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Dick Meyer: Mr. President, On Behalf Of An Ungrateful Nation, Thank You
I’ve never written a column like this. Readers rarely believe it, but I am not on any political team. Generosity toward the high and mighty isn’t among my few virtues. But this needs to be said: Americans are lucky to have Barack Obama as president and we should wake up and appreciate it while we can. President Obama will go down in history as an extraordinary president, probably a great one. He will have done this in era that doesn’t aggrandize leaders and presidents, but shrinks them. All presidents have had profound opposition, vicious enemies and colossal failures. A few were beloved and others deeply respected in their day, but none in the modern era and certainly not Obama.
One can hate Democrats, disagree with Obama on big issues, dislike his style or be disappointed the excitement of his election didn’t last. But his accomplishments, ambitious goals, dignity and honesty under tough circumstances demand admiration and appreciation. 1. The Iran deal: Time will reveal if the deal worked, not today’s talking/tweeting heads. What cannot be in dispute is this was a momentous initiative, a gutsy political risk, a diplomatic success and, potentially, a giant step in defusing a long-ticking time bomb. 2. Obamacare: In the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression, Obama delivered one of the most important domestic programs since the New Deal. Only LBJ’s Great Society laws compare. Obamacare has survived two challenges in the Supreme Court and constant, kabuki-style congressional votes to repeal. It’s now off life support. Key goals are being met. It will evolve and improve. One day it will be taken for granted and people will say, “Keep the government out of my Obamacare.”
More here
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Mr. President, on behalf of an ungrateful nation, @DickMeyerDC says thank you: newsnet5.com/decodedc/mr-pr… @DecodeDC http://t.co/zEsrVR91DK
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Scripps National (@ScrippsNational) July 16, 2025Obamacare, fixing the financial crisis and now the Iran deal. Reasons why Obama may go down as an extraordinary pres bit.ly/1gDOc33
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(@DecodeDC) July 17, 2025****
#FF @DickMeyerDC
who wrote @DecodeDC's first viral piece: Mr. President, on behalf of an ungrateful nation, thank you
bit.ly/1gDOc3
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Miranda Green (@Mirandacgreen) July 17, 2025This opinion piece from our Scripps Washington DC bureau @DecodeDC is getting a lot of attention online today bit.ly/1CLHIJa
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7NEWS Denver Channel (@DenverChannel) July 17, 2025****
@DickMeyerDC I'm the left's equivalent of #tcot minus the hatred and those awful tri-cornored hats.
Nice piece, opened my eyes. Thanks.
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Dânny Narko (@dannyboi965) July 17, 2025@DickMeyerDC A brilliant piece by Dick Meyer: "Mr. President, on behalf of an ungrateful nation, thank you"
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Stuart Hotchkiss (@HSHotchkiss) July 17, 2025****
Mr. President, on behalf of an ungrateful nation, @DickMeyerDC says thank you: bit.ly/1gDOc33
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(@DecodeDC) July 16, 2025@DecodeDC @DickMeyerDC Amen! Been saying that for years.
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David Bailey (@Computer_blues) July 16, 2025
White House.gov
Happy Sunday!
Hi Sabreen! Congrats on First and Furstieness! 😀
Congrats on 1st sabreen
Thank you NW for featuring @DickMeyerDC tribute to President Obama.
I’m amazed he’s received so few RTs!
Yes!
Waaaay past time. Right Dudette?!!!
😀
GA TODville.
Here’s another “hat’s off” from @Milbank, who says
“In between, on June 26, came his eulogy in South Carolina — perhaps the best rhetoric of his presidency, but also a call for action over words. “Every time something like this happens, somebody says we have to have a conversation about race,” he said. ‘We don’t need more talk.’”
And Nerdy, if you missed it, here’s another arrow for your ACA quiver.
I’m always stunned when I read that people like Dana Milibank think this President has been shy about race, or that he has only “lectured” black people about race during his Presidency. What do they think “My Brother’s Keeper” is all about, or the early mentorship efforts, or the 1:1 conversations with young black men? What do they think his speech on race in the 2008 campaign was about. And what do they think his very existence as the first black President means to black people? Race, and talking about race, isn’t President Obama’s problem. It’s the problem of all those people who think race is a determinant of wealth, status, rights or worth. Where have they been all this time?
So, Dudette, what are your p……?
Huh?
Simply following the advice about asking questions, then got side-tracked. 😉 😀
Yessss, good to see this featured! I read it a couple of days ago and among all his stellar points particularly liked his admonition that we should appreciate the exceptional president we have ‘right now’.
Great article and I’m glad you highlighted it, nerdy.
So, latest. Bernie sent out a tweet with #SayHerName. Mentioned Sandra Bland… and then 3 men.
There’s clueless …… and then there’s the profoundly clueless ……………………….
also—a day late and a dollar short
Read this the other day and became so emotional. We are such an ungrateful nation!
Thanks for posting again.
Fantastic Post, NW. Thanks.
Sabreen60 and Dudette are Gold⭐ recipients……Congrats.
Thanks Nena!
OT, but oh so funny…Key and Peele
Key and Peele received 8 Emmy nominations and there was an interview with them today on CBS’ Sunday Morning.
Happy Birthday :LL. Thank you for your comments and articles.I give them a couple reads and they always add to my understanding.And thanks for the poetry and music. Hope your day and year are filled with joy and fun.
Better late, than Never……these 2 stories…….well, are quite an improvement from the regular NY/DC douchebaggery.
From Jake Tapper?
Et Tu, Andrea?😯
Gosh, Nena, what happened to these two? They’re actually demanding some kind of accountability from the GOP? Is there something in the water?
I know! I had to double-check that those two headlines weren’t from “The Onion”. I wish they’d asked these questions a long time ago. Americans might be better educated on what their political parties are doing on their dime.
I did a double take too, Jackie.
Tapper and Mitchell are perfect epitome of Yellow Journalism. Tapper addressed this on his New…..*cough* ……minted CNN Sunday show and Andrea did hers on MTP with Chuck the Birther Todd.
Wow, I need to check and see if pigs are flying.
😀
The media along with the Republicans kept their mouth closed when Trump were on tv every where saying that President Obama was not born in this country. The media continue to give Trump a platform to spread his birther racists B.S., now all of a sudden Mitchell is saying this. Well I say to Mitchell, why didn’t she stand up to Trump?
Nailed it. These fifth columnist mofos are the ones that gave the public platform to the racist nutjobs to spread their ugliness 24×7. Now that these hateful nuts lead by donald, the dreck, is attacking their sugar daddies, these corrupt journos are suddenly righteous ? fuck’em all.
Then, this from a Fox Contributor?
Hmm?
All. Of. The. Tears.
Nerdy, at this point, it’s become almost farcical. Whatever magic Bernie elixir his supporters have imbibed, it’s making them incoherent and stupid. They are becoming ridiculous to the point of irrelevance. I long for the day when people will say, Bernie Who? And I know that day is coming soon.
It’s already here… They’re in an echo chamber, so they hear the echoes of their spouted nonsense, and think there’s a majority in agreement.
‘Many service members wake up early to perform their duties, but very few spend their days tending to the highly trained horses that carry our nation’s fallen soldiers to their final resting places. That’s the job of those who work in the Army’s elite Caisson Platoon of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment — the Old Guard — which is responsible for ceremonies and memorial proceedings at Arlington National Cemetery. U.S. Army Spc. Tyler Salas, 24, works as a farrier for the platoon out of a stable at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. He grew up in the small town of Culver, Oregon, on a 100-acre farm that had several horses. They weren’t of interest to him then, though. “I had dirt bikes and four-wheelers. The horses were my sister’s deal,” he said. “But once I got here to the Old Guard, I saw the horses in the cemetery and thought, ‘Man, I want to do that.’”
He took a horsemanship course and trained to join the Caisson Platoon, where he is one of two men who care for the dozens of horses that pull the caissons, or wagons, that were originally built in the early 1900s for carrying cannons. They’re now used to carry the caskets of fallen soldiers. In the stable’s farrier shop, horseshoes hang from the walls, and welder masks and other tools can be found all over the place. Salas’ day starts at 5:30 a.m., when he and fellow farrier Spc. Todd Kline get to work taking off the horses’ shoes, cleaning and trimming their hooves and remounting the shoes. They focus particularly on the teams of horses that will be part of ceremonies in the cemetery that day…continued’
What a great look into a little known aspect of Army life. Thanks, LP. I love the old world feel of the photos
My pleasure, Jackie!
I will share my well-earned cup of tea with our beloved President Obama!🐻❤
John Kerry is a kind and generous man. You will seek in vain for a similar accolade from McCain when Kerry was being attacked, proving, once again, who the true man of character is.
.
That’s the difference between McCain and Kerry. Kerry is a man of honor.
This is why John Kerry is a Statesman:
BTW: LL - happy birthday !
dankjewel! Hope your heatwave has passed. We’re rather miserable here at the moment.
A “heat wave” in the Netherlands has 3 or more days of temperatures above 30 degrees Centigrade.
If we would make the criteria tougher, we would never *have* a heat wave
It’s 34 here now. We are melting. And our a/c is kaput
Happy Birthday LL - but 34 is melting? - never
Not so much the heat, but the damned humidity. But, rain is on its way in 30 minutes.
We gets the humidity too - I can cope until it gets to 38+C - but don’t talk about the cold! It’s freezing down under
Happy B-day, LL! ….hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday😎
…I think I’m going to avoid the ocean this summer😦
This is truly frightening! Glad he’s okay.
/looking for non-swimming company other than Chips/ Okay, LPlains, speak the truth - can you actually swim?
Also, too, did you fail the ‘Do you know Michele O?’ quiz and is that why you haven’t mentioned your results? 😀
Yes, I can swim…
I need a link to the quiz….for some reason my notifications stopped working all of a sudden.
Here you go…and no cheating!
I got 22/25….we tied! I missed her codename “rosebud” is what I answered…I picked the wrong Oscar award “documentary” and the best dressed “vogue” ….I knew all the rest…guessed the Wal-Mart anti-union question and got it right.
Yea, I’ll take a tie! /whispering - seems more authentic than that other ‘desi’ ‘s score. / I got two of the same ones wrong also.
/ pssst, what’s a desi anyway other than an Indian in/who studied in America?/
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=desi
Ok….seriously have to watch my t.v. shows now…..bbl
p.s. any update on the medal count in the PanAm games😎
http://panam.cbc.ca/medals/index.html
tsk, tsk, tsk. #jjknowsnobounds
‘job creator’: what is 2+2?
german: 4
murkan: whip out calculator, tak, tak, tak, tak. 4
indian: leaning forward, psst, what do ya want it to be?
Thank you, desi!
Thanks for posting this article, Nerdy! There should be more like this one written about PBO every day!
I was about to post a comment on the last thread, but a girlfriend who I haven’t talked to in awhile phoned, and we spent 3 hours catching up
The “All lives matter” thing has always seemed so passive-aggressively hostile to me. Of course “all lives matter”! Any true liberal is a liberal because we believe, as PBO has quoted many times that, “I am my brother’s keeper” and that we rise and fall together. PBO himself is an example of someone who truly cares about all of humanity, no matter the shade, sexual orientation or circumstances.
But those who say “All lives matter” in response to “Black lives matter” are clearly, in my mind and to my heart, retorting rather than responding. There is an inherent negation of “Black lives matter” by responding with “All lives matter” and, to me, whether those who use the “All lives matter” retort realize it consciously or not, they are being defensive. Why do you feel the need to get defensive if you are not subconsciously or secretly separating yourself out from your brothers and sisters of different shades? And for the politicians, such as HRC and BS (BS… perfect, huh?), using “All lives matter” when speaking before supporters is an obvious “Don’t worry, I’m one of you.” signal to those frightened or angered by “Black lives Matter”
To me, if all lives really did matter to these people, they would SEE what is so blatantly before them; they wouldn’t need it explained to them. If they truly felt value in all lives, they would understand the need for and reason for “Black lives Matter.”
His motorcade just passed by - he didn’t even stop at that restaurant or get out and wave to them….and they burst into applause just seeing the motorcade. New Yorkers sure love their President!
This one is for Desertflower - because she loves quizzes.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2015/0302/Can-you-pass-the-written-police-officer-exam/license-plate
I only got 80%, and for the burglary report I had to use my calculator. 😳
Thanks, vc! Well…no chance of policing for me:) 70%… however, I DID get all the math and grammar questions correct!
You and I can just police the police instead.
Good idea
Those three principles encompass the Obama Doctrine as it relates to U.S. involvement in global affairs. It is a complete rejection of the isolation espoused by libertarians and the reliance on military dominance of the neocons. In other words, it is a strong, principled foreign policy that has now been proven to produce results.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-obama-doctrine.html?spref=tw
So, I’m cooking for my b/day. Tonight’s menu:
Pork tenderloin, slow cooked in a crock pot, with wine, soy sauce garlic
Buttery mashed taters.
No one should have to bake their own BD cake…smilin
Nope! Missus picked it up on her way home from work from Angel Maid!
Love pork tenderloin:) Got a great, easy recipe for it if you want to try it for next time…..yummy:)
Happy B’day, LL!! Hope you’re having a great one.
It would be much better if the central air didn’t decide to finally die today. But, I have bourbon, so all is well.
Between your slow-cooked pork tenderloin and bourbon - you’re set. Happy Birthday!!!
My goodness…everything old is new again:) I LIVED in that outfit when I was her age:) Cutie:)
I wore them as well, many, many years ago.
Yes…MANY MANY
Yes they had those when I little one in 1953.
I think we know who the star in the Curry family is.
Too cute!!
New 49ers WR Torrey Smith’s kid is where the bay area babies whip dance off began😀
Happy Birthday LL.
One can dream
Ooooo, Bob! That would be AWESOME!!!
Hello #TOD family.!! wavin
Hellloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Rock!!
Hey to you! Where ya been, stranger?!!
been running those twitter streets…same’ole, same’ole.
I got cha:) Stop by more often…we love when you peek in!
Good evening Rock!!!
hello my friend…*high fives*
^5 Rock!!
Can someone please tell me who this crazy ass woman is that’s supposed it know better and has her fingers in her ears?? What a crock of shit.
http://triblive.com/opinion/salena/8759861-74/americans-government-president#axzz3gJ2Jxgvy
I just Googled her DF, one PBO-slamming piece after another, the ugly burns.
Holy crap what a nasty, ungrateful mess she is!! Someone should send her that opinion piece about the “ungrateful nation”….she’s the damn poster child!
yup, murkans are angry typical teabagger trope.
#nomorefuckstogive
GM amk
Happy Birthday, LL!
Thank you, sabreeen!
So, I have pork tenderloin stewing in my slow cooker in a soup of water, wine, onion soup mix, soy sauce, and garlic. Smells amazing.
YUMMMMMM! Thanks LL for this feast you have so lovingly prepared for us! I will be there when the meal is served
That’s a no-brainer combination for success. Happy birthday, my friend. Why are you doing the cooking on your birthday?
B/c 1. I’m the cook, and 2. I didn’t want to go out. Plus, it’s the slow cooker. Throw it in and forget for 4 hours.
It took me all these years to master a slow cooker, but I have nailed it in recent years. Love it. Have a wonderful birthday.
yum yum, LL.
and Happy Birthday!
The best advice this white dude can possibly give him ….
Now Bob that’s some mega shade you thrownin Bernie’s way
As an educator, just doing my best ….
Okay. Alright. I won’t post anymore quizzes. I’ve actually been on this quiz site for hours now, finding out how much I don’t know. 😀 😀. It’s been fun though!
Oh, I forgot to thank TOD for all you’ve taught me so that I could be successful on my U.S. citizenship test. *Thanks!* Now the major decision as to where I want to live - no racist bigots; reasonable rainfall; no police; somewhere not too hot nor too cold; no fires crossing highways; not too close to the beach; close to the Obamas; …….
ha, ha.
Got the ben franklin one wrong.
#sigh
#allyourfault
#isnteverything?
#always
#st to you too.
97%! Touchy keyboard, I think I only missed one instead of the three they deducted.
😀 Answered you on twitter because I saw your response there first.
Got 100%. I recognized 2 of the questions I actually got on my citizenship test in 2009 when I became one😀
Even more video from Mick Fanning in SA at the surfing championships…. WOW!
I appreciate this position, but no one is going to measure up to President Obama. And the destruction of everything he has accomplished by electing a GOP prez and congress will be to no one’s benefit and leave us at the mercy of more horrible wars and even less justice.
New post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/07/19/listen-learn-reflect/
Happy Birthday LL