Republicans led us by the nose in the past. NEVER must that happen again

[Sarah Ibarruri]

Now that we have a fantastic President-Elect, soon to be President, we must not rest on our laurels, or rest at all. We must defend, support and back President Obama in anything and everything he undertakes. We must have a united front. We must strike back where the media attacks him. We must strike back where right wingers attack him but most of all we must NEVER EVER listen to right wingers again.

We Democrats did something unconscionable when Clinton was president, and this cannot ever happen again, regardless of whether one is 100% with a president or not, which is Democrats to lie down and watch helplessly as the Repukes have another feeding frenzy on our president and his family. We did this during Clinton. Some Democrats actually SIDED with the Repukes. I was literally sick to my stomach as that happened. I didn't understand. Why would Dems ever not fight back, or worse, why would they ever side with Pukes against our president??

Come to think of it, Repukes did the same thing to President Jimmy Carter, whom I consider one of the most remarkable, good men.

We allowed ourselves to be influenced by the monstrous lies of Repukes regarding both, Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

In the case of Jimmy Carter, President Carter had inherited a completely f****d up economy, AND THE CONGRESS WAS COMPLETELY REPUBLICAN. Everything Jimmy Carter needed done, the REPUGNICAN CONGRESS said a big, fat NO to. While setting about destroying his presidency, Repukes also made DAMNED SURE to spread lies that his presidency was a horrible one, and we Democrats, gullible Democrats that we usually are, accepted that, and swallowed it, and to this very day some Democrats still spew those Republican lies. Why did we do this to ourselves? It's like shooting ourselves in the foot.

We must never again do that. NEVER!! From now on we must get heavily invested and involved in defending our Democratic president against Repukes, defeating the Repukes, and always, always, always get the vote out.

I sure hope all Democrats agree with me on that and defend President Obama to the end of the earth, against the Pukes which are always at the ready to destroy Democrats and this country.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Dems - such as Sam Nunn - STARTED the free-for-all on Clinton.

Nunn really wanted to be prez.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. What a total and complete a$$hole but what about all the rest of Dems that followed suit?

And what about all those Dems that were like, "YAWN, I think I'll just get me a beer."

That must never happen again. Never be allowed to happen again. If another Nunn-style a$$hole appears we deal with him accordingly.

[Captain Hilts]

4. Yeah, but he was the first. But as you point out, not the only one. nt

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. Absolutely not the only one. We Dems were like ZOMBIES, I swear. What happened to us? nt

[LisaLynne]

3. Very good point.

They start the attack and then keep repeating all this craziness and are never called on it and eventually people start thinking it's true, like with your excellent example of Jimmy Carter. I have sensed a shift, though. I think most Dems have seen that this is the way they operate and are tired of it. I loved the way Obama would just answer whatever they were saying, usually in a tone that conveyed how pathetic their lies were. I think that's the way to go -- call them on their childish attacks.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. To this day even we Dems keep repeating right wing shit about President Carter...

It pisses me off.

I hope to God you're right and we Dems have grown a backbone, and this never, ever happens again.

[LisaLynne]

7. Yeah, it makes me really mad about Carter.

He is truly a great man and as you pointed out, did what he could with a Repub congress blocking his EVERY move. But, somehow, even with those who should know better, it just sort of sinks in. I guess I'm just feeling a little optimistic because seeing the way Obama and Biden reacted to it during the GE seemed really effective. All we can do right now is speak up against it ourselves and hope we really have all become aware of it!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

9. The Repukes destroyed Jimmy Carter's presidency, then spread lies about him

We need to vindicate him. We still haven't done that. We also need to make sure to expose Reagan's presidency for the piece of destructive trash it was. About the GW Bush presidency, we need do nothing. :-)

[LisaLynne]

12. Lol -- that is true. W did it for us.

:rofl:

[Odin2005]

25. Carter had the misfortune of being at the right place at very much the wrong time.

Politicians get applauded for economic booms and bashed for economic slumps that occur on their watch no matter what the actual cause of the economic situation is.

[Captain Hilts]

15. I agree. He was a good president and a lousy politician. nt

[salguine]

8. Are you fucking joking!? If, as you say,

"we must defend, support and back President Obama in anything and everything he undertakes", then how are we any better than the outgoing administration? I will NEVER hesitate to criticize any authority, including Obama, and nor should anyone else, if that authority deserves it. I don't give a damn if he's "one of my own" or not. I'd go so far as to say it's a citizen's duty and responsibility to question all authority at all times.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."—Theodore Roosevelt

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. What's your election voting record? nt

[salguine]

13. What does that have to do with anything?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

14. Is there a law against asking? Why so defensive? nt

[salguine]

16. It wasn't defensive. it was just a question.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

17. Ok nt

[LisaLynne]

11. Please read the OP again ...

No one is suggesting that. What the OP is talking about are the outright lies that have been spread about Democratic presidents that have never been corrected and are believed by far too many who should know better.

[Two Americas]

19. right here

"We must defend, support and back President Obama in anything and everything he undertakes."

That is unacceptable under any circumstances, not matter who the politician is.

[LisaLynne]

20. I think it's clear, if you take the entire post as a whole, ...

what the OP was getting at. Obviously, YMMV.

[Two Americas]

21. character assassination

Yes, the OP's point about character assassination of Carter and Clinton is well taken. I don't think that can be effectively countered, though. It is a distraction.

I particularly object to that one sentence, but beyond that, while I agree with the OP about the defamation by the right wing propagandists, I do not think that this is an area to focus on.

Were it not for the case that libertarian and Reaganomics ideas have gotten such a strong purchase with progressives and party activists, the defamation of character would be irrelevant. It is the ideas we need to counter, not the tactics and distractions. The discussion ought not be about personalities to begin with. Defending the politician from those attacks reinforces and promotes the right wing attempt to make politics be all about personalities.

[salguine]

22. Thank you!

[Two Americas]

24. the temptation

The temptation for people is to personally and too closely identify with a personality. Obama is charismatic, and his rise to power is historically significant, so the tendency to hero worship is augmented even more. That is not necessarily a negative thing, until and unless it becomes a replacement for political thinking.

Most of the right wing propaganda is nonsense, thrown out there not to win converts to their "philosophy," but merely to create as much confusion and continual uproar as possible. The unfortunate combination of internalizing and embracing the premises and assumptions of the right wing "free market" and "libertarian" ideas, along with the determination to reflexively and automatically respond tit-for-tat to whatever nonsense the right wingers throw out there by too many Democratic party activists, is itself the source of most of the right wing's power.

We strengthen theme by fighting them, when we allow them to set the agenda, define the issues, and control the discussion.

[Two Americas]

18. defend the principles

Defend the truth. Defend the working people.

That is what this is an opportunity to do.

[JeffR]

23. The usurpation of American democracy by the rabid right wing began

not - as some would have it - with the stolen election of 2000, but with the patently phony, trumped up, heavily propagandized impeachment of President Clinton.

Never again.