# Change your SDMB location to Obama Country! **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 18, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094 "2012-03-18T00:37:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/21 "2012-03-18T19:21:14Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > No bet. Unlike the whackadoodle left on this very board, I generally do not regard a victory by my political opponents to be an Earth-shattering tragedy. If Obama wins, he is likely to pursue certain policies I won’t like, but they are not likely to have much real impact on my daily life. For that matter, if Romney wins, the same theory applies. Ditto, I’m an upper middle class conservative and really nothing has changed for me at all since Obama took office and Bush left office. Hell, I view it as somewhat of a victory for my side that on many issues of policy the choice between Obama and whoever the GOP nominates is a choice between the “very conservative” (GOP) and the “conservative” (Obama) positions. Obama has some genuinely liberal and leftist positions, but on the whole he’s the least left-leaning President the Democrats have had in my lifetime. Some of us who lived through Carter and Johnson think people are crazy that think Obama is even a real liberal, let alone something conservatives should be afraid of. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/22 "2012-03-18T19:26:30Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > The actual facts would indicate the world market was down in late Summer/early Fall of 2008. Obama took office in January of 2009. He didn’t even win election until November of 2008. > > The world markets have actually improved on his watch. All signs indicate this improvement is likely to continue into next year. Overall then I guess your claims here should be given a big ol’ FAIL. Obama deserves very little credit or blame for the world markets. Presidents aren’t totally unable to impact the market, but I read an interesting article in the Atlantic many months ago back when the economy was in worse shape. It argued that people should be judging Obama based on his foreign policy issues and his actions in regard to things like civil liberties and etc domestically. Not because the economy wasn’t important, but because those are the things Obama has massive, direct control over and real impact on. The economy is akin to a barge being pushed down a river by a boat not suited to the job. The President as captain of the boat can make very minor course corrections, but because of inherent limitations they are more victims of the river’s current than anything else. They have more control and effect than you or me, but are far from being in a position where they should be credited or blamed for the economy. I think Bernanke’s response to the crisis is massively underrated on both sides of the aisle, and Obama was pretty supportive of him. I also think something a President can do is help determine how much economic downturns hurt the most marginalized members of society, that’s an important thing in and of itself. In the real world of course the President takes full blame for uncontrollable economic changes and commodity price fluctuations. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/23 "2012-03-18T19:32:21Z")
I admire and respect President Obama a lot, but I hope you’ll understand when I say - I hope my home will never be his country. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/24 "2012-03-18T19:45:24Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Failed? Failed at sucking maybe. Wow. Just, wow. So that is the standard you hold the leader of the free world to? I voted for him. I loved him. He did not suck (too much). But let’s face it, he was pretty ineffectual as a leader, soft on his promises and weak against the GOP. I don’t hate or dislike him but he could have done much more, imo. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/25 "2012-03-18T20:35:34Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Political opponents are roughly equivalent to fans of a rival sports team, not demonic entities intent on stealing your soul. Nice to hear someone saying that. I’m a yellow-dog democrat and a real live socialist and I heartily endorse this statement, ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/26 "2012-03-18T21:12:21Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Nice to hear someone saying that. I’m a yellow-dog democrat and a real live socialist and I heartily endorse this statement, It would be even nicer to see some of the militant lefties here (I do not count you in that number) acknowledge and reciprocate the sentiment rather than constantly streaming bile and venom at those of us who root for the other team. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/27 "2012-03-18T21:18:55Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > It would be even nicer to see some of the militant lefties here (I do not count you in that number) acknowledge and reciprocate the sentiment rather than constantly streaming bile and venom at those of us who root for the other team. no u ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/28 "2012-03-18T21:19:19Z")
Not all of us see it as “rooting for a team”. There are quite a few who do put the security, interests, and advancement of the country, and the nation and the world, both for the present and for future generations, first, and support those in public service who come most closely to sharing those principles along with having the ability to advance them. That means we deplore and are saddened by those, even among those who also support the same public servants as we do, who either have or evince no higher principle than “rooting for a team”. What we voters do _matters_. The results do make a real difference to real people, even if you find the thought inconvenient and would rather dismiss it, especially solipsistically. If you really don’t think the election means any more than the Super Bowl, then it really isn’t worth trying to discuss it with you. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/29 "2012-03-18T21:25:28Z")
I never left Obama Country. President Obama has not done everything I had hoped he would do. But I have absolutely no doubt that the world is a better place now than it was four years ago, and I firmly believe that things would not be as good had McCain been elected. While I understand that there are limitations on presidential power, and that in particular the economy (which has improved considerably in the past four years) is not under the president’s control, I still think we will be better off over the next four years if President Obama is in charge. I do not feel any enmity toward people who vote Republican. I understand that they view things differently, and that the expression of different viewpoints is the whole point of democracy. I just want to see the best man win, and based on the current crop of Republican candidates, I believe that the best man is President Obama. Here’s to not changing my location field until at least January, 2017. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/30 "2012-03-18T21:27:36Z")
Watching Bush appointed Federal judges routinely throw out injured peoples’ lawsuits has made me care very much who gets to pick our judges. Having someone in office who isn’t simply trying to protect corporate wrongdoing is the most important aspect of the political “game,” in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/31 "2012-03-18T21:50:55Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I never left Obama Country. > > President Obama has not done everything I had hoped he would do. But I have absolutely no doubt that the world is a better place now than it was four years ago, and I firmly believe that things would not be as good had McCain been elected. > > While I understand that there are limitations on presidential power, and that in particular the economy (which has improved considerably in the past four years) is not under the president’s control, I still think we will be better off over the next four years if President Obama is in charge. > > I do not feel any enmity toward people who vote Republican. I understand that they view things differently, and that the expression of different viewpoints is the whole point of democracy. I just want to see the best man win, and based on the current crop of Republican candidates, I believe that the best man is President Obama. I agree with this. Also, I believe we have reason to hope that President Obama will support same sex marriage before long. He has said his thoughts on this issue are evolving. I campaigned for Mr. Obama last time. I hope to get more involved this time too. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/32 "2012-03-18T21:55:54Z")
Previously, as a loyal US ally, the UK sent supporting troops into Iraq and Afghanistan. We then found there were no WMDs and that Bush was an embarrassment almost whenever he spoke. In this forthcoming election, the horror of the fanatical Tea Party / Religious Right leading to Palin, Bachman and Santorum as potential Presidents is immense. As an atheist, I can only say “God bless Obama!” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/33 "2012-03-18T21:58:40Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > I never left Obama Country. > > President Obama has not done everything I had hoped he would do. But I have absolutely no doubt that the world is a better place now than it was four years ago, and I firmly believe that things would not be as good had McCain been elected. > > While I understand that there are limitations on presidential power, and that in particular the economy (which has improved considerably in the past four years) is not under the president’s control, I still think we will be better off over the next four years if President Obama is in charge. > > I do not feel any enmity toward people who vote Republican. I understand that they view things differently, and that the expression of different viewpoints is the whole point of democracy. I just want to see the best man win, and based on the current crop of Republican candidates, I believe that the best man is President Obama. > > Here’s to not changing my location field until at least January, 2017. Many thanks, and well said. **glee** , looks like you didn’t actually change your location… ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/34 "2012-03-18T22:14:37Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > President Obama seems to be a nice, intelligent man with a fine family, much like Jimmy Carter. > > But results matter. Obama is the number one most accountable public employee in the nation, and his job performance sucks. > > Words don’t matter, results matter. I am sure that Obama will become a much loved ex-president. Whether that happens next year or 4 years after will not likely change his ultimate assessment. > > Like Jimmy Carter, the world market is down on his watch and will not improve until that watch is over. Right or wrong, if he gets re-elected the economic depression will continue until his term ends. I’ll never understand this thinking, though I encounter it a lot. The markets have done nothing but go up since about six weeks after his inauguration. The Dow is up 40% since January of 09. When I ask conservatives what specifically has Obama done that irks them so much, they answer with things that either happened under the previous President (recession), or something that never happened (my taxes went up!), or something that hasn’t happened and probably won’t (radical Muslim takeover in Egypt, Sharia Law, government “takeover” of healthcare.) The fact is, things are much better now than when Obama took office. We’re out of the dumbest war the country was ever involved in, Osama Bin Laden is dead, the economy is vastly improved and should continue to improve, the Arab Spring happened without our heavy-handed involvement, etc. I wish people would tell me very specifically what is worse now than four years ago. You can say that the debt is increased, and that is true, but virtually all economists will say that things would be much worse without the stimulus. It worked. So did the auto bailouts. The stimulus wasn’t done just because Democrats like spending money, it was done to avert a Depression, and it worked. If the economic conditions weren’t so grim, it never would have been done. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/35 "2012-03-18T22:39:39Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Wow. Just, wow. So that is the standard you hold the leader of the free world to? He is not the goddamn “leader of the free world.” That is so offensive. He is the leader (kinda) of _America_, a country that needs to do a whole hell of a lot before it ever could call itself the “leader of freedom” or any of that nonsense. Sorry, but that shit drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/36 "2012-03-19T02:04:51Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > I voted for him. I loved him. He did not suck (too much). But let’s face it, he was pretty ineffectual as a leader, soft on his promises and weak against the GOP. I don’t hate or dislike him but he could have done much more, imo. Well, I don’t really judge politicians against a platonic ideal. I look at the various candidates and choose the one with the greatest likelihood of winning that also matches my political preferences best. And Obama is by far the most liberal candidate for president this year. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/37 "2012-03-19T02:25:25Z")
Oh goody a bandwagon! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/38 "2012-03-19T02:44:48Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > Oh goody a bandwagon! Yeehaw! Climb aboard, friend! ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/39 "2012-03-19T05:57:00Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > He is not the goddamn “leader of the free world.” That is so offensive. He is the leader (kinda) of _America_, a country that needs to do a whole hell of a lot before it ever could call itself the “leader of freedom” or any of that nonsense. > > Sorry, but that shit drives me nuts. Of course I know he’s not actually the leader of the free world. It’s not offensive, it’s shorthand. Way to miss the point entirely, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094/40 "2012-03-19T08:38:14Z")
The “free world” is not shorthand in any way for “U.S.A.”, it’s an incredibly stupid statement Americans need to stop and think about before mindlessly blurting out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/change-your-sdmb-location-to-obama-country/616094.md?page=3)