YES WE CAN!!! <--- Our new slogan. It has to be.

[Zalatix]

Last edited Sat Dec 17, 2011, 10:54 PM - Edit history (2)

If you think Obama isn't doing things right as our President, then what ARE you doing?

If you think Obama is not doing good enough for America... in fact, even if you do think he is...

then WHAT are you doing about it? I mean, besides talking?

Are you participating in OWS? Are you donating to OWS? Joining the Democratic Party to do get out the vote drives? Are you involved in your community with community organizing or activism?

If Obama is not doing it right then what are you doing to help make things right?

Those who think Obama is not good enough, tell us what you're doing to forward the cause of Progressive values. Those who do support Obama, don't think you're excused, either. For instance, OWS is out there, first into battle, fighting the good fight and taking all the lumps for us. All we need to do is donate something to them to contribute to the Progressive cause.

Yes, I KNOW that lots of DUers are doing something. I just want to turn the DU message away from "Obama isn't doing things right" to what the REAL discussion should be about - which is, what are WE doing to fight back?

If DU's discussions migrate away from "what has Obama done for us" to "what have we done for us" then this thread made its point. Otherwise I guess I'm pissing in the wind. I guess we need some big media celebrity to ask us "what have *WE* done for Progressivism" or something. I dunno. But someone has to get DU, and the rest of liberalism, to move en masse against Conservatism - in a meaningful way, of course.


Edited: FarLeftFist said it PERFECTLY. Spread the meme. YES WE CAN. That means we can. We as a movement can. Obama can't do this by himself. We all need to rise up and help our cause, just like the Tea Party did for theirs.

[FarLeftFist]

1. Yes WE can? Oh, I thought it was Yes HE can!

Well I do want more progressive candidates but I don't want to vote or have to do anything to get them elected!

[Zalatix]

2. Well it kind of smells like that. Kinda.

Look what happened to General Ricardo Sanchez's Senatorial campaign in Texas.

I did not even know about him. Otherwise I would have contributed money to his campaign. I've been busy tribbing to OWS since they started, and was even there for the first big Oakland port rally.

Frankly I'd like to see not only efforts to get Progressives elected, but also a lot of community activism to create local jobs.

[Zalatix]

5. I changed the thread title to fit what you said.

Until we all start thinking "yes we can" and "yes WE should", what Obama does really won't matter... no matter what he does.

We don't need Obama to energize us. We need to energize ourselves.

This thread only has a few replies... does anyone else think WE can do anything?

[Ken Burch]

10. Nobody was ever arguing that WE didn't need to do any of the work.

And you damn well know it.

[mmonk]

3. Helping Occupy. Helping Elizabeth Warren.

More to come.

[Armin-A]

4. "what are WE doing?"

Nothing. I understand you point. you are right. Many people do bitch and complain, yet do nothing except talk about it online.

But, in my opinion even if you are only "talking," you are doing something. Communication is the spread of ideas. I love approaching people that I know and asking them if they plan on voting (very unbiased). I hear their story, and I ask questions....and when they don't come up with answers.... I push forward with my ideas if they are interested.

I, personally, do need to do more. I hope this thread becomes a hot topic and people reply with ideas of what they are doing to support their cause (a liberal progressive one hopefully . I would love to hear some unique suggestions and possibly take on them myself in my town.

[JDPriestly]

21. True. One thing that is fun to do is to get a small table, set it up in an area that belongs to the

public -- to your city -- bring some flyers and hand them out. Talk to voters about their opinions on the issues. Don't argue with them. Share ideas. Plant seeds. Encourage people to get informed.

I've done this right outside the Farmers' Market in one town and inside the Farmers' Market in another town. It's fun, and it gets voters involved and interested in the issues.

Take voter registration cards with you and hand them out to people. Remind them to fill out everything on the card -- don't leave essential questions unanswered -- and have the voter mail the form in or, if you are sure you will not forget to do it, mail it yourself.

[TexasTowelie]

22. I'd watch out offering to mail the registration cards for those voters.

A rabid Republican may consider that as election fraud.

[JDPriestly]

26. I was taught to tell Republicans to mail their own cards.

I don't know whether there may be penalties in some states if you register voters and then the card somehow does not get mailed.

I always, always swung by the post office after registering voters so that I could mail the cards while it was still fresh in my mind. I did not mail Republicans' cards, but if you are in a state in which your registration job is supposed to be very nonpartisan, you may need to mail all cards.

[Zorra]

6. Occupy is more like: YES WE WILL!

Participating in Occupy direct actions.

Donating some $ also.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. I am participating in some local Occupy activities

OWS is our best bet for the future, perhaps our only hope. The real danger is a future dominated by crooked bankers and arrogant corporate CEOs. Mr. Obama is doing too little to stave off that future.

Electoral politics no longer seem relevant. We have a two-party system, but what one party calls the American way I call corrupt and there are too many bought politicians in the other. The situation is critical and the politicians act as if they do not comprehend that fact.

Although I will probably vote for Obama, he'll get not a minute of my time nor a dime of my money. My vote cannot be seen as an endorsement of his policies, which haven't worked well enough, but only as a recognition that no Republican presidential hopeful should be allowed close enough to the White House to take a guided tour. True, the Republicans have been obstinate and richly deserve to by tossed out with the kitty litter. Nevertheless, Mr. Obama has spent three years bending over for them in an effort to compromise, only to give away the store in the process. He, too, is guilty for the lack of progress in job growth, the continued war in Afghanistan and the failure to close Guantánamo.

I voted for Obama in 2008 because I thought that he understood that he needed to be a reincarnation of FDR. That wasn't so much my whim but was what circumstances demanded of whoever would succeed the gangsters in the Bush Junta. He talked a good game, he became to man who would succeed Bush, but he still didn't seem to understand.

The Defense Appropriations Act was the last straw. Even with the anti-civil libertarian provisions watered down, those provisions remain unnecessary and dangerous. He says he will sign this monstrosity, but when he does, he will have no good excuse. I voted for him clean up after Bush, but his signature on that piece of fascist legislation only extends the Bush era through Obama's first term. That is unacceptable.

[Zalatix]

8. Then let's fight to elect Progressive politicians who oppose the DAA. n/t

.

[inademv]

9. When Obama and his administration spit in the face of liberals and progressives...

who are pushing him to stick to the agenda that he himself laid out, how do you expect them to react? When formerly progressive Democrats like Ron Wyden sign on with Paul Ryan's plan to kill Medicare, why should progressives and liberals support the party? Obama doesn't fucking listen and he sure as hell doesn't CARE what the left in this country have to say. He's done half assed reforms to healthcare and the finance sector that will likely prove to have made the situation far worse by entrenching broken systems or sweeping them from our attention.

So tell me, why should I support Obama?

[Zalatix]

11. Tell me, what are you doing to support Progressive values?

Okay, so you don't support Obama. What are you doing? This is something ALL liberals need to ask each other. Obama is NOT a messiah. We are, collectively, responsible for fighting for us.

By the way when Obama faced the Tea Party in 2009, where were you? I was out on the West Coast to show them that we liberals weren't afraid. Not too many others joined me to oppose the Tea Party.

I'm not saying Obama is blameless. I am saying we Liberals need to TAKE ACTION on a very large scale, in very large numbers. OWS is taking our hits for us. It is shameful that their rallies aren't TEN times larger. They're not because we Progressives have not taken ACTION.

Somebody. DO. SOMETHING!!!

[inademv]

12. I don't have the position to fight in person

I do however do my best to keep the conversation focused on what progressive values are/were and pointing out when politicians like Obama who have garnered the loyalty of the inattentive masses who either don't know or don't care what he is doing. Furthermore, this is a representative democracy and beyond voting for the person to represent ourselves there isn't really anything a person can do. A person can write/call their representative to voice their opinion but that is far from effective and entirely pointless in a majority of cases as said representative is either closed to their constituents (like the president) or wholly corrupt.

[Zalatix]

13. Can you donate to OWS? Can you volunteer? n/t

.

[inademv]

16. No, I'm an unemployed student barely scraping by as it is n/t

[Zalatix]

17. Totally understood.

You have a message you want to send to OWS? I'll up my donation this week for you.

[inademv]

19. No compromising principle for expediency and no co-option n/t

[FarLeftFist]

14. Yet, Obama enjoys an 82% approval rating from Libs/Progressives. Go figure.

[Zalatix]

15. But if we concentrate on how we individuals can contribute to Progressivism...

does it matter, then, what Obama's standing is among Libs/Progressives?

When do we start to realize that we, as a group, are our own best hope?

[inademv]

18. I've questioned the legitimacy of that poll

and would argue that those answering in the poll were either willfully or blissfully ignorant of Obama's failure to deliver on the majority of his campaign promises and continuation/progression of Bush era policies.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

25. Judging from every Democrat I've talked to

I find that poll hard to believe.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

24. I think your thread is backfiring.

Occupy Wall Street is a direct result of "Yes we can" and "Hope" and "Change you can believe in". It's just that when it became obvious that it was going to be business as usual those kids he inspired took those words into the streets.

[Zalatix]

27. Not really.

Liberals should have taken to the streets from Day One. They REALLY should have taken to the streets when the Tea Party showed up. We REALLY dropped the ball with Ricardo Sanchez in Texas, for instance. We could have made that one happen.

At some point we have to stop blaming Obama for the post-2008 setbacks and start taking charge of fixing it ourselves.

OWS is out there fighting for the causes we believe in. If we were out in the streets marching for hope and change, their numbers would be far larger.

Hope and change starts with each and every one of us.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

29. I was in the streets with them yesterday.

If I lived in NYC, rather than across the Hudson, I'd have been there more than I have.

[JDPriestly]

20. Thanks. I'm not happy. I'm active in the local Democratic Club

and hope to be registering voters soon.

We need to make sure everyone is registered, everyone is informed about the issues and everyone votes, and I'm doing my part and going to do more.

Let's get progressive Democrats into Congress. That is my goal.

Let's keep tabs on the voting records of members of Congress and call their offices or e-mail them when we are pleased with their votes as well as when we are not.

K&R.

[Zalatix]

28. Awesome! Beat the Republicans at their own stupid game. n/t

.

[MichaelMcGuire]

23. The hints I'm getting from you guys (US) is the excuse that he ain't as bad as the alternative

Which is an understatement, and understandable of course. But its odd to me as an outsider. Rather than it coming across as a ''YES WE CAN" its more as "NOT AS SH*T" and you'll not get the same energy with that message. The danger in my view is then they would only need to have a half decent candidate and a few half decent policy's and they will be a real danger to you and would eat into your votes.

[Zalatix]

30. After all I've said I'm still not getting my point across...

Obama cannot save us no matter what he does.

Put him aside for a second.

WE... *WE*... ****WE**** need to save us.

There were millions of liberals who did not vote in 2010 but did vote in 2008. We gave the Republicans control simply by not showing up. This is an easily verified fact. We did not go toe to toe with the Tea Party in 2009. This is a solid fact. We let the Tea Party dominate the air waves in 2009. We are not joining OWS in sufficiently large numbers. This is easily seen by the number of OWS protestors, which would be ASTRONOMICALLY larger if the Left joined then en masse.

***WE*** let General Ricardo Sanchez's Senatorial campaign die in Texas.

As far as polls go, Elizabeth Warren is leading, but in reality she should not even be seeing Scott Brown in her rear view mirror!

At what point do we stop blaming Obama and start saying to ourselves, "We need to act"? We need to make noise, we need to support the good causes and candidates out there, we need to vote and not sit things out.

What does it take to convince more liberals, even on the DU, that hope and change starts with our own actions as a group?