Obama "Open to Compromise"....

[sabrina 1]

42. What does 'left' mean to you btw?

And the old 'pragmatism v idealism' propaganda, and if you know its history, a short-lived history btw, failed attempt to package and box Liberals and to turn the word 'idealism' as they did the word 'liberal' into a nasty word. Interesting to see it here.

I remember that war, conjured up on a supposed liberal forum where it got the beating it deserved frankly. Pragmatic, one of the most incorrectly and over-used words of the past 10 years. I wonder if those who use it even know its origin.

It never got traction as hoped for and the only place that ever tried it, was Daily Kos. It won't get traction with Democrats, it is a decidedly republican tactic, the familiar attempt to marginalize liberals.

And then the 'there's an election coming up' not a week after the last one.

The Dem leadership lost the 2010 election because the party swung to the 'pragmatic right' and while progressive Democrats DID go out and vote, it was Independents, 'left' independents, who stayed home. The disastrous loss of the 2010 election was so predictable and Progressives tried to warn about it. But as always the right wing of the party refused to listen and destroyed all the work we did to take control of the house in 2008. You have no idea how angry 'idealists/liberals/progressives are still over that failure on the part of the 'pragmatic' wing of the party. Don't get me started.

The biggest mistake made by the leadership was to attack the left, of which many are Independent, and refuse to give progressives a seat at the table. That has now changed, the loyal base of the party will no longer be told to be silent because there's an election coming up or because their ideas 'are retarded'. Republican ideas are unacceptable and good leaders do not negotiate with people who do not have one good idea for this country, especially after they win an election.

DADT is a perfect example of the people refusing to be silenced, mobilizing and letting it be known that not keeping that promise was simply not acceptable.