Obama Calls For More Civility in Politics: ‘Something’s Broken’

“We see that in many conservative pastors who are helping lead the way to fix our broken immigration. It’s not what would be expected from them”
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Why not? Compassion and charity are Christian virtues. Why would they not be expected to help?
I think that’s part of the disconnect that’s happening between this administration and the citizenry. They want civility, but they insist on maintaining archaic worst case stereotypes. People don’t like to be pigeon-holed, and they also don’t like to be told what it is they are thinking when that conclusion had nothing to do with their thought process.
If the administration would listen, rather than assuming they know better, they might hear what is being said, take it at face value, and quite possibly find a way to work with each other to the benefit of the country.

Tell Rahm. And stop making comments about Las Vegas.

Obama preaches civility in politics while he uses a prayer breakfast to get in petty little digs at anyone that has dared to insult him.
For some strange and rediculous reason Obama felt the need to say this at the breakfast:
“You can disagree with me w/out questioning my citizenship”.
Notice how every speech always gets around to being about him?

This is so like Obama..all he wants are YES people. He is the BiGGEST obstructionist to hit DC…nothing but a snakeoil salesman with the MSN doing his dirty work

Asking for civility as Obama uses every speech or townhall to mock the opposition.
His SOTU was one big rant from the pulpit meant to embarrass anyone that stands in his way.
He started off his presidency with: I won. I’m the president.
And has said opponents should shut up and get out of the way.
Obama pretends to be above the fray but he is leading it.

What’s next? Are we going to start hearing how he privitely clings to his bible and guns and drives a truck on the White House lawn in the middle of the night? This from the guy who told his supporters to “get in the face” of those who weren’t going to vote for him? The man has no shame. No one is buying his schtick anymore. A lot of us never did.

Something is broken?? How about the real word BROKE!! When a substantial amount of the federal budget is supported by loans. What is it somewhere around 40%?? The politicians need to have at least a 30% pay cut, Pelosi’s luxury liner needs to be grounded, balance the budget now, everyone needs to suck it in and do with a little (or regarding the politicians a lot)less. I see restaurants that give a discount for uniformed military, or senior citizens and am surprised that they do not offer a 30% surcharge for federal employees.

Obama should pray for humility.
Maybe stop sticking his nose in the air and looking down at people.
God’s done a number on Obama’s arrogance–it’s been fun to watch.
But I don’t think Obama is getting the message yet.

Is this the same guy who blames the Bush administration for all his problems ?

What a surprise.
BO turned the Prayer Breakfast into a political campaign to help his faltering presidency.
What hasn’t Obama used to get ahead politically? He used his own church.
He’s a sorry fellow.

Millions out of work, losing their homes–and Obama thinks it’s OK to spend $2.5Million on a Census ad!
That’s a sinful waste of taxpayer money.
How can anyone justify wasting money on that in a recession.
It’s infuriating.

Careful Obama–God is listening.
Your lies won’t work on Him.

“Obama urged Democrats and Republicans to not question one another’s motives and to make an effort to move beyond the cynicism and skepticism that has weighed down the politics of Washington, saying: ‘Civility is not a sign of weakness.’”
Duh ! This is equivalent to an invading army calling for civility from their victims in the face of the invader’s own vicious attack.
Finally feeling the seething rage of the Massachusetts Massacre, of course Obama would call for civility, inappropriately appealing to our better nature in the onslaught of his and his party’s socialist attack on America’s most fundamental value – freedom – in an effort to quell the rising tide against their Social Democrat agenda.
Any such appeal by this attacker on our freedom is severely misplaced, because we are not friends seeking comity in routine matters. We are mortal enemies fighting over the issue of who rules America, free individual citizens or an ever bigger social democratic state. Obama will be fortunate indeed if incivility is the worst thing facing his invasion.

Obama asking for civility is almost as funny as him asking for fiscal responsibility–while presenting a $3T budget.

What a bunch of lies and liars. Especially Ollie. Please show us where President Obama said what you attribute to him. You can’t.
Just a bunch of petty people that cannot take blame for what they have done to this country. Blame everyone else but not yourselves.
You had your twelve years and you economically bankrupted the country during a time of war. You are traitors to America, not Americans.
This is one veteran that hopes you get the civil war they are agitating for. Hang every one of you since we won’t shoot you in the back.

“We are mortal enemies fighting over the issue of who rules America, free individual citizens or an ever bigger social democratic state”
He should expect little civility from enraged corporate peon drama queens farcically claiming to represent the interests of “free individual citizens”.

Seriously, I think we are seeing a full court press – critics of this administration are doing whatever they can to create hatred, chaos, division, and disruption – REGARDLESS of the damage to our nation. And many actually define themselves as “Christian”.
Posted by: CenterOne | Feb 4, 2010 11:59:24 AM
Since y’all love to compare Obama to Bush, how about the hatred spewed during the past decade? Oh that’s right. It was ok because everyone knows he deserved it.
When Rahm stops using the F word, I’ll stop labeling Obama and his goons.

Did he scratch his nose with his middle finger this time? Or did he mention how females like Hillary get ‘periodically’ moody? Or did he make any mentions of lipsticks on a pig? Hmmm mmm mmm.

The remark is another spin on “Don’t disagree with me”
But not to worry. He can pack the Supreme court this year with 2 more of his ultra liberals.

“Live! From DC! It’s Saturday Night!” | Feb 4, 2010 12:28 posted “Since y’all love to compare Obama to Bush, how about the hatred spewed during the past decade?”
Who is “y’all”? There is a perfect example of the defeating division of THEM vs US. When does it stop? Of course, people will always have different political viewpoints. Of course, people belong to different religious denominations. Of course there will be disagreements.
And, of course we don’t need to approve of politicians who use “the F word”, any more than we approve of politicians who lie and cheat on their wives.
But to simply refuse to budge, sling mud and vitriol, and hope for failure? Is that the patriotic, Christian way to help our nation recover from the worst Recession in decades?

It’s really sad that this country is full of such hateful people. Seems like you “Holier than thou” are the most hateful! You should read your Bible more often.

I am interested to see if this will become one of his many initatives and if he will actually lead by example.
Lead by example? Hysterical…Don’t go to Vegas, Barry need your money.

This corrupt administration is broken and has no problem governing “against” the will of the people of America.

2nd Course | Feb 4, 2010 12:30:24 PM posted: “Barry’s in the soup? Pelosi, Geithner, Goldman Sachs, Al Gore, GM, Fannie and Freddie too? Yeah, order up!”
Sorry, maybe you were not aware that this country is currently in its largest economic downturn since the Great Depression. That means ALL of us. And it officially began in 2007, before “Barry’s” term even started.
This means there is a deep history of problems far beyond Pelosi and Geithner. Far beyond Republican and Democrat.
Just look back at the millions of dollars that poured into campaign coffers of senators and congressmen to repeal the Glass-Steagall act – Lobbyists for the insurance companies, for the investment banks, for the commercial banks, all pulling for their own parochial interests.
Any meanwhile, while financial institutions grew “too big to fail”, the very people who created this global economic collapse are delighted that conservatives and progressives cannot find a way to work together for repairs. They promote this division !
And so do we. Every time a poster slings mud, every time we allow our elected officials to remain entrenched in politics, every time there is no effort to change on OUR BEHALF – it perpetuates a massive imbalance of wealth and power, damaging our country’s security and our children’s future in a global economy.

Maybe if the Obama crowd hadn’t spent so much time alleging that ‘anyone who differs with the President’s policy must be a racist’………we just might’ve seen more civility. yknow?

Kemo Sabe, me think Chief Obama speak
with forked tongue. Him ask you not see war party he gather and him want
you to pay for tomahawk he use to
scalp you. Him heap bad medicine.

He pleads for civility, then says “don’t question my citizenship” as joke…
Can you imagine the reaction in the media if GWB were hiding something as innoculous as his long-form birth certiciate (the one with the doctor’s signature)?
Does anyone remember how he was hounded to release his transcripts, his medical reoords and his military reocords?
Why does the President continue to fight in court to keep it from public view? What could he have to hide?

Posted by: Csbd
fortunately in America, we and the government don’t have to cater to the lunatic fringe who believe that nonsense

Maybe people are angry for being called ignorant, redneck, racist if they weren’t pulling for Obama.
And this all started in the primary with Team Obama/supporters/the media attacking other DEMOCRATS–Hillary supporters.
They haven’t changed. They just shifted their hate now to any Democrat, Independent, or Republican that disagrees with Obama.
Tea party protesters, townhall protesters have been called racist, nazis, unAmerican mobs.
There is no civility coming from Team Obama–it’s all talk. Look at what they do.

Tea party protesters,
Posted by: kyle
all the Tea party ‘protesters’ have is calling people
communists, nazi’s, stalinists, socialists,..
you need to watch some video of their ‘marches’ and ‘protests’

People are angry because the Obama Administration, Pelosi, Reid don’t give a darn about what the people want.
They are tone deaf, acting as if we are stupid and unable to take care of ourselves.
And they have absolutely no respect for our money or our future. Spending wildly, bankrupting the country–a total government power grab.
Why shouldn’t people be angry when the government acts like we are invisible.

What could be his reason for not releasing it?
Posted by: csbd
most reasonable and thinking people know that he did…perhaps the more salient question is why
‘birthers’ led by Orly Taitz and other fringe lunatics, continue this nonsense

Who in their right mind wouldn’t be afraid and angry?
We’re in a terrible recession, millions are out of work and lost their homes.
China owns us.
And Obama wants to spend more! Go further into debt.
It’s like maxing out all of your credit cards, apply for more then max them out, in order to get out of debt.
It’s insane!!!
Then I hear he’s spending $2.5 million for a Census ad played during the Super Bowl. Are you kidding me?!

===Speaking at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. the president said this “erosion of civility” sows division and distrust.===
Now that he is president and the “erosion of civility” is directed towards him, he wants it to stop. Of course, he doesn’t mind contributing to that “erosion of civility” as long as it is directed at Bush/Cheney and republicans. My response, Mr. President, is bite me. Man up. Not everyone is in love with you and your policies.

===What could he possibly be hiding???===
Nothing. This issue helps Obama and as long as it helps him, he will continue to mention it, even though no one really is, just on the fringes. Do you remember Bush talking about 9/11 truthers? Yeah, me either. He ignored them because they were silly. Obama can’t ignore anything, and especially not something that polls well for him.

Posted by: phillip | Feb 4, 2010 2:29:29 PM posted, “Then I hear he’s spending $2.5 million for a Census ad played during the Super Bowl. Are you kidding me?!”
According to Moody’s, Census jobs will amount to a $2.3 BILLION injection into the economy, a bridge between the moment when many economists believe the private sector will finally stop shedding jobs and when it ultimately begins to add them. Did you know these decent paying temporary jobs were available?
The peak of the Census Bureau’s hiring, will be in late April and early May when about 800,000 people are expected to be on its payroll, most of them as field workers, knocking on doors to follow up with households that did not return census forms mailed in March.
Now I’m not sure spenidng $2.5 Million on a superbowl ad is the most cost effective, but I don’t have a comparison of the costs for reaching enough people quickly. And people may not agree with “wasting” money on a Census, but it is mandated by the US Constitution.

Posted by: Axey | Feb 4, 2010 2:38:54 PM
Your point is well taken. But I think there is more to it. What, I don’t know. I just find it curious that he won’t release the document.
It will come out eventually, perhaps this year, perhaps in 50 years. Why not now? It can’t really be considered a national secret. It seems unlikely that it contains any embarssing information: all the concered people besides the President are since deceased, and he can’t be in anyway held responsible for anything in it, being just born.
So what could he possibly be hiding?

So what could he possibly be hiding?
Posted by: csbd
what ever you would like to fantasize about

even before that, the nation was becoming divided thanks to Clinton
Posted by: Live! From DC! It’s Saturday Night!
same republican nut cases back then too,
ever notice that republicans never do anything bad, only Dems ‘devide the nation’ .. laughable POV but typical and sad

Is Obuma Gods voice telling us what to do ?He might think he is .Yes there are divisions not only in Washington but in our United States as well while he is in office. He is the cause of all this himself,thinking he is the Almighty one in power.This kid still has a lot to learn we the People run the country.As for his citizenship,there will always be a doubt about him due to fact this so called leader will not come out clean and release it all.So what is he hiding?? Its a terrible shame we have him in there now,as he is leading us down the path to destruction.

According to Moody’s, Census jobs will amount to a $2.3 BILLION injection into the economy, a bridge between the moment when many economists believe the private sector will finally stop shedding jobs and when it ultimately begins to add them. Did you know these decent paying temporary jobs were available?
—————
And who pays the census workers? By creating temporary employment out of funds created by tax dollars, you’re not doing anything but creating a false lift.
I fully understand that it is a constitutional requirement and therefore needs to be done. I have absolutely no issue with that. I do have an issue with false promises about injection of money when it’s actually a reallocation of tax dollars into the economy.
As for the super bowl ad, I’m not going to get in a huff over that. It is a huge viewership and it’s an “everyman” kind of event, so it should reach the folks who need the jobs. Besides, with deficits in the trillions and add-ons to the debt ceiling twice within the past two months…millions are pretty much peanuts anymore and hardly worth the angst. (Wow, a sentence I’d never imagine myself uttering ever in my lifetime.)

Maybe civility should start with him.

“And who pays the census workers? By creating temporary employment out of funds created by tax dollars, you’re not doing anything but creating a false lift”
The census is Constitutionally required and is necessary for a whole host of information useful to the government in matters from redistricting to funding.

The census is Constitutionally required and is necessary for a whole host of information useful to the government in matters from redistricting to funding
—————
If you’d read the rest of my post, Ry, you’d see I’d acknowledged that and take no issue with the census. Only with false claims about it being an economic lift. I’m fully aware it has to be done. Just don’t be disingenuous and act like it’s something it’s not.

=== when he implements campaign ideas selected by the majority of voters?===
You will have to explain to the board why he is having so much trouble implementing campaign ideas selected by the majority of voters with the majorities in both houses. Because frankly, I don’t understand it. If the majority were behind Obama’s campaign ideas, he should be coasting. I think we’ll agree he is not coasting.

That’s unsustainable math, CenterOne. You aren’t generating new money, just redistributing it from the taxes taken from those who currently have jobs. Eventually you’ll have to increase the tax rates to cover more of the people who’ve lost jobs because employers need to cut payroll to generate more income in order to achieve growth. As those jobs are lost, more people need those food stamps so taxes must be increased again. It’s a downward spiral and ineffective way out of a recession. You can’t spend to save, unless you are generating income and jobs separate from the institution that makes its money through taxation of jobs. It’s the epitome of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

What we see now are petty, mean-spirited attacks on the President from a Republican party that by recent survey represents the segment of society that is paranoid, delusional and hateful.
The Republicans and the right have been trying to demonize the President and the Democrats since day one – and in the ‘soap opera’ segment of America, some of this nonsense sticks.
Posted by: tierra | Feb 4, 2010 3:06:05 PM
Delusional? Since when does voicing opinions on job losses, economy problems, back room deals to get bills passed, and so on constitute being “delusional”? Paranoid? If you mean being fearful that I might lose my job, or being overwhelmed by the deficit that generations to come will be paying for, then yes, I guess that means paranoid. Hateful? As a conservative, I think a baby has the right to be born and live a full life. If I’m hateful because I don’t think it’s right that a woman decides to scream about her “choice” of abortion instead of using her head and using “choice” (protection) to begin with, then I guess I have no argument with you. If I’m hateful because I don’t think terrorists or murderers have rights and are better shot between the eyes than given a bully pulpit to voice what they think of America, then again, I guess I have no argument with you. But any party (in this case, the liberal party) that believes a terrorist has more rights than a child in the womb, I would think has NO right to judge.
And as far as your “soap opera” segment, you might want to take a look at the “American Idol” segment that put Obama in the WH to begin with. The biggest laugh I got during the campaign was the interviews with some of the “youngsters” voting for Obama but had NO CLUE about his background, policies, agenda, etc. They thought he was “cool”, “different” “good looking”. Ooooohh, now THOSE are great reasons for voting for a certain candidate. Although I must say, those same kiddies that voted for “the one we’ve been waiting for” don’t seem quite as wrapped up in the hype anymore. Coming down to earth is hard.

Posted by: Jen B. | Feb 4, 2010 5:31:08 PM “It’s a downward spiral and ineffective way out of a recession.”
Well, clearly not all economists agree.
Borrowing and spending are pretty much how the government has pulled itself out of every modern recession. It worked in my state during our last economic downturn when unemployment was just about as bad as it is today.
The Department of Agriculture estimates that every $5 of food stamp spending results in $9.20 worth of economic activity. Moody’s economists say local stimulus that’s spent quickly (like food stamps) actually works. They estimate that a $1 increase in food stamps creates $1.73 in economic activity. Compare that to tax cuts which Moody’s says provides only $1.03 for every dollar returned to taxpayers.

Jen B. | Feb 4, 2010 5:40:28 PM
Sorry if I wasn’t clear – the term “injection” used by Moody’s. I don’t believe this description (“injection”) or yours (“false lift”) are the best ways to describe how stimulus money actually ripples throughout the economy.

Posted by: Shoe | Feb 4, 2010 5:31:36 PM posted “Since when does voicing opinions on job losses, economy problems, back room deals to get bills passed, and so on constitute being ‘delusional’”.
You know what Shoe, when people speak their minds about issues such as job losses, the deficit, personal responsibility, or terrorists, imo, that IS valuable civil discourse.
But here are examples of what has been fueling division, encouraging people who really are delusional, paranoid and hateful:
Obama’s health care bill is “offering insurance for dogs” (Glenn Beck) – or, “Obama wants to mandate circumcision” (Rush Limbaugh)– or that Birthers found a copy of his “Kenyan birth certificate” (Orly Taitz) – or that the VA has a manual “encouraging veterans to commit suicide” (Michael Steele).
Clearly this junk is not true, but it resonates with people who are bigoted or ignorant. And this lack of civility stifles rational discourse about compromise or new ideas – to chart the best possible direction for our nation.

From Wikipedia:
“On May 22, 1856, (Sen. Preston) Brooks (D-SC) beat Senator Charles Sumner with his Gutta-percha wood walking cane in the Senate chamber because of a speech Sumner had made three days earlier, for singling out Brooks’ relative, Andrew Butler.”
Is this the sort of civility Obama longs for? Please. Once again Obama is attempting to redefine the issue, to tell the American public why they’re so upset. He must really think we’re a bunch of idiots. We’re not upset with the tone in Washington. We’re upset with the tone-deaf Democrats who refuse to listen to us.

Delusional? Since when does voicing opinions..
Posted by: Shoe
well, when ‘voicing opinions’ becomes nazi, socialist, maoist, leninist, hates white people, not a citizen, purveyor of death panels, secret Fema re-education camps, treason, muslim terrorist, trying to destroy america, kill grandma, etc…
well yeah… delusional paranoia is appropriate to describe the inane lunatic comments.

Who is this guy anyway, and why did the media let him slip into office without the most casual vetting?

Posted by: CenterOne
Listened to Olbermann lately and his crazy, hateful rantings? How about Chris Matthews comparing republicans to the Khmer rouge? Isn’t freedom of speech a great thing! Don’t like it, turn the dial.
I think it would be wonderful if everyone could be respectful of each others opinions and not vilify one another when they disagree. A lot more good things would be accomplished if people could find common ground.

We won the election and now these sore losers will continue to spew your hate with lies. The way our courts work is that you get a competent lawyer, verifiable facts and present them to a judge, if the facts are real and not half baked lies, then, and only then, you proceed to trial. The Birthers seem to be having a problem with their so called facts that they present. Let’s face it no one will go along with you until you guys win a case, but until then, you will continue to appear dumb, crazy or racist, or maybe all three. Keep plucking that chicken.