News Obama for President: Experienced Leader

[BobG]

Every female already had access to birth control, his policy just makes sure that someone else is paying for it.

He basically constructed a straw man and beat it down with his 'contraception mandate'. What deficiency was he honestly correcting? This 'separation philosophy' is coming at the expense of everyone's choice. What is the harm in allowing someone (or a religious orgnization...) a choice in what medical coverage they buy? Freedom is constricted via the President's policies (with this being the latest in a long line), I don't see how there is any other way to look at it.

I'm far from being a religious person, but President Obama (and his cohort) are waging a war on freedoms, starting with Religion. If (reasonable) Religious freedom can be thrown to the wayside by the government so easilly, what other freedoms should I be prepared to give up? Women (and men) already had the freedom to buy contraception, but now they lack the freedom to NOT buy contraception (via paying for insurance).

I'm divided on this issue.

I don't think the government should be able to require employers to offer health insurance at all and, aside from preventing sham policies or fraud, shouldn't be dictating what services have to be provided by health insurance policies purchased and/or operated by employers.

Whether an employer offers health insurance and the cost of that health insurance is just part of the overall compensation package an employee should consider before deciding to accept the job. Not providing health insurance will put an employer at a competitive disadvantage in attracting employees, but it shouldn't be illegal.

But, if the government can require employers to provide health insurance and dictate what those policies have to cover, then I don't see any justification for exempting a business that just happens to be owned by a religious group. The mandate covers university employees and hospital employees. Running a university and/or hospital is extending beyond strictly religious functions and the university/hospitals should be subject to the same laws as universities/hospitals owned by non-religious entities.

Women (and men) already had the freedom to buy contraception, but now they lack the freedom to NOT buy contraception (via paying for insurance).

Don't employees of a private business also lack the same freedom? Do Catholic employees get a discount on their health insurance just because they don't plan to use the free contraceptives their employer's plan provides? And what happens when the company I work for donates to a super-PAC for a pro-abortion candidate? Should employees that oppose that candidate get a special refund from their employer to free them up from supporting a candidate with moral views incompatible with theirs?

In other words, I don't think this works on an individual employee basis.

 

[Alfi]

http://www.google.ca/search?q=‘Afri...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

playing a race card?

 

[WhoWee]

http://www.google.ca/search?q=‘Afri...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

playing a race card?

I don't see it that way. I think a candidate should be able to communicate directly with special interest groups. At the same time, they should expect content to leak and can run the risk of being considered too biased with that group (whatever group that might be - trial lawyers for instance).

 

[mheslep]

whatever group that might be

Whatever group? You would defend 'Whites for Newt'? 'White Men for Santorum'?

 

[WhoWee]

Whatever group? You would defend 'Whites for Newt'? 'White Men for Santorum'?

If they want to run the risk of such a collaboration - it's not a problem for me - although it would probably be a big problem for them.

 

[WhoWee]

The President recently apologized for the burning of religious materials and has vowed to investigate.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-27/obama-apologizes-for-koran-burning-as-afghan-riots-continue.html

I don't think it's fair to attack the President for his apology - he was put in a difficult position by news reports - IMO.

However, I'm a bit confused about the original source of these reports? Who broke this story?

 

[Alfi]

How about a balance? We will burn 1000 bibles in competence.

Book for book ... let's burn them all. And get on with life.

 

[WhoWee]

How about a balance? We will burn 1000 bibles in competence.

Book for book ... let's burn them all. And get on with life.

Our President was blind sided and our soldiers were shot - I think the source of the leak is important and may impact the re-election campaign.

 

[Alfi]

Our President was blind sided and our soldiers were shot - I think the source of the leak is important and may impact the re-election campaign.

I can agree that sources are important. Re-election ? not so much. There is no competition.

 

[MarcoD]

We will burn 1000 bibles in competence.

Yeah well, your book isn't their book. Right?

 

[WhoWee]

My point is this - if this account is accurate:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/02/ap-7-afghans-killed-in-afghan-protests-over-koran-burning-022212/

"Gen. John Allen, the top commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said after the books had been mistakenly given to troops to be burned at a garbage pit without realizing it.

“It was not a decision that was made because they were religious materials,” Allen said Tuesday, one day after Afghan workers at the garbage pit found the books. “It was not a decision that was made with respect to the faith of Islam. It was a mistake. It was an error. The moment we found out about it we immediately stopped and we intervened.”"

How did this apparent mistake turn into an international incident requiring President Obama and generals to apoligize?

 

[SHISHKABOB]

My point is this - if this account is accurate:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/02/ap-7-afghans-killed-in-afghan-protests-over-koran-burning-022212/

"Gen. John Allen, the top commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said after the books had been mistakenly given to troops to be burned at a garbage pit without realizing it.

“It was not a decision that was made because they were religious materials,” Allen said Tuesday, one day after Afghan workers at the garbage pit found the books. “It was not a decision that was made with respect to the faith of Islam. It was a mistake. It was an error. The moment we found out about it we immediately stopped and we intervened.”"

How did this apparent mistake turn into an international incident requiring President Obama and generals to apoligize?

because there are a few people out there who react violently to the burning of Korans?

 

[MarcoD]

Desecrating a copy of the Quran is punishable by imprisonment in some countries (life imprisonment in Pakistan, according to Article 295-B of the Penal Code) and has been punishable by death in Afghanistan, Somalia and Pakistan.

From Wikipedia, Quran desecration. I am guesstimating that to a number of them, western troops are now free game, effective immediately. Like I said, somewhere in between a major clusterfluff and dung happens.

 

[SHISHKABOB]

If the burning was nothing more than a mistake - how did anyone know what was being burned?

in your own post the quote mentions how Afghan workers found the burnt remains. One of them probably either got upset about it and told people, or just plain told people and then they got upset.

 

[WhoWee]

I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear my support is behind any Republican candidate that runs against President Obama. However, I think this issue should be off limits in the campaign.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear my support is behind any Republican candidate that runs against President Obama. However, I think this issue should be off limits in the campaign.

That train left the station already.

 

[WhoWee]

That train left the station already.

I think attempts to use this topic against the President will backfire.

 

[MarcoD]

IMO, given international relations, the only response possible was the one he has given.

 

[turbo]

There are times when honesty and pragmatism should trump ideology. I trust Obama to stay that course. Not so his potential opponents in the GE.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

It will narrow your choices, I think Paul is the only one who hasn't criticized the apology.

 

[turbo]

IMO, one of the benchmarks for adult behavior and intelligence is the ability to offer an apology when appropriate.

 

[AlephZero]

How did this apparent mistake turn into an international incident requiring President Obama and generals to apoligize?

One possible reason is because it shows the utter and complete lack knowledge on the part of whoever made such a "mistake", considering where they are operating and what they are supposed to be doing there.

IMO it's about the same level of "mistake" as an Afghani claiming that he/she accidentally burnt a US flag because he/she didn't recognize what it was.

 

[mheslep]

I can agree that sources are important. Re-election ? not so much. There is no competition.

No competition against President 25-million-unemployed,$1.3-trillion-deficit,punish-our-enemies,$4gas Obama? We'll see.

 

[WhoWee]

No competition against President 25-million-unemployed,$1.3-trillion-deficit,punish-our-enemies,$4gas Obama? We'll see.

That's my feeling - there are PLENTY of other reasons not to re-elect the President.

 

[Pythagorean]

If you actually put "punishment" in context, it might be a bit more fair... He's dressing up a simple concept with colorful language: vote for people who promote policies that are helpful to you, don't vote for people that don't promote policies that are helpful for you.

Can't comment on the rest, but I've seen numbers get taken out of context over and over in this thread.

 

[WhoWee]

The UAW clearly favors candidates that help them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/u...help-obama-win-working-class-voters.html?_r=1

"The United Automobile Workers union, a primary beneficiary of President Obama’s decision to rescue domestic carmakers, is now trying to return the favor. "

 

[mheslep]

If you actually put "punishment" in context, it might be a bit more fair... He's dressing up a simple concept with colorful language: vote for people who promote policies that are helpful to you, don't vote for people that don't promote policies that are helpful for you...

The relevant context is that the President was addressing the collection of an ethnic group, encouraging the use of the term "enemies" in political rhetoric against other citizens in good standing. The relevant historical context is that a former President, Nixon, used the term to describe a list of political targets, or an "enemies list", also citizens. Obama went on to say, in addressing Senator McCain and others, "Those aren’t the kinds of folks who represent our core American values” in the same speech. This is exactly the same kind of us versus them tone that Palin used with her "real American" comment. She at least apologized for the statement later. This kind of rhetoric has become salt and pepper for this President.

 

[Pythagorean]

See, now that's much more trivial than what I imagined when I first read it. A politician using rhetoric? That's unheard of!

 

[WhoWee]

Does anyone recall when President Obama took office 3 years ago and promised to close Gitmo within a year - signed an order?
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-22/politics/guantanamo.order_1_detention-guantanamo-bay-torture?_s=PM:POLITICS
"January 22, 2009

President Obama signs the order requiring that the Guantanamo Bay facility be closed within a year.Promising to return America to the "moral high ground" in the war on terrorism, President Obama issued three executive orders Thursday to demonstrate a clean break from the Bush administration, including one requiring that the Guantanamo Bay detention facility be closed within a year."

Not only is Gitmo still open now in 2012, but this was in the news yesterday. my bold
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...the-air-again/2012/02/28/gIQAboPngR_blog.html

"When the authorities at Guantanamo Bay closed Camp 4, the open-air, communal-living facility here, and moved the detainees to an indoor facility called Camp 6, the inmates lost the small patch of dirt where they played soccer. Or, as they call it, football.

The competition, though, was not lost forever.

The Pentagon has said it is restoring the glorious game to Gitmo with a new 28,000-square-foot “super-rec” space that includes a field surrounded by a gravel track with shaded areas in the corners. Detainees will reach the field by walking through covered walkways that the military is calling “habitat trails” — rather like the tunnel to the pitch at, say, Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, but without the crowds.

The cost of the project: $744,000.

Officials here said the detainees had desperately missed their matches and boosting the morale of the inmates makes the job of the guard force easier. "

What happened to the small patch of dirt?

 

[ThomasT]

Does anyone recall when President Obama took office 3 years ago and promised to close Gitmo within a year - signed an order?
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-22/politics/guantanamo.order_1_detention-guantanamo-bay-torture?_s=PM:POLITICS
"January 22, 2009

President Obama signs the order requiring that the Guantanamo Bay facility be closed within a year.Promising to return America to the "moral high ground" in the war on terrorism, President Obama issued three executive orders Thursday to demonstrate a clean break from the Bush administration, including one requiring that the Guantanamo Bay detention facility be closed within a year."

Not only is Gitmo still open now in 2012, but this was in the news yesterday. my bold
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...the-air-again/2012/02/28/gIQAboPngR_blog.html

"When the authorities at Guantanamo Bay closed Camp 4, the open-air, communal-living facility here, and moved the detainees to an indoor facility called Camp 6, the inmates lost the small patch of dirt where they played soccer. Or, as they call it, football.

The competition, though, was not lost forever.

The Pentagon has said it is restoring the glorious game to Gitmo with a new 28,000-square-foot “super-rec” space that includes a field surrounded by a gravel track with shaded areas in the corners. Detainees will reach the field by walking through covered walkways that the military is calling “habitat trails” — rather like the tunnel to the pitch at, say, Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, but without the crowds.

The cost of the project: $744,000.

Officials here said the detainees had desperately missed their matches and boosting the morale of the inmates makes the job of the guard force easier. "

What happened to the small patch of dirt?

Not clear what the point of this post is. Are we to be angry at Obama for keeping the Gitmo prison open though he said he would close it? Or are we to be very disappointed that he has spent $744K of our money on a soccer field for people suspected of terrorist activities? Either way, not good for Obama, imho. Which, I suppose, was the point of the post.