Thread: President Obama’s Accomplishments : Discuss

Obama, the president who lost his voice
The Washington Post
Richard Cohen - 8 hrs ago

The presidency has changed Barack Obama. His hair has gone gray, which is to be expected, and he looks older, which is also to be expected, but his eloquence has been replaced by petulance and he has lost the power to persuade, which is something of a surprise. You can speculate that if the Obama of today and not Winston Churchill had led Britain in World War II, the Old Vic theater would now be doing “Hamlet” in German.

The president has lost his voice, that is certain. The numbers say so. Obama has the approval of only 44 percent of the American people. During his time in office, Congress and much of the nation have gone Republican — statehouse after statehouse, governor after governor (soon to be 32) — an astounding feat when you consider that the GOP has become the Know-Nothing Party in all its meanings.

It’s not that Obama has lost his gift of eloquence. His problem is that he often has nothing to say. When he does, as after the mass murder in June at a Charleston, S.C., church, he can be moving and eloquent. It is on foreign policy particularly where he goes empty and cold. His policy, after all, is to avoid yet another Middle East quagmire. It entails the ringing call to do as little as possible.

Obama’s self-inflicted predicament was apparent in the statement he issued following the Paris terrorist attacks. Unlike many other mass killings, this one was broadcast in real time — unfolding on TV as it happened. It left the United States both shaken and horrified. Yet Obama spoke coldly, by rote — saying all the right things in the manner of a minister presiding at the funeral of a perfect stranger.

The president is capable of better, and indeed, after some criticism, he eventually did better. But he is a cautious man who fears his rhetoric running away from him. This happened once before, when he issued his “red line” warning to Syria — and then, upon consideration, said never mind. The result has been a foreign policy debacle in which the measure of Obama has been taken. He’s been bullied off the playground.

Obama’s dilemma is not just that he cannot find the words to articulate his policy. He cannot stick to his policy either. His initial reluctance to act in Libya faded when Moammar Gaddafi threatened to massacre his opposition and the French took the lead. His determination to stay out of Iraq collided with the threatened genocide of the Yazidis. Iraq fell apart, the Islamic State seemed to come out of nowhere. Americans were beheaded. Women were enslaved. No boots on the ground became some boots on the ground — and then some more and then some of them helped the Kurds and mixed it up with the Islamic State. Reality rebuts policy, which unravels by degree.

George W. Bush’s Iraq war was a lesson to us all. But from the start of the Syrian crisis, no one sane was proposing doing it all over again. Instead, the proposal was to intervene early and attempt to avoid the bloodbath and humanitarian calamity that have resulted. The idea was to do more than simply tell Bashar al-Assad to return to practicing ophthalmology in London and for the United States and its allies to take some action — such as grounding Assad’s helicopters. And when it came to the Islamic State, the proposal was to do more than make some initially inadequate bombing runs, but put spotters on the ground and train anti-Assad fighters who had a stake in the fighting. As it was, the United States managed to assemble an army of about half a dozen.

Obama is confined by the prospect of another Iraq. He defends his policy of minimalism with an off-putting petulance: “If folks want to pop off and have opinions . . . .” He talked of seeing at Walter Reed hospital “a 25-year-old kid who’s paralyzed or has lost his limbs. . . . And so I can’t afford to play some of the political games that others may.” Yes, some of the Republican presidential candidates are playing games, but Obama’s critics in think tanks and elsewhere are dead - serious. Besides, life presents mean choices. Limbs were lost in Paris, too.

To a large degree, Obama became president on the strength of his eloquence. To a large degree, that is what has deserted him. He is out of words because he is out of ideas. Consequently, he ought to listen to others. They’re not the ones who are popping off. He is.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinio...Kz&ocid=TSHDHP

Obama warns Putin on intervening in Syria's civil war
By Kevin Liptak, CNN White House Producer
December 1, 2015

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/01/politi...nce/index.html

September 19, 2010

Barack Obama: The Man Who Would be God?

By Selwyn Duke

When writing about Barack Obama's religious orientation recently, I pointed out that while I do believe he favors Muslim over Western culture, bowing before another -- even God -- is above Obama's humility grade. I further mentioned that in keeping with this self-centeredness, Obama is (like all leftists) someone who denies moral reality.

Ironically, after penning my piece, I became aware of an interview Obama once gave -- one quite relevant to the topic at hand. It was conducted in 2004 by Chicago Sun-Times religion reporter Cathleen Falsani while Obama was running for the U.S. Senate, and it offers great insight into the nature of Obama's "faith." I think you'll be interested to hear what he had to say.

The whole interview is infused with typical leftist philoso-babble. Obama says he's "a big believer in tolerance" and thus looks askance at "certainty" and believes in the necessity of "doubt" (an attitude mysteriously absent when pushing health care), bringing to mind G.K. Chesterton's observation: "Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions." Yet Obama also told Falsani that he had "deep faith." This might cause some to wonder, "In what?"

And this brings us to the part of the interview in which he was asked "What is sin?"

Here was his answer:

"Being out of alignment with my values."

Perhaps this question was also above Obama's pay grade, or maybe he studied divinity with Al Gore. Whatever the case, this is not the definition of sin. Rather, sin is when you violate God's laws, or, to put it in more modernistic terms, it's being out of alignment with God's values (which are the Truth). So it was an interesting answer. Some might conclude that if you define sin as being out of alignment with your values, you believe you are God.

An even stranger answer came earlier in the interview. In response to Falsani's query about whether he prayed often, Obama said, "Uh, yeah, I guess I do. It's not formal, me getting on my knees. I think I have an ongoing conversation with God. I think throughout the day, I'm constantly asking myself questions about what I'm doing, why am I doing it [emphasis mine]."

Did everyone catch that? If I pray to God, I may ask Him questions. I won't say that I have "an ongoing conversation with God" and then reflexively follow up with "I'm constantly asking myself questions."

Now, do I say that Obama thinks he is a supreme being who created the Universe? Unless it's a universe of programs, laws, regulations, and debt, no. But I am certain (if it's still legal to be so) that Obama is a typical leftist: self-centered and solipsistic. He has deified himself, in the sense that he believes he is above everyone else. This is why he, showing no doubt whatsoever, feels so sure about reshaping our world in his own image.

His comments also vindicate my assessment of him as a moral relativist. Whenever you hear "my values," know that it's the language of relativism. It's the belief that, hey, you have your values, I have mine -- you say "potato" and I say "potahto" -- and it's all just a matter of perspective. This is contrary to any absolutist faith, such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. They teach that God has determined right and wrong and that it is something eternal and unchanging, encapsulated in a word leftists avoid: Truth.

Understand that "values" itself is a term of relativism. Mother Teresa had values, but so did Adolf Hitler. Values aren't good by definition -- virtues are. This is why the latter term is hardly uttered in today's if-it-feels-good-do-it culture; instead, people may boast about how they have values, which is much like a street pusher defending his trade by saying that he provides drugs (which can cure or kill). A value can be sinful as well as sublime.

But in the leftists' universe, there is no sin. After all, they believe, as ancient Greek philosopher Polybius did, that "[m]an is the measure of all things." However, if this is so, what is what we call right and wrong? It then can be nothing but opinion. But think about the implications of this: If that unchanging and eternal thing called Truth didn't exist, "morality" couldn't have any basis in reality. And this would mean that right and wrong don't exist at all. Ergo, no sin.

Unfortunately for Obama's opponents, however, this insight into his un-faith won't lose him many votes. This is because he has a lot of company, as moral relativism is the characteristic spiritual disease of our time. And this is why I will use this opportunity as, to quote our relativist-in-chief, a "teachable" moment.

A poll in recent years found that, strikingly, 62 percent of those identifying as Christians didn't believe in Absolute Truth. I'll also note that we have seen a great number of articles lately about how Christian youth leave the Church as they move through college. These two factors are not unrelated.

On a simple level, if there's no Truth -- if virtues are just values, and values are just opinion -- why pick up your cross and carry it? Why embrace a faith that places moral constraints upon you (especially the sexual variety, which interferes with moderns' favorite recreation)? "If it feels good, do it," then, makes more sense.

Delving a bit deeper, relativism strikes at the foundational act of Christianity: the sacrifice at Calvary. After all, if right and wrong are just opinion and there is thus no sin, there was no reason for Jesus to die on the cross, was there? (But He never said that His blood would be shed for you and for all so that opinions may be forgiven.) So if you haven't instilled your children with a belief in Truth, don't be surprised when they leave the Church. If they don't believe in sin, they cannot believe in a savior.

But this doesn't mean they won't desire salvation -- that is, at least, the worldly variety. And this is one reason why millions of Americans, especially the ever-more-relativistic young, voted for The One. A people who believed in Truth would never cast such a vote -- and those who do believe in it generally didn't -- but when man doesn't believe in God, he makes man God. As to why, I explored the reasons in The New American magazine in 2009, writing, what is what we call right and wrong? It then can be nothing but opinion. But think about the implications of this: If that unchanging and eternal thing called Truth didn't exist, "morality" couldn't have any basis in reality. And this would mean that right and wrong don't exist at all. Ergo, no sin.

Unfortunately for Obama's opponents, however, this insight into his un-faith won't lose him many votes. This is because he has a lot of company, as moral relativism is the characteristic spiritual disease of our time. And this is why I will use this opportunity as, to quote our relativist-in-chief, a "teachable" moment.

A poll in recent years found that, strikingly, 62 percent of those identifying as Christians didn't believe in Absolute Truth. I'll also note that we have seen a great number of articles lately about how Christian youth leave the Church as they move through college. These two factors are not unrelated.

Among other things, people find a belief in God comforting. It involves the ideas that God, or good, will always triumph in the end; that someone is watching over them, cares for them, will help them, and will be there for them in the end. Now, since this human need doesn't disappear along with faith, it follows that people will replace God with something else when they lose faith in Him. Thus did millions of Germans cheer Hitler believing he represented security, triumph, economic resurrection, hope, and change. And it isn't surprising that he rose during the desperate days of the Weimar Republic, with its hyper-inflation and hypo-industriousness. It is when people are desperate that they search for a savior; when they are brought to their lowest, they have nowhere to look but up. It is then that they find either the Deity or a demagogue. And when you mistake the latter for the former, the danger is profound. For you don't disobey a god, you don't question him; a god is infallible. A prostrate people will follow a messianic leader to the ends of the Earth even if it takes them to the edges of Hell.

... Someone who would accept any degree of deification is not only unfit to be worshipped as a god, he is unfit to be followed as a leader. As G.K. Chesterton said in his classic work The Everlasting Man, "A great man knows he is not God, and the greater he is the better he knows it. ... Nobody can imagine Aristotle claiming to be the father of gods and men, come down from the sky; though we might imagine some insane Roman Emperor like Caligula claiming it for him, or more probably for himself." It is also correct to say that truly great people know that their leaders aren't God, and the greater they are, the better they know it.

So, ultimately, the warning here isn't about Barack Obama. It is about us. Our tendency to make man into God will always be directly proportional to our tendency to make God into myth.

Thank God, the myth of Obama has finally been punctured in the minds of many. As with the Daniel Dravot character (played by Sean Connery) in The Man Who Would be King, the natives have now seen Obama bleed, and they're not happy. He is bleeding America, and he won't stop until somebody (hopefully the Republicans, starting in January) stops him. After all, why would he listen to the people or compromise? Despite his extolling uncertainty, when he has his "ongoing conversation with God" and is asking himself questions, I tend to think he views the answers as most infallible, indeed.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/...#ixzz3tAws3whJ

So, we have a major terrorist attack on US soil, and the Dem response is to call for more gun control.

Meanwhile, concurrent with the attack, the President is preparing to A) close Guantanamo and bring its inmates here, B) bring Syrian refugees here, despite the fact that the FBI says they cannot be well vetted, and C) says he will use "Executive Action" on gun ownership if Congress does not.

Are you kidding me?

I'm beginning to sympathize with the tinfoil hat, 'conspiracy 'round every corner' crowd. This President's rhetoric and actions could not make him look more like a Trojan Horse if he tried.

Obama mum on six Americans killed, but breaks from golf to CELEBRATE this milestone…
Written by Michelle Jesse, Associate Editor on December 23, 2015

We’re still waiting for any acknowledgement from our commander in chief about the six American service members who were killed by a terrorist attack in Afghanistan. Any acknowledgement, that is, beyond his usual response to any tragedy befalling Americans, which is, of course to hit the golf course. (H/T Breitbart News)

The president DID, however, manage to pry himself off the golf course in order to acknowledge something he felt was more important than the largest loss of life of American troops in Afghanistan this year.



As The Washington Examiner reports:

President Obama commemorated the five-year anniversary of the lifting of the ban on gays serving in the military by saying he’s received “hundreds” of letters from previously closeted troops.

Obama signed legislation repealing the policy on Dec. 22, 2010, and he said the policy that prohibited gays from openly serving in the military “wasn’t just about living up to our ideals.”

As commander in chief, I have no greater responsibility than keeping Americans safe. And when it comes to defending our country, we need to draw on the talents of every American — regardless of sexual orientation.”

Obama then ticked off progress his administration has made toward LGBT equality, including the landmark Supreme Court decision allowing gays to marry and expansion of the Violence Against Women Act to protect LGBT victims.

“I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished together,” he wrote on Facebook. “But our work is not finished.”

Sadly, President Obama was too busy patting himself on the back to even acknowledge one of the six killed in Afghanistan was the U.S. Military’s first openly gay woman killed in combat, Air Force Maj. Adrianna Vorderbruggen.

I guess we should give him credit, at least, for acknowledging that he has “no greater responsibility than keeping Americans safe.” It’s just kinda funny how he goes about it, isn’t it?

And I guess we also have to give him credit for, true to form, making it crystal clear where his priorities lie.
http://www.allenbwest.com/2015/12/un...his-milestone/

At What Point Do You Obama Loyalists Begin Asking ‘Why’?

by Lloyd Marcus • January 12, 2016

My late 101-year-old black grandmother, Gladys Green, wept when Obama was elected president. I never told grandma that if her hero succeeded in his hostile takeover of American’s health care system, then due to her age, his death-panels would deny her needed surgery. Obama told a woman, “Maybe you’re better off to tell your mother to take a pill, take a painkiller.”

Other black relatives and friends were equally racially seduced; enthralled with Obama. But after seven years, at what point do Obama loyalists reinstate their brains? When do Obama sycophants begin questioning his actions; asking, “Why?”

Baltimore slumAccording to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report and Census Bureau figures, blacks have lost ground in income, employment, and education under Obama. Black Leftist pundit Travis Smiley had to admit, “The data is going to indicate sadly that when the Obama administration is over, black people will have lost ground in every single leading economic indicator category.”

Black America’s decline is the result of Obama’s policies. Blacks should be asking, why? Thank God poor blacks in Chicago have finally seen the light, placing blame squarely on Obama.

Obama is the most economy and job-killing president in U.S. history. He has implemented (oppressive) federal regulations 153% higher in his first five years than under Bush; blacks were hardest hit. A National Association of Manufacturers study estimates Obama’s latest assault will be the most expensive in U.S. History, costing 1.4 million jobs and $1.7 trillion in productivity.

With a third of the country unemployed and 47 million on food stamps, shouldn’t you Obamaites question why he constantly seeks to punish, ridicule and undermine employers (small business owners)?

Sidwell School Wash DCObama’s daughters attend DC’s prestigious Sidwell Friends school where achievement standards are very high. So why has Obama been relentless in his attempts to kill a DC voucher program which gives poor parents a choice of better schools for their kids? The mainstream media does not want you to know that black and Hispanic parents protested in front of the capitol against Obama trying to shut down their school voucher program. Isn’t it reasonable to question why this self-proclaimed savior of the poor and minorities would do such a thing?

Here’s what Planned Parenthood founder, Margaret Sanger said about blacks, “…human weeds, reckless breeders, spawning… human beings who never should have been born.” PP still targets blacks disguised as “women’s health.” Most PP clinics are in black neighborhoods. Blacks are only 12% of the population. And yet, 35% of America’s abortions are black babies. Sanger’s dream of purging the world of blacks is coming true as experts warn that blacks are aborting themselves into extinction.

Despite PP engaging in black genocide, scandalous videos exposing criminal and Nazi-ish horrors hidden behind the walls of PP. Obama heralded his support; ignoring public outrage. Insidiously, Obama vetoed a bill that would end gifting the butchers $500 million annually of taxpayer money to, in essence, murder black babies. Why, Mr. President, why?

Gov. Mike Huckabee said, “The Obama Administration will go down as the most anti-Christian in U.S. History.” Obama’s long list of attacks on Christianity confirms Huckabee’s observation. Meanwhile, Obama passionately defends Muslims and Islam to the hilt. Obama said, “The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.” He also said, “The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer.” Isn’t it about time you black Christian Obama sycophants ponder why? Does your loyalty to Obama’s skin-color trump your commitment to Christ? Y’all, don’t get mad at me. I’m just askin’.

Obama exploited a few confrontations which led to the deaths of black criminals. This opened the door for Obama’s DOJ to allege racism and begin taking over police departments across America. Meanwhile, Obama ignores blacks murdering each other in record numbers every weekend in cites with strict gun laws and controlled by Democrats. Why?

Why did Obama boldly lie to Americans on 29 occasions that he would allow them to keep health-care plans and doctors they liked if they supported him taking over their health care (ObamaCare)? It is disturbing that our president, Barack Obama won the PolitiFact “Lie of the Year” award.

Ignoring historical precedent and common-sense procedures to protect Americans, Obama is the first president to bring Ebola to America. Despite national pleads including ranking Democrats, Obama refused to implement flight restrictions regarding Ebola-infected countries, risking the lives of millions of Americans. Why?

“Death to America!” is chanted at government-sanctioned rallies in Iran. So why would Obama make a deal paving the way for Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb? Obama’s deal also gifts Iran $150 billion to fund their efforts as the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, targeting Israel, our ally. Obama lied again claiming there are ballistic missile restrictions in his Iran Nuke deal. There are not.

The Pentagon warns that Iran’s ballistic missiles are a threat to America.

Before the ink dried, Iran was breaking Obama’s sucker deal. Why in the name of all that is holy is Obama favoring these evil people who seek the annihilation of Israel and America?

Obama rejected a rape victim’s argument that his executive order making it harder for her, a law-abiding citizen, to become a gun owner puts her and her children at risk. Obama’s administration promotes a bogus Republican war on women. Obama denying women this obvious equalizer (guns) constitutes a “real” Democrat war on women. Why, Mr. President?

Folks, I could go on for days listing Obama’s unprecedented assaults and undermining of America and Americans. Still, it would not make a difference to black racists and many Obama walking dead zombies. Nothing will cause them to question Obama’s actions.

It reminds me of a story in the Bible. A man was suffering in hell. He asked to return to earth to warn his brothers not to follow his path. God said not even a visitor from beyond would change their minds.

Still, I pray Obama disciples will begin questioning, why?

http://www.lloydmarcus.com/2016/01/4918/

Vice President Biden will head pursuit of cancer cure
USA Today - Nicole Gaudiano 12 hrs ago

WASHINGTON — President Obama announced during his State of the Union Address that he’s putting Vice President Biden in charge of carrying out the “moonshot” to cure cancer that Biden called for following his son’s death.

"Last month, (Biden) worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources they’ve had in over a decade," Obama said. "Tonight, I’m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us, on so many issues over the past forty years, I’m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control. For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the family we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all."

Biden, in announcing his decision to not run for president in October, said the country needs “a moonshot” to cure cancer and vowed to spend his next 15 months in office fighting for increased funding for research and development. He said the issue is “personal” to him after the loss of his 46-year-old son, Beau, Delaware’s former attorney general, to brain cancer on May 30.

In a post Tuesday night on his Medium channel, Biden wrote that cancer research and therapies are “on the cusp of incredible breakthroughs” but science, data and research results are “trapped in silos, preventing faster progress and greater reach to patients.”

He wrote that he plans to increase public and private resources to fight cancer and break down “silos” to help cancer fighters share information and work together. Later this month he will chair the first of several meetings with cabinet secretaries and heads of relevant agencies to discuss ways to boost funding for cancer research and treatment.

“The goal of this initiative is simple — to double the rate of progress,” he wrote in the post that appeared during Obama’s address. “To make a decade worth of advances in five years.”

Biden and his staff have participated in dozens of listening sessions over the last few months to learn about the current state of cancer research and treatment and potential opportunities to advance the pace of progress, according to his office.

His staff met on Friday with a panel of 15 cancer researchers and physician-scientists, convened by the American Association for Cancer Research, to discuss the potential in areas such as precision medicine and immunotherapy.

“There’s no question they are in the process of compiling information, talking to the broader cancer research community, so they can get a broad spectrum of ideas,” said Jon Retzlaff, AACR’s policy director.

Retzlaff credited lobbying by Biden and other congressional leaders with helping secure a $2-billion increase for NIH in this year’s spending legislation, the most significant increase in NIH funding in a dozen years. The National Cancer Institute, which is part of NIH and the federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training, saw more than a 5% funding boost, he said.

“He was calling on people at the very end to get the omnibus (spending bill) passed,” Retzlaff said. “He’s been a tremendous supporter of medical research throughout his tenure as Vice President, as well as during his time in Congress.”

The House passed "21st Century Cures" legislation in July that includes provisions designed to foster collaborative research and data-sharing. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Biden is committed to helping get "important, bipartisan reforms through the Senate and into law" after the two spoke before Obama's address.

“The talk of a ‘moon shot’ is the exact mindset we need - America can and should lead the way,” Upton said in a statement following Obama's address. “We welcome every voice, including the president’s and vice president’s to the conversation, as we work to get 21st Century Cures across the finish line. The clock is ticking for every family facing an incurable disease.”

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said during a Tuesday briefing with regional reporters that there is bipartisan interest in investments in medical innovation and research and development. Republican interest in the economic and scientific benefits of investments in medical breakthroughs is “clearly consistent with the kind of a ‘moon shot’ that the vice president has talked about,” Earnest said.

“I would add that to the list of things that we’re hopeful we can make some progress with Congress on this year,” he said.

Biden has met over the past few months with nearly 200 of the world’s top cancer physicians, researchers and philanthropists.

On Friday, he heads to the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine to talk to their physicians and researchers. He meets next week with international experts at the National Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“This is our moonshot,” Biden wrote in the Medium post. “I know that we can help solidify a genuine global commitment to end cancer as we know it today — and inspire a new generation of scientists to pursue new discoveries and the bounds of human endeavor.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politi...d=ansmsnnews11

Obama concludes Baton Rouge event
with 'Thank you, New Orleans!
By Kiri Walton, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on January 14, 2016 at 2:07 PM, updated January 14, 2016 at 2:13 PM

President Barack Obama, during his appearance Thursday at Baton Rouge's McKinley High School, praised Gov. John Bel Edwards and gave a shout-out to LSU Basketball standout Ben Simmons.

He took a range of questions from the crowd of about 1,000 people, and announced his plans for financing Medicaid expansion and for making community college free.

All seemed to go smoothly right up until Obama concluded his speech. "God bless you! Thank you, New Orleans!" he told the crowd in the Baton Rouge high school gymnasium, as he turned to leave.

Thursday's town hall event was Obama's second stop on his post-State of the Union tour.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s..._rouge_ev.html

President Obama takes questions, talks Medicaid expansion in Baton Rouge
By Kevin Litten, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on January 14, 2016 at 12:47 PM, updated January 14, 2016 at 2:20 PM

President Barack Obama used a Baton Rouge high school gymnasium Thursday (Jan. 14) to announce a far-reaching revision to financing Medicaid expansion aimed at convincing more states to adopt changes under the Affordable Care Act.

He also took questions from an animated crowd of about 1,000, who asked questions ranging from his post-White House plans, criminal justice reform and the environment. Obama spoke for nearly an hour, mostly without notes, and spent the first few minutes of his remarks talking up Medicaid expansion.

If approved by Congress as part of Obama's 2017 budget, the change Obama announced Thursday will allow states that have resisted adopting Medicaid expansion to put off cost-sharing for three years. The change will mean that Louisiana, which began the process of expanding Medicaid eligibility to 300,000 residents on Tuesday, will not have to begin matching federal funds until 2020 instead of 2017.

In Obama's appearance at McKinley High School, the president used Louisiana as the example other states in the South should follow. He praised Gov. John Bel Edwards, a longtime proponent of the Affordable Care Act, saying he made the "bold and wise" decision to expand Medicaid.

"It shows you why elections matter," Obama said. "And right now we're hoping to encourage more states to do the right thing."

Baton Rouge was Obama's second stop in a post-State of the Union tour to promote his agenda in the waning days of his administration. During the first stop, in Omaha, Neb., he urged that state to participate in Medicaid expansion, according to the Wall Street Journal.

It wasn't immediately clear what impact the financing changes could have on Louisiana's cash-strapped budget if Obama's proposal passes. The state is projecting a $1.9 billion deficit next year, and much of the mid-year budget shortfall contains cost overruns from Louisiana's Medicaid-funded Bayou Health program.

The implications for hospitals in Louisiana are clear. Members of the Louisiana Hospital Association had agreed to help pay for the federal matching dollars when they kick in at 5 percent in 2017 and rise to 10 percent of matching funds by 2020.

The rest of the event featured town hall questions from the audience. Many of them were from adoring supporters of the president -- a Tulane law student wanted tips on how to be more like the president and First Lady -- but others were more pointed.

A Southern University student who asked the president to respond to his concerns about students who graduate from historically black colleges and universities finding good opportunities after graduation.

"I do think that there is a range of challenges that HBCUs face. Some are doing great; some are having more difficulty," Obama said. "There are some HBCUs that are having trouble with graduation (rates) and that is a source of concern. ... We don't want a situation where young people are taking out loans, getting in debt ... and then halfway through dropping out."

Obama said all colleges need to "take seriously the need to graduate that student."

The president, dressed in a black suit, crisp white shirt and without a tie, spent well over an hour taking questions from the crowd. He spoke without notes, often at length, providing meandering answers to questions that drew on a range of topics.

Many of his answers concerned things he hopes to accomplish before leaving office early next year. The questions appeared to be at random, though some -- such as the biggest regret of his presidency and whether a cure for cancer can be found -- touched on themes that emerged during his final State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

During a question from an LSU student about the lack of equality and "huge disparities" between resources provided to students in parishes and school districts, Obama said he was hopeful the student could help solve that problem. The student asked Obama if the federal government was doing enough to ensure students had equal resources available to them.

"It used to be that you could drop out of high school ... walk into a factory and say 'I'm ready to work' and become part of the middle class, Obama said. "But if you go to a factory today, it's full of computers and robots."

Obama said that means education officials need to focus on producing students ready to join a more knowledge-based economy. But in the end, he said many of the decisions about ensuring those students are educated belong to local officials.

"The federal government in my administration has worked with states and local school districts ... to help develop and train teachers to more effectively treat kids," Obama said.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s...it_medica.html

Obama Will Seek Third Term ?

Late Thursday afternoon President Obama said in a speech to supporters that he wished to seek an unprecedented 3rd term as Commander in Chief. He cited his exemplary work at bringing the country back from the brink of economic catastrophe much like former socially minded, populist leader Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Obama expressed his discontent with the current level of Republican and even Democratic contenders for the Office of President. Ted Cruz he thought, lacks the forward thinking vision of a successful president. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump he thought were too angry and lacked the personality of a member of the oval office.

Flanked by a few of his most ardent Democrat supporters in Congress he announced the urgency to repeal a portion of the Constitution which forbids the president from seeking a 3rd term. Democrats have already pushed forth legislation which should accomplish just that.

Obama stated:

“I would put [my administration] up against any prior administration since FDR,” Obama said. “We didn’t ask for the challenges that we face, but we don’t shrink from them either.” He continued, “And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades. It will require common effort, shared responsibility, and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one. That is why I wish to pursue another term, so that I may right the wrongs of past Republican leadership, and lead the country to a brighter future.”

President Obama will issue an executive order later next week expanding presidential powers and eliminating the 22nd Amendment, according to news reports published by the AP and Reuters. Obama promised in his speech to ensure Americans understand the importance of defeating ISIS, sacrificing a degree of privacy for vital security, and to institute major Wall Street reform. Also on his agenda is a high speed rail system to be finished in 2020 and paid for by new stimulus money he will attempt to push through Congress in 2015. Socially Liberal Democrats and Progressives cheered the move as a major step forward to a more generous nation-state. Citing Republican obstructionism as the main culprit in his failure to implement these policies he promised us back in his campaign of 2008, he claimed a 3rd and possibly 4th term would give him more of the time he so desperately deserved.


http://dailyleak.org/2016/02/obama-third-term/