We are yet again falling victim to the 24 hour news cycle. All the media have time and space to fill. Huge amounts of both and will put almost anything in there to fill it. I voted for Obama because he impressed me as intelligent, serious and forward looking. He is putting intelligent, experienced people in these top positions. How many Democratic administrations have we had from which to draw on?

The Republicans have gone for the True Believers the last 20 plus years and look where it's gotten them and us. Maybe we want people who believe as we do but are willing to respond to the situation in the world today! You know, that old objective reality thing.

Let's wait a bit before condemning Obama's administration because they aren't doing things PURE enough.

I have officially left the Democratic party and become an independent, solely because Barack Obama engineered letting Lieberman keep his HS committee chairmanship.

I haven't given up on Obama yet, but I have given up on the Democractic party. To hell with them.

get ready...

After 8 long painful years of the worst President in the history of this country. Who was also the most ignorant and incompetent in our history. Along with one of the most ultra conservative Presidents in the history of this country. Who pushed religions agenda on us wholesale. Started totally unnecessary wars. Broke every law on the books. Rewrote the Constitution to suit his own depraved needs. Then drove the economy into the ditch. I am just happy to have someone that might be more center of the road than a right wing nut again! I doubt very seriously I am going to like everything he does. I never do! But, right at this moment I am just thrilled we don't have another right wing whack job in there! So I will wait a while to pass judgment on his appointments

As a former Hillary supporter, I was won over to Obama's side and positions by his thoughtful and superbly nuanced ideas, hopes and plans for America. In this troubled time, his choices of various players from the Clinton Administration, along with newer choices, makes me even more confident that a President Obama will be an activist President, albeit a restrained one. That seems to be a good thing, imho.

Universal healthcare, the end to don't-ask-don't tell, freedom to mention ALL aspects of family planning in our worldwide outreach, stemcell research, no drilling in ANWR and many more are within the realm of possibilities/probabilities. However, governing from the center is smart, reasonable and will certainly bring more voters into the Democratic camp.

I'm willing to give the man...who was not my 1st choice for the job, but, was the man for whom I voted...the time and the backing he needs to accomplish the Herculean tasks confronting him. I have faith in him to have an agenda and a timeline that will make us Progressives happy...even if it takes his entire first term to accomplish.

now they are realizing what the rest of us figured out back in the primaries.

Obama is a political opportunist who will say anything, smear anyone, discriminate against anyone, in order to get what he wants.

Change is already happening.

Politicians take the professional political roles, advisers are the laypeople who advise the politicians, and lobbyists are those who are paid to represent interests. If Obama truly isn't surrounding himself with lobbyists right now, I find that amazing and astounding and yes, that is change. Pay attention.

I would rather not see so many Clintonites in the administration myself, but to be practical, who else? Since I voted for Barack Obama and these are his picks, I will trust that this is the team he decided will be the most effective. I voted for his judgement and certainly not for his progressive ideology which he never claimed in the first place. Besides, I don't see very many suggestions of who will be better, and we have too many problems to get all stuck in some ideological muck. Fires need to be put out first and experience counts in emergencies.

Obama's cabinet is far left to Bush's, far far left, so that makes him much more progressive. However he never claimed to be some stealth Green Party candidate.

I also think part of the dissapointment is the lack of punishment for the Bush administration. I would like to see those criminals punished also. But we have problems and that is not a good use of energy right now and Obama was up front about that also. We won, but now the real work begins. We all have local reps. Keep in close contact with them to make sure the streams of change continue. This is only beginning.

A member of the Obama economic advisory team, William M. Daley, acknowledged that because of the gravity of the situation, Mr. Obama was leaning toward letting a Bush tax cut for the wealthy expire on schedule in 2011 rather than repealing it sooner.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/us/politics/24transition.html

The rich get richer while the rest of us pay for it.

Goodbye. After all the fed-up can't-take-the-inanity-anymore folks such as myself finally leave, the floppy ducklings will have their own little self-reinforcing echo chamber all to themselves. Enjoy the illusion.

-- rodian

Nuff said.

If it was up to me he'd be long gone - but Obama might have plans for him. Joe is a liberal on most issues not connected to the Middle East. Obama might be counting on his vote if things get close. And they can always boot him out later if he starts acting up.

When is Salon going to hire some writers who understand how politics work?

LONDON (AFP) - The British government is expected to hit the rich to pay for tax cuts aimed at getting consumers spending again in an economic stimulus package set to be unveiled Monday.

In a bid to counter a looming recession, Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling was widely expected to announce a future rise in income tax for top earners while cutting value added tax (VAT) to revitalise spending on goods and services.

http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/newsmlmmd.2f7270fb6a3e84a0e708c757c66e1931.181.html