unfiltered's Comments (143)

“The idea that the American public put Bush in office for two terms and still should be considered in judging the Presidency of Obama is ridiculous. The man had no memorable accomplishments, plenty of ****ups, in two terms of presidency, yet I'm supposed to judge Obama by approval rating? That's a joke right?
Those who voted for Bush are worse off, they're communities are worse, the country is worse and on the financial brink if things don't change in the medium term, yet, these people, proven failures at decision-making, are "The Deciders?"
Like Bush, Rove and Cheney, the American public can be tricked into thinking anything. Obama's approval rating will be back in the 60s by summer,. Let's just hope he didn't fear monger, bash the gays, or talk about "family values" to do so; it'd be nice to have real accomplishments for a change. It's been decades since any president didn't rely on a Wall Street created bubble to do so.”

“You have a very skewed opinion of health care reform and economy/job creation.

You give him a C for going further than any president in the history of the country on health care? You've been drinking the liberal blog kool-aid.

C- on economy and job creation? The economy was the worst of most of our lifetimes, which accumulated over 8 years of excess, and we've hit bottom within a year. The economic forecasts say the economy is growing near 4% this past quarter and, as the cycle goes, jobs will be here in a few months...guaranteed. Again, you should put down your cup and actually do some analysis instead of letting other people with an agenda form your opinion for you.”

“I thought that about "so much negativity" too until last night. I read an article from Matt Taibi and he subtly explained why, if you look hard enough under all the hate. The feeling among liberal bloggers/sites is that the president only responds to negativity. I guess that means in order to stay relevant there's no celebration of progress made. There's no articles devoted to the substantial differences the president has brought to the country since the last administration.
Instead, they've decided to take a monolithic stance that all liberals want no war. All liberals consider no pre-existing conditions, no difference in premiums between sexes, and the covering of 90% of those without healthcare "not real reform." All liberals ignore the economic indicators that suggest that not only has the economy's fall bottomed but that it's also growing faster than forecasters predicted (jobs have lagged economic recovery since economists existed).
So, instead of hating the sites, consider it their job to play devil's advocate on every issue. It'll allow you to temper your feelings; especially considering that all tv media outlets, including MSNBC, and the overwhelming majority of websites, cater to and spread without scrutiny the right's agenda and talking points.”

“i'm not trying to pick sides. the problem is that once we decide not to trust someone, all of a sudden, everything they do is suspicious and a grand scheme.
Everyone on this thread has kept a letter, picture, or text after they left someone alone. Hell, numbers say at least 50% of those married -much higher for those with just "significant others"- cheated and/or continue to cheat.

i've been trying not to respond, but two weeks of this ish on political shows, ESPN analysts calling this the most significant sports story of the decade, etc. has pushed me to the breaking point.”

“sorry for you. it's cool to acknowledge the truth in a lot of stereotypes, but i hope you'd agree that you're painting with too broad of a brush.
we are who we are regardless of money, race, gender, etc. sometimes resources (money, looks) allow us to achieve our goals more easily, but they were our goals beforehand.
and if they weren't, strength of character will either help us avoid or limit indulging in those temptations.”

“so, she should accept money to tell her story? or, should she incur the expenses of a lawyer and pr person out of her own pocket as she either defends herself or she tries to keep E! off her front lawn.

or, should we even bother to think things through and just wing life?”

“wow, you really think Tiger didn't expect negative attention? i think you have a naive opinion of someone who has spent 10-15 years surrounded by marketers and brand managers.”

“tell me why i have pictures of my childhood girlfriends still in a shoebox. and they, to my knowledge, aren't the world's most famous athlete or on their track to being a billionaire, the ultimate label of success for most in society.

maybe i just want to remember my life...nah, i'm just waiting to blackmail them one day.”

“The House wouldn't have passed it without the White House's approval.

You can try to argue that imposing 5 yr mandatory sentences on a couple grams of crack while slapping the writst of powder users wasn't a concocted scheme to disproportionately imprison blacks and other minorities. You can try to argue that connecting educational dollars to property taxes wasn't a ploy to make sure minorities stayed in the economic sloughs of our society though education is the number one, by a large margin, predictor of future economic success. You can even argue that the "investing in stocks" key to retirement isn't casino ideology when monkeys have proven to perform as well as our most celebrated investors, who rise to fame from exploiting laws and relationships, not some expert analysis of company fundamentals.

But, there's no way that lifetime pro-choice advocates and Nancy Pelosi voted for or allowed the passage of a bill limiting women's choice unless it was some political strategy for the democratic party to appeal to independents.

And, I'm certain Obama and his administration approved that strategy, regardless of the rhetoric.

Some issues aren't to be politicized. I'm sure glad independents aren't split over equal rights to minorities; then, the House may have added a repeal of the Civil Rights Act to its Cap-n-Trade legislation.”

“I'm done. I'd rather fight tooth and nail for a loser with conviction than support a winner whose integrity is malleable. I don't support playing politics on issues that have such a direct impact in fairness, justice, or safety on the lives of the American people.
The administration's tacit approval of the Stupak ammendment was a dealbreaker for my active support of this administration. They're playing games in order to create heroes out of people struggling for re-election. But my strong advice follows: don't point a gun even if you have no intention to shoot.
On women's rights, minority rights, the environment's rights, science's rights, etc. where a majority of the public may support failed, offensive, or barbaric policies, only unwavering principle stands on the right side of history. This president has failed to define his. I don't believe the quest for independents will define them for him.”

“What a shift and what a "warning?"

The two that won pretended to be democrats: Obama commercials, scrubbed word "republican" from websites and commercials, even used blue backgrounds and ran on Democratic messages.

The one that didn't lost, even after a candidate dropped out to help secure victory.

Those in position to be held accountable for their states fiscal woes lost their jobs; but, in the absence of direct accountability, it went to the democrat...even in the area that never voted for one.

This result actually proves the popularity of the democratic message and the burning desire for Americans to hold people who fail responsible. If Washington had any doubt about America's desire to fire the management on Wall Street or if conservatives ever thought it didn't require a Democratic costume to win, yesterday's election results are just another example of the ideals Americans currently hold.

Unfortunately, it may also me that the gay marriage movement needs to retool and employ another strategy because largely America's not ready for that yet.”

“Confidence shouldn't be driven by exclusivity or riches. And, it shouldn't be protected by creating barriers to others. I would hope that Sergey Brin's comment focuses us not just on what subjects to teach, but also illuminates the value that confidence has in driving success and motivating others.

It allows you to weather failures and have hope when it hardly seems justified. It helps you manage stress and be happy during the travails of life. After Cliff Lee mowed down the Yankees hitters in the first game of the World Series he quoted three things, I suspect of equal importance, to which he attributed his success: putting in the work, having trust in your teammates, and confidence.

In addition to the internet and computers, we need to work hard toward bringing confidence into our classrooms.”

“So, this is the mindset of the elite. Having lived life as one of the few capable, Sergey fears being kicked out the club of exclusivity? Welcome to the daily lives of minorities, the poor, or those simply not well connected who already realize the threat to confidence he fears. I can't help but now empathize with the racist, the climate-change denier, or the champion of 'trickle-down economics." Life must be good with the deck stacked in your favor.

If Sergei focused his thoughts on trying to improve confidence or figured out better ways to teach students to be the best for themselves instead of some self-made motivational ploy, he would not only help the thousands for which he sympathizes but also the millions that will benefit from technology's hand.

Perhaps he doesn't deserve the tone. And, I truly thank him for bringing me into his world. But this is the mentality that stops progress, that which is often rooted in the selfish desire to maintain power or wealth, stature or exclusivity.

That way of thinking is limited and unfortunate. I'm sorry he feels that way.”

“just rewatched...you're right, it played differently for me live. maybe i'm just not used to 100 word questions. i don't watch fox so I didn't know this was the new "journalism.". it definitely makes for good entertainment.”

“ratigan was completely belligerent and all the backslapping going on in these comments make me feel like this is the national review for dems.

i agree with ratigan but this does nothing but justify the false equivalency conservatives use to justify the birthers, the "he's a muslim'ers", etc.

disagree without being disagreeable? just a sales pitch to most of you”

“maybe your provider...i've been good entire show”

“oj faced the justice system.

i'm in agreement with disdain toward judges being bought, juries rigged, and videotape beatings ignored (i guess i added that one...we can go tit for tat but i'm sure you agree i have more bullets). but at least that's actually using the only system we have.

again, when has a black in this country's history been allowed to avoid the system? the silence is deafening.”

“if oj "may have faced the justice system" then OJ don't count

this is the struggle people have with those that are quick to dismiss "the race card." they deny any racial factor but can't name a similar acquittal or dismissal or blind eye when it comes to blacks. i'd love for some examples...maybe then i'd diminish its importance too”

“and considering her years on "Court TV" as an acting "legal expert" if anyone deserves the title it is her”

“and he does it in the open”

“he forgot? he had a house there. instead of taking someone's comments as race being the be all end all reason...why don't you admit that race could have played a part...and probably did considering that no person of any non-white race has ever dodged the judicial process in the OPEN”

“name a black who's been allowed to get away with not facing the justice system for any crime in this country's history...let alone a crime that prisoners punish you for committing.”

“Let's be real. What are we doing outside of reading our favorite liberal blogs and writing comments on stories that rile up our emotions?

Barney Frank said the marching, especially without media coverage, is a waste of time. Obama seems to be purposely putting off the marquee causes in order to piss us off.

They know the mechanisms that lead to change. And, if the left is to even out the playing field, we should model those that are successful: NRA, AARP, etc.

We want out of Afghanistan, largely, but our efforts have been relegated to what we can accomplish from the toilet with a laptop. We want equal rights for all but expect our bedroom efforts to change the trajectory of the nation.

Yet, when Obama is rewarded the Nobel from instilling hope in life and peace in most of the developing world, billions of people, partly from PROVING a check in power for Whites in the world, we suggest that he hasn't done much, though no one in the history of the world has ever influenced the number and range of people across borders,cultures, religions, or races.

At some point, we need to realize that writing and talking about change ain't enough. We need to act.”

“she also had a heart defect, but that info doesn't help sell vaccines”

“Readers please beware.

After experiencing the media's propaganda during the Iraq war, we should be skeptical. Writers on both sides of the ideological spectrum would stand in line to be the next Judith Miller.

First, we were in Afghanistan to defeat al-Qaeda. The public was directed to Helmand province. A few drone strikes and terrorist kills later and we've reduced the number of al-Qaeda to less than 100. But, that wasn't captivating enough.

So then, the media monolithically began to conflate al-Qaeda with the Taliban (eerily similar to the way Saddam Hussein was always mentioned with 9/11). Thousands of troops for 100 guys is a tough sale to the American public, especially if we announce progress.

Did you know we killed the most wanted man in Pakistan, the guy who killed Benazir Bhutto? Every media outlet covered her death, but few covered us killing the guy responsible. Our soldiers have killed explosives' experts, operations' leaders, and leaders of various terror sects within al-Qaeda and the terror-inducing sects of the Taliban, but the media silence on these gains has been deafening. That info doesn't help sell more war.

But, HuffPost is left of center. Maybe, but the first 24 hours of the Roman Polanski coverage was eye-opening. It took thousands of comments and an undisclosed number of emails to get anti-rapist articles on the site.

Lobbyists win. And, if the truth won't work, there's always the Judith Miller way. Readers beware.”