Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out

Re:Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by webXL on Friday January 13, 2017 @11:24AM (#13392019)

Classy guy? Anyone is compared to the pres-elect. In his personal life perhaps. Every time he weighed in during an isolated racial incident before the public had all the information really did a disservice to the office. So much so that the current guy thinks it's fine to tweet about every little political gripe. Both have no problem being arrogant and divisive, so long as the base is happy. There's absolutely nothing classy about this cult of personality we're witnessing.

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Re:Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by alphonsegaston on Friday January 13, 2017 @12:06PM (#13392432)

This pattern of behavior on Trump's behalf far precedes anything by Obama. He was publicly advocating for the (innocent)Central Park 5 to be executed in 1989, before Obama held any elected office. Let's not surrender ourselves so far to ideological thinking that every partisan is the precursor of their opposition's faults.

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Re:Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by GVIrish on Friday January 13, 2017 @12:02PM (#13392404)

You honestly think that Obama's presidency is what made Trump think it's okay to tweet outrageous stuff and overreact to every perceived slight?

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Re:Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by webXL on Friday January 13, 2017 @12:18PM (#13392515)

To some extent, yes. The base thinks it's fine, and the GP thinks Trump's win was a reaction to Obama. The media loves the tweeting, just like any time they could get Obama to weigh in on the latest racial controversy. So I guess to be fair, the reduction in presidential class is a real team effort!

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Re:Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by csallen on Friday January 13, 2017 @01:00PM (#13392903)

Trump's tweets/statements are an order of magnitude more extreme and more frequent than anything we've ever seen. He's also a grown man who's responsible for his own actions, so blaming the media and blaming Obama seems quite partisan. Nobody is making him do anything.

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Re:Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by webXL on Friday January 13, 2017 @05:22PM (#13395293)

Nobody is making the media publish every tweet either. It's a symbiotic relationship.

> He's also a grown man who's responsible for his own actions, so blaming...

There's blame to go around. The electorate is ultimately responsible for putting this tweeting extremist in the White House, and if you compare Obama's statements and actions compared to past presidents, then you could say that the "class bar" was lowered enough to where Trump was electable.

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Re:Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by randcraw on Friday January 13, 2017 @12:22PM (#13392556)

Obama must be compared to other presidents as well as to the popular notion of what a black man would/should be like as President.

It's pointless to compare Obama to Trump because Trump is not yet a President. That job changes you, and if there is a god, it will change Trump too.

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Re:Obama Expands Surveillance Powers on His Way Out by boredprogrammer on Friday January 13, 2017 @02:39PM (#13394027)

There is no god.

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