Talk Elections

Election Archive => 2008 Elections => Topic started by: they don't love you like i love you on December 06, 2008, 12:53:50 AM



Title: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: they don't love you like i love you on December 06, 2008, 12:53:50 AM
Yes (normal)

I'd bet anything on it.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Kaine for Senate '18 on December 06, 2008, 12:56:12 AM
Yes (normal).


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Sensei on December 06, 2008, 01:05:47 AM
The bar Obama has to clear to do this is similar to one that would be used at the pole vault event at the midget Olympics.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Queen Mum Inks.LWC on December 06, 2008, 01:16:57 AM
No.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: opebo on December 06, 2008, 01:52:52 AM
Yes, by definition.  Though Democrats are too far right to be much good, they are always, every time, better than their extreme right alternates.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Queen Mum Inks.LWC on December 06, 2008, 01:55:41 AM

Really, explain that.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: crazy jimmie on December 06, 2008, 02:26:06 AM

^^^^


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Хahar 🤔 on December 06, 2008, 02:31:11 AM
Yes.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Dave from Michigan on December 06, 2008, 02:36:18 AM
most likely yes (its kind of too early to tell), but its not that hard to be better than him. 


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: opebo on December 06, 2008, 02:54:30 AM

Sure.. I already did once, here it is again:

...Though Democrats are too far right to be much good, they are always, every time, better than their extreme right alternates.

In other words I only care about ideology.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: SPQR on December 06, 2008, 05:46:42 AM
One can hardly be worse than Bush,so yes.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Robespierre's Jaw on December 06, 2008, 06:01:54 AM
Yes.

Bush during his eight years as President has set the standard very low, thus even if Obama performs worse than anticipated by the American electorate he'll still be considered a far superior President compared to his predecessor George W. Bush.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Marokai Backbeat on December 06, 2008, 06:05:47 AM
One can hardly be worse than Bush,so yes.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Franzl on December 06, 2008, 06:09:06 AM
That wouldn't be very difficult...


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: JSojourner on December 06, 2008, 11:14:13 AM
I'm not sure it would be possible for ANYONE to be worse than The Decider.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: paul718 on December 06, 2008, 12:03:13 PM
Depends which Obama we get.

If we get pre-election Obama, with his ridiculous tax policy and spending proposals -- NO

If we get post-election Obama, who's surrounding himself with Geithner, Summers, Orzag, Romer, Volcker, and the like -- YES

I think/hope post-election Obama is here to stay, so I'm leaning toward YES.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: opebo on December 06, 2008, 12:12:18 PM
Depends which Obama we get.

If we get pre-election Obama, with his ridiculous tax policy and spending proposals -- NO

If we get post-election Obama, who's surrounding himself with Geithner, Summers, Orzag, Romer, Volcker, and the like -- YES

I think/hope post-election Obama is here to stay, so I'm leaning toward YES.

The only problem with these economics of which you are enamoured - they don't prevent us from still being in a depression in 2012...


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: crazy jimmie on December 06, 2008, 12:16:06 PM
Obama will be one of the better presidents.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Ronnie on December 06, 2008, 12:20:27 PM
I certainly hope so.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: paul718 on December 06, 2008, 12:28:02 PM
Depends which Obama we get.

If we get pre-election Obama, with his ridiculous tax policy and spending proposals -- NO

If we get post-election Obama, who's surrounding himself with Geithner, Summers, Orzag, Romer, Volcker, and the like -- YES

I think/hope post-election Obama is here to stay, so I'm leaning toward YES.

The only problem with these economics of which you are enamoured - they don't prevent us from still being in a depression in 2012...

ok


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Filuwaúrdjan on December 06, 2008, 12:42:48 PM
It would take a certain level of skill to be any worse.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: ○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└ on December 06, 2008, 02:18:52 PM
This is a damn low bar. I think that an inanimate object would beat Bush.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Nym90 on December 06, 2008, 02:24:19 PM
Hard to imagine him not being. Even if he was somehow equally incompetent, his philosophy alone would still be more successful.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Boris on December 06, 2008, 02:26:18 PM
we'd better hope he's "better" or there's really no point in participating in this game at all


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Lunar on December 06, 2008, 02:34:14 PM
prediction: Obama will be on currency someday, and not only because he's black.


snarky comment: This might have something to do with the massive inflation he's about to create requiring higher denominations


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Blazers93 on December 06, 2008, 02:39:59 PM
He's going to be mediocre, methinks, so yeah, he will be infinitely better than Bush.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Fmr. Pres. Duke on December 06, 2008, 03:58:23 PM
One would think he will be, but with the current economic climate, I have no idea. He seems to have surrounded himself with the former Clinton team. They came into office with the economy on the rise, so it will be interesting to see how they do when coming into office with the economy plummeting. Lord knows I need him to be successful. I don't know if he will be better than Bush. If things continue to get worse, the war rages on, we have a terrorist attack at home because he weakens homeland security to pay for his New Deal, then no. I hope none of that happens. We need to get our economy turned around.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Stranger in a strange land on December 06, 2008, 04:00:23 PM
The bar Obama has to clear to do this is similar to one that would be used at the pole vault event at the midget Olympics.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: The Populist on December 06, 2008, 08:25:30 PM
Yes, because I don't see how he could possibly be worse.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Eraserhead on December 06, 2008, 11:10:25 PM
Is he going to actively try to destroy the country (or at least certain elements of it)? Probably not, so he gets a "yes" by default right there.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Ogre Mage on December 07, 2008, 01:02:43 AM
Obama will have a better Presidency.  Bush's Presidency has been a national embarrassment and the biggest disaster since Hoover's.  Bush combines the worst qualities of Richard Nixon and Warren Harding.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: they don't love you like i love you on December 07, 2008, 01:14:33 AM
Harding was a million times better than Bush.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Ogre Mage on December 07, 2008, 01:56:55 AM
Are we talking about the same Warren Harding?  The one who was more interested in poker and his mistress than governing?  Whose tax cuts, like Bush's, were hugely slanted toward the rich?  Whose Secretary of the Interior sold off our nation's oil reserves to oilmen in exchange for money under the table?  (Teapot Dome Scandal).  Harding's Attorney General was also caught up in corruption.  His administration practically defined "on the take."

Warren Harding:  "I am not fit for this office and should never have been here."


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: John Dibble on December 07, 2008, 09:15:46 AM
It would be difficult for him not to be.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Democratic Hawk on December 07, 2008, 06:11:32 PM
Yes


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Gustaf on December 07, 2008, 06:23:31 PM

Sure.. I already did once, here it is again:

...Though Democrats are too far right to be much good, they are always, every time, better than their extreme right alternates.

In other words I only care about ideology.

For someone who does not believe in objective morality it seems odd to care only about ideology. But I guess logical consistency is subjective/tool to oppress the masses or something.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: © tweed on December 07, 2008, 06:38:13 PM
he'll be better in the sense that, the speech at which we continue to march towards the cliff will only be increasing at a decreasing rate.  as opposed to Bush, as the third derivative was positive


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Sensei on December 07, 2008, 06:41:39 PM
he'll be better in the sense that, the speech at which we continue to march towards the cliff will only be increasing at a decreasing rate.  as opposed to Bush, as the third derivative was positive
thus making Bush a jerk in more ways than one.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Daniel Z on December 07, 2008, 08:41:56 PM
Very hard seeing Obama being worse than Bush, unless he is the Antichrist afterall.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Boris on December 07, 2008, 09:15:00 PM
he'll be better in the sense that, the speech at which we continue to march towards the cliff will only be increasing at a decreasing rate.  as opposed to Bush, as the third derivative was positive
thus making Bush a jerk in more ways than one.


that's a joke that'll get you laid at parties


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: © tweed on December 07, 2008, 11:11:24 PM
he'll be better in the sense that, the speech at which we continue to march towards the cliff will only be increasing at a decreasing rate.  as opposed to Bush, as the third derivative was positive

*speed


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Grumpier Than Uncle Joe on December 08, 2008, 01:05:27 PM
I almost answered no just to piss BRTD off, but c'mon, I'm not a 43 hater at all but Obama would have to almost try to not be better.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: they don't love you like i love you on October 16, 2010, 12:23:46 AM
Well I still vote yes of course, but I wonder what others say.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: feeblepizza on October 16, 2010, 01:46:26 AM
LOLNO


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: FEMA Camp Administrator on October 16, 2010, 08:56:21 AM
He's going to be mediocre, methinks, so yeah, he will be infinitely better than Bush.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Oakvale on October 16, 2010, 10:36:56 AM
Only an absurd right-wing hack would say that Obama has been worse than Bush TBH. I mean, Bush made some good decisions - TARP, arguably Iraq if that's your thing - but overall his Presidency was such a mess it will likely not be matched for decades.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: they don't love you like i love you on October 16, 2010, 11:02:55 AM
The only good thing Bush ever did was divert the bailout money to save GM. And that was basically the last major action of his Presidency, so it sort of seems like he was on the road to redemption in an odd way, though obviously he will never acheive it.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: MASHED POTATOES. VOTE! on October 16, 2010, 05:20:03 PM
Unimpressive, but still better (which is not very hard).


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Sewer on October 16, 2010, 05:51:10 PM
Unimpressive, but still better (which is not very hard).


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl on October 16, 2010, 06:32:31 PM
Only an absurd right-wing hack would say that Obama has been worse than Bush TBH. I mean, Bush made some good decisions - TARP, arguably Iraq if that's your thing - but overall his Presidency was such a mess it will likely not be matched for decades.

Haha, figures that you would list TARP and Iraq as "good decisions" of the Bush regime.


As for the OP question, of course not. Obama is far more dangerous than Shrub ever was. The Pakistan and Iran wars will make Afghanistan and Iraq look like walks in the park.



Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Sewer on October 16, 2010, 08:55:25 PM

Ahahahahaha Just HOW HIGH do you EVEN have to BE just to THINK something like that.......


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook on October 16, 2010, 09:43:31 PM


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: RIP Robert H Bork on October 16, 2010, 10:02:24 PM
Only an absurd right-wing hack would say that Obama has been worse than Bush TBH. I mean, Bush made some good decisions - TARP, arguably Iraq if that's your thing - but overall his Presidency was such a mess it will likely not be matched for decades.

I'm glad to know you consider me an absurd right-wing hack, then. ::)


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Хahar 🤔 on October 17, 2010, 08:37:43 PM
Only an absurd right-wing hack would say that Obama has been worse than Bush TBH. I mean, Bush made some good decisions - TARP, arguably Iraq if that's your thing - but overall his Presidency was such a mess it will likely not be matched for decades.

I'm glad to know you consider me an absurd right-wing hack, then. ::)

Well, you are.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: President Mitt on October 17, 2010, 08:46:01 PM
One good thing nobody has really recognized is that Bush imposed even harsher and more ridiculous conditions on Cuba and Obama withdrew some of those. I suppose though that the most commendable thing he's done is not decide to bomb Iran. Let's hope it stays like that.

I mean, Bush made some good decisions - TARP, arguably Iraq

Neither of those decisions were good. Both were awful.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Phony Moderate on October 19, 2010, 02:37:02 AM


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Oakvale on October 19, 2010, 10:31:43 AM
I'd just like to clarify that I don't necessarily consider the Iraq war to be an example of a good decision - although I don't think it's as clear cut as many on the "left" seem to think - only that some people would.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Eraserhead on October 23, 2010, 01:52:41 AM
Iraq was and is a deranged and evil misadventure.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Penelope on November 26, 2010, 04:52:10 AM
He is a mildly disappointing President so far, so yeah, he's about a trillion times better than Bush was. 


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Stranger in a strange land on November 30, 2010, 04:26:32 PM
He is a mildly disappointing President so far, so yeah, he's about a trillion times better than Bush was. 


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Tutankhuman Bakari Sellers on December 03, 2010, 08:32:01 AM
He was always an independent more moderate president and has disappointed progressives. But you can say that gets him more votes over Bush.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: pbrower2a on April 29, 2013, 10:28:58 PM
Four years later we get this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

Warning -- this is a Wikipedia article, and it will not go unchanged. Events, better or worse between now and January 20, 2017, will shape the image of this President. It is not professional, but it seems neutral enough. 

My take:

So far he is probably above average. He obviously can't compare to George Washington for defining the Presidency; any comparison to Lincoln or FDR requires a crisis as severe as World War II or the Civil War, neither of which is likely to happen. He will likely get much credit for adept stewardship of the economy because an economic meltdown that began to look like the start of the Great Depression ended in the equivalent of the spring of 1931 instead of the autumn of 1932. He has nation-changing legislation to his credit -- Obamacare -- like it or not. Sure it could be repealed, but it had better have a satisfactory replacement attached because he will veto anything that is not an improvement. Big reforms are always subject to subsequent reforms. He disposed of the most dangerous terrorist in American history.

Dubya, in contrast, is recognized as the worst President of at the least the twentieth century except for Warren G. Harding. Dubya gets the rap for two wars, one badly bungled and one that should have never happened but would not have happened except for his dishonesty -- and for a speculative boom that went awry with the potential of starting another Great Depression. Dubya may outrank Warren G. Harding because the Teapot Dome Scandal was the cornerstone of the short Harding Administration. Dubya had Enron, to which he had stronger and more personal ties.     

Barack Obama has established what he is as President. One of his arch-rivals (Karl Rove) acknowledges that President Obama is cautious.  After Dubya, that is quite a necessary change. He is a stickler for protocol and precedent; he collaborates closely with intelligence agencies (contrast Jimmy Carter). He has run a squeaky-clean administration.



Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: ○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└ on April 29, 2013, 10:32:10 PM
Well, he exceeded that incredibly low bar, but he has been a massive disappointment.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Snowstalker Mk. II on April 30, 2013, 03:38:55 PM
Well, he exceeded that incredibly low bar, but he has been a massive disappointment.

Even with my disappointment with Obama at times, he's still probably the best president since Johnson.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Consciously Unconscious on May 01, 2013, 01:27:43 PM
Obama is the worst president of the second decade of the 21st century. 


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: NVGonzalez on May 01, 2013, 10:07:31 PM
Well, he exceeded that incredibly low bar, but he has been a massive disappointment.

Even with my disappointment with Obama at times, he's still probably the best president since Johnson.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Oldiesfreak1854 on May 05, 2013, 09:11:12 AM
I think it's much too early to even rate President Bush's performance.  Remember that most historians are overwhelmingly liberal, and so putting Bush among the ten worst presidents is clearly politically motivated.  I would probably Bush somewhere in the middle, and Obama just slightly lower.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: SUSAN CRUSHBONE on May 05, 2013, 12:24:43 PM
Obama is the worst president of the second decade of the 20th century. 
That would be good ol' William Howard Taft, actually.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: pbrower2a on May 11, 2013, 03:08:53 PM
Well, he exceeded that incredibly low bar, but he has been a massive disappointment.

Even with my disappointment with Obama at times, he's still probably the best president since Johnson.

Eisenhower, so far -- no scandals, end of a nasty war going nowhere, ACA is probably on the scale of the Interstate Highway System. LBJ gets culpability for mismanaging the War in Vietnam. 


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Paul Kemp on May 15, 2013, 09:35:56 AM
I think it's much too early to even rate President Bush's performance.  Remember that most historians are overwhelmingly liberal, and so putting Bush among the ten worst presidents is clearly politically motivated.  I would probably Bush somewhere in the middle, and Obama just slightly lower.

Given that a lot of historians rank Reagan high, somehow I don't think their politics is the deciding factor.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: MATTROSE94 on September 11, 2013, 12:10:27 PM
I think it's much too early to even rate President Bush's performance.  Remember that most historians are overwhelmingly liberal, and so putting Bush among the ten worst presidents is clearly politically motivated.  I would probably Bush somewhere in the middle, and Obama just slightly lower.

Given that a lot of historians rank Reagan high, somehow I don't think their politics is the deciding factor.
I agree. My history teacher last semester was fairly liberal, but did feel that Reagan was a good president overall.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: pbrower2a on July 12, 2015, 09:04:21 PM
I think it's much too early to even rate President Bush's performance.  Remember that most historians are overwhelmingly liberal, and so putting Bush among the ten worst presidents is clearly politically motivated.  I would probably Bush somewhere in the middle, and Obama just slightly lower.

Given that a lot of historians rank Reagan high, somehow I don't think their politics is the deciding factor.
I agree. My history teacher last semester was fairly liberal, but did feel that Reagan was a good president overall.

Reagan could be in the category with Andrew Jackson for changing the norms of government. Whether such is in a good or bad direction is a matter of taste. If the changes persist, such pushes the historical assessment in favor of the President who made the change.

Everybody loves a winner.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Attorney General, LGC Speaker & Former PPT Dwarven Dragon on July 17, 2015, 12:09:06 AM
Of course he's been a better president than Bush. But given the ridiculously low bar that is, it's not very impressive.


Title: Re: Will Obama be a better President than Bush?
Post by: Tutankhuman Bakari Sellers on July 19, 2015, 04:58:30 AM
Yes, especially if Hilary is elected POTUS.

He brought the generational majority to the Dem party, that Dubya was seeking to bring to GOP party. But Sarah Palin tea party spoiled that.