KW Conch Loc: USA

Never noticed that Obama used the "I" word often. I think that only his detractors feel that way. So, I looked it up and here is what I found :

http://www.b12partners.net/wp/2011/11/29/does-obama-use-the-i-word-more-than-other-presidents/

Richard94611 Loc: Oakland, CA

"Teach me why it is that he should use the prestige of his office in attempts to discredit supreme court rulings."

He should discredit some of the rulings of the Supreme Court because they are not conducive to the well-being of this nation. That, of course, is my opinion, which I believe to be fact.

The Supreme Court has often been wrong. Do we need to cite the Dred Scott decision ? Here's a shining example of a decision probably none of us these days has any emotional investment in. We can no longer get excited about it, though back in its time a lot of people could and did.

We can get passionate about something like the Citizens United decision because it is in and of our time. Again, my opinion is that the Citizens United decision was a terrible error.

Richard94611 Loc: Oakland, CA

Of course, if you believe this nonsense about Obama using the "I" word more often than all the other presidents combined, facts won't change your opinion. But for those who want facts, here's the article:

Does Obama Use the I Word More Than Other Presidents?
without comments

Fist Bumps

Of course not. But that doesn’t stop bloviators like George Will from repeating this lie, nor does it stop the Fox News Enemies-of-Rational-Thought from repeating the lie either. Facts are not important to these people. So if you hear the allegation spewed somewhere, instead of just rolling your eyes, here’s an answer from the reality-based world:

But here’s one more tedious bit of fact-checking, based on a nearly-complete sample of the texts of weekly radio addresses delivered by Barack Obama and George W. Bush, and a newly collected sample of about 10% of Ronald Reagan’s weekly radio addresses. (I didn’t have time to clean up a more complete set for Reagan, but this temporally-random sample should generalize fairly well.)

As expected, Obama’s rates of “I” and of FPSPs in general are slightly lower than the other two presidents — and in fact George W. Bush alone has almost three times more I’s in total than Obama, since his higher rate was maintained for two full terms rather than for 3/4 of one term. Similarly, if we project Reagan’s rate to his full set of radio addresses (which tend to run longer in terms of word count as well), we expect his total I-word count in weekly radio addresses to be more than three and a half times greater than Obama’s:

# of addresses Total words “I” (%) Total 1st pers. sing. pro. (%)
Obama 99 77,555 704 (0.91%) 834 (1.08%)
Bush 2 230 223,305 2095 (0.94%) 2686 (1.20%)
Reagan 23 26,125 258 (0.99%) 340 (1.30%)

So the idea that Barack Obama “uses the I word more than … all presidents have used it collectively in the two hundred and some odd years of our nation” is a preposterous fabrication. But it’s only the most extreme version (so far) of a meme that has spread like pond scum through the stagnant waters of wingnut punditry since George Will popularized it in 2009.

Frankly, I’m disappointed in these people. Can’t they invent new fabrications instead of tediously repeating old ones?

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Same could be said of the so called fact checkers who find a particular instance of president Obama referencing the Navy Seals in his speech ignoring the multitude of times he used the word "I" in other speeches and discussions. President Obama is a narcissist, there is little getting around that, within the last couple of weeks he made a comment about non support for one of his policies as if the congress was blocking it simply because they don't like him! How childish, he can't accept that there actually is a principled opposition to his ideas and his plans for the future of this country and opposition has absolutely nothing to do with him.... He either too mentally feeble to understand this or more likely he is exploiting the victim mentality of his supporters in an effort to gain their support.

KW Conch Loc: USA

I think the main reason I have been so defensive of Obama is because I get bogus emails on a daily basis about him that make outrageous charges. I check out everything and I have discovered that they are all bogus. There must be a back room somewhere that pumps out this crap. Unfortunately, it works. People believe the emails and form opinions based on lies. The same thing happened when the ACA was being debated. Hundreds of emails containing lies about what was in the bill flooded my mailbox. Fortunately, the bill was posted online and I was able to check out each charge. None were true. All were made up. I'll bet that 95% of the public won't take the time to check out what they receive in their online mailbox.
If I believed everything that I read about Obama that originate in these emails and websites like Breitbart and the Blaze, I would hate Obama too. Too bad that our country is being divided by these scoundrels.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

You would have to show the context, not simply the statistical analysis, without context what the New Yorker writes means nothing. Just the fact that they are writing the article should alert you to the fact that he has a problem.

Richard94611 Loc: Oakland, CA

Wit a minute, Blurryeyed. You are an intelligent and articulate individual. I respect you. But when the leaders of the Republican Party in the legislature make comments about how their number 1 goal is to prevent Obama from having a second term, and not to promote the well-being of the nation, and when one sees the incredible lies Republicans have used to try to discredit him, you cannot make me believe that there is much if any principled opposition. Just my opinion, Blurryeyed, but I really don't agree with your point of view.

KW Conch Loc: USA

Blurry, surely you can't be serious that Republicans, particularly in the House, have not opposed Obama on everything. Even things that they originally proposed .
I agree that there is principled opposition to many of his policies, but it goes far beyond that. We both know that.

KW Conch Loc: USA

They wrote the article because Obama detractors constantly make the charge. Pretty small minded.

Imagigraphic Loc: Englewood, FL

What is "misinformed" about what I said? This is what actually happened. As I said in my e-mails to the local Tea Party, if you think Obama is clearly such a bad president, why do find it necessary to stoop to such dirty tricks as altering what was actually written in a speech or in his autobiography. These are acts of desperation, not conviction.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Again without context the statistical analysis means nothing, I luckily don't get the garbage emails about the president, nor to I believe half of what is printed online about him, I will say that what I wrote earlier comes from my own observations of the president, and I have never been offended before by a president using the word I in his speeches, I think that this president comes across the wrong way, when I hear him say some of the things he says it makes me sometimes feel as if he thinks that he is the only person that matters and that the country and its future lie solely in his hands and he alone will determine our course forward. I know that not even the president could be so foolish, but sometimes that is the way that he comes across. Maybe it is just because I so disagree with this president often, it might not have bothered me as much when other presidents spoke in the same manner.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

I can't speak for the leadership of the republican party, I can tell you that the same was true when Bush was elected, the leadership of the democratic party was most interested in Bush not gaining a second term, but they were not so foolish to state it in the manner that McConnell did and then not bother to clean that statement up. Of course the leadership of the opposition party does not want a president to get a second term, that is their job, I will agree that McConnell's comments served no purpose and have damaged his party greatly, throw them all out and make sure that McCain goes with them, I am good to see all the leadership of both parties voted out of office.

Richard94611 Loc: Oakland, CA

I think you may have put your finger on the problem you have with him.

But let me ask you this. What do you think of the surveillance we are all evidently under when we make phone calls, or when we send emails, when our very paper letters' enveloped are photographed on both sides, when we are being watched in almost countless ways. Is this what the Founding Fathers wanted or envisioned ?

I went to the local IRS office yesterday to pick up some forms and to ask a few questions. As I sat chatting with the IRS agent, I saw a sign saying that our conversation was being recorded. I asked her if it really was. She said that it was.

The government is getting too f+++++g nosy. Admittedly this is just an opinion, my opinion, and is based on value judgments. But what do you think about all this ? You're an intelligent person and I would like to know your opinion.

And remember that if it weren't for Snowden, we wouldn't know about half of the stuff that's going on.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

I don't like any of it, I hark back to the words of Benjamin Franklin, "Those who would give up liberty for temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety" or something along those lines. No, the scariest thing about what is happening is that they are developing the infrastructure of a police state. Granted that does not seem to be an immediate threat, but it is a switch that could be flipped at any moment. Have we so forgotten the incredible teachings of the founders of this country? Our entire constitution was written to protect the liberty of the individual and restrict the state to only that which was necessary to effect an orderly society, are we such a weak people that we would let those living in the Mountain villages, and deserts of the middle east take our freedoms and liberties from us via the fear they inspire within us? Have we become such a weak people that the killing of a few thousand of our citizens would make as cower so low as to forget the sacrifice of the more than half a million Americans who gave their lives in WWII preserving the very freedoms that we seem so willing to now give up with little fight?

No, I don't like it at all, I would rather that our government respected our liberties and our constitution, even if it means that we become more susceptible to attack... There was a time in this country when liberty and freedom was valued more than life itself.

I defended Snowden's actions in the beginning, I am not so sure I can defend his flight to China and Russia though, the two countries who seem ruthless in their dealings with the US and the two countries who seemingly pose the largest threat to the US both militarily and at least in China's case economically.

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

Not that I really give a hoot how many times Obama uses "I" as "I" am more concerned about him leading the nation, but let's look at the link submitted.

Someone claims they have sampled texts of weekly radio addresses delivered by Obama and George W. Bush, and 10% of Reagan's radio addresses. This someone than alleges he listened to the addresses, counted the total words (or used a program) and the number of "I's," and presto! He/She came up with a percentage for each man showing Obama used "I" the least of the three men. That certainly resolves it for me! :D