Feeling hoodwinked, Obama backers? Join the club

I understand the feelings of the people who consider themselves liberals or progressives and thought that electing Barack Obama would mean the establishment of an administration to their liking - replete with ...

[JMullen]

We've been getting hoodwinked for a long time. This past election only decided which group of crooks will be looting our nation for the next four years.

[Mala]

I don't feel hoodwinked! I think Barack has done a great job so far in selecting his cabinet members. I consider myself a liberal but I also know you can't rule from the left, you have to rule from the center. Barack is a politician and I knew that all along, but it's time to have a politician with brains and common sense in the White House. He's not even President yet and people are expecting way too much of him. Give him some time folks!

[Intellectual]

Hoodwinked describes the Bush administration to a tee.

[Billy - Ellicott City]

I think it's hilarious that Obama lied to the Democrat Liberals to convince them - - - then goes ahead with a Centrist agenda and appointments. It is great to see the Liberal chagrined again.

[Billy - Ellicott City]

I also love the "give him some time" refrain. Not because it's incorrect; it is correct. But because Liberals will be saying that until the last day of his administration.

[Really]

I'm not feeling hoodwinked at all. To me, this is all about priorities. The economy is the priority, let's get that fixed first. His cabinet supporters any true follower who actually READ the plans on this website, should have been expecting - a varied cabinet and staff made partly of rivals. Since that's unprecedented in the history of the presidency of the US, I guess you could call that a...
wait for it...
Change.
I'm getting exactly what I expected from Barack Obama. And if you go most places his True supporters actually gather and discourse online... Twitter, Facebook, hell, even Tumblr.... you'll find the same. Anyone who expected much different than this listened to soundbites instead of speeches and the actual plans written up on the site.
Of course, it might also help if we wait for the man to actually BE president and fail at his job, rather than judging him on what he's doing before he even gets into office... and if we made a mistake? We eject him in 4 years instead of 8. At the very least, it's nearly impossible for him to do worse than Bush.
This is coming from a person who would have voted for McCain if he had run as the person he was in 2000.

[Mark Newgent]

"a varied cabinet and staff made partly of rivals. Since that's unprecedented in the history of the presidency of the US"

Sorry no. Lincoln did that first. So its not "unprecedented."

Yes I say give Obama time, but I don't mean that in the way his supporters do. Obama is steeped in the radical traditions of Saul Alinksky and the Gamaliel Foundation, which preach stealth radicalism and incremental change--from the inside. That is you take control of the institution and remake it from within not a frontal assualt from the outside. Obama did that with the Democratic Party. He won't totally "change" the Washington power structure, but he will bend it toward his more radical proclivities. See the appointment of Linda Darling-Hammond as head of the education transition team. Of course Obama will do this garbed in his familiar pragmatic post ideological costume.

[Surf52]

Eight years ago, I was ecstatic that for the first time in years, we had a Republican President and Congress, and finally, they could enact all those promises of smaller government, that the Democrats had opposed for decades.

Seeing how well that worked out, I am now convinced the only thing that truly changes is the capital letter behind the name of the incumbent.

[Unbelievable]

I voted against Obama, but secretly I wanted him to win. For the first time in my life I can now sit back and watch how the media is going to handle their high school crush on this guy when the guy of their dreams turns out to be just another disappointment. It takes a village to raise an honest politician. The media is in financial trouble and all bets are off when it comes to reporting truthiness but facts continue to be stubborn things. The first print paper who digs deep into our corrupt political system both nationally and locally will lead my country back to prosperity. This kind of reporting is not only long overdue, but it is necessary for our children's sake.

[Laney B]

Gee, only the very young or the senile thought otherwise. The End is very near, and we have only a few good years left.

[SteveP]

Not feeling hoodwinked at all, Ron. I began supporting Obama in the beginning because on Domestic Policy he was more moderate than Hillary. He has been consistent in his ideas of pragmatic spending that invests in Americas future. He also never planned "immediate repeal" of top tax bracket cuts...just to let them expire when the law doe at the end of 2010.Since I listened to what he was saying and not how the press and bloggers morphrd it I am not feeling fooled one bit.

[Finally Hopeful]

SteveP wrote:

Not feeling hoodwinked at all, Ron. I began supporting Obama in the beginning because on Domestic Policy he was more moderate than Hillary. He has been consistent in his ideas of pragmatic spending that invests in Americas future. He also never planned "immediate repeal" of top tax bracket cuts...just to let them expire when the law doe at the end of 2010.Since I listened to what he was saying and not how the press and bloggers morphrd it I am not feeling fooled one bit.

I'm a middle-aged white male who GLADLY voted for Obama. We damnned sure didn't need another good-ol'-boy in the White House. Besides, even McCain admitted on television that he supported Bushwhacker 90% of the time.

I wanted REAL change, not a 10% change.

It does blow my mind at how insane the Republicans are about losing. They act as though it's the end of the world. No wonder they're completely out of touch with mainstreat America. It's easy to see why.

[Jeff]

I don't think a lot of people really read the article. We need to understand that the concept of Republican and Democrat has gone away completely. There is only one type of politiican now, however, Fox News and MSNBC actually want us to think that one side is better than the other. My friend said there is no such thing as good sitcoms left on TV. I say just turn in Hannity or Olbermann and you can't help but laugh as they "honesty" try to convince us there is a difference.
By the way, yes I am jaded, how can you not be.

[Chesapeake Spirit]

Finally Hopeful wrote:

<quoted text>
I wanted REAL change, not a 10% change.

Given the current economic crisis, it would not be prudent for Obama to bring in a wealth of inexperienced people. More than likely that would doom his presidency.

[Finally Hopeful]

Chesapeake Spirit wrote:

<quoted text>
Given the current economic crisis, it would not be prudent for Obama to bring in a wealth of inexperienced people. More than likely that would doom his presidency.

He appears to be a "Take Charge" kinda guy. I doubt anyone in his cabinet will not be fully aware of that fact.

He does want differing views, unlike Bush who would only listen to what he wanted to hear.

[Will]

Nice way to try and spark a divide, Ron. The man isn't even in office yet and the right is already trying to have an "I told you so" moment.
For any informed voter they certainly heard over and over the red state vs. blue state line and knew that as John Cole said,“But overall, my estimation is that he has chosen competence over ideology, and I'm willing to cut him some slack,” Cole said.
Certainly change as I see it from our current administration...(Brownie, Rumsfeld, Cheney)
Obama won a majority of the votes and unlike Bush he isn't about to ram his "capital" down the throats of those who didn't vote for him.
Clinton did vote for the war and I didn't vote for her but do you know who her boss is now?

[TRA]

I do not see the article as planning seeds of discontent. It rightfully points out that politicians on both sides of the aisle say whatever it takes to get elected. They then set about to doing the work of those that pay the most in donations rather than doing the work of the people. Until all of us, on both sides, truly accept that our government has become the best government that money can buy, we will continue to get hosed.

[Gunner]

Finally Hopeful wrote:

<quoted text>
He appears to be a "Take Charge" kinda guy. I doubt anyone in his cabinet will not be fully aware of that fact.
He does want differing views, unlike Bush who would only listen to what he wanted to hear.

Wanting different views and acting on them are two completely different things. Obama can listen to many POV's and he can nod his head and look diplomatic.

As it stands now, we have nothing to judge him by except his past (his voting record as a Senator showed how liberal he is). He will not be able to continue that trend if he wants to remain in office for more than four years.

[Stardreamer]

Nothing like a crisis to give a politician carte blanc to throw all their promises and get away with it. For Bush it was 911. For Obama its the economic collapse.

[Lilly]

No, not at all hoodwinked, Ron.

I am really glad that we have a president who has the intelligence and toughness to face immediate reality head on, while having the visions for the future.