# Obama is a Republican; Palin is just a decoy. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-republican-palin-is-just-a-decoy/563447 "2010-12-08T18:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-republican-palin-is-just-a-decoy/563447/41 "2010-12-10T12:55:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Posted by **foolsguinea** : > The OP is excessively binary. The OP was certainly excessively something last night but he’s much better this morning, in spite of not getting much sleep. It’s just that I sometimes despair and see nothing ahead but a big black hole; inside that hole lurks the Republican Party, sworn to do as much damage as possible to anyone and everyone who might disagree with them. This morning, I regret opening this sorry thread. Make of that what you will. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-republican-palin-is-just-a-decoy/563447/42 "2010-12-10T16:18:31Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > You guys have a wildly wrong idea of what it takes to get elected and enact policies in this country. You think Dennis Kucinich could have won? You think Obama is weak for caving, but you think the GOP are a bunch of nihilists who want to do nothing but obstruct? It just doesn’t make any sense. You’re lucky the smart Democrats elected Obama and actually passed more Democratic legislation than has been passed in 40 years instead of electing Kucinich who would have lost or someone else who would have acted like Bush and gotten nothing done like Bush. Actually I feel that’s essentially what happened. Obama isn’t Kucinich but the Democrats had to make a real choice between Clinton and Obama. And they chose ideology over effectiveness. The result was they got a President who believes in all the right things but isn’t getting them done. And do you really think that Bush got nothing done during his time in office? We’d be a lot better off if that were true. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-republican-palin-is-just-a-decoy/563447/43 "2010-12-10T18:13:47Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Actually I feel that’s essentially what happened. Obama isn’t Kucinich but the Democrats had to make a real choice between Clinton and Obama. And they chose ideology over effectiveness. The result was they got a President who believes in all the right things but isn’t getting them done. > > And do you really think that Bush got nothing done during his time in office? We’d be a lot better off if that were true. Obama has done more in 2 years than Bush and Clinton combined. Bush did a lot of things unilaterally, but he didnt sign very many important laws. NCLB, a tax cut passed by reconciliation, and Medicare Part D. Most of the legislation that both former presidents signed was either minimal or centrist. The notion that Hillary, if she even could have won, would have accomplished more is just nonsense, unless you think Hillary would use her mind bullets to replace Nelson, Lincoln, Collins, and Snowe with lefty Dems. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-republican-palin-is-just-a-decoy/563447/44 "2010-12-10T19:38:55Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Obama has done more in 2 years than Bush and Clinton combined. Bush did a lot of things unilaterally, but he didnt sign very many important laws. NCLB, a tax cut passed by reconciliation, and Medicare Part D. Most of the legislation that both former presidents signed was either minimal or centrist. The notion that Hillary, if she even could have won, would have accomplished more is just nonsense, unless you think Hillary would use her mind bullets to replace Nelson, Lincoln, Collins, and Snowe with lefty Dems. This assumes that Hillary would not have attacked the policies of her opponents, her opponents themselves and rewarded her allies. She would have. That is why the Republicans fear and hate her. Obama does not do those things because he believes that they are damaging to the political process. Never mind that he let his surrogates falsely accuse the Clintons of racism when it was convenient to him personally. The fact is that rough elbows in politics work when used correctly. The only instances when Obama will use them is when he personally can benefit from them. He did this by having his surrogates call the Clintons racists (a truly absurd charge) and in blasting his own supporters by calling them “purists” and “sanctimonious”, which he mistakenly thinks will get him some street cred with his enemies. Methinks that Obama has has a very bad week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-republican-palin-is-just-a-decoy/563447.md?page=2)