisingly, missed the point. It's up to all of us. All of us. The partisans full of hatred *ahem* will be left behind under a successful President of any political stripe, and rightly so.

This thread had a nice tone to match a good day up until now. Lets go back to our originally scheduled programming....

Nonsense, Enigma. You miss the point entirely. It was up to all of us when Mr. Bush was President as well. Left-wing trash simply decided not to participate. And were feverishly hateful and disrespectful for years. Now these same bottom feeding buffoons want peace and harmony? Forget it chump! The Democrats at this point will have to put up or shut up. The buck stops at Mr. Obama's desk. We won't give the same disrespect, nor will we make childish comparisons to Hitler with Obama. And I will root for Obama when it comes to the war effort and dealing with the terrorist threat that hasn't gone away now that he has been "ordained".

Sorry bud, you won't shut anybody up. His presidency begins right now despite all the hoopla. Suck it up. The only partisans of hatred have come from the left of the past 8 years. I don't see that level of discord for Obama from the right. But there will be plenty of discontent and dissent. Get used to it.

[baggygreen]

Originally Posted by August

You can't go wrong buying land...

ugh, please don't mention land. Trying to organise land and a builder with my fiancee at the moment, and its a headache beyond belief!

[Falkirion]

Congrats to America, glad to see nobody decided to pull an assassination attempt on his first day in office.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by Sea Demon

Nonsense, Enigma. You miss the point entirely. It was up to all of us when Mr. Bush was President as well. Left-wing trash simply decided not to participate. And were feverishly hateful and disrespectful for years. Now these same bottom feeding buffoons want peace and harmony? Forget it chump! The Democrats at this point will have to put up or shut up. The buck stops at Mr. Obama's desk. We won't give the same disrespect, nor will we make childish comparisons to Hitler with Obama. And I will root for Obama when it comes to the war effort and dealing with the terrorist threat that hasn't gone away now that he has been "ordained".

Sorry bud, you won't shut anybody up. His presidency begins right now despite all the hoopla. Suck it up. The only partisans of hatred have come from the left of the past 8 years. I don't see that level of discord for Obama from the right. But there will be plenty of discontent and dissent. Get used to it.

I'd be careful about assuming where "the buck stops". FDR led this country into unmitigated economic and foreign policy failure for 12 years, and he's considered one of the greatest presidents in history. Woodrow Wilson was directly responsible for the harsh terms of the Versailles treaty, which laid the foundations of ww2. JFK saved us from the Cuban missile crisis, and also started it by placing missiles in Turkey. All of them are considered to be some of the greatest presidents we ever had.

Like President Bush, in the first 6 years of his administration (and aguably, in the last 2) , I think you'll be shocked as to how little President Obama's policies and their effects have to do with his image.

[Skybird]

It could only become better, and the man is inspiring, which could activate a lot of support and action from his nation's people - and as a matter of fact already has. I do not expect him being able to fulfill all the interstellar expectations people have because of him, nor do I mistake popularity with efficiency, and so I will wait and see and judge him by what he does, and what he aims for in deed and intention. He certainly deserves a fair chance to prove himself.

I wish him luck, and I wish us all more realistic expectations. It is not guaranteed to become a great presidency indeed, for the problems are monumental, and probably never before had an American president to accept such a heavy burden like Obama (I include the civial war era and WWII in that assessment) - but it has had a promising overture to become right that. There is a solid chance - not a guarantee, but right that: a solid chance. Now Americans should help him to make something out of it. If he is left to himself, he necessarily must fail.

[longam]

Becoming the President of the United States of America is like having a child, you don't get any sleep for 4 years.

God's Speed Sir!

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by PeriscopeDepth

I have to admit I am younger and don't remember Bush II's initial inauguration at all, or if I even paid attention to it. Do these things always get so much media attention and celebration, or would you say this year's inauguration stands out more?

It does, really. Bush' limousine was left standing undecided in the middle of the road for ten minutes because of protests and small riots. The whole event was much more "intimate", not plagued by too much consensus, to put mildly. That it was also raining just gave the right theatralic scene to the overall telling of the story.

Check videos at youtube on Bush inauguration 2001, I don't link you directly since I think it is time to leave Bush behind in the darkness of history and forget about that guy, but I saw some real nasty ones there. There was plenty of protest from day one on, and the inauguration day saw plenty of partly violent riots. No comparison at all to the optimism and enthusiasm you have seen today. Today it was a people's celebration, with people feeling relived and feeling almost liberated from a heavy burden. Americans even celebrated in German cities, and probably still do so.

The speeches 2001 and 2009 also do not compare in inspiration and message. Today it was a highlight (I have just read it in full), 8 years ago it was lame and boring (I've read it yesterday).

[Enigma]

Nonsense, Enigma. You miss the point entirely. It was up to all of us when Mr. Bush was President as well. Left-wing trash simply decided not to participate. And were feverishly hateful and disrespectful for years. Now these same bottom feeding buffoons want peace and harmony? Forget it chump! The Democrats at this point will have to put up or shut up. The buck stops at Mr. Obama's desk. We won't give the same disrespect, nor will we make childish comparisons to Hitler with Obama. And I will root for Obama when it comes to the war effort and dealing with the terrorist threat that hasn't gone away now that he has been "ordained".

Sorry bud, you won't shut anybody up. His presidency begins right now despite all the hoopla. Suck it up. The only partisans of hatred have come from the left of the past 8 years. I don't see that level of discord for Obama from the right. But there will be plenty of discontent and dissent. Get used to it.

I don't need to shut anybody up. If you watched TV today, you see where the chips lie. Republicans and their unwavering supporters, right or wrong, were told to shut up in the elections. It speaks for itself.


Bush approval rating in 2000 = 73%. What is it now? (See, I was one of those people that supported Mr. Bush once upon a time. He lost my support. you are the in the 25%, the fringe, if you will, that still think he was a good President.)
And with all that "hatred" from the left, he managed to get re-elected? What a joke. Guess that argument just doesn't hold water, does it, sunshine.

Other than that, I have nothing to say to this misguided, maniacal rant.

[heartc]

Based on my own opinion, I would have prefered John McCain. A former naval aviator, opting for a second Tour of Duty, then a POW who refused to be release early, based on the code "first in, first out", in spite of his "pedigree", thus earning a long time in sole confinement - there was nothing I ever heard about him from his political enemies that would have deconsturcted his character, which means there was NO way to do so. In my view, what better kind of president could you wish for? Who doesn't only
*talk*, but instead already gave *proof* of his dedication to his country?

On the other hand though, I'm also happy with President Obama. For three reasons:

1. Me being a German, and seeing how the Bush government was REALLY totally INEPT and maybe even just UNINTERESTED in COMMUNICATING their policy and reasoning behind it properly towards Europe, had me ended up in a constant struggle trying to explain it. Not neccessarily justify it - sometimes just trying to explain. You see, almost the complete media landscape here is rather left. Rather left from a German / European point of view. From an American point of view, it isn't "rather left", instead you would say it's downright commie ****, all of it.
So, while I myself - if I lived in a vacuum - would have prefered a Republican President, namely John McCain, I'm on the other hand happy with President Obama because I have no doubt that his Presidency will lead to renewed and more positive US-German relations. Which is exactly what I was trying to achieve at least in my limited environment when I tried to get Bush's points accross WHILE YOUR STATE DEPARTMENT or foreign service didn't give a **** about how America is recieved by her allies / affiliates. I'm a friend of the United States, and I whish to even go and live there at some point, but I'm also a German. I love my country, and it made me sick over all those years in the past to see the hatred that has formed intself in this country towards the US. So I hope having a Dem' President in the US, and now especially Pres. Obama, will at least not worsen the relationship any further. Note that I surely do not agree on the reasons of this hostilitiy that was engineered here against the US over the last few years - it's just that those "engineers" will have a much harder time to continue their Anti-American agenda with Pres. Obama than they had with Pres. W. Bush.

2. Always when I tried to tell something good about America, like, her being the oldest democracy in the modern world, people told me, "Hey look, there's a lot of racists over there!!!11!!. The Black guys still don't have a chance" (never mind that e.g. in Munich, you have clubs where all the foreigners go who are not interested in learning German, and clubs where all the Germans, or where all the rich folk go, who are not intersted in talking to anyone who doesn't drive a BMW Z4 or similar), and while they are at it, they also use to come up with that "genocide on the Indians (=Native Americans)" kind of thing.
I was always trying to tell them that, yes, there might still be racists in the US, but the general climate has long changed, and there were many people in the past who fought for that, and because America is a country based on the idea of FREE PEOPLE, they can achieve things that leave racism behind. Well, people here wouldn't believe me and think I'm just talking out of my ass.
So now that you guys voted a "black" man into office, I hope that this Anti-American prejudice is now finally gone for good. I'm not saying that there are no people in the US who might have a problem with that. I'm saying that all countries have people with prejudices EVERYWHERE. But you, America, have now proven AGAIN, and this time IN FULL THROTTLE, that the FREEDOM and OPPORTUNITY you guys keep talking about, is NOT just a mere word in your country. With this vote, you did put a full shove of SAND into the mouths of those who belittled and ridiculed your idea of FREEDOM from ashore, who - most of the time - were not able to grasp that because they are ACTUAL racists themselvses.

3. I believe Mr. President Obama is an honest broker. While, again, I myself would have prefered McCain, I think that President Obama is not a lieing fool either. The only thing I'm afraid of is that he might steer your country into a one way road that many contries in Europe have long walked and hit the wall at the end of that road. But you are dynamic, you give him a chance, and you watch it. Give him that chance, and see what he comes up with. I don't believe you will watch your country be destroyed - hell, it's why you guys left Europe, after all. Because you wanted to try something else. And you did good so far. If he starts running you aground, you will vote him or his agenda away in time. You are the oldest functioning democracy in the modern world. And you brought that democracy back to a lot of other countries, even if they don't want to admit that out of a wrong understood sense of pride.

Be proud of your President.
Be proud of your country.
And, most importantly, be proud of your people. Because you are who made America.

And don't listen to those who hate you. Envy is the original human sin.


<S!>

Congratulations USA and all that.

I can't sleep since I have the flu and some fever so I'm pretty tired so forgive typing mistakes.

heartc,

for being "the oldest democracy" (not sure if that's the truth) USA has a strange way of giving the president lots of power. And with the US being a significant nation in the world, 'the leader of the free world' as they say, it means that this one person has huge power overall.

So, does it make much sense to go that way? I mean isn't democracy and parlamentarism etc. about taking the power away from 'dieties', godlike-figures, pharaos and kaisers etc. and giving the power to the people? Or if not the people then at least some of their chosen people?

And the thing about US presidents, it's as if come election time the crimes of the previous president just kind of vanish like they never existed. What is this about? Overall US popularity is at the lowest it's been maybe ever. And it'll take a lot more than just Barry to fix that.

edit. And I'm not "Stinking drunk in Trinidad" like my avatar text says. Wish I was, I really just have a flu.

[Sea Demon]

Originally Posted by Enigma

I don't need to shut anybody up. If you watched TV today, you see where the chips lie. Republicans and their unwavering supporters, right or wrong, were told to shut up in the elections. It speaks for itself.


Bush approval rating in 2000 = 73%. What is it now? (See, I was one of those people that supported Mr. Bush once upon a time. He lost my support. you are the in the 25%, the fringe, if you will, that still think he was a good President.)
And with all that "hatred" from the left, he managed to get re-elected? What a joke. Guess that argument just doesn't hold water, does it, sunshine.

Other than that, I have nothing to say to this misguided, maniacal rant.

Hysteria is what I currently see. For all this hysteria, he has yet to actually do anything. In the "How Obama got elected" vid it clearly showed the ignorance of those who voted for Obama in a clear statistical random sample. Amazingly, most Obamites polled thought that Republicans controlled Congress. Despite Bush's approval ratings, the Democrats running Congress rated much lower. If the voters of Obama had any common sense and actual knowledge about who has been holding the purse strings, perhaps they would have known who to punish. They didn't. Unfortunately they proved to be too stupid to know what the hell was going on. Get used to the judging of Obama's performance. It begins today.

You of course may continue to flow in your hero worship if you please.

You guys on the left wing fringes calling for all this unity now really crack me up. Republicans have been calling for unity since 9/11/01. You're dangerously late to the party.

You're merely a joke. Just how much depends on how many promises Mr. Obama breaks to his voters. So far we're continuing Mr. Bush's war, continuing Mr. Bush's tax initiatives, and Obama's wavering about Gitmo. The only thing that remains to be seen is if his voters are wise enough to catch on. I'm putting money on it that they don't. You haven't shown that you haven't a clue about some of the continuity. Go figure.