Let's have our own unofficial poll.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Actually, he has gotten about 93% of his bills in congress passed and done something no other president has been able to do. Pass healthcare reform. Not bad for someone who is inexperienced.

Yeah, because he did it in his usual way of wheeling and dealing. He used back door deals, bribery, payoffs, deceitfulness, trickery, handwashing and scheaming. This is how he was used to doing business back in Chicago. He is corrupt.

And this is different than how all other presidents get things done how? Oh, wait, I know, it's because it's Obama. Deficits, spending, and backroom deals were okay under bush. You do know bush did backroom deals, don't you? I hope I am not the first to tell you that.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

It's one thing to say something like that to your ENEMIES! It's quite another to say that to your own fellow countrymen.

To taunt the enemy to attack your countrymen (soldiers) is reprehensible and almost treasonous. But if you think it's okay, well that is your choice.

[pattygreen 5]

Obama healthcare plan nixes Ben Nelson's 'Cornhusker Kickback' deal

By Jordan Fabian - 02/22/10 11:00 AM ET

President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform proposal released Monday eliminates controversial funds given to Nebraska as part of a deal to win the support of centrist Sen. Ben Nelson (D).

Yeah, cause if he didn't he wouldn't have gotten what he did get passed! The people were in an uproar about that decietful bit of corruption that Obama endorsed. Nebraska themselves were even disgusted with that bribe, even though they would have benifited from it. If we hadn't said anything about that sham, he would have kept it in there. How he could even condone such a farce in the first place is beyond all virtue!

[pattygreen 5]

And this is different than how all other presidents get things done how? Oh, wait, I know, it's because it's Obama. Deficits, spending, and backroom deals were okay under bush. You do know bush did backroom deals, don't you? I hope I am not the first to tell you that.

Once again, CLEO, I don't condone any corruption.(BTW, I never said that Bush or any other president had done a great job.) Because one did similar things in the past, doesn't make it okay NOW, And NOW is what we are talking about.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Yeah, cause if he didn't he wouldn't have gotten what he did get passed! The people were in an uproar about that decietful bit of corruption that Obama endorsed. Nebraska themselves were even disgusted with that bribe, even though they would have benifited from it. If we hadn't said anything about that sham, he would have kept it in there. How he could even condone such a farce in the first place is beyond all virtue!

Pres. Obama had nothing to do with that deal. That was Harry Reid. Those in the house didn't like it - THAT'S why it was taken out. Remember that it had already passed the senate. But the senate knew it would be taken out by the house, it was and that's the end of it. And as it should be.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Once again, CLEO, I don't condone any corruption.(BTW, I never said that Bush or any other president had done a great job.) Because one did similar things in the past, doesn't make it okay NOW, And NOW is what we are talking about.

Now is what we're talking about? Really? Then why are you posting pictures of one violent episode that happened under a previous president? Oh,yeah, I know to show that the left is involved in violence, blah, blah, blah. Well, if you can reach into the past to try to make your point, I can do it to make mine, and I did.

[pattygreen 5]

To taunt the enemy to attack your countrymen (soldiers) is reprehensible and almost treasonous. But if you think it's okay, well that is your choice.

To taunt the enemy to attack was NOT Bush's reason for saying 'bring them on'. He knew we had the resources and great armed forces to defeat them. They had ALREADY attacked us. He didn't need to provoke them with his words. They were already provoked. The war was already in full swing when he said that.

It is quite another thing to be the President and incite or encourage a fight amongst the people in the SAME nation. OUR nation! What the hell was he trying to do?! Provoke his opposers (who are supposed to be his own people) to go to war with him? That guy is stupid!

WHY do you CONSTANTLY condone what he says and does by bringing up what others have said and done? Can't you take a look at what he does and judge it on its own merit? Face it, You know it and I know it. THAT was a STUPID thing to say to his American constituents. "bring it on!":rolleyes: What an idiot!!!!

[Cleo's Mom 257]

The following is such a lovely gesture and thing for Pres. Obama to do and shows how he is certainly not elitist or arrogant - quite the opposite - a down to earth and caring guy.

WASHINGTON — One evening in April 2008, three low-level staff members from the Obama presidential campaign — a baggage handler, a videographer and an advance man — gathered in the windowless basement of a Pennsylvania hotel for an improvised Passover Seder.

The latest on President Obama, his administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion.

• 
  
  

Pete Souza/White House

Susan Sher, who is now Michelle Obama's chief of staff, at the White House Seder last year.

The day had been long, the hour was late, and the young men had not been home in months. So they had cadged some matzo and Manischewitz wine, hoping to create some semblance of the holiday.

Suddenly they heard a familiar voice. “Hey, is this the Seder?” Barack Obama asked, entering the room.

So begins the story of the Obama Seder, now one of the newest, most intimate and least likely of White House traditions. When Passover begins at sunset on Monday evening, Mr. Obama and about 20 others will gather for a ritual that neither the rabbinic sages nor the founding fathers would recognize.

In the Old Family Dining Room, under sparkling chandeliers and portraits of former first ladies, the mostly Jewish and African-American guests will recite prayers and retell the biblical story of slavery and liberation, ending with the traditional declaration “Next year in Jerusalem.” (Never mind the current chill in the administration’s relationship with Israel.)

Top aides like David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett will attend, but so will assistants like 24-year-old Herbie Ziskend. White House chefs will prepare Jewish participants’ family recipes, even rendering chicken fat — better known as schmaltz — for just the right matzo ball flavor.

If last year is any guide, Malia and Sasha Obama will take on the duties of Jewish children, asking four questions about the night’s purpose — along with a few of their own — and scrambling to find matzo hidden in the gleaming antique furniture.

That event was the first presidential Seder, and also probably “the first time in history that gefilte fish had been placed on White House dishware,” said Eric Lesser, the former baggage handler, who organizes each year’s ritual.

As in many Jewish households, the Obama Seder seems to take on new meaning each year, depending on what is happening in the world and in participants’ lives (for this group, the former is often the same as the latter).

The first one took place at the bleakest point of the campaign, the long prelude to the Pennsylvania primary, which was dominated by a furor over Mr. Obama’s former pastor. “We were in the desert, so to speak,” remembered Arun Chaudhary, then and now Mr. Obama’s videographer, who grew up attending Seders with his half-Jewish, half-Indian family.

No one led the proceedings; everyone took turns reading aloud. Mr. Obama had brought Reggie Love, his personal aide, Ms. Jarrett and Eric Whitaker, another close friend, all African-American. Jennifer Psaki, the traveling press secretary, and Samantha Tubman, a press assistant, filtered in. Neither had ever been to a Seder, but they knew the Exodus story, Ms. Psaki from Catholic school and Ms. Tubman from childhood Sundays at black churches.

They peppered the outnumbered Jews at the table with questions, which the young men sometimes struggled to answer. “We’re not exactly crack Hebrew scholars,” said Mr. Lesser, now an assistant to Mr. Axelrod.

Participants remember the evening as a rare moment of calm, an escape from the din of airplanes and rallies. As the tale of the Israelites unfolded, the campaign team half-jokingly identified with their plight — one day, they too would be free. At the close of the Seder, Mr. Obama added his own ending — “Next year in the White House!”

Indeed, the group, with a few additions, has now made the Seder an Executive Mansion tradition. (No one considered inviting prominent rabbis or other Jewish leaders; it is a private event.)

But maintaining the original humble feel has been easier said than done.

Ms. Tubman and Desirée Rogers, then the White House social secretary, tried to plan an informal meal last year, with little or even no wait staff required. White House ushers reacted with what seemed like polite horror. The president and the first lady simply do not serve themselves, they explained. The two sides negotiated a compromise: the gefilte fish would be preplated, the brisket passed family-style.

Then came what is now remembered as the Macaroon Security Standoff. At 6:30, with the Seder about to start, Neil Cohen, the husband of Michelle Obama’s friend and adviser Susan Sher, was stuck at the gate bearing flourless Cookies he had brought from Chicago. They were Kosher for Passover, but not Kosher with the Secret Service, which does not allow food into the building.

Offering to help, the president walked to the North Portico and peered out the door, startling tourists. He volunteered to go all the way to the gates, but advisers stopped him, fearing that would cause a ruckus. Everyone seemed momentarily befuddled. Could the commander in chief not summon a plate of Cookies to his table? Finally, Mr. Love ran outside to clear them.

Mr. Obama began the Seder by invoking the universality of the holiday’s themes of struggle and liberation. Malia and Sasha quickly found the hidden matzo and tucked it away again, so cleverly that Mr. Ziskend, the former advance man, needed 45 minutes to locate it. At the Seder’s close, the group opened a door and sang to the prophet Elijah.

In preparation for this year’s gathering, Mr. Lesser and others have again been collecting recipes from the guests, including matzo ball instructions from Patricia Winter, the mother of Melissa Winter, Mrs. Obama’s deputy chief of staff.

“We like soft (not hard) matzo balls,” Mrs. Winter warned in a note to the White House chefs, instructing them to buy mix but doctor it. Use three eggs, not two, she told them; substitute schmaltz for vegetable oil, and refrigerate them for a day before serving (but not in the soup).

The Seder originated with Jewish staff members on the campaign trail who could not go home, but now some Celebrate at the White House by choice. Participants say their ties are practically familial now anyway. “Some of the most challenging experiences of our life we’ve shared together,” Ms. Jarrett said.

No one yet knows exactly what themes will emerge this year. Maybe “taking care of people who can’t take care of themselves and health care reform,” suggested Ms. Sher, now Mrs. Obama’s chief of staff.

The evening might also reflect a group that has settled into the White House and a staff more familiar with the new custom. Last week, Ms. Sher was leaving the East Wing when a guard stopped her.

“Hey, are you bringing macaroons again this year?” he asked.

And what humble people the Obamas are. They were going to serve the food themselves and he was going to go to the gate to approve a guest having trouble getting in with food. This is not done by someone who is "elitist or arrogant".

Edited March 29, 2010 by Cleo's Mom

[pattygreen 5]

Now is what we're talking about? Really? Then why are you posting pictures of one violent episode that happened under a previous president? Oh,yeah, I know to show that the left is involved in violence, blah, blah, blah. Well, if you can reach into the past to try to make your point, I can do it to make mine, and I did.

That's different. You needed to see that your party is just the same! I posted to remind you of THAT one thing.

How did you make your point? By saying, "Well,.... if Bush can be an idiot and provoke the enemy we are already at war with, Obama can be one too and provoke a civil fight among the people he governs."

How ridiculous!

[LeighaMason 19]

If Obama really cared about the other 1/2 of the citizens here who are not in favor of his HC plan, he would not have gloated about getting his way and deceitfully passing this bill. He actually said, concerning the law suits filed, "Bring it on". What kind of mature, bipartisan leader would say that? He actually promoted and encouraged a fight with those who oppose him. This is not a campaign any more. He should grow up. He does not have the maturity, wisdom, or integrity to run things. He is an inexperienced and deceitful liar.

Patty--Please quote Obama saying "Bring it on" about the lawsuits, I cant find it on the Internet, I found an article titled "Bring it on" but no quote from Obama other than

"They’re actually going to run on a platform of repeal,” Obama said. “My attitude is, go for it."

Obama To GOP: You Want Repeal? Bring It On!

So please, from what source did you find Obama saying "Bring it on"?

[Cleo's Mom 257]

To taunt the enemy to attack was NOT Bush's reason for saying 'bring them on'. He knew we had the resources and great armed forces to defeat them. They had ALREADY attacked us. He didn't need to provoke them with his words.Words have power and these kind of words from the commander in chief are reckless and fuel the flames of the enemy and are used to increase recruitment for Al Qaeda. bush was soundly criticized for saying this and even he later said that was something he shouldn't have said, but here you are defending him. They were already provoked. The war was already in full swing when he said that.

It is quite another thing to be the President and incite or encourage a fight amongst the people in the SAME nation. OUR nation! What the hell was he trying to do?! Provoke his opposers (who are supposed to be his own people) to go to war with him? That guy is stupid!

WHY do you CONSTANTLY condone what he says and does by bringing up what others have said and done?Because you constantly ignore the same things when the republicans do it. Someone has to bring it up. That's what I do. To show the hypocrisy. Can't you take a look at what he does and judge it on its own merit? Face it, You know it and I know it. THAT was a STUPID thing to say to his American constituents. "bring it on!":rolleyes: What an idiot!!!!

As LeighaMason said, Pres. Obama said "go for it", which I am so glad he said. It's about time he started to put the obstructionist republicans in their place (which is the irrelevant minority party). I like the new "fire in the belly" Pres. Obama that he showed in the last few weeks leading up to the healthcare victory :smilielol5:.

The republican AG's are just using their lawsuits for their own political gain and wasting taxpayers money in the process. My AG is one of them and the letters to the editor today were scathing in their condemnation of his doing so. So, on this issue, it looks like the people back the president.

[BJean 16]

patty if you want to find out how things get done in Washington, on the hill, I suggest you get hold of some biographies or even autobiographies written about various historical political figures. In fact, there have even been some made for TV movies to that effect.

To suggest that anything that happened during the process of getting the healthcare reform legislation passed is unique to this congress or president is simply ignorant. Ignorant of the facts.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Michigan Militia Group Preparing for Antichrist, Web Site Says

FOXNews.com

The Michigan-based Christian militia group raided by the FBI over the weekend is preparing for battle with the Antichrist, according to a Web site purportedly run by the group.

Mar. 28: Michigan State Police guard a home in Clayton after the FBI raided the home of a suspected militia leader.

The Michigan-based Christian militia group raided by the FBI over the weekend is preparing for battle with the Antichrist, according to a Web site purportedly run by the group.

"Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment," Hutaree.com reads. "The only thing on earth to save the testimony and those who follow it, are the members of the testimony, til the return of Christ in the clouds. We, the Hutaree, are prepared to defend all those who belong to Christ and save those who aren't. We will still spread the word, and fight to keep it, up to the time of the great coming."

Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that members of the group had planned multiple attacks on police officers or other law enforcement personnel as way to express their hatred for the government. Charges against members of the militia group are expected to be unsealed later Monday when some of the suspects appear in court.

The "Doctrine of the Hutaree," which is based on faith, according to the Web site, states that Christians should "stand firm in Christ and believe in him until our uttermost end. The testimony must by no means pass away and we must spread the word believing in Christ's words, even during the end times."

A two-minute video on the Web site depicts several camouflaged, armed men firing high-powered rifles as they move throughout open wilderness. At one point, three men can be seen firing weapons from behind a parked vehicle. Several other videos of the militia's training activities, including one that has been viewed more than 21,000 times, can be found on its you tube channel

Michael Lackomar, a spokesman for the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, told the Associated Press that one of his team leaders got a frantic phone call Saturday evening from members of Hutaree, which the Web site says means "Christian soldier." The callers said their property in southeast Michigan was being raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Lackomar said.

"They said they were under attack by the ATF and wanted a place to hide," Lackomar said. "My team leader said, 'No thanks."'

FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold earlier confirmed that the FBI had been working in two southeast Michigan counties near the Ohio state line, but she declined to indicate whether the raids were connected to Hutaree.

A message sent to the militia group by FoxNews.com seeking comment was not immediately returned early Monday.

According to the militia's ranking system, members of the group can hold titles such as senior gunner, gold rifleman, "zulif" and "arkon."

"Respect the officer above you and obey your commander with dignity," the Web site reads. "Each man holds his place in flesh and spirit, heaven and earth."

The Web site also includes links to Hutaree forums, a photograph of a patch for the Colonial Christian Republic and a red banner promoting a training session for April 24.

"Preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive," the Web site reads. " … Being Hutaree is to stay the Testimony of Christ alive, and follow a motto, John 15:13, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.'"

Hutaree was named in a list of 512 so-called active "patriot" groups in the U.S. last year by the Southern Poverty Law Center in its spring intelligence report on extremist organizations. Of those groups, 127 were militias, including Hutaree. The remaining groups, according to SPLC, engage in "groundless conspiracy theorizing" or advocate anti-government doctrines.

Here it is. Another right-wing extremist group using the bible to promote and defend its violent ways against the government and law enforcement.

[BJean 16]

I just finished typing a post on another thread about this.

Why do Americans feel safe from foreign terrorists when the terrorists we should fear the most are right next door to us?

[Cleo's Mom 257]

I just finished typing a post on another thread about this.

Why do Americans feel safe from foreign terrorists when the terrorists we should fear the most are right next door to us?

Exactly. And it's always against the government when it's the government that gives them the right to bear arms and assemble. Try that in a dictatorship. But these people are so disturbed and angry and I see much of this mentality in the tea party movement.