Naomi Klein: "All is not well in Obamafanland"

[kpete]

HopeOver, HopeLash, HopeBreak: A Lexicon of Disappointment
Naomi Klein

"It's time to stop waiting for hope to be handed down, and start pushing it up, from the hoperoots."

All is not well in Obamafanland. It's not clear exactly what accounts for the change of mood. Maybe it was the rancid smell emanating from Treasury's latest bank bailout. Or the news that the president's chief economic adviser, Larry Summers, earned millions from the very Wall Street banks and hedge funds he is protecting from reregulation now. Or perhaps it began earlier, with Obama's silence during Israel's Gaza attack.

Whatever the last straw, a growing number of Obama enthusiasts are starting to entertain the possibility that their man is not, in fact, going to save the world if we all just hope really hard.

............

Hopelash. Like a backlash, hopelash is a 180-degree reversal of everything Obama-related. Sufferers were once Obama's most passionate evangelists. Now they are his angriest critics. Sample sentence: "At least with Bush everyone knew he was an asshole. Now we've got the same wars, the same lawless prisons, the same Washington corruption, but everyone is cheering like Stepford wives. It's time for a full-on hopelash."

In trying to name these various hope-related ailments, I found myself wondering what the late Studs Terkel would have said about our collective hopeover. He surely would have urged us not to give in to despair. I reached for one of his last books, Hope Dies Last. I didn't have to read long. The book opens with the words: "Hope has never trickled down. It has always sprung up."

And that pretty much says it all. Hope was a fine slogan when rooting for a long-shot presidential candidate. But as a posture toward the president of the most powerful nation on earth, it is dangerously deferential. The task as we move forward (as Obama likes to say) is not to abandon hope but to find more appropriate homes for it -- in the factories, neighborhoods and schools where tactics like sit-ins, squats and occupations are seeing a resurgence.

...................


more at:

[Echo In Light]

1. "cheering like Stepford wives." Trying to get this 'dungeoned?'

Recommended

[Sebastian Doyle]

58. I can see at least 5 stepford responses in this thread so far.

All from the usual suspects, of course. Naomi nailed the cheerleaders with that definition.

[FLAprogressive]

70. they're basically political nincompoops who think it's all about the "team"

and not about the policies.

[madeline_con]

62. Do 39 recs trump a dungeon?

[Echo In Light]

142. You do realize I was being sarcastic also? lol

[Donnachaidh]

2. link? n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Link here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-klein/hopeover-hopelash-hopebre_b_188180.html

[Donnachaidh]

24. thanks! n/t

[Ghost Dog]

151. Ah yes. Also a version in yesterday's Guardian, but The Nation's version censored?

The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/17/barack-obama-supporters-naomi-klein

The Nation: Scroll down to bottom of page in this search list (see "The Nation | Unconventional Wisdom Since 1865 Apr 4, 2009 ... Naomi Klein : Politics. All is not well in Obamafanland, as disenchanted supporters entertain the possibility that he is not, in fact, ... "): http://www.thenation.com/search/?search=Naomi%20Klein (link points back to home page).

:wtf: :freak: Edit: or just an html error? :silly:

[muriel_volestrangler]

156. Just a not very useful search result, I think

that's the first of 9 pages of search results, and 'Obamafanland' gets mentioned in several other results on the first page for articles that appeared ages ago. I think it's picked up the link to the Klein article that is still on The Nation's front page.

Add 'Obamafanland' to the search terms, and the 1st one returned is the article we want - http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090504/klein?rel=hp_currently

[Ghost Dog]

166. Ah, good, thanks. n/t

[oviedodem]

3. Yeah I think McCain/Palin would have been more proactive and

pragmatic in dealing with these issues. I like Obama and all but I would have preferred to see Somalia raided even if it cost us a citizen. Second, rights; who cares. As long as we are safe and the "interrogations" are working leave it alone; I don't want to hear about it.

As far as big business is concerned, they need less taxes so that they can employ people even if they are overseas; THATS THE AMERICAN WAY!!

the conservative agenda would be better and you all know it.








:sarcasm:

[jimlup]

8. One problem is that people actually accept this choice.

And it isn't really a choice. As several pundits have pointed out we have a one party system - the business party.

I strongly supported the election of Barack Obama and I said then as I say now that we would have to push him hard from the left beginning the day after the election. Yes, obviously we are better off than under McCain/Palin - duh. That isn't the issue anymore. It is time to start pushing things instead of letting the right take the populist momentum.

I apologize for being preachy. It's just that people assume we can only have Democrat or Republican. Time to look beyond that. I believe Obama is the best we are going to get for awhile as far as "leans progressive" but he isn't that progressive. He is exactly what he campaigned as: a centrist democrat.

[oviedodem]

12. here is what is interesting in my opinion:

Congress is veering way left or right with very little middle. There are hardly any moderate republicans and the blue dogs are getting smaller.

The country is more center-left (I don't care what FOX says)

If a president wants to have 2 terms; he has to be moderate b/c the country will not tolerate drastic swings either way anymore. Obama HAS no choice but to play down the middle with left-leaning policies.

[jimlup]

19. Yes, I basically agree

Obama has to play politics and appease all sides. Or at least the sides he needs. WE DON'T! At least not right now! It seems to me that making sure he can't take left support for granted is important at this point in time. Just say'n. The next presidential is still 3.5 years away. We need only to be sure he is in a position to win it.

Obama needs to know that there are conditions on my support. I'm just one voter but I certainly represent a faction he wouldn't want to alienate too much. And it isn't just voting that is important.

[AlbertCat]

149. Obama has to play politics

This is of course all too true.

And people are not sick of Repugs or Dems, they are sick of them fighting. People are sick of the bickering....never mind who is right or wrong....just shut up. Avoiding the appearance of fighting is very important. The Right doesn't get that yet. But the lametude of the Teabaggers is a hopeful thing. They're itching for a fight and they are few. Everyone else is weary of it all.

That's why the torture stuff is so.....just plain weird. Obama must appear to do something (releasing the memos was great!) but he cannot appear to be too aggressive, even though it warrants aggressive investigation. The right, no matter what or when Dems do it, will wail and tear their garments about "WITCH HUNTS!" It's just a matter of carefully covering your ass as much as possible and going overboard to show you're not being "partisan"....as if prosecuting obvious crimes is partisan.

It's a mess. It's politics.

[defendandprotect]

111. Right . . . Obama went liberal because he understood he had to . . .

the problem is the $$$$$$$$$$ people and the DLC are there with him every day ---

and we are simply individuals with no LEVERAGE over him.

[butterfly77]

27. I think that Obama intends to get the things done that ..

most of us want but,he has to manuver around the Bluedogs,republicons and crazies who are in the different departments of government who are continuing to work for Bushco he needs the time to weed them out and try to implement what he is trying to do but most people want it all done on day one. As we have all seen the Congress and the senate are a lot of the problem as well as some of these people in the state dept,pentagon,etc...

When he tries to implement something the so called liberal media jumps out there day after day to tell us how and what to think about an issue and a lot of the people take the bait instead of watching,and waiting for a few days to really see what is really going on.

[destes]

136. it's tough to maneuver in that muck

I have a relative from Texas visiting this week. As is so typical of Texans she isn't afraid to seem foolish and has no compunction about expressing "her own" opinion. I'm being immersed in half witted vitriol. I'm not used to it and I may become inhospitable.

But I wanted to share with you what may be nearly the latest "fact". She asks me,"how long do you think it will be before Obama courtsmarshalls the captain of the ship where the snipers shot those pirates?" I said,"Huh?" "Yeah", she says,"that captain acted on his own without orders from his superiors."

Folks, I don't know how to maneuver in the face of THAT sort of pre-packaged gotcha. So how can we reasonably expect Obama to succeed? This teabag nonsense has been successful in giving the masses something and someone to focus their frustration on. Having never been so likely to buy in with any prepositioned political stance I'm more or less immune to the media blitz. My own little sanity world. That's why I'm so totally amazed that people like this relative of mine even exist.

I think that Obama must proceed as he feels best and we will have no choice but to trust his intentions and methods. He will have to deal with them all. That said, the back-up plan is that there's always the other branches of government to counter any misconduct. When that doesn't work, and it didn't work for the last 8 years, we may just be looking at real live civil unrest. Perhaps the shock and horror of civil war will finally knock the shine off misinformation that passes for public discourse.

Fade to fantasy thoughts......................These days as the weeding proceeds the hue and cry goes up at the "injustice" of it all. There are simply too many ignorant people in the soup who resist re-education. I hate it but see pretty clearly the usefulness of gulags. Best we build ours before we end up in theirs. .................Fade back to reality. Ahhhhhhhh, I feel better now.

[tonycinla]

143. What?

"we will have no choice but to trust his intentions and methods",o hell yes we have other choices,as a citizen i intend to add my voice and actions to affect the zeitgeist of this country as much as humanly possible to see the changes I believe in.

[FiveGoodMen]

37. Straw.. Straw... Strawsomething ... help me out here.

[Control-Z]

126. Your sarcasm thingy

was below the fold when I was reading your post. I was ready to alert and demand your tombstone.

Thanks be...:evilgrin:

[pokercat999]

132. Your point has no validity in this discussion. Getting

poked in the eye with a pointed stick is worst than hit with a fist but both are undesirable. Demanding more from the President even if he is a thousand times better than his predecessor is not a bad thing. President Obama is failing to live up to his followers expectations and they have the RESPONSIBILITY to let him know about it.

[aquart]

148. Except that is a strawman choice. It is NOT between Obama and McCain.

It is between Obama and Obama. Between the Obama some thought they were getting and the Obama they got.

Those of us who were not chanting idolaters are doing reasonably well. We see some progress along many fronts. As well as a few screeching errors.

But those who thought Obama was the Second Coming are quite naturally in crisis.

Angels from heaven do NOT make it to the White House.

[cliffordu]

4. Cute. Vacuous, but cute.

She can kiss my hopelash.

[anaxarchos]

9. That was a 2fer, clifford...

Time to start roundin' up the people under the bus?

[cliffordu]

13. Maybe....I would have gone with "Is this the end of the "Hopela??"

I like it under the bus. I have many friends here.

[Captain Hilts]

28. Can you be more patronizing? It's not enough to disagree? nt

[cliffordu]

29. Sorry. I was working on short notice. I'll pre-plan my condescension next time

so everyone gets their fair share.

[omega minimo]

35. Naomi Klein is incapable of "vacuous." She's providing some perspective. How bout that?

;)

[cliffordu]

42. she had a brain fart on this screed.

[omega minimo]

43. well I'm sorry it caused your lash to lose hope

:evilgrin: :wow:

"Hopela" that was good.

[cliffordu]

44. My lash is limp as a noodle.

[omega minimo]

45. well, there's always

hope :spray:

[cliffordu]

47. WELL.....

:rofl:


Well played!!

[omega minimo]

50. (voice in the dark) Sooooooooooo

THAT'S what all the hopela was about...................... ;)

[bertman]

81. Post #4 gets the All-Time Best Comeback Series award.

Y'all rock!!

[omega minimo]

83. is that like the DUzys?

:popcorn:

[cliffordu]

85. I'm partial to FlooZys m'self.....

:rofl:

[omega minimo]

86. don't overextend yourself

:eyes:

[cliffordu]

87. My lash is much better now.

This has been most stimulating.

But at my age........

[omega minimo]

92. careful

could be just a brain fart :wow:

[cliffordu]

99. It always comes back to that, somehow.....

:shrug:

[scubadude]

113. Never trust a fart....

just ask underpants...

Scuba

[bertman]

79. Post #4 gets the All-Time Best Comeback Series award.

Y'all rock!!

[Stinky The Clown]

5. A new word is coined: "Hopelash"

[LWolf]

158. I saw "hopelash" coming more than a year ago.

"I told you so" doesn't really help the situation though.

[Connie_Corleone]

6. The bank bailout, Larry Summers and her false claim about Obama and the Gaza attack.

She's the fool if she thought the Iraq war was going to magically end as soon as Obama entered office. Obama never said that. She's the fool if she thought Obama wasn't going to concentrate on the war in Afghanistan. It's not like Obama didn't talk about this for two fucking years.

And her claim about Obama's silence during the Gaza attack was countered a couple of weeks ago when we found out that Obama was working behind the scenes to get Israel to stop the attack.

Less than 3 months into a presidency, less than 100 fucking days, and people are ready to make him into Bush the third because Obama hasn't solved everything yet and hasn't cleaned up all of Bush's mess.

on edit: I'm just fucking pissed off, so I edited my last sentence.

[cliffordu]

21. You got it, Connie, right on the nose.

[geek tragedy]

68. She's spouting bullshit regarding Obama and Gaza.

But, the poutragers don't care about details on policy.

[MadMaddie]

72. Agreed! This is above and beyond reasonable expectations

If President Obama walked in and had only 1 of the hundreds of issues he has to deal with that would be one thing. That is not the case he has hundreds even thousands of issues that have to be dealt with and people want all of them done now.

The fact that he has accomplished so much in 3 months is amazing.

He did make the statement about "Looking ahead" when talking about the CIA agents BUT he also released the Torture memos....there is more to this than what we see on the surface.

What I really don't see talked about is if McCain/Palin were in office ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WOULD BE HAPPENING IN GOVERNMENT! Just a continuation of * policies and the further destruction of the country. More wars, more death, even more hate.

[zanne]

146. You're right. With people like the previous posters....

Who needs a Republican opposition when we have a Democratic opposition right here on DU? People who jump to criticize Obama now are part of the problem and if the whole thing falls apart, they'll only have to look in the mirror to see the reason why.

[Stellabella]

88. You're exactly right. I'm very disappointed in Ms. Klein.

For God's sake, give the man some time. After all it took Bush/Cheney more than 3 months to ruin the world.

[riverdeep]

127. I think she's talking about the direction he's taking.

It's true he said he would leave Iraq responsibly, but do you remember how many troops he said he would leave there? Even Nancy Pelosi and Reid had a problem with that one. The direction that he's taking on the bailout of having a team of quasi criminals conducting the nuts and bolts of the bailout isn't too reassuring either. The refusal to prosecute or even explore Bush era crimes, how's that helpful? Every time there's a train accident in this country, an investigation is undertaken. It's why we have some of the safest railways around, no one says platitudes like now is not a time to look back. His decision to allow Baghram to become the new Gitmo, while during the campaign lashing out at the lawlessness of the Bush era and promising to eradicate it, how is that consistent? His laughter at even considering a new drug policy, his continuance of faith-based initiatives, these are things that we thought would change.

As if it needs to be said, Obama is seven million times better than Bush: we're getting science back, we are regaining our standing in the world, he has hired mostly competent people, he genuinely cares about the country instead of the elite, etc. He is seven million times better than McCain could ever have hoped to be, or God forbid, Palin.

I'm still waiting until several more months have gone by before I form any strong opinions one way or another; there is, as you say, just not been enough time to judge his measures. But while there are a lot of good things, there are also troubling things, and I don't want to see the Clinton era repeated- progressives sitting silent while our guy gives away the farm.

[Ghost Dog]

155. You are in danger of NOT "regaining (y)our standing in the world"

from what I'm hearing.

Not that the USA ever much cared, if by 'standing' you mean respect, other than for crony-capitalist financial reasons.

If I may say so here.

[tonycinla]

144. Not a fool!

Obama is not Bush III but he is Obama I and Obama I is showing his inexperience and timidity in many areas.Watch foreign policy in the coming months.When a little Frenchman,Sarkozy,calls you weak and timid it is not a good sign.Let us see if Obama will have ANY influence on Israeli actions.Let us see how he handles Netanyahu.I think and fear the world is simply going to be tough,harsh and mean for Obama.He is not going to be able to just talk and give speeches to solve the many difficult problems out there.He is a counter puncher and cautious by nature,the alpha male leaders of the world are not.They act preemptively and then the weaker more cautious types are forced to play catch up.WATCH!!!!

[autorank]

7. It is not about people. It is ALL about policy

That's a stretch for a hard core political forum so I'll hedge and say I'm being ironic. But I'm not.

Obama is a very capable guy. When headed in the right direction, he can execute. So lets ramp up
the policy issues and who cares about the personalities. If we had someone in there like Palin, then
personalities would matter. We have a competent man, highly competent. Lets let him know that he's
working for us (that is sitll the deal) and get him to push our agenda.

Being "disappointed" is irrelevant. It's all about what gets done. Any smart politician will bend
to pressure. That's our job.

[Echo In Light]

11. Good points, and good plan...however I'm doubtful enough would find the fault required to...

...create a mass movement that may, depending upon tactic, and how that manifests, apply pressure from the bottom-up. Hell, just look at the rubes who fell for the teabag jive...

[rucky]

14. I don't think it requires a mass movement...

just dilligent people willing to call things as they see them. If there's enough of us willing to communicate our policy opinions. If we see something that's glaringly heading in the wrong direction, there'll be some consensus on it. We don't need another special-interest group with a mission statement and mass-emails - just use the tools offered to us on whitehouse.gov

[Echo In Light]

22. I'd disagree, in that those routes yield zero. No different than how ....

...the populace has been duped into believing that they can 'vote in' substantive change.

[rucky]

25. Aside from Lobbyists, I have yet to see an organization influence policy

since the invention of the internets. They're good at raising money, though.

Mass emails and petitions are ignored. Period. Groups like MoveOn appear on the radar - but more as a target than anything. When we rely on a group to speak for us, it sounds good in theory, but it's easily dismissed as a special interest or astroturf. No group has been big enough in numbers to carry an influential voice - probably because it's so segmented. I could sign 5 different petitions from 5 different groups that say the same thing and have them all ignored - even though there may be tens of thousands of activists between them. If tens of thousands of activists wrote the white house, their reps and their local paper every time they had an opinion about something, the numbers may be fewer, but i say the effects would be more meaningful and impactful.

If content is king - original content will be read and taken more seriously. People will have to voice their own opinions, without having to water-down their personal agenda for the sake of presenting a cookie-cutter message. We go through such great measures to create a collective voice that appears authentic, but it's not an effective replacement for getting up and composing your own correspondence.

[Bluenorthwest]

141. Yeah, the people ask a question, and the President

rewords it to sound stupid and then makes a mockery out of the question and those who asked it. Very encoraging. What is the point of telling them what we think is important if he's not going to listen? When he will not even respectfully disagree, but instead make light of the issue?

[Echo In Light]

150. There are many ways to trivialize/marginalize or outright dismiss questions and views...

...that don't fit the dominant paradigm, and the climate of opinion. Simply deeming any potentially incriminating aspect of the corporate/state nexus as a "conspiracy theory" gets an astonishing amount of mileage re denial within the public mind ...psychologically grounded in how children are taught to "respect" authority by never calling authority figures out on shit they should be, ass-kissing as to be a more "worthy($)" cog in the corporate machinery, abiding and unquestioningly conforming to the unanimity of bias that passes for objectivity, etc. That's the groundwork for why people will mindlessly parrot whatever blatantly implausible view or explanation Power tells them to believe.

[scheming daemons]

10. Three months, and still no fucking pony!

Dammit!

:eyes:

[TBF]

55. You must have missed the memo - no one wants a fucking pony.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=5366113

[WI_DEM]

15. Well 2/3 of the country support Obama according to most polls, so I don't think things are too bad

except on DU.

[Peace Patriot]

17. Anyone who listened closely to Obama's speeches, and who understands the facts about

our entirely non-transparent, broken, privatized, Bushwhack-corporate owned and controlled voting system, did not expect much from Obama. We may have voted for him, we may have "hoped" a lot, but we knew that he would be hamstrung as to any serious reform, and simply would not be permitted into the White House if he did intend serious reform. I am one of these--great hope, didn't expect much--who warned of the disillusionment of many who did not listen closely to his speeches and who don't know how bad our voting system is and who controls it. I think you have to approach change from a realistic perspective. You may have big, important, vital goals--goals of transformation, goals of real democracy, goals of social justice--but you must think strategically how to accomplish them, step by step by step. Our corporate rulers permitting a better image--and a far, far better human being--to win the presidential election, is not, and cannot be, the answer to all of our many and very grave problems. The answers and solutions must come from we, the people, in our capacity as the only sovereign entity in this land.

And that is going to take time and effort. I'll say one thing for Obama--among many good things I believe about him--and that is that he has said this time and again: it is up to us. He simply does not have the power of an FDR. That democracy--the one that elected FDR four times, and withstood every effort by the rich to prevent the "New Deal"--is over. It has been destroyed, and we must start again.

Klein's warning is a good one. We must be on the alert for this, and understand this. Many people hoped for dramatic, quick, transformative change. I will criticize Obama for encouraging this notion in subliminal ways, though the substance of his words never pointed to dramatic, quick, transformative change. He was fairly honest in what he said--for a politician--(for instance, that he would move the Forever War to Afghanistan; he was quite clear about this--that the Forever War would continue). He promised relief; he did not promise a "New Deal." He promised a return to the rule of law; he did not promise accountability for the massive crimes of the Bush Junta. And he trotted right along behind their Financial 9/11--the final looting--with zero objections. The people of this country wanted much more dramatic change than this; he never promised it, except by implication. He worked the crowds. He let them fill in the blanks of a hope agenda.

And that is a dangerous situation, for possible corpo/fascist scenarios to be played out--for instance, civil disorder as things get worse, the corpo/fascist media writing a script that blames Obama for Bush Junta devastation, and then the Diebolding into office of a yet worse junta than Bush/Cheney. We are easily vulnerable to this because of the 'TRADE SECRET' voting machines. We must stop crying over what Obama hasn't done, and start picketing our local voter registrar and secretaries of state for transparent vote counting! (--don't expect Congress to fix it; they will only make it worse).

We must understand our situation--as a people, as a country, as a once great democracy--deeply, in new and profound ways. We must look at it with open eyes, and with as much information as we can provide to each other, on the internet and in public gatherings. Our hope--in ourselves, and in the future--must be stronger than our politicians. We are the sovereign here, and we must learn that responsibility all over again.

:patriot: :grouphug: :patriot:

[Mari333]

18. good post. nt

[latebloomer]

20. Yes, deserves its own thread.

[Arugula Latte]

26. It would be nice to get sweeping change in one fell swoop ... But in reality

we need to do all the "slogging through the muck" stuff -- run for school boards, town council, etc. or support those who run, work to throw out DINOs in primaries, call the rightwing out when we encounter them in our workplaces, form and support alternative media, etc.

[Kaleva]

39. "He let them fill in the blanks of a hope agenda."

I think people regularly replace the real with a candidate they have created in their own mind.

[TheUnspeakable]

41. GREAT POST-esp. the last paragraph n/t

[Supersedeas]

73. well done...great post

[chill_wind]

84. Very good points made. n/t

[daughter of liberty2]

120. Great analysis

in general. I especially liked"We are the sovereign here, and we must learn that responsibility all over again" <<<- so true.
:)

[LittleGirl]

125. well done

Thank you.

I am in no hurry for Obama to 'fix' everything. I want it done right and I'm willing to wait for it. Rewriting history takes time.

[KoKo]

145. Once agains Peace Patriot your post offers wisdom and insight....and

any change with Obama will be incremental. And, it was and is still is... up to us to make the change. Thanks for that reminder on voting. How long have we been promised that our Democrats would reform the voting ...paper countable ballots. Conyers basement hearings so very long ago. Russ Holt's bill...so very long ago. Now it's "hush up" because a Democrat won. We only need to look at what Franken went through to know how Repugs still view elections. They will steal them by any method they can and litigate when they can't screw the election on the ground.

[chimpymustgo]

153. Peace Patriot, GREAT post. We must fight for our issues - not our idols.

You are a true patriot.

[LWolf]

159. As someone who DID listen closely to Obama,

I never had an atom of hope to begin with. Just a deep, deep, well of anger.

[glitch]

23. K & R for post 7. autorank (short version) and post 17. peace patriot (long version)

Hoperoots.

[cali]

30. what a profoundly pedestrian piece of writing- not to mention

the parade of straw men she trots out.

lousy piece based on false premises.

[natrat]

31. howsabout maybe he sticks to at least some of his campaign promises. Politicians are truely turds

[earth mom]

32. K & R.

:kick:

[Political Heretic]

33. Honestly, as much as I love Klein, I feel this piece is unnecessarily inflammatory

It felt like Klein just chose to right a big insulting piece to deal with some inner demons or something.

[omega minimo]

36. Dear PH, let us know when you right your PhD

:evilgrin: :hi:

[Warren DeMontague]

34. I think he's doing a GREAT job.

Seriously, the guy's been on the job for 3 months. Someone was expecting loaves and fishes?

She's got one anonymous "sample sentence". Wow, I guess that's a movement. I know we've been through this before, but Obama SAID he was going to increase the commitment to Afghanistan. Anyone who is surprised by this wasn't paying attention. We are going to get out of Iraq. We are getting some sunlight on Bush-era policies, like the torture memos. We have an AG who has committed to stopping medical marijuana raids. We have lifted the restriction on federal aid for stem cell research. We have reversed the Mexico City gag rule. We are on track to seriously fund things like high speed rail in this country for the first time in my lifetime. We have a chance- a meaningful chance- for universal health coverage. Finally.

Seriously. I don't know what all the bitching is about. Like I said, the guy has been at it for 3 months. Some people are NEVER going to be happy (unless Ralph Nader gets in the WH, of course) but the truth of the matter is, Obama is a huge and obvious improvement. His first 3 months have been much better than Bill Clinton's, and I was much more glassy-eyed about Clinton back in 1993 than I am about Obama now.

[bird gerhl]

40. With that kind of attitude...

you can be sure the Democrats are going to get annihilated in the next round of midterm elections! And that will be all they deserve!

[Mithreal]

53. The "it's still early argument" is still appropriate in a general sense

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "that kind of attitude"?

[bjobotts]

117. It's not what he hasn't done ...it's what he IS doing.Landed in the lap of thuggery

[bjobotts]

118. De-Bushifying the governemt requires tact and support and a big fucking stick

[Warren DeMontague]

66. With WHAT kind of attitude?

Please. Specifics. Particularly related to policy.

I'm curious.

[geek tragedy]

76. Endless poutrage whining is about policy.

Supporting a Democratic president is cult behavior.

Any questions?

[beltanefauve]

101. "The Democrats"?

And that will be all that "they" derserve?
Are you not a Democrat? You do know, don't you, that you're logged onto "Democratic" Underground?
Enjoy your stay...

[JerseygirlCT]

161. Agreed

And one more reminder: he never said he was going to do this alone. Every step of the way, he insisted this was a group effort - that nothing different was going to be done "to" us, but "by" us.

[Kaleva]

38. Dean's most loyal turned into his greatest critics

The Howard Dean forum back in the late 2003 and very early 2004 was a fun place to be when things were going well for the campaign and it looked liked Dean was going to steamroll his way to the nomination. Then came Iowa and New Hampshire and those posts of hope and confidence where replaced by ones of doubt, despair and took on a critical tone towards Dean himself. Many who vowed it was Dean or no one earlier when times where good began to shop around (most going to the next sure thing: Kerry). Some announced that they were moving on while most just disappeared.

[stillcool]

46. I can't imagine why anyone..

would expect any one person to cure all the ills that are deeply rooted in our government. That whole 'bottom-up change' thing isn't going to work if the bottom doesn't pressure their own representatives to act in their interests. We freely hand over the little power we have.

[Mithreal]

51. "We freely hand over the little power we have."

Sadder yet, most never even knew they had power or how to exercise it. To hand it over sorta implies they actually knew they had something in their hand.

[Mithreal]

48. Some don't get it. Naomi Klein is calling for a hope revival.

My first take is unnecessarily irritated, but I think some of us may be having significant difficulty either maintaining hope or transitioning from hope of spirit to hope in action. Every now and again the progressive community may need a kick in the pants.

[omega minimo]

52. Great post. This is what we need.

[balantz]

49. Americans are finding their hope chest filled with unpleasant things. n/t.

[Diane R]

54. I am so tired of people trying to convince us to turn on Obama. No thank you.

[omega minimo]

56. she's not. here's a link to the whole piece

http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2009/04/lexicon-disappointment

[DemBones DemBones]

59. People ought to read an entire piece before attacking.

Excerpts do not convey all of what a piece says.

[omega minimo]

63. it helps.

[LostinVA]

164. Except that isn't what her article says -- please read the article first

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

57. Naomi has got one part right, she has demonstrated that many of Obama's supporter's Hopes

were larger then anything that he ever promised. While his hope rhetoric might have been a bit much, he was crystal clear about the policies that he would pursue. His actions as president have been quite consistent with those promises. If you're disappointed with him, you should look in the mirror for the reason.

[Cha]

60. "Obamafanland" Fuck that

shit.

[omega minimo]

64. Read that

shit

[G_j]

61. How To Prod Obama: Use The Organizing Techniques He Used

sort of addresses the bottom up thing.

**
http://www.opednews.com/articles/How-To-Prod-Obama-Use-The-by-Danny-Schechter-090417-472.html

How To Prod Obama: Use The Organizing Techniques He Used

IF YOU WANT TO PROD OBAMA TO DO THE RIGHT THING, MASTER THE ORGANIZING TECHNIQUES HE USED TO WIN ELECTION
By Danny Schechter
Director, Barack Obama, People’s President

The election of Barack Obama may be long over but the campaign for change is still underway. For the first time in American history, a president is using the techniques he deployed in running for office in pushing for deeper change. Those who want him to go even further might want to master the approach he used.

It is no surprise that this significant political development is barely being covered in a media that loves to punditize, poll public opinion, and debate policy options in a top-down way. (Some like Fox are even trying to become community organizers) Yet by “covering” politics in this way, our mass media is missing the most innovative bottom-up grassrooots effort in recent memory.

I know about this because as a journalist and filmmaker, I set out to document just how Obama won the election. That story, told in the film Barack Obama, People’s President (slated for DVD release this month by ChoiceMedia.net) documents the online and on the ground techniques that were used to win the highest office in the land.

<snip>
The President is now using those same techniques, built around an impressive thirteen million-name email list to keep his organizers and supporters involved in backing his legislative agenda. This is the biggest mass lobbying effort of all time.
While his principal campaign advisor David Axelrod joined the White House staff at a high level, his campaign manager David Plouffe set about converting a campaign apparatus into a legislative army. As MoveOn.Org advisor David Fenton explains in our film, “It’s an institutionalized mass level automated technological community organizing that has never existed before and it is very, very powerful force.”

This is significant. The progressive critics of Obama, disappointed by his appointments and some of his cautious policies, have to go beyond railing in print or crying in their beer. They have to reach out to the grass roots army that assured his election. This means being willing to dialogue with liberals and younger people who don’t label their politics. Reminding them of the role they played in a historic election may be one way to do that---to appeal to the instincts that led them to engage in the campaign for “change.” There’s no need to deify Obama---but there is an imperative to reenergize his base,

<snip>
Obama, for all his shortcomings which are becoming more obvious by the day has pioneered the way change must be won ---not by people on the top, but by all of us. It remains for “us” to hold him accountable. We live in a culture of amnesia—it is important to learn the lessons of the recent past.

..more..

[Kaleko]

82. Great points in that Schechter article. Apathy is born from hopelessness.

I know... and there are many times when I want to finally give up on this seemingly hopeless venture of raising awareness to help create an informed electorate. But with a 13 million email list, Obama's base is massive enough for all of us to realize that we are a formidable force for renewal if we can stay persistent like a toothache - constantly engaged in the long struggle to change this country's center of gravity from ethnocentric to world-centric.

[Mass]

133. Thanks. Now post this without saying it is from an Obama person and see how this person is assaulted

here.

As I was said a few days ago, all we need to do is sit and wait. Obama will do the right thing.

[ThomWV]

65. K&R

[amborin]

67. i posted her article yesterday, here's the link:

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8349552&mesg_id=8349552>

[vssmith]

69. 23 Senators had the good sense to vote against the war

Where in the Obama administration are they?

There were people who warned about the banks and derivatives--where are they?

We have nothing close to a "Team of Rivals"--what we do have is a Team of Enablers.

[Generator]

71. She needs to hang out in Gd:presidential

The stench of fandom is holding stong. The believers are believing. Hope is not just a buzzword there, no siree, Bo.

[omega minimo]

74. Funny how they drive out Obama allies by insisting how many Obama haters there supposedly are

:crazy: :yoiks:

[HughMoran]

89. As a hater, you must be sensitive to that

I've read over 50 posts of yours this week - all 100% unadulterated opposition to anything Obama is doing.

You're a one-note poster.

[Name removed]

94. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HughMoran]

96. Lol - I haven't been accused of being "a plant" yet

That's pretty impressive, but you've posted hundreds of posts this week and I'm unemployed so I've had plenty of time to casually observe your behavior. You are consistent, I'll give you that.

[omega minimo]

98. and you

are full of it


there's no other reason to so completely misrepresent anyone else's presence here :evilfrown:

[FLAprogressive]

77. the difference between GD and GD:P (aka GD:DLC) is shockingly clear

[HughMoran]

90. One negative post after another from you

You're just filled with anger. It is difficult reading your posts. :(

[deaniac21]

75. I miss Bill.

[bertman]

78. Woot!! Woot!! I love Naomi!! She's done it again.

Studs would approve, I think.

[followthemoney]

80. Don't OD on the Hope-ium...

There is some bad stuff going around.

[grahamhgreen]

91. Put the whitehouse on speed dial and call often! 202-456-1414 (use a headset...)

[rollingrock]

93. Count me among the disillusioned

2012 will be far from being a lock for the incumbent if he keeps this up.

[Number23]

95. What a nasty, condescending article. Was there a purpose for Klein writing this?

"Hopesick: "I was feeling really hopesick about the escalation in Afghanistan, but then I watched a YouTube video of Michelle in her organic garden and it felt like inauguration day all over again. A few hours later, when I heard that the Obama administration was boycotting a major UN racism conference, the hopesickness came back hard. So I watched slideshows of Michelle wearing clothes made by ethnically diverse independent fashion designers, and that sort of helped."

"Hopebreak: I really believed Obama would finally force us to confront the legacy of slavery in this country and start a serious national conversation about race. But now he never seems to mention race, and he's using twisted legal arguments to keep us from even confronting the crimes of the Bush years. Every time I hear him say 'move forward,' I'm hopebroken all over again."

This article should have been perceived as insulting the intelligence of every person who read this. Whether you love the President or are ambivalent, Klein doesn't appear the slightest bit interested in arguing for or against his policies so much as trying to tear him down. This piece is pretty much garbage.

[rollingrock]

97. Don't shoot the messenger

Obama is doing a good job tearing himself down, with no help from Naomi Klein or anyone else.
And she was a big Obama supporter during the campaign too.

[Number23]

100. There are far too many people who would COMPLETELY disagree with your characterization

And I'm not shooting the messenger, believe me. I'm an independent with very little interest in ideology. It just seems that Klein's piece is not trying half as hard to be informative as it is to be nasty.

[omega minimo]

103. If that's your impression, you would do yourself a favor to familiarize with her work

:thumbsup:

[Name removed]

105. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rollingrock]

104. There's nothing nasty about it

spreading falsehoods or lies about someone is what I would call being nasty, like Rush Limbag and Glenn Beck do on a daily basis. there is nothing untrue about Naomi's statements. she offers only constructive criticism and if you can't handle constructive criticism then I don't know what to tell you. your response to her piece is more nasty then anything she actually said. its also petty and unconstructive.

[Number23]

106. Are you Naomi Klein?

That's the only reason I can think of for you to say "I can't handle constructive criticism" and that somehow "my response is more nasty than what she actually said." Why so panicked??

I read everything from across the political spectrum and have since college. I'm as likely to read The Weekly Standard as I am to read The Washington Post. So I think I know the difference between legitimate criticism and hating. This piece smells like HATIN' to me.

Now, if you are indeed Naomi Klein or are as big of fan of hers as some accuse Obama's supporters of being, your comments make more sense and it's the fact that I'm criticizing her at all that is what's really upsetting you. Otherwise, you just sound like you're just looking for something to get your drawers all twisted up in knot over. Just wait a minute and I'm sure that a legitimate excuse will come along soon. No need to go hunting for one...

[omega minimo]

107. Nice speech, thanks for the resume, but you're just being petty and making personal attacks.

:shrug:

[Number23]

109. I would ask you what the hell "personal attacks" you are referencing. Instead, I think I'll just ask

"Will you please go the FUCK away?"

[omega minimo]

112. the total lack of self awareness is a fitting touch. KICK FOR NAOMI WOLF AND REALITY

:kick:

[omega minimo]

102. Yes, unless you bother to read the whole piece:

"his is a good thing. If the superfan culture that brought Obama to power is going to transform itself into an independent political movement, one fierce enough to produce programs capable of meeting the current crises, we are all going to have to stop hoping and start demanding. "

[omega minimo]

108. oh and apparently you didn't read the whole article.

[Egnever]

115. You have issues

[omega minimo]

116. Did you read the article? Have anything to say? Just personal attacks?

:shrug:

[EFerrari]

123. Hey. I think I just was in this thread on another night.

I'd call them plants but I like all the plants I know. So, here's a peace lily for you, omega.

[omega minimo]

128. Bless you dear one.

What's weird is all the new growth and welcome voices that show up at the moment that the plants seem to be taking over.............. :pals: :grouphug:

[defendandprotect]

110. We have to push harder, but we also have to acknowledge that . . .

the monied interests have LEVERAGE over Obama and that the guys and gals who

gave him near $1 billion via the internet just have memories!

[defendandprotect]

114. Just want to comment on Israel/Gaza/Obama . . .

Hard to say who has behaved more brutally . . . US or Israel . . . in these past

nightmare right-wing years.

Or perhaps it began earlier, with Obama's silence during Israel's Gaza attack.

But US and Israel are linked by $15 million from us to them every day . . .

isn't that the figure?

US and Israel are also so closely intertwined in weapons production that you can almost

not tell them apart!

Further, Nixon armed right wing, religiously fanatical Israel. That pretty much began

the undermining of the liberal, peace-loving Israelis -- pretty much the last we heard

of them was just before the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin -- in which

Netanyhu, for one, is believed to have been involved.

See: "Murder In The Name of God"

Israel has long been our foothold in the ME . . .

[Vidar]

119. K&R.

[Hawkowl]

121. Hope is for campaigns. Actions for governing.

I hope, that Obama pulls Geithner's head out of his ass and fires Summers. I believe that this is inevitable because President Obama is a brilliant politician and he will see what a political disaster these criminal buffoons are crafting for him.

[earcandle]

122. I think you hit upon it!

When he said he couldn't do it, but needed us to do it from
the grassroots up, he really meant it.

[smalll]

124. Obama is not Naomi Klein's President (her being a Brit and all) and she's always been, spiritually,

a crypto-Naderite...

so, pound for pound, measure for measure -- quelle surprise. :shrug:

[omega minimo]

129. Well hello again. "Crypto-Naderite"? Ms. Klein has been one of the most consistent lucid voices on

crucial issues, viewed from a global and personal perspective, that we have been fortunate enough to have.

The fact that these people point out the nature of the problems does not make them the problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

[tomp]

137. that is perhaps the most lame ad hominem i have ever read. nt

[omega minimo]

130. If the superfan culture that brought Obama to power is going to transform itself into an independent

"This is a good thing. If the superfan culture that brought Obama to power is going to transform itself into an independent political movement, one fierce enough to produce programs capable of meeting the current crises, we are all going to have to stop hoping and start demanding."

[Name removed]

131. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

135. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

138. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tomp]

139. self-delete.

[Name removed]

157. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Two Americas]

165. I still love you

Were no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do i
A full commitments what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We've known each other for so long
Your hearts been aching
But you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know whats been going on
We know the game and were gonna play it

And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see

Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

[Lilith Velkor]

172. This must have been a hell of a subthread

:rofl:

[NJmaverick]

134. The ONLY "rancid smell" would be the one emanating from this OP

:puke:

[tomp]

140. hopelash: the 1st step in recovery from pathological obamaphilia.

you must admit you have a problem.

[Honeycombe8]

147. I think that's B.S. I voted for Obama, and for the most part, am very pleased so far.

Anyone who is disappointed or angry....they either weren't paying attention during the campaign, or they never really were "for" Obama and the direction he wanted to take the country.

I'm disappointed in a couple of stances he's taken. But other than those, he has set about fulfilling what he spoke about during his campaign. Well done, President O.

[lonestarnot]

152. Studs was my main man! And I will never compromise hope!

:thumbsup: K & R

[lavndrblue]

154. Hopelash?

President Obama has been in office less than 100 days and Klein and others think he should have "saved the world" in that short of time? Give me a break! So far every time the media comes out and attacks Obama for a plan he has put in place the details are revealed and the media look stupid. I believe the majority of his supporters including myself are going to give him time to deal with the mountains of problems Bush left him with.

[yardwork]

160. I wonder if kpete will be banned for posting this. It doesn't seem to match Allowed Speech on DU.

[LWolf]

162. I hear

that skinner is planning a comment about "allowed speech" very soon. Or maybe I missed it; I was out of town and away from my 'puter for a few days.

I'm guessing that the "about DU" page may be updated to reflect the changes in the site sometime soon.

It's becoming obvious that DU is no longer "hosting one of the Web's most active left-wing discussion boards." The left is being purged from the party and the site.

[mitchtv]

167. Well, it was fun while it lasted

but no the left is completely divided and only the Patry line will be permitted. As Ari Fleischer said:"People now have to watch what they say."

Her it is"Don't question the brilliant master plan".

[LWolf]

168. You're right. nt

[BlooInBloo]

169. Huh? I thought that "Obama sucks"-talk was ALL that was allowed here.

[bluedawg12]

171. Hopelash: when your neck gets jerked back by reality. n/t

[LostinVA]

163. Interesting article -- thanks for posting

Politicians are politicians, and many people forget that.

[tomreedtoon]

170. Doing something ourselves, rather than relying on a leader...

...sounds like a sensible idea.

I've been saying that the UAW should be willing to picket, shut down factories, harass their CEO's and bosses, and go back to the tactics that unions first used to gain power. Too many union people here have been, frankly, begging for their rights. Wouldn't it be better for them to reclaim their rights by themselves?

The same could be said for a lot of other problems. Don't like traffic jams, parking, vehicle expenses, legislators and selfish landowners that don't want commuter or high-speed rail built in your state? Why whine to legislators about it? Push the issue publicly. Promote it. Maybe shut down some interstates at rush hour. What, that would be illegal? Wasn't it illegal for blacks to march in Selma?

Leaders can inspire the people. But people have to do the heavy lifting.