"A black sheriff?!": The Official Topic of Obama and New Era American Politics

[FlameOfCallandor]

While I do think all the backlash is a little odd, I still don't think we should be bowing to royalty.

Royalty

[Human Snorenado]

Odd?  There's nothing odd about it!  He's just so... so BLACK.

[FlameOfCallandor]

Japan still has Samurai

Sumo Wrestlers are considered samurai...

[Van Cruncheon]

man, the furor on the conservative blogs over obama's bow is baffling. it was little odd, but who the fuck cares?

[FlameOfCallandor]

WTF 
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jobs-saved-created-congressional-districts-exist/story?id=9097853

Exclusive: Jobs 'Saved or Created' in Congressional Districts That Don't Exist
 

Here's a stimulus success story: In Arizona's 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that's what the Web site set up by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says.

There's one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the state has only eight districts.

[FlameOfCallandor]

In Connecticut's 42nd district (which also does not exist), the Web site claims 25 jobs created with zero stimulus dollars.

The list of spending and job creation in fictional congressional districts extends to U.S. territories as well.

 $68.3 million spent and 72.2 million spent in the 1st congressional district of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 $8.4 million spent and 40.3 jobs created in the 99th congressional district of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 $1.5 million spent and .3 jobs created in the 69th district and $35 million for 142 jobs in the 99th district of the Northern Mariana Islands.

 $47.7 million spent and 291 jobs created in Puerto Rico's 99th congressional district.

Wow It must be really embarrassing to be a democrat. How do you guys show your face in public?

[Phoenix Dark]

imagine if bush did this

obama

[brawndolicious]

Don't Japanese basically always bow when they say hello (based on 7th grade social studies class)?  We learned that the younger person would bow lower and thateverybody had to cover their teeth, which historically would have been rotten, when they laughed.

[Yeti]

I can't believe Obama is being so respectful of the customs and traditions of other countries. A true president would punch foreign dignitaries in the face and piss on their prone bodies. Disgraceful. 

[Human Snorenado]

I can't believe Obama is being so respectful of the customs and traditions of other countries. A true president would punch foreign dignitaries in the face and piss on their prone bodies. Disgraceful. 

Or puke on their shoes.

[FlameOfCallandor]

Yeah why would anyone think it's odd that our president bows to royalty,.

/someone who never took American history.

[Phoenix Dark]

I’m representing the United States of America. And we’re talking about a friend, and we’re talking about an ally. We’re talking about a nation with whom we have constructive relationships. Sure, we got some problems, but that was all overriding — and respect for the Emperor. And remember back in World War II, if you’d have predicted that I would be here, because of the hard feeling and the symbolic nature of the problem back then of the former Emperor’s standing, I would have said, “No way.” But here we are, and time moves on; and there is a very good lesson for civilized countries in all of this.

Guess what liberal surrender monkey said that

spoiler (click to show/hide)

W Bush 

[close]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1109/Bowing_to_Mao.html?showall

[FlameOfCallandor]

Ahh the ol' Bush did it too.

Bush
Obama

[FlameOfCallandor]

Let's get back on topic. Let's talk about how stimulus money is saving and creating jobs in congressional districts that don't even exist I want to hear one of you dirty hippies defend it somehow.

[brawndolicious]

Yeah why would anyone think it's odd that our president bows to royalty,.
/someone who never took American history.

You do know that George Washington was offered kingship/president for life three times, right?  Maybe you have your history mixed up because it was the French, not the Americans, who rebelled against the fat royalty getting paid to live in luxury thing.  The colonists just wanted the ability to directly control their taxes (see: taxation with representation).

Fucking Andrew Jackson, a slave owner who disobeyed the Supreme Court by kicking the Indians out of Georgia, was actually a progressive civil rights leader by the standards back then.  He became very politically popular for pushing White Man's Suffrage, the right for non-landowning white men to vote.

I mean honestly, it sometimes feels like you read your high school history book like hippies read medicinal marijuana facts.  You'll take anything positive and believe it no matter what.

[FlameOfCallandor]

Nothing you just typed makes any coherent sense. Try again.

[brawndolicious]

Try again.

Said the doctor to your  mama.

[Crushed]

Yeah why would anyone think it's odd that our president bows to royalty,.

/someone who never took American history.

it's almost as if bowing doesn't have the same cultural meanings in eastern asia as in western european society??!??!?!

[Van Cruncheon]

SOUNDS LIKE DISGUSTING CULTURAL RELATIVISM TO ME CRUSHED, DO YOU LOVE ISLAMISM

[Fresh Prince]

I only bow when I want to suck.

[Mandark]

Suddenly Fox News turned into a videogame forum, full of dumb honkeys expounding on the nuances of Japanese culture.



And hey, how many weeks ago were we meant to be outraged that Obama failed to show Queen Elizabeth II the proper level of deference?

[Crushed]

Suddenly Fox News turned into a videogame forum, full of dumb honkeys expounding on the nuances of Japanese culture.



And hey, how many weeks ago were we meant to be outraged that Obama failed to show Queen Elizabeth II the proper level of deference?

uh, the queen is a proud dignified white lady of culture, not some inscrutable squinty-eyed asiatic (they'll eat anything you know)

[FlameOfCallandor]

SOUNDS LIKE DISGUSTING CULTURAL RELATIVISM TO ME CRUSHED, DO YOU LOVE ISLAMISM

 

[FlameOfCallandor]

They are probably afraid it will get voted down. 
If california won't allow gay marriage then even D.C. might not get it through.

[FlameOfCallandor]

Carter defends his handling of Iran hostage crisis
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-11/17/content_8984162.htm

HIANG MAI, Thailand: Former US President Jimmy Carter said he was pressed by his advisers to attack Iran during the hostage crisis there more than 30 years ago but resisted because he feared 20,000 Iranians could have died.
Islamist militants stormed the US Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, and seized its occupants. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

Carter said Monday that one proposed option was a military strike on Iran, but he chose to stick with negotiations to prevent bloodshed and bring the hostages home safely.

"My main advisers insisted that I should attack Iran," he told reporters in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, where he was helping build houses for Habitat for Humanity. "I could have destroyed Iran with my weaponry. But I felt in the process it was likely the hostages' lives would be lost, and I didn't want to kill 20,000 Iranians. So I didn't attack."

Oh Carter.

[Great Rumbler]

I can't believe Obama is being so respectful of the customs and traditions of other countries. A true president would punch foreign dignitaries in the face and piss on their prone bodies. Disgraceful. 

Well, it's not really as simple as that.

Generally speaking, an inferior bows longer, more deeply and more frequently than a superior. A superior addressing an inferior will generally only nod the head slightly, while some superiors may not bow at all and an inferior will bend forward slightly from the waist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_in_Japan#Bowing

The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms….The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part.

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/11/15/japan-expert-to-abc-yes-obamas-bow-made-him-look-like-an-idiot/

[Phoenix Dark]

"I could have destroyed Iran with my weaponry."

 

[TakingBackSunday]

So would it have been better for Obama to just do the greeting bow then?  It's odd sure but I don't really see the big deal.  If I were the Japanese guy I'd be flattered, I guess.

[Great Rumbler]

So would it have been better for Obama to just do the greeting bow then?  It's odd sure but I don't really see the big deal.  If I were the Japanese guy I'd be flattered, I guess.

It was probably a bit awkward for the Emperor, since foreign heads of state don't usually bow like that to him. I would be like Obama going to meet Queen Elizabeth and dropping to one knee in front of her. Not really a big deal, at the end of day, but kind of an awkward situation.

[FlameOfCallandor]

So would it have been better for Obama to just do the greeting bow then?  It's odd sure but I don't really see the big deal.  If I were the Japanese guy I'd be flattered, I guess.

It was probably a bit awkward for the Emperor, since foreign heads of state don't usually bow like that to him. I would be like Obama going to meet Queen Elizabeth and dropping to one knee in front of her. Not really a big deal, at the end of day, but kind of an awkward situation.

Pretty much. Anyway it's already old new.

[FlameOfCallandor]

When we did an etiquette course at the japanese company I worked for they just told us to bow however we felt like when bowed to since we would never be able to get the nuance right and the Japanese would laugh at us anyway.

When I was over there I just did a slight bow. It comes naturally and eventually is second nature. I caught myself doing a few times here after I returned.

[drew]

Pretty much. Anyway it's already old new.

wait

what

[FlameOfCallandor]

Also if liberals can nitpick about Bush holding hands with saudi royalty than conservatives can have some candy too.

[Oblivion]

Also if liberals can nitpick about Bush holding hands with saudi royalty than conservatives can have some candy too.

I thought the whole point of bringing the Bush hand holding/French kissing thing was because you guys keep making a big ass deal about Obama's attempts at deference.

[FlameOfCallandor]

Is that what Michael Moore was saying in Ferenheit 9/11

[Phoenix Dark]

When we did an etiquette course at the japanese company I worked for they just told us to bow however we felt like when bowed to since we would never be able to get the nuance right and the Japanese would laugh at us anyway.

You bowed to people who bombed Pearl Harbor?

[Phoenix Dark]

Democratic leadership has distributed figures to reporters from a CBO analysis of Senate health care legislation. The numbers affirm what we reported this morning--that Majority Leader Harry Reid is very pleased.

The health care bill--which includes an opt-out public option--will require $849 billion over 10 years in new spending, to be paid for with cuts to Medicare, while reducing the deficit by $127 billion.

In that time it will extend coverage to 31 million Americans--94 percent of citizens will be covered.

Over the second 10 years, CBO projects even greater cost savings--up to $650 billion, with the caveat that after 10 years, their analyses become highly uncertain.

This meets all of President Obama's goals, and, as has been the pattern during this legislative process, the Senate bill comes at a lower cost, and with greater cost-savings than the House bill, while the House bill covers more Americans.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/cbo-senate-bill-costs-849-billion-major-deficit-reducer.php

Lieberman annihilated

[TakingBackSunday]

Finally, the Senate warrants a

[Van Cruncheon]

those cuts to medicare are gonna have some NASTY political repercussions. kinda stupid, really.

[Phoenix Dark]

As a talking point yea, but ultimately they aren't cutting services.
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/08/will_health_reform_cut_medicare_benefits.php

[Mandark]

those cuts to medicare are gonna have some NASTY political repercussions. kinda stupid, really.

As I understand it, most of the cuts are coming from Medicare Advantage, the corporate boondoggle from the 2003 drug benefit bill where the gubmint pays companies billions of dollars to "compete" with Medicare plans.

The upside to awful policies created by rent-seeking special interests is that we now have a few areas like this where meaningful but painless cuts are possible.  Same deal with making student loans directly rather than through banks.



edit:  Just clicked PD's link to Marc Ambinder, who basically says the same thing.  I'm sure a big chunk of old people will believe that Obama's pulling the plug on them, but they'd mostly think that anyway and he's got the AARP on his side.

[Van Cruncheon]

Also if liberals can nitpick about Bush holding hands with saudi royalty than conservatives can have some candy too.

where was obama grandstanding about the evils of giant robots and anime?

[Phoenix Dark]

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200911180038

[Human Snorenado]

I wonder who will be the first Very Serious Newsperson that says the plain truth and just admits what they're all thinking and is abundantly self-evident:  Sarah Palin is too stupid and petty to be President.

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200911180038

More gotcha journalism.

Area Man Passionate Defender Of What He Imagines Constitution To Be

[Phoenix Dark]

why can't norah ask tough questions to the dumbass lawmakers who roll over her on a daily basis

[Human Snorenado]

why can't norah ask tough questions to the dumbass lawmakers who roll over her on a daily basis

Because then none of them would talk to her anymore.  "Journalists" today value access over everything.

[Phoenix Dark]

why can't norah ask tough questions to the dumbass lawmakers who roll over her on a daily basis

Because then none of them would talk to her anymore.  "Journalists" today value access over everything.

Luckily video game journalists don't fall in this trap  :elf

[Mandark]

Review of Going Rogue.

I stood in line to get my copy of this book from the local bookstore fearing it might be sold out early. Hot chick on the cover, so far so good. Then I opened it and started reading.

To my chagrin it didn't start out well. I thought well at some point this has to get better. But guess what it doesn't! There's nothing at all about dex rolls, dps builds, searching for traps, sneak attacks, assassins, +4 daggers or anything!

All it is some woman whining about how everyone in her party wouldn't let her make any decisions, about how something called a Couric made her look like a complete idiot (I couldn't find it in the monster manual but, I'm guessing it must be like a Sphinx), and how her group leader McCain wouldn't let her be rogue enough.

Well, I don't even know where to start addressing this stuff. She doesn't even have any daggers! I mean, that's hardly the group leader's fault! She should have loaded out before the quest started!

Plus, on every single page she bemoans her 8 INT build and blames her horrible playing on everyone else! It's her fault for putting all her stat points into Charisma!

To sum up, this book is terrible. It's anti-rogue if anything. If you want a book on how not to be a rogue this has got to be the bible.

I'm going back to the store now to see if I can get my hard earned plat back for this awful drek.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

A bunch of liberals are going to buy her stupid and shitty book and then cry about how well her book sold when the sales numbers are released.

[TakingBackSunday]

Liberals great struggle.  We love to read, just not always the best of books.  :'(

[Yeti]

Review of Going Rogue.

I stood in line to get my copy of this book from the local bookstore fearing it might be sold out early. Hot chick on the cover, so far so good. Then I opened it and started reading.

To my chagrin it didn't start out well. I thought well at some point this has to get better. But guess what it doesn't! There's nothing at all about dex rolls, dps builds, searching for traps, sneak attacks, assassins, +4 daggers or anything!

All it is some woman whining about how everyone in her party wouldn't let her make any decisions, about how something called a Couric made her look like a complete idiot (I couldn't find it in the monster manual but, I'm guessing it must be like a Sphinx), and how her group leader McCain wouldn't let her be rogue enough.

Well, I don't even know where to start addressing this stuff. She doesn't even have any daggers! I mean, that's hardly the group leader's fault! She should have loaded out before the quest started!

Plus, on every single page she bemoans her 8 INT build and blames her horrible playing on everyone else! It's her fault for putting all her stat points into Charisma!

To sum up, this book is terrible. It's anti-rogue if anything. If you want a book on how not to be a rogue this has got to be the bible.

I'm going back to the store now to see if I can get my hard earned plat back for this awful drek.

  although I think an 8 int is giving her too much credit

[FlameOfCallandor]

Jesse Jackson: 'You can't vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man'
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/68451-jackson-you-cant-vote-against-healthcare-and-call-yourself-a-black-man=

The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Wednesday night criticized Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) for voting against the Democrats’ signature healthcare bill.

“We even have blacks voting against the healthcare bill,” Jackson said at a reception Wednesday night. “You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man.”

Modern Politics

[FlameOfCallandor]

ugh...

The issue isn't just "race in politics"

[FlameOfCallandor]

I can never tell when you guys are joking.

[Phoenix Dark]

Jesse Jackson is a complete idiot, news at 11

edit: also didn't Davis vote against it because it wasn't liberal enough or something?

[Stoney Mason]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/11/19/2009-11-19_former_mayor_rudy_giuliani_to_announce_plan_to_run_for_us_senate.html

[Mandark]

Yeah, modern politics.

[Phoenix Dark]

FoC has met his match
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=18557094&postcount=36984

[FlameOfCallandor]

Didn't obama say that he would Post all bills online and require enough time to read it? SMH