No More Happy

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If nothing else, Jeff Deutchman's 11.4.08 (10.20) -- a doc about what various everyday people were doing, seeing, saying and feeling on the day Barack Obama was elected President -- proves that timing really counts. I'm sorry to be a killjoy, but the idea of watching a film in October 2010 that celebrates the hope and highs of 11.4.08 feels like some kind of sick joke.

How can anyone watch this film without thinking that that good old "yes, we did it!" vibe is absolutely dead and gone? That feeling was over three or four months after the January '09 inauguaration. I'm disoriented and angry and pissed off, and if Jeff Deutchman is still fluttering around on a November '08 nostalgia high then he needs to find the right medication and comes down to earth and deal with the here-and-now.

How are things not awful now? Obama has done well in a limited, modified, lily-livered Jimmy Carter-like way, but he's disappointed even the faithful. The crazy-ass looney-tunes righties are going to beat the shit out of Democrats in several House races (though perhaps fewer than we were presuming a few weeks ago). Obama has the same corrupt guys who not only rubber-stamped but profited by the system that led to the '08 economic collapse running his economic policies. He's spending billions of dollars every week in Afghanistan.

Are we idiots? The hope days are over, for heaven's sake. Who wants to celebrate how great everything felt two years ago when snarling, salivating wolves are prowling around and biting everyone on the leg, and the hunter with the gun is going "is there some way these wolves can be persuaded to act rationally and constructively?"

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on October 20, 2010 at 11:30 AM

comment #1

Gridlock says ...

It doesn't matter who is in office, it's the office itself that fucks us all. Obama has at least helped clarify that for a much larger group of people.

Posted by Gridlock at October 20, 2010 12:01 PM

comment #2

TL says ...

I love how Jeff complains about "low information voters" around election times, then compares the most successful liberal presidency since LBJ good "in a limited, modified, lily-livered Jimmy Carter-like way" simply because the economy is bad and GOPers are going to win some seats at the midterm.

Posted by TL at October 20, 2010 12:17 PM

comment #3

Abbey Normal says ...

You're an idiot. Do you not realize this whole Tea Party thing is a direct result of Obama's strident--and successful--progressivism? You're letting the media and your own ludicrously high expectations drive your brain's logic centers. Just because there's no single payer health care and gay people can't get married in all 50 states doesn't mean it's time to turn tail and hide 20 months into his goddamn presidency.

Stop being such a whiny little bitch, start trying to defend the massive gains that have already been made, and above all, for Christ's sake have some faith and some patience.

Read this if you need more information.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/220013

Posted by Abbey Normal at October 20, 2010 12:27 PM

comment #4

Krillian says ...

I would imagine that there's going to be some prophetic quotes from some people who were feeling wary that day about the sunshine and unicorns.

Even then, that very day, most Republicans were sitting back warm & fuzzy and thinking "Finally, an African-American president..." followed by "Coulda been you, Colin Powell..."

Posted by Krillian at October 20, 2010 12:30 PM

comment #5

mrmystery says ...

I'll be there on opening day. This should be hilarious to watch. All those wide-eyed naifs certaain the the Messidah had arrived.and now the sea levels would decline and the planet start to heal. Thanks, suckers!

Posted by mrmystery at October 20, 2010 12:31 PM

comment #6

Movie Watcher says ...

I'm disappointed in Obama, and the dems will take a beating in the midterms. When the repubs take control of the house, they aren't going to do anything to make it easier for Obama to get legislation passed. Then guess what? He will be re-elected. Then the righties will be saying "What the fuck happened?"

Posted by Movie Watcher at October 20, 2010 12:40 PM

comment #7

Brendan says ...

The Tea Party "thing" is nothing more then corporate re-branding. (Paging Don Draper.) A wise stroke by a party that had it's back to the wall on 11/4/2008. From what I have read, out of the close to 140 Tea Party candidates, not one comes from the left and all have been either Republicans or Libertarians in the past. If you can't see through that then you should not vote. Good luck getting a candidate out of that lot for 2012. Woman, minorities (is that the white guys yet) and the young crowd, (the same blocks that put Barry in office) have turned their nose on the Tea Party so far. Time will tell.

Posted by Brendan at October 20, 2010 12:53 PM

comment #8

Rev. Slappy says ...

The most disappointing thing about Obama for me has been his almost complete lack of leadership. It's as if he's afraid of offending anybody. We all know that cliche, that when there is a lack of true leadership people will follow anybody. Well there's been a lack of leadership and it's allowed these odious Teabaggers to really gain some traction. Their latest atrocity was that "debate" yesterday with Christine O'Donnell. How can that not embarrass conservatives, that a candidate for the US Senate has no idea what's in the First Amendment. Obama has let these clowns run all over him. He's never had any answer for the Tea Party and he's sure as hell never stood up to them. For the last year and a half the Republicans couldn't be more transparent with their motives. They don't give a shit about getting the country out of this mess, they only give a shit about getting their power back. Obama ran a masterful campaign in 2008 and now he can't outmaneuver John Boehner and Mitch McConnell?

Posted by Rev. Slappy at October 20, 2010 12:58 PM

comment #9

corey3rd says ...

the timing issue is not so much about Obama, but ourselves. We know where we were 2 years ago. We don't need to get nostalgic about it. You probably still own the same TV and sofa from when you got the news that Sarah Palin wasn't allowed to speak on stage.

Something like this is instant nostalgia. But for what purpose? It's not over - so how should we really feel about the guy?

it's like that sad question that gets kicked around D.C. show - "Did the Surge Work in Iraq?" Five months ago people would say, "Yes!" But now reports are coming out that our Awakening Allies are rejoining the terrorists cause they're not getting the promised cash. Now the surge isn't working. Should Obama be seen as right in the first place when he thought the Surge wasn't going to truly work? Because in the end, it wasn't about sending troops, but promising lots and lots of cash.

I'd rather see a movie with 80 minutes of people shouting "A-Rod - You suck!" at the camera.

Posted by corey3rd at October 20, 2010 1:03 PM

comment #10

AH says ...

I agree with you in that its painful to watch this. I have a different reason though: that time was great because everyone seemed to be together and looking forward to making this country better. That emotion is all gone the way of Newt Gingrich's dignity.

Posted by AH at October 20, 2010 1:04 PM

comment #11

Kakihara says ...

Abbey: It's hard to defend gains when so many are lucky if they'll even have a residence to vote from in the next two weeks. Anyway, the only good thing is that apathy works both ways, and I doubt moderate Republicans want more Bush-style dumbasses running the show, either.

Posted by Kakihara at October 20, 2010 1:37 PM

comment #12

Luke Y. Thompson says ...

Two years into Obama's term, and he has:

-passed basic health insurance reform, more compromised than the left would like but way further than the right would go.

-passed basic Wall Street reform, more compromised than the left would like but way further than the right would go.

-extended unemployment (this one mattered a lot to me on an immediate level)

-returned to the nuclear reductions table with Russia

-told the feds to basically back off on prosecuting state-level medical marijuana stuff

-announce a full withdrawal of troops from Iraq by next year; "combat" troops right now

-Begun Mid-East peace talks anew

I can understand why a conservative wouldn't like him, because his policies lean left. But I don't understand why a realistic Democrat can't look at the record and see that it's pretty damn good in terms of what a true liberal can reasonably expect from a mainstream electable president.

Posted by Luke Y. Thompson at October 20, 2010 1:44 PM

comment #13

Kakihara says ...

Luke: "passed basic health insurance reform,"

Which does not reduce costs nor give consumers real choice.

"passed basic Wall Street reform,"

Which does not actually stop the gambling with OPM from continuing.

"extended unemployment"

After waiting for it to run out.

"returned to the nuclear reductions table with Russia"

Ok, I'll give you that. But he's still playing proxy games with them.

"told the feds to basically back off on prosecuting state-level medical marijuana stuff"

But will still prosecute, even if Prop. 19 passes.

"announce a full withdrawal of troops from Iraq by next year;"

The date keeps changing. And we'll still have an embassy there where the Oil Barons will continue to price gouge us while stealing from the Iraqis.

"Begun Mid-East peace talks anew"

That's something beyond every President thus far. So I won't hold anything against him if he makes no more progress in that area than anyone else before him.

"But I don't understand why a realistic Democrat can't look at the record and see that it's pretty damn good in terms of what a true liberal can reasonably expect from a mainstream electable president."

Maybe because it's not enough? Especially considering the guy had a super-majority. If the situation was like Bubba in '94, then these would be considered an accomplishments. But these policies are just half-assed at best.

Posted by Kakihara at October 20, 2010 1:55 PM

comment #14

THE MovieBob says ...

I am sick to fucking death of hearing about how Obama is "doing his best" and "good start at least" and so on - this isn't fucking peewee football, he's the president of the United States! You don't get a fucking sportsmanship ribbon!

The guy FUCKED UP, plain and simple. Better option than any republican, yes, but he still made an EPIC miscalculation: he assumed that he could prevent the right from freaking out and resisting him on everything by being concilliatory and compromising... what'd it get him? The Teabaggers. The Right was ALWAYS going to lose its shit and go nuclear once there was a black president, any student of history could tell you that. He and the democrats shouldve used their unstoppable majority when they had it - forced shit through, breaking thumbs, necks and wills as needed. Yes, they'd still have lost the senate, but at least they'd have something to fucking show for it.

Posted by THE MovieBob at October 20, 2010 2:23 PM

comment #15

Ray DeRousse says ...

Obama's Presidency reminds me of the three kids trapped in the ski-lift in Frozen. Starts off exuberant ... then, they're trapped in mid air, the cold and storm hits, frostbite, and finally a plunging to Earth followed by wolves tearing apart the carcasses.

Sorry if I spoiled anything for anyone.

Posted by Ray DeRousse at October 20, 2010 2:58 PM

comment #16

dangovich says ...

Obamabot checklist:

1) Mention that he's only been president x months and that he needs more time to undo damage of Bush presidency..
2) Claims that his critics naively expect him to walk on water, etc.
3) Question the fortitude of aforementioned critics with adjectives like "whiny."
4) Look, scary Republicans!

All we need is someone to say "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" or "half a loaf is better than none" and we'll be done.

Posted by dangovich at October 20, 2010 3:20 PM

comment #17

DiscoNap says ...

I love the part where the Statue of Liberty's head comes bouncing down the center of the street. Oh wait wrong movie.

Posted by DiscoNap at October 20, 2010 3:31 PM

comment #18

LicentiousMaximus says ...

Yeah, I knew this racial cold war was coming. Progress was made, a 2nd Great Depression was avoided, though maybe only temporarily. The guy didn't run as a fighter, he's not one,he's a consensus guy. Buck up, all the wins the GOP/FOX/KKK wins in '10 will be given up and then some in'12. It's was always going to be ugly. You can go ahead and complain about the KKK reference, Godwin's Law is dead and I've got about 2 dozen links to prove my point. We all know what's going on.

Posted by LicentiousMaximus at October 20, 2010 3:36 PM

comment #19

George Prager says ...

Bleeding Ponytail alert

Posted by George Prager at October 20, 2010 4:41 PM

comment #20

LicentiousMaximus says ...

Glibertarian alert.

Posted by LicentiousMaximus at October 20, 2010 5:07 PM

comment #21

George Prager says ...

My comment was directed towards Wells.

Posted by George Prager at October 20, 2010 5:17 PM

comment #22

LicentiousMaximus says ...

No offense meant.

Posted by LicentiousMaximus at October 20, 2010 5:26 PM

comment #23

crazynine says ...

Don't worry, friends. We'll all surely feel better by 2012, after the President's added another $3,000,000,000,000 to our debt. I know that spending other people's money always makes *me* feel my best!

Posted by crazynine at October 20, 2010 5:49 PM

comment #24

DiscoNap says ...

It was really a mistake to screen CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC right after he took office.

Posted by DiscoNap at October 20, 2010 9:57 PM

comment #25

Bukowski20 says ...

Things were so much better under Bush. The economy was thriving, the country was united. The wars were going perfectly according to plan. The rich were enjoying their tax cuts. Everybody was happy. Good times.

Then you let one black guy into office and it fucks everything up for all the closet racists who can no longer keep their hatred secret.

Posted by Bukowski20 at October 20, 2010 10:49 PM

Posted by air max 24/7 at October 21, 2010 6:25 AM

comment #27

bill weber says ...

"Obama's strident--and successful--progressivism"? Thanks for the laugh.

I didn't remotely understand why my fellow Brooklyn lefties felt so celebratory on 11.4.08 about electing a man who'd handpicked Joe Biden and threw Rev. Wright under the bus. As Gore Vidal said, there are no sweeter words than "I told you so."

Posted by bill weber at October 21, 2010 2:10 PM

comment #28

Kakihara says ...

Weber, what the hell was Obama supposed to do with Wright? Embrace him and lose the race? That's not the same thing as when Rahm calls anyone against how he handled health care "retards".

Posted by Kakihara at October 21, 2010 2:45 PM

comment #29

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comment #32

maher says ...

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comment #33

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