As the red states dry their eyes and lick their wounds, we find the people have spoken. Like it or not, Barack Obama is again our president. How can we help this president succeed so we do not continue in this horrendous gridlock.
He is now a lame duck president going for his legacy. This should be the time for him to move us forward. If we are serious about our state of affairs, we the people must plead with Congress to work with this president and stop the obstinance that plagues us all. Pressure from the constituents demanding action will go a long way now. We all can make a difference! Stop the gridlock!
Dan Cox
Gilbert
VofReason posted at 1:10 pm on Tue, Nov 13, 2012.
As citizens, what should we ask for? For the Republicans in the House to rubber stamp more ludicrous spending that has yielded nothing but larger debt? For the President and his minions to blow smoke up our rears when our diplomats are killed over seas by militant Muslims? What should we be asking for?
onerebel posted at 9:02 pm on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
President Obama’s legacy may be firmly in place. However it is yet to be determined if it's a good or bad legacy. With on going scandals like the fast and furious, and Benghazi, as well as how well his ideas will work for our recovery. There is no doubt these next four years will be the determining factor.
Dale Whiting posted at 3:30 pm on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Dan,
I agree with you. Whether each of us like him or not, our failure to cooperate will spell disaster. Sure we need to reign in federal spending. He knows that. But where our Reaconomics reactionaries want more tax cuts, time appears to have proven that "trickle down economics" was a fraud. So let's raise taxes appropriately.
What to cut? Hear all of that rhetoric about a weakened military? Even the Pentagon wants to spend less than do those Neo-cons tied to the military-industrial complex. Cut the heck out of Defense [actually Homeland Security is defense. The Pentagon is really a War Department.] Perhaps it's time we started making friends over seas, not enemies. We could try pounding some of our swords into plow sheers and some of our spears into pruning hooks.
As one who has studied war professionally, I think it's hight time we took a different path. Heck guys, doesn't our Defense spending equal more than that of the next 9 nations combined? And the Neo-cons want to spend more!
abimopectore posted at 1:13 pm on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
This was a tighter election than last time. It's foolish to believe that President Obama has a mandate. If he does not move to compromise with the Republicans in any meaningful fashion, he will have proven once again that he's only a symbol for the many who voted for him but lacks the leadership skills to truly move things forward. And he won't move to compromise because the liberal democrats will not allow him like what happened the last four years. All you have to do is look at history to see what Presidents Reagan and Clinton did in order to be successful. Unfortunately, it will most likely be the status quo and instead of having a lame duck president for the last two years of his term, we're going to have a lame duck president for the next four years.
Bingo6 posted at 11:37 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
602,000 ballots in Arizona not counted, better check the dumpster out back of the state capital.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 11:26 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Dear Letter Writer,
Would you, a Democrat, have written the very same Letter to the East Valley Tribune if Mitt Romney had won?
YOU KNOW YOU WOULDN'T. INSTEAD YOU WOULD BE MOANING AND GROANING ABOUT AMERICA GOING BACK TO THE 1950'S...SAYING THAT NOW WOMEN WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK INTO THE KITCHEN AND THAT BLACKS AND HISPANICS WOULD BECOME 2ND CLASS CITIZENS AND ALL THE OTHER DEMOCRAT-SOCIALIST BLATHER.
OBAMA WON BECAUSE THE ....."TAKERS" ....HAVE TAKEN AWAY THE MAJORITY FROM THE ....."PAYERS".
WELL, GOOD LUCK....BETTER PRACTICE USING YOUR CHOPSTICKS TO EAT RICE WITH BECAUSE AFTER ...OBAMA...BANKRUPTS OUR NATION AND THE ...RED CHINESE ARMY PENSION FUND....OWNS OUR PATOOTIES....THAT WILL BE THE ONLY THING GOING INTO THE OLE...."PIE HOLE".
"WORKING TOGETHER"....JUST LIKE...."CIVIL DISCOURSE"....IS ...DEMOCRAT-SOCIALIST "TALK" FOR................ROLLING OVER.
Cerulean posted at 10:27 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Dan,
President Obama’s legacy is firmly in place, that being The Affordable Health Care Act (otherwise termed Obama Care). He may try to improve the legislation, but his “legacy” is intact.
I think President Obama has a few very clear and good ideas for his second term; lowering deficits, immigration reform, environmental responsibility, etcetera. I also think he is more realistic about his expectations and the tools Republicans will use to hamper, stall and obstruct until 2014.
sockratties posted at 9:26 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
Dan –
“Lame duck” usually refers to a president who remains in office after defeat until his elected successor takes office the following January. Obama won't be a lame duck unless he is succeeded by a Republican in 2016.
There is still the 2014 election which can have a huge effect on Obama's last two years. We can have something to say about that. Obama, the Senate and especially the House can influence the outcome of that election.
Democrats have 20 senatorial seats up for election in 2014 and Republicans have 13. All 435 representatives will run and thirty-six states and two territories will be holding gubernatorial elections.
There's still plenty for us to do. We don't have to be a lame duck constituency.
JNelson posted at 8:37 am on Sat, Nov 10, 2012.
JMJ.....absolutely. But let's see what proposals are made which we know from history do not work but only enlarge government and increase debt, too, OK?
mrconservative posted at 5:19 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
More than 10 million people who voted for Obama four years ago did not vote for him this time.
Just because Obama won does NOT mean that the majority of Americans agree with him.
He won, but it was close. MUCH closer than 2008.
JMJ posted at 4:52 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
JN: Yes, let's see what is proposed before we swear to block everything, shall we?[wink]
truth posted at 3:05 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
Poll watch: This article was printed before Nov. 6. 2012. The presidential race may be close in the U.S., but in most of the world, it's a landslide in a survey of 21,797 people in 21 countries, 50% preferred President Obama to win while 9% preferred Twit Romney.
The only country in which Romney was more popular was in Pakistan-the target of many U.S. drone attacks. There Romney etched out Obama, 14% to 11%.
BBC News/GlobeScan/PIPA
JNelson posted at 2:06 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
JMJ......good sentiment but there is a far more serious aspect to it than simply "cooperation" or "compromise". It all depends upon what the definition of success is. If for example Pres. Obama proposes to govern by executive order instead of by Constitutional processes, should we support him in order to obtain "success" and end "gridlock"? I don't think so. But if he proposes policies, for example, which actually would work positively to address our deficit and debt problems, they should be gratefully acknowledged and supported.
So let's see what is proposed before we swear to support anything, shall we?
JMJ posted at 12:55 pm on Fri, Nov 9, 2012.
Agreed. Legislation in DC is as blocked as I-17 after a serious accident. Everyone just sits, nothing moves, there's nowhere to go, and then, when the road is unblocked, there is only Phoenix or Flagstaff at the terminus--so to speak. There need to be more roads, inroads, crossroads and intersections where ideas meet, we stop and listen to one another, and then, perhaps, an alternative road is taken rather that the same old same old.
Hopefully, during this term, the losing side won't be sore losers, already vamping up for 2016. It's time to stop, look and listen--instead of stop, drop and roll from setting each others' ieads on fire. Let's move forward, for a change, instead of standing still with nowhere to go and the same old outcome: Not much.
The American people deserve positive movement addressing ideas that need solutions. If not, I hope the sleeping giant of America, the voters, will be even more awake and ready to vote against the status quo, demanding and expecting changes for the common good.