The dems did not control the Senate for the entire first year. At the time it took 60 senators to approve a measure. The dems had 59 for the first 6 months until Sen Franken's e******n was validated.

Obama inherited a economic mess from Bush. The Great Bush recession was just beginning. The mortgage bubble had just burst causing banks to fail, mortgage insurance companies were in dire straits, unemployment was high, revenue was low because of the unemployment and the ill timed Bush tax cuts, the auto industry was near bankruptcy, Bush's two undeclared and unfunded wars were ongoing and needed financing, the repubs nearly shut down the government by refusing to increase the National debt authorization (something that was always done automatically during previous administrations), he had to deal with extremely hostile republicans in both houses (State of the Union : Joe Wilson, "You lie, boy"), and Mitch McConnell saying and doing everything possible to make Obama a one term president.

It is amazing the country survived those Bush and Republican mismanagement years. Obama had to start his presidency in a deep hole. It took time, patience and money to get the economy back on track......and now we are starting a new mess.

How about trying to get the Justice Dept to attack his enemies for one. Openly telling the Republicans to "take control of the Russian Investigations". One of his many tweets to discredit or news sources that call out his BS."Network news has become so partisan, distorted and f**e that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!" There is a wealth of his statements that clearly show he wants to be King and control everything, including the other two branches of government.

How many times must I say this. Congress controls the budget. The president does not control spending other than to veto or sign a budget bill. Republicans had control of both spending and revenue most of Obama's term in office. It is the Republican debt, not Obama's.

Obama had a hostile Republican congress during most of his two terms. It was a congress that refused to pass anything he wanted. Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell stated he wanted to make Obama a one term president. Bush and Trump on the other hand has had a friendly Republican congress.

Oh, yes, Blurry, Damned Right, Yes! Emphatically, G-d Damned Right! Yes, Blurry!

Read it if you dare:


Wikipedia Article on Political positions of Bernie Sanders (which you didn’t read)

Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, and progressive who admires the Nordic model of social democracy and is a proponent of workplace democracy. In November 2015, Sanders gave a speech at Georgetown University about his view of democratic socialism, including its place in the policies of presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson. In defining what democratic socialism means to him, Sanders said: "I don't believe government should take over the grocery store down the street or own the means of production, but I do believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a decent standard of living and that their incomes should go up, not down. I do believe in private companies that thrive and invest and grow in America, companies that create jobs here, rather than companies that are shutting down in America and increasing their profits by exploiting low-wage labor abroad." Based on Sanders's positions and v**es throughout his political career, Noam Chomsky and Thomas Frank have described Sanders as "a New Dealer".

(Snip)

The Nordic model (also called Nordic capitalism or Nordic social democracy) refers to the economic and social policies common to the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden). This includes a combination of free market capitalism with a comprehensive welfare state and collective bargaining at the national level. The Nordic model began to earn attention after World War II.

Although there are significant differences among the Nordic countries, they all share some common traits. These include support for a "universalist" welfare state aimed specifically at enhancing individual autonomy and promoting social mobility; a corporatist system involving a tripartite arrangement where representatives of labor and employers negotiate wages and labor market policy mediated by the government; and a commitment to widespread private ownership, free markets and free trade.

Each of the Nordic countries has its own economic and social models, sometimes with large differences from its neighbours. According to sociologist Lane Kenworthy, in the context of the Nordic model "social democracy" refers to a set of policies for promoting economic security and opportunity within the framework of capitalism rather than a replacement for capitalism.

(Snip)

The Nordic Model – Embracing globalization and sharing risks" characterises the system as follows:

▪ An elaborate social safety net in addition to public services such as free education and universal healthcare.

▪ Strong property rights, contract enforcement, and overall ease of doing business.

▪ Public pension plans.

▪ Low barriers to free trade. This is combined with collective risk sharing (social programs, labour market institutions) which has provided a form of protection against the risks associated with economic openness.

▪ Little product market regulation. Nordic countries rank very high in product market freedom according to OECD rankings.

▪ Low levels of corruption. In T***sparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway were ranked among the top 10 least corrupt of the 167 countries evaluated.

▪ High percentage of workers belonging to a labour union. In 2013, labour union density was 85.5% in Iceland, 69% in Finland, 67.7% in Sweden, 66.8% in Denmark and 52.1% in Norway. In comparison, labour union density was 13.6% in Mexico and 10.8% in the United States. The lower union density in Norway is mainly explained by the absence of a Ghent system since 1938. In contrast, Denmark, Finland and Sweden all have union-run unemployment funds.

▪ A partnership between employers, trade unions and the government, whereby these social partners negotiate the terms to regulating the workplace among themselves, rather than the terms being imposed by law. Sweden has decentralised wage co-ordination while Finland is ranked the least flexible. The changing economic conditions have given rise to fear among workers as well as resistance by trade unions in regards to reforms. At the same time, reforms and favourable economic development seem to have reduced unemployment, which has traditionally been higher. Denmark's Social Democrats managed to push through reforms in 1994 and 1996 (see flexicurity).

▪ The United Nations World Happiness Reports show that the happiest nations are concentrated in Northern Europe. The Nordics ranked highest on the metrics of real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, generosity and freedom from corruption. The Nordic countries place in the top 10 of the World Happiness Report 2017, with Norway and Denmark taking the top spots.

▪ The Nordic countries received the highest ranking for protecting workers rights on the International Trade Union Confederation's 2014 Global Rights Index, with Denmark being the only nation to receive a perfect score.

▪ Sweden at 56.6% of GDP, Denmark at 51.7% and Finland at 48.6% reflect very high public spending. One key reason for public spending is the large number of public employees. These employees work in various fields including education, healthcare, and for the government itself. They often have greater job security and make up around a third of the workforce (more than 38% in Denmark). Public spending in social t***sfers such as unemployment benefits and early-retirement programmes is high. In 2001, the wage-based unemployment benefits were around 90% of wage in Denmark and 80% in Sweden, compared to 75% in the Netherlands and 60% in Germany. The unemployed were also able to receive benefits several years before reductions, compared to quick benefit reduction in other countries.

▪ Public expenditure for health and education is significantly higher in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in comparison to the OECD average.

▪ Overall tax burdens (as a percentage of GDP) are among the world's highest—Sweden (51.1%), Denmark (46% in 2011)[24] and Finland (43.3%). The Nordic countries have relatively flat tax rates, meaning that even those on medium and low incomes are taxed at relatively high levels.

Our pelicans here in San Diego tend not to. They basically sit around the shore, the boat docks, piers, and fishing spots where they know there are going to be scraps. Sometimes at dusk up in La Jolla one can catch a group of pelicans flying home for the night, but in my 51 years of photography at every beach in the United States, this was a first for me, to see a pelican dive-bombing into the ocean like that. And it wasn't just the only one fishing like that in Santa Cruz. It is the only one that I was in a position to capture, though. All the other divers were performing while I was eating my own food.