Obama has said he wanted us to "make him" do what we want. Let's oblige him.

[Cal33]

I think the super-rich should not only begin paying the same tax rates as
the middle-class Americans do, they should also be made to pay back all
the taxes that they had escaped paying since the days of G. W. Bush .

Some ten years ago "W" decided to make the rich richer. He did this by
lowering taxes on the wealthy - among other things. It was legal for them
to pay lower taxes, but it was also definitely IMMORAL. The middle-class
had to bear the extra burden. We've all read, for example, of people having
to choose between eating less or doing without medications. How many of
them, especially among the elderly, died as a result? This is not very
different from hiring a professional hit-man to do your killing for you. It
was causing others' deaths for the sake of increased personal profit -- it's
sheer ugly and murderous greed.

Bush's lower tax law expires on Jan. 1, 2013, unless Obama should renew it,
which Obama had already repeatedly emphasized that he would not do --
except for the middle-income and poor groups. This is what the GOP will be
bargaining with him about, very shortly.

Romney admitted during one of the recent presidential debates that he
was paying only 14% taxes on his income (while his secretary was paying
30%). This is not only ridiculous and insane, it is also deliberate and
organized EVIL that has to be stopped -- immediately!!!

I think it's only fair that the well-to-do be made not only to pay the same
tax rate as the middle-classes, they must also be made to pay back the
taxes that they have escaped from paying the past ten years -- and with
interest. This would help to decrease the mountain-loads of national
debt, much of which has been created by them, especially in recent years.

The majority of Americans are for the rich paying more taxes. On this point
Obama does have a mandate. He has said in the past that he wanted the
American people to make him do their will. (I believe I've read that FDR
had said the same thing way back when). Let's oblige him. Let's make sure
that he knows, and very clearly knows, that he does have the mandate from
us to be more forceful during this, his second and final, term.

[msongs]

1. thus making us responsible instead of the people we elected. nice tactic nt

[calimary]

2. Well, there's really nothing at all wrong with providing lots of calcium supplement

for the President's backbone.

The standard reality in politics is "if they think you don't care, they won't EITHER!"

[Cal33]

32. Would another way of putting this be "they'll do as good a job as you are

interested in seeing them do -- no more no less. So, get busy
and get on their tails?"

[Cal33]

3. Hardly! The buck stops with the president's decision! But it's nice for him to

know what the people really want. Would you accuse FDR of the same thing?
After all, he was the one who had said it first.

[1StrongBlackMan]

5. Ultimately ...

that is how it works in a democracy/democrat republic ... We D. People elect the politician that we think will promote an agenda that most closely matches what we would like to see. When/if that politician writes legislation we support, it is We D. People that "encourage" other politicians to support that legislation ... or to oppose legislation that We D. People don't like.

It is the fatal flaw in democracy/democratic republics where a critical mass of the electorate come to believe that our job is done, the day after the election.

[Cal33]

7. A great point you've made, and I fully agree.

[tama]

9. Authoritarian followers

have big problem with accepting responsibility - and the freedom that comes with it. Eternal children looking for parent figure to take responsibility.

[Cal33]

10. That's why we elected them -- to do what we want them to do. Yes,

I think we actually should and do share the responsibility, not
just the politician alone.

[democrattotheend]

15. That's not how I read it at all

I remember back in 2008, he took a position on something that pissed off a lot of his online supporters. So he posted on DailyKos in response, and he said something in the end about how we were encouraged to keep holding him accountable. I think the vision he had for his presidency is that the activists who helped get him elected could help to produce a groundswell of support for the legislation he wants to sign. It's unfortunate that in the first two years of his presidency, the tea partiers were so much more effective than the progressive activists at getting their message heard and influencing public opinion.

[Myrina]

25. Would have worked until Rahm called us 'retards' and Axelrod told us to 'stop whining'.

Sort of a demotivator, dontcha think?

[daleanime]

27. Well, that and "fair and balanced" media coverage...

[Cal33]

35. I've always considered Rahm to have been a little bit to the right of center, even

though he was and is a Democrat.

[Vincardog]

4. What will you have us do? How can I make him live up to our expectations?

[reformist2]

6. The usual. Make your voice heard. Call the White House & your congressman. Discuss issue w/friends..

[Cal33]

8. Yup. And keep it up!

[union_maid]

11. Yes, we should

But I'd sure like to see us doing it without attacking him or most other Democrats. We don't need a depressed base in 2014. What he means, I think, is that popular movements help. Just bitching does not. But a loud demand, with the vitriol reserved for the opposition couldn't hurt and could help.

[Cal33]

13. Agreed. We shouldn't attack him or most other Democrats, but honest

criticism is almost always healthy.

[democrattotheend]

16. I agree 100%

Especially on forums like this, every time someone attacks it becomes a nasty debate over the degree to which we should criticize a president from our own party and it distracts from the issue. If we can work together to hold the president accountable without the nasty attacks about him being a fraud and selling us down the river and stuff like that I think we will be a lot more effective.

I am encouraged by what I have heard about today's meeting with labor and other progressive leaders. It seems like the president wants to pursue a progressive agenda but needs support from the grassroots to drive public opinion so he is in a stronger bargaining position and has to give up less.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

30. Thank you!

[EmeraldCityGrl]

12. Didn't Obama always say he needed our help to make

change happen? Is this any different than what JFK asked of us? "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country"

If anything, as each policy issues comes up, pick a day(s) and literally crash their websites and phone lines with phone calls
emails and posts. If we can get ahold of cell phone numbers ( it can be done) jam those as well.

[Cal33]

18. I believe frequent reminders via phone calls, emails, post mails for as long

as it takes to get the job done would be as good a method as any.

I think Democrats don't do that often enough. How else could one explain
that electronic voting machines without paper trails are still being
used today, after they first appeared in 2000? 12 years is a long time.
These infernal machines should have been banned from the entire nation
long ago. These Republican-made voting machines, of course, make the
Repubs. overjoyed

If the situation had been reversed and Democrats had been the makers
and owners of those machines, the Republicans would have succeeded in
banning them from the entire country within a year or two, and in time
before the next election.
.
We've got to give them credit. Repubs. work much harder and consistently
at getting things they want, and getting rid of things that are harmful to
them. Dems. are far more lackadaisical in such matters. So, after a
dozen years, nearly half the states are still using those electronic voting
machines with no paper trails.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. Obama needs to help me get single payer healthcare

just give me a call!

[Cal33]

17. I believe the single payer healthcare is the system of choice for most liberals.

The Clintons tried for it in 1993. It didn't even get off the ground. The GOP
were fighting it tooth and nail. Nearly 20 years later Obama was successful,
but up to a point only. He compromised too much. Still, there are some
important gains: Pre-existing illnesses can no longer be excluded by insurance
cos., children can be covered under their parents' health plans up to age 26, instead
of the previous age 18....In 2 years 30 million more Americans will be able to buy
health insurance. That would still leave 17 million with no insurance at all -- but
it's far better than the present 47 million without health insurance.

I put it to the pathological greed of the corporate world. This applies not only in
the health insurance, but in just about almost every other field. Too many
sociopaths are in high positions in the right-wing corporate as well as political
world. And these are the ones who create problems with their uncontrollable
greed wherever they go.

I hope Obama has learned his lessons in the past 4 years, and now understands what kind of people he is dealing with. These people belong to the type who would try to take a mile if you gave them an inch. Treat them like gentlemen, and they'only take advantage of you and laugh at you for your "stupidity." A high number of them are sociopaths. Having a defective sense of morality, they feel neither pride, nor shame, and it is absolutely a waste of time to appeal to these qualities, because they are totally absent in sociopaths. They respect only strength. They can be made to do things only because they are afraid of the consequences, if they did not comply. That is why they so often resort to fear tactics as political tools,
because fear is what they, themselves, respond to.

These people may be highly educated, but their instincts are among the most
primitive. These are primitives with their moral development arrested at the
stage of the small child. And they can grow no further. The normal child can and
does.

And obama has to deal with them. I don't envy him. I think he should consult
with mental health professionals with expertise in sociopathy on how to deal
with them. These are not normal people.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

19. after living with the good old NHS in Britain

I loved the NHS I wish I could have brought it with me. I had midwives at the birth! No worries about being able to pay for healthcare.

[Cal33]

21. The NHS has been around in Britain for nearly 70 years, and is still going strong. Proof

that the One Party Payer system does work. And healthcare in Britain costs
far less than it does in the US -- and 100% of the people are covered! The
greedy right-wing nuts here have been fighting it all along. Human lives
are nothing more than business opportunities to them, and they want to
keep it this way.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

33. Healthcare is not such a business in Britain

In the USA it is a big business - making money out of people's ill health

[Cal33]

34. What you've written above is unfortunate, but true. We are more materialistic than

many other people, I suppose.

[Xyzse]

20. Please note, that just because it isn't election season any more...

Super PACS are gone.
We need to keep such a thing organized.
I'd love to get rid of Citizens United, but that is still the current law of the land.

I suggest organize a Super PAC to keep things going. I believe there are some out there, but something a bit more centralized might work well.

[Cal33]

22. Important projects, such as getting rid of Citizens United, must be kept alive in

the minds of liberal and progressive people on a long term basis. The
present Republican-appointed SCOTUS members outnumber the Democratic-
appointed ones 5 - 4, and in addition, their average age is younger. It will
be some years before these numbers are reversed, and it's unlikely that
Citizens United will be reversed before then.

By all means, organize a Super PAC to keep the idea alive that Citizens United
should be terminated. It's the best way to succeed.

[Xyzse]

23. I can agree with this...

Use it to end it.

[Myrina]

24. check out Robert Reich's facebook page.

I can't link it from my office pc, but he's (well, a former student of his) started a group to mobilize and get Progressive issues/platforms in front of POTUS and the Critters.

We have to spark the grassroots & get the wave flowing upward.

[Romulox]

26. 2016 is TOO IMPORTANT to hold hostage to the pet causes listed in the OP.

[NewJeffCT]

28. Yes, FDR said similar back in the 30s

to (I believe) some African-American activists.

And, I think part of the reason Obama got off to such a bad start in 2009 on progressive issues was that we were so happy to have a Democrat in office after 8 years of Bush that many of us (not all of us, mind you) relaxed, while Republics had already ginned up the faux outrage machine to 11.

[Cal33]

31. Republicans reputedly own 90% of the news media. It is an awesome

advantage for them, and they sure know how to make use of it -- by
hook and by crook.

Democrats make sporadic efforts at getting in to the media business. I think
this is another area we should put more heart and soul into. Al Gore started
his "Current TV" some 7 years ago. Democrats should give more support in
helping Current TV to grow.

It would be of benefit to Democrats if we tried to help grow businesses
owned by Democrats in all areas. For instance, at present there is CREDO,
a telephone company started and owned by Democrats. If it is possible for
some of us to switch telephone companies, I hope we will do so. And
please, help spread the word around. The giant telephone companies are
all Republican-owned.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

29. Trashing thread. The president has already stated what he plans to do. Let's please

support him this time.