The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Making (Up) the Grade' Edition...
On Sunday night, Oprah's Christmas at the White House special aired; during her one-on-one conversation with the president, Oprah asked Obama what grade he would give himself for his first year in office. "A good solid B-plus," Obama answered... President Obama To Oprah: I Give Myself A Solid B+ (VIDEO)
What letter grade(s) would you give President Obama? Feel free to break it down into whatever categories you think are appropriate...
Well, then, Poll-fans... From the responses there appears to be some not-so-happy campers out in Obama-land. The shine has worn off the product, as it were. With one exception at the end, The Man's self-grading of a B+ seems rather inflated. Read on and ponder...
DC Madman asks...
How can he be graded when everything is incomplete? No wars have ended. Economy still awaiting turnaround. Nothing happening on climate change. Energy independence, nada. Curbing Wall Street financial abuse unchanged. Healthcare reform is just a glimmer of hope. Everything is just a vague
promise in the future. To promise a teacher grade "A" work is an incomplete until I show my stuff. Optimism is not a tangible action. INCOMPLETE!
bebo's listed...
in alphabetical order:
Afghanistan - F
dealing with democrats - D
dealing with republicans - B
economy - B-
giving speeches - A+
having tiger & elin over for a beer - F-
health care - C
Iraq - F
national debt - F
Adam in NoHo stings 'The Man' with...
C-, for being W-lite. (Ouch) I didn't vote for him because I wasn't impressed with his speeches and I knew he wasn't the great progressive liberal his fans were making him out to be.
Scoring an A+ would have been easy: simply reverse everything Bush/Cheney did. Instead, we are seeing pretty much more of the same with what feels like very little regard for the man-on-the-street and the realities of the day. For every one small, positive thing he does, it feels like Obama lets 3 bad things from the Bush admin slide by.
Billy E. with a 'slamma jamma'...
"F" for failure to lead, learn or help the people who voted for him.
Roly was somewhat more generous...
I would give a "C-" because of the way he handled the economy meltdown and the "Afghan war". From the very first day in office he placed the very people instrumental in causing the problem in the top financial positions. In the war he is going against his election promises and does not understand history, there has never been a empire that has succeeded in Afghanistan.
Paul 'depressed' (his word) in Seattle also listed (and it ain't good, I'm tellin' ya)...
Overall: D
F- for adherence to bush policies , i.e keeping the spying and bush people in power, Gates etc.
F - for Afghanistan
F- for allowing Liebermann to be an arsehole.
F-- for not prosecuting the bush bastards for war crimes
A for not being bush
Richard McD. with obvious disappointment gave...
A failing grade, This is not what we voted for,nor deserve. I feel about him the same way I did about W. He is an embarrassment to what he ran as. He should be Impeached and run out of town on a rail. Just to set the facts straight I have never voted for a repug in my life. Nor will I start now. But come election day 2012 I will leave that space blank
DRD is conflicted, but takes a hard stand...
My thoughts on the record of completed actions by Mr. Obama are seriously disjointed! In many of his promises while seeking this office he spoke in much detail about what it was he wanted to change and how he wanted to do that. The major problem has been that he does not seem to be able to keep promises, showing a very weak drive to push for the rights of the people. Look at the current mess they term health reform! He talked a good game but when it was time for the rubber to hit the road he was in the pits with the Corporations figuring how to call this crappy bill reform to save face with the voters. He has good points and not so good points. Overall, with all the lies, retreats, card folding, and double speak I rate him overall F+! This will go down as one of the greatest lost opportunities to make lives of the average Joe Blow better tomorrow than is today! What a waste! Keep up the fine selection of thought provoking questions on differing problems facing us all today! (Thanks, Don... I'm trying, but I wish there were some positive trends to ask about!)
SallyP optimistically comes to BHO's rescue with...
The grade I give to President Obama is a resounding, "A!" I will tell your why: He has not yet quit the job (ALA Palin) even though he inherited an impossible situation, and has met with hate and resistance from all fronts (left and right) since day one that he took office.
Granted, he has been foolish wasting time trying to reason with those detestable Repugs, but he did TRY.
From the day I heard Rush Limbaugh state that he wanted Obama to fail, period (shortly after he took office) I knew it was all over for him. Yes, Limbaugh, et al., is that powerful! Then, day after day, and night after night we hear the Right-wing shows (which overwhelm the airwaves) pounding away at him - and no one defending the President in ANY WAY - he cannot win at anything he attempts to do.
I must note that it is interesting that Bush had no problem ramming his agenda down our throats under the flag of 911, how the Hell did he do that when so many people hate him? Easy, Rush and his cronies had Bushes back!
Obama needs a new PR guy, and to set up his own media shows!! The media is a lot more powerful than we give them credit for. Given the opportunity, one lies and the other continues that lie and adds to it - then it's a matter of pounding away on the public and cable networks until the public absorbs it and regurgitates it back... I'm onto them big time!!
I love President Obama!
I support President Obama!
I give him an A+ as a matter of fact!!
(Hoo ha, ya weren't a Prep school cheer leader maybe, were ya? Haha)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reluctantly, I go with DC Madman's 'Incomplete'. There's not an issue or problem that we face where I could say to The Man, 'Job Well Done'. Not one... and so it goes, on and on... Ack...
Thanks to all responders. As I always say, Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
The New Question
The 'Reform or Expansion' Edition...
I'm soooooo confused!
President Obama says, "We are on the cusp of making health care reform a reality,"
Others say it is merely an expansion of health care insurance opportunities with little reform of the present system. Meanwhile, insurance stocks rocket skyward on the NYSE... Help me out here, would ya? What do you think?
Here, by the way, is a totally negative opinion of the whole shebang by a progressive, not a Rethug.
10 Reasons to Kill the Senate Bill | CommonDreams.org
Go figure...
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to BadToTheBoneBob ( BCEpoll 'at' aol.com )
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: A Dangerous Dysfunction (nytimes.com)
The difficulty of trying to pass health care reform shows how dysfunctional the Senate, and the United States government as a whole, has become.
Paul Krugman's Blog: The WYSIWYG president (nytimes.com)
There's a lot of dismay/rage on the left over Obama, a number of cries that he isn't the man progressives thought they were voting for. But that says more about the complainers than it does about Obama himself. If you actually paid attention to the substance of what he was saying during the primary, you realized that ...
ROGER COHEN: Japanese Obsessions (nytimes.com)
Japan is rich enough, bored enough with national ambition, strait-jacketed enough and gloomy enough to find immense attraction in playful electronic escapism.
Troy Patterson: The Wrong Stuff (slate.com)
A terrifying show about compulsive hoarders.
Lewis Beale: Michael Clarke Duncan gets funny in 'Slammin' Salmon' (Newsday)
It's hard to imagine a breakthrough role more surprising, and startling, than that of John Coffey, the unjustly convicted murderer with extraordinary healing powers played by Michael Clarke Duncan in the 1999 film "The Green Mile."
Mark Slutsky: The master and his muse (montrealmirror.com)
Penélope Cruz on working and collaborating with Pedro Almodóvar on his new film 'Broken Embraces.'
Dana Stevens: The Dude Abides (slate.com)
Jeff Bridges gives the performance of the year in 'Crazy Heart.'
Barry Koltnow: Actress was immune to George Clooney's charms (Orange County Register)
There is an elephant in Anna Kendrick's hotel room, and it looks suspiciously like a vampire.
Emily Nussbaum: When TV Became Art (nymag.com)
Good-bye boob tube, hello brain food.
Robert Moore: "When TV Became Art: What We Owe to Buffy" (popmatters.com)
In a New York Magazine essay, Emily Nussbaum argues that TV became Art in this past decade. But thanks to Buffy that had already happened at the end of the previous one.
Roger Ebert's Journal: Cameron is recrowned King of the World
The thing about James Cameron is, he can get his mind around a project the size of "Avatar" and keep his cool.
Joe Weider: A Little Holiday Health Advice (creators.com)
This week, as we find ourselves in the thick of the holiday season, I've decided to gift you with a special edition of Ask Joe Weider in which I provide tips you can use to avoid the unwanted weight gain that welcomes so many into the new year.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
On the Other Side
noted:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Link from RJ
Ice Caves
Hi there
I wrote this a few days ago but unfortunately my PC went pop! Thanks for taking the time to look at it and hope you have a great Christmas, Winterfal, holiday - whatever you call it!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
Observation Makes Him Rude
Dylan Ratigan
MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan apologized Monday for his "very rude" conduct last week during an interview on health care with a Florida congresswoman.
Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz was explaining Friday on Ratigan's show "Morning Meeting" why she supported health care reform. Ratigan, who said he has "incredible frustration" with the way the bill treated insurance companies, asked her to explain why stocks for insurers were going up.
Schultz said she wasn't a stockbroker, and the answer apparently left Ratigan unsatisfied. He said he would "give her a brief education."
Ratigan is the former host of CNBC "Fast Money.". He learned last week that his daily two-hour show, "Morning Meeting," was being cut in half and moved to the afternoon.
Dylan Ratigan
Graduation Speaker
Jeff Daniels
Actor Jeff Daniels has received an honorary degree from the University of Michigan.
Daniels spoke at the university's December graduation Sunday. The Michigan Daily reported that Daniels told graduates to pursue something they are passionate about.
After his remarks, Daniels played the guitar, performing a song he wrote about his home state, called "The Michigan in Me."
He and veteran journalist Helen Thomas were among the honorary degree recipients at the graduation ceremony on the Ann Arbor campus. Others receiving honorary degrees were labor and civil rights activist Grace Lee Boggs and insect expert Edward Osborn Wilson.
Jeff Daniels
USA Orders Second Season
"White Collar"
USA Network's freshman comedy-drama "White Collar" has been renewed for a second season.
The show's creator/executive producer Jeff Eastin tweeted the news Friday. The pickup was confirmed by USA though no details on the size of the order or the second season's premiere date were provided.
"White Collar" stars Matt Bomer as a suave white collar criminal-turned-FBI consultant. While not a breakout hit of the caliber of recent additions "Royal Pains" or "Burn Notice," it began to hit its creative stride toward the end of its initial seven-episode run. The fall finale averaged a series-record 5.55 million viewers.
"White Collar" is slated to return for the rest of its freshman season January 20 when it moves from Fridays to Tuesdays.
"White Collar"
Name Change?
Angel Falls
The world's tallest waterfall -- Angel Falls in southern Venezuela -- should be stripped of the name by which it is widely known in favor of its indigenous one, President Hugo Chavez said.
The falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were spotted by US pilot Jimmy Angel in 1937, bringing international attention to what has become one of Venezuela's top tourist attractions, though it is in remote Bolivar state.
"How could we accept this idea that the falls were discovered by a guy who came from the United States in a plane. If we do that, that would be like accepting that nobody was living here," Chavez mused on his weekly radio and television show, "Hello Mr President."
In indigenous Pemon, the falls are called Kerepakupai meru, meaning "waterfall of the deepest place."
Angel Falls
Court Rejects Dismissal Bid
Roman Polanski
A California appeals court on Monday rejected Roman Polanski's bid to have his 32-year-old sex case dismissed, but cited grave concerns over possible judicial and prosecutorial misconduct.
The California 2nd District Court of Appeal announced it had denied the petition, with justices saying they are "deeply concerned" about the probable misconduct by a now-deceased judge and a retired prosecutor who advised him.
"We encourage all participating parties to do their utmost to ensure that this matter now draws to a close in a manner that fully addresses the issues of due process and fundamental fairness raised by the events of long ago," the court's opinion stated.
While a blow to Polanski's efforts to have the case dismissed and win his freedom from Swiss authorities, the ruling cast serious doubt on how the case was handled.
Roman Polanski
Asks Players To Donate Brains
NFL
The NFL is partnering with Boston University brain researchers who have been critical of the league's stance on concussions, The Associated Press learned Sunday.
The league now plans to encourage current and former NFL players to agree to donate their brains to the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, which has said it found links between repeated head trauma and brain damage in boxers, football players and, most recently, a former NHL player.
"It's huge that the NFL actively gets behind this research," said Robert Cantu, a co-director of the BU center who has spoken negatively about the league in the past. "It forwards the research. It allows players to realize the NFL is concerned about the possibility that they could have this problem, and that the NFL is doing everything it can to find out about the risks and the preventive strategies that can be implemented."
The BU group and the NFL Players Association jointly announced that the union also will work with the center and encourage players to participate in brain studies.
NFL
Threatens To Quit Sirius
Howard Stern
Howard Stern is threatening to leave Sirius XM Radio Inc. now that the shock jock and the satellite radio provider are getting set to enter contract talks in 2010.
That threat probably seems less daunting to Sirius than it once would have. Sirius originally wanted Stern so badly that it gave him the most lucrative radio contract ever, a five-year deal that started in 2006 and paid him $500 million in cash and stock.
Today, he doesn't have many places left to go - at least if he wants another huge payday.
Free radio stations are struggling with steep drops in advertising and high debt loads, and probably can't pay top dollar to get Stern back to the medium where he began. He also likely would chafe at being censored again after enjoying the freedom of satellite radio, where his racy banter hasn't been subject to federal restrictions on language and content.
For these reasons - and because Stern has warned other times that he might quit or retire - his latest threat rings hollow to some analysts.
Howard Stern
Real Reason For Airlines Ban
Cell Phones
Airline passengers who sneak in cell phone calls, play with gaming devices or listen to their mp3 players during takeoff or landing probably won't cause a plane crash, but they may risk a confrontation with flight attendants. Federal agencies and airlines typically err on the side of caution - even though researchers and aircraft companies have found almost no direct evidence of cell phones or other electronic devices interfering with aircraft systems.
Frequent flyers know the familiar drill of only using certain electronic devices at cruising altitudes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked the RTCA, an independent industry standards organization, to study the issue of electronic devices on airplanes in 1992. The RTCA found no interference and eventually recommended allowing the use of laptops, gaming devices and music players. Still, it suggested the precaution of banning the use of any and all devices during the critical takeoff and landing phases.
Boeing also investigated several cases in the 1990s where aircraft crews reported that laptop computers or gaming devices caused autopilot disconnects, uncommanded airplane rolls or instrument display malfunctions. The aircraft manufacturer was never able to replicate the reported anomalies in lab tests.
Cell phones and wireless devices such as laptops represent a different concern. They emit active transmissions on the electromagnetic spectrum, which is used by devices that include phones, radios and Wi-Fi networks. But the FCC divided the spectrum into different chunks for different uses, and so a cell phone call should not interfere with the bands reserved for aircraft communications or GPS navigation systems.
It turns out that the ban on wireless devices has a lot more to do with possible interference for ground networks, rather than any danger posed to aircraft systems. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned in-flight use of most cell phones and wireless devices in 1991, citing the reason of ground network interference. FAA regulations uphold the FCC decision. But some airlines allow passengers to use cell phones in "airplane mode," which shuts off phone transmissions.
Cell Phones
In Memory
Alaina Reed-Amini
Alaina Reed-Amini, the Broadway star and TV actress best known for her long-running roles on "Sesame Street" and "227," has died. She was 63.
Reed-Amini died Dec. 17 at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica after a two-year battle with breast cancer, her publicist Billy Laurence said Monday.
Previously known as Alaina Reed Hall, she remarried in 2008. Her stage credits include "Chicago" and "Hair." She appeared in several movies, including "Cruel Intentions" and "Death Becomes Her," and in guest-starring roles on numerous TV shows such as "ER," "NYPD Blue," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Ally McBeal."
Reed-Amini joined the "Sesame Street" cast in 1976 and played Olivia, a photographer and sister of the character Gordon. She remained on the show until 1988.
She starred on NBC's "227" from 1985 to 1990, playing the landlady and best friend of the show's main character. On the show's final season, Reed-Amini married a character played by her real-life husband, Kevin Peter Hall, who died in 1991.
Born Bernice Reed in Springfield, Ohio, on Nov. 10, 1946, Reed-Amini is survived by her husband, Tamim Amini, and two children from a previous marriage. According to her husband, no funeral or memorial services will be held, but a celebration of her life is being planned for next year.
Alaina Reed-Amini
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