Obama picks Shaun Donovan to head Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Obama picks Shaun Donovan to head Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In his weekly address, President-elect Barack Obama announced he was selecting the “widely respected housing commissioner for New York City,” Shaun Donovan, to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Donovan worked at HUD in the Clinton administration, leading an effort to help make housing affordable for nearly two million Americans. He “has experience in all facets of the affordable housing market, having worked in both the nonprofit and private sectors and in academia as a scholar of housing policy.” In his address, Obama said this appointment signals a new way of approaching the challenge of affordable housing:
We need to understand that the old ways of looking at our cities just won’t do. That means promoting cities as the backbone of regional growth by not only solving the problems in our cities, but seizing the opportunities in our growing suburbs, exurbs, and metropolitan areas.
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All these foreclosed houses offer a unique moment in the housing crisis, innit?
Let’s have a new “Homestead Act,” land-rush, and all the rest.
I predict it’ll do wonders for the economy…
December 13th, 2008 at 11:50 amThe man has vision, ideas, and hires the brightest – yet the repugniscum will undermine every effort, sabotage every legislative attempt, and use propaganda to personally attack the man — they believe that their party and their cronies are primary; the nation and the citizens are only there to be used.
December 13th, 2008 at 11:52 amThe latest example of a concerted repugniscum effort to screw the middle class, blame unions, all the while saving themselves is despicable.
The power of accurate observation is often called ‘cynicism’ by those who do not possess it–G.B.Shaw
December 13th, 2008 at 11:52 amThe Republicans will fight this because cities are where the Democrats get their votes, and rural America (or, as Dan Quayle once eloquently put it, “It’s rural America. It’s where I came from. We always refer to ourselves as real America. Rural America, real America, real, real, America.”) are where the Republicans get their votes. Republicans will, in their own, unique, twisted way of thinking, view this as some kind of attack on rural America, and they will fight it.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:21 pmThe Democrats need to stop acting like they are still the minority, and start standng up to the Republican bullies who, thanks to We the People last month, are little more than chihuahuas nipping at their ankles.
We voted for change. We meant it. Those who get in the way of it will find 2010 elections even more uncomfortable.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:34 pmObama has the potential to be one of the greatest presidents ever, he is all vision, and it makes my stomach boil when i think of all those primitives and ignorants who will sabotage him on a daily basis.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:36 pmtokin librul Says: The power of accurate observation is often called ‘cynicism’ by those who do not possess it–G.B.Shaw
It’s not a problem of accurate observation, as most people who post here possess that ability, but more an issue with the constant pessimism. Sure, we expect problems, that’s life. But, frankly, not everything is going to be a catastrophic disaster…
December 13th, 2008 at 12:38 pmThank you unbelievable, very well said.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:58 pmObama hasn’t been inaugurated and the new congress hasn’t been seated. If Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi can’t figure out how to put these Republicans in their place then they need to be replaced. Elections have consequences and the people have spoken. Senators and representatives should be working to make the country better not just their districts. If they are only concerned about their state then they need to run for state office. How can we learn to be good citizens of the world with politicians who don’t even care about the good of the country?
December 13th, 2008 at 12:58 pmbut more an issue with the constant pessimism. Sure, we expect problems, that’s life. But, frankly, not everything is going to be a catastrophic disaster…
Optimism is a species of delusion; normally it’s regarded as ‘acceptable,’ but it is no less delusional than ‘religious faith,’ to which it bears an uncanny resemblance. Faith and optimism both require you deny the evidence of your senses for promises of future benificence…
Pray in one hand and poop in the other and tell me which one gets stinky…
December 13th, 2008 at 1:03 pmOn the Other Hand…
if you think you CAN’T do something…
You are Right.
Infounded Optimism is, I agree, delusional..but without Optimism we would never get anywhere.
December 13th, 2008 at 1:11 pmtokin librul Says: Optimism is a species of delusion; normally it’s regarded as ‘acceptable,’ but it is no less delusional than ‘religious faith,’ to which it bears an uncanny resemblance. Faith and optimism both require you deny the evidence of your senses for promises of future benificence… Pray in one hand and poop in the other and tell me which one gets stinky…
You should work on your reading comprehension skills, rather than positing your assumptions of superiority over a lot of really smart people.
I never advocated optimism. I was talking about realism. You know the place in between two extremes of black and white where we accept that good stuff and bad stuff and a whole lot of other non-stuff happens. Realism is about accepting there is balance in the universe. Staistically, something good will eventually happen, whether or not you like that it will.
We just helped elect a considerably more competent man to the White House than the one currently occupying it, and because we feel positive about how that is logivcally going to play out, you somehow or the other think it makes us religious nuts? I’m pretty sure it isn’t us who is in denial…
You really should go over to Huffington Post where a lot of them like to call one another rolls all the time.
December 13th, 2008 at 1:25 pmtokin librul Says:
I predict it’ll do wonders for the economy…
____________
Of course, one could always ask, did this poster have any REAL point to make here?
Or did they just think they were being clever?
December 13th, 2008 at 1:39 pmOT, but this is worth it:
(R) Senator Corker: …
December 13th, 2008 at 1:40 pmWell, I think I speak for all of us here when I say – we’ve had enough! That’s why we’ve decided to not just represent the very rich by giving them everything they want and then some; but we will also represent the poor by increasing their numbers. See, we don’t hate poor people, we want to make lots more of them!”
#16 – Could that possibly be true?
December 13th, 2008 at 1:43 pmI am searching.
Delusion involves some form of deception (either upon yourself or by others). Optimism is a tendency to look upon the more favorable side of happenings or possibilities, and may also include a belief that, ultimately, good will triumph over evil in the world. There is nothing delusional about wanting to see the postive side of events.
If someone on the right is upset that Barack Obama won the election, at least he can look on the bright side and be happy that Ralph Nader didn’t win. That’s not being delusional, because there’s nothing deceptive about the fact that Nader did not win. It’s simply looking at what happened in a more favorable way than what one sees at first.
Religious faith does require you to deceive yourself about what’s really happening around you, so I agree that it’s delusional. But optimism is the root of hope, and without hope, nothing matters.
December 13th, 2008 at 1:47 pmMarie,
I found that on DemocraticUnderground. I have to believe it’s satire. Read the whole thing:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389×4640497
It’s funny, because it sounds like it could be true. I’d crap in my pants if it really was true. LOL.
December 13th, 2008 at 1:51 pmFaith and optimism both require you deny the evidence of your senses for promises of future benificence…
Perhaps in very limited situations. But as an over-arching existential theme?
Uh uh.
December 13th, 2008 at 1:59 pmIn defense of tokin librul……
I don’t think tokin librul is a troll. I think we are of like mind on many if not most things. I just think that if you are paying attention these days then things just get to you sometimes.
I was pretty angry when I first started visiting this site…..I got a chance to start over….several times…just sayin.
remember, we’re all in this together and I’m pullin for ya!
December 13th, 2008 at 2:00 pmFred – I agree – but the issue is that it’s not just sometimes. It’s all the time. It’s the persistence of a Civil War after the Revolution. It’s the unreasonable ad hominems. It’s the refusal to find anything positive in our major accomplishment that so many of us worked so diligently to make happen. It gets old sometimes – especially when it’s as unwarranted as it was today in calling us ignorant.
When Obama screws up, I plan to raise Hell. But when he isn’t screwing up, which has been demonstrated to be the norm so far, I plan to defend him. He represents a chance – perhaps our last chance. And if we don’t do what we can to support him, we’re going to be in worse trouble than we are now. Third-world nation trouble.
I’m all for rabble-rousing when it serves a purpose, but when it doesn’t, it’s counter-productive to what we have accomplished here. I refuse to be tolerant of that kind of intolerance.
December 13th, 2008 at 2:16 pmunbelievable Says:
I agree and I have been crossways with tokin over his/her chicken little mentality before. I just wanted to give tokin a chance to get out of the hole. That’s all. It’s entirely up to him/her.
December 13th, 2008 at 2:25 pmIs Bush still on vacation? It seems President Elect Obama is the only person working right now for the people. I guess the White House is busy planning a last minute Legacy for Bush.
December 13th, 2008 at 2:32 pmDonovan worked at HUD in the Clinton administration, leading an effort to help make housing affordable for nearly two million Americans.
“A-HA! So THAT’s the CULPRIT!” -R.W.Idjit
December 13th, 2008 at 2:59 pmi ran across this article the other day… from randi rhodes…
i’m not familiar with a lot of the terminology, but it was still a good read…
the story proves disgusting (to me) and yet fascinating…
THE ABSOLUTELY BEST ARTICLE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED ON WALL STREET
or “How an Inexperienced Idiot and a Lot of Others Just Like Him Truly Killed the Economy”:
The End
by Michael Lewis December 2008 Issue
The era that defined Wall Street is finally, officially over. Michael Lewis, who chronicled its excess in Liar’s Poker, returns to his old haunt to figure out what went wrong.
http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2008/11/11/The-End-of-Wall-Streets-Boom/?refer=email&print=true
* another good read:
It Wasn’t the CRA
I still hear the charge that the Community Reinvestment Act caused the financial crisis, so, one more time, it didn’t:
http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2008/12/it-wasnt-the-cr.html
* and this:
<strong>They warned us, but US eased loan rules
http://theygaveusarepublic.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=F35CEBA430CD485D11FA4C9BC53096F7?diaryId=1633
randi opines, from yesterday:
TREASON
http://therandirhodesshow.com/index.php?/archives/144-Friday,-December-12,-2008.html
always good homework there. DON’T MISS:
THE THREE ARTICLES YOU MUST READ TODAY!!!
like she said, “copy it, take it to the john”, wherever…
December 13th, 2008 at 3:28 pmToensing, like her hubby Joe DiGenova, is a bought off toad. If something offends the sensibilities of her ilk, you can almost guarantee it’s good for democracy and the rule of law.
Just saying . . .
December 13th, 2008 at 4:38 pm