Obama to Lefties: "Make me. G'wan, I dare ya! Make me!"

[TygrBright]

Oh, boy, does this take me back.

President Obama recorded some remarks just for Netroots Nation, a known hotbed of left-wing extremist activism, progressive subversion, im-practical and un-pragmatic idealistic hope for change, and other dangerous political leanings. You can read more about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/07/24/us/politics/AP-US-Democrats-Liberals.html?_r=1&hp, but what it comes down to is, basically, this:

"Make me. G'wan, make me! I dare ya!"

Being "No Drama Obama" of course, he didn't use language that provocative. Nor did he cock a snook at the camera, or smirk unbecomingly. But no one who lived through the Presidential Administration of John F. Kennedy and/or Lyndon Baines Johnson could have mistaken his meaning. We've seen it before.

The Democrat is elected, with loud cheers and hails of relief and delight on the part of lefties. Now, at last, we can delegate up, 'cause we have someone to delegate to, right? We can dump all these knotty, nasty, time-eating, soul-destroying, energy-devastating ideological conflicts and social issues and political hot potatoes on HIS lap, and get on with our lived, happy and secure in the knowledge that the man who crusaded so vigorously on the campaign trail, who spoke so eloquently to the very beliefs of our hearts, can be trusted to put that same vigor and eloquence into slaying the dragons of the GOPpie power structure. And, after all, only those dragons stand between us and utopia, or at least something a shitload better than the current political/social hellhole.

The honeymoon is intense, but short. My god is it short. One or two hopeful gestures. A promising policy initiative or two. A couple of speeches reminiscent of the campaign-trail oratory. And then...

...we wake up with the hangover from all the partying, look around, and realize that the current situation looks an awful lot like...

...business as usual.

Fucking, maddening, disgusting, frustrating, soul-destroying, and most of all, DISAPPOINTING!!! business as usual.

And instead of buckling on the armor of moral purity, social justice, and political virtue and charging full-tilt against the dragons, the guy we put our hopes and dreams on, the guy we trusted, the guy making all the promises, the guy we BELIEVED, saps that we are, is actually sitting in a well-upholstered conference room with those same dragons, dickering over fuel supplies and politely offering them a light.

And our howls of outrage shake the very gates of heaven, or at least make some minor ripples in the media.

And eventually, Our Former Hero, with the winsome, sincere, trust-evoking candor that we loved so much on the campaign trail, explains patiently that he NEVER promised to do it on his own. That he always KNEW there were way more, and way bigger, and way lethal-er dragons than the simple (in every sense) GOPpie clowns and buffoons perennially hogging media spotlights, and that he'd counted on OUR help to slay them. Asked for it, repeatedly, during the campaign. Warned us that our help would be critical. And what did we do? We threw everything in his lap and left town, fer chrissakes. Whatthehell kind of leverage does that give him going up against a military-industrial power structure that's not NEARLY worried enough about its own survival to even think of change?

Now is the winter of our discontent.

Whatthehell good does it do to elect someone to what is reputed to be the most powerful elected office on earth, if the yellow-bellied sumbitch won't USE that goddamn power to force some by-god meaningful CHANGE?

The ugly truth is simple: No matter how allegedly powerful "the most powerful elected office on earth" may be, it's a fucking 50-horsepower Evinrude attached to the back of the motherfucking Queen Mary, for godssakes. The REAL power has nothing to do with an elected office. The REAL power is the people who can afford to buy the means to prevent those WE elect to office from doing anything contrary to THEIR interests. The tools for that preventing are many and massive, and they are hideously expensive. Elected officials trying to go up against them are taking on a forest fire with a teacup and a barrel of water. Most elected officials don't bother to try. They give up and get their share of the bribes while the getting is good. It's become the American Way.

But Our Guy isn't ready to give up. He thought he had a deal with us. He'd infiltrate the enemy camp, get in there and convince them that he's a Practical Pragmatist who's all ready to cut deals with them and not rock the boat too much, and throw a few scraps to the noisiest elements of the mob at the gates, and generally Play Ball the way the game is played. And we, for OUR part of the deal, would NOT LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT. Loudly. Publicly. Overwhelmingly.

He counted on us NOT to give up on "politics as usual," not to eat our own, not to make splashy and futile gestures, but to continue working our asses off to elect more progressives, to keep real issues squarely in the face of the Big Mushy Middle, to fight incendiary wackjob rhetoric from the right with facts and real information about real people, to take over the New Media and continue working on subverting the Old Media, to be firmly, logically, and implacably In The Faces of the power structure with consistent, coherent, and reasonable demands, and to NOT. SHUT. UP.

To the point where he'd have to shrug apologetically at his new BFFs and say "Looks like it's gonna take more than scraps, guys."

So, g'wan. Make him.

Does he have to tell us AGAIN?

reminiscently,
Bright

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. You have said it so very well...

Dammit.

Recommended.

[jwirr]

2. For God's sake, what does he think we have been trying to do? nt

[nc4bo]

150. For real. +1.

How many more letters, phone calls, emails, comments does he expect?

I'm at the point where I feel like any opinion from the left is immediately placed into the great WH round file, never to be seen or heard again.

It's actually quite depressing and it's difficult not to feel at least a little bitter.

So I guess we'll all have to wait until after the 2012 election before we can start hoping for Hope & Change Pt. II.

Not gonna hold my breath for it.

[Edweird]

3. Panel 4 - "Sensible liberals realize that the president doesn't really have much power at all."

[hfojvt]

65. I know, if only he had used the bully pulpit

just think what we could have gotten if only Obama had gone to Montana to put pressure on Baucus

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/obama-to-montana-for-heal_n_259662.html

or Wisconsin

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-5081425-503544.html

or Colorado

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/15/president-obama-holds-a-t_n_260388.html

or Virginia

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/15/president-obama-holds-a-t_n_260388.html

or on-line

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1875937/ncoa_cosponsors_town_hall_on_health_reform_with_president_obama/

or made an address to Congress. That has been the trouble though. Obama just won't use the bully pulpit. If he did, we'd have single payer and no usury and no foreclosures, and, and 2.4% unemployment.

[DonCoquixote]

74. no we would not

We would just have nothing done, and Blue Dogs getting cred because they tell their redneck followers they stoppped things from being done.

[laughingliberal]

115. I saw that town hall in Montana. He put NO pressure on Baucus. NONE

I remember it well as I had hope when he went there that he would call Baucus out on the corporate fellating bill his gang of six thugs were working on. Instead, he made statements about the 'great' work Max was doing on HCR and how Max's bill was the one to watch. My heart sank as it dawned on me that the President was not fighting for the public option, that Baucus was writing the bill the President wanted. Oh, sure. There was all kinds of talk here about chess and other such horse manure and I continued to watch and hope at every little turn that he was just waiting for the right time to get forceful about having a public option, being unwilling to admit to myself the gravity of the sellout. Then his CofS slammed those raising money to call out the Blue Dogs and pressure them on the PO 'fucking retards.' When he spoke to Congress, he ridiculed 'those on the left,' essentially for acting as if the PO was the most important part of the bill. Well, it was the most important part of the bill because it was the piece that could have insured this didn't just become a fleecing of the people by the insurance industry.

You call that a bully pulpit? I'd hate to see what you call capitulation.

[havocmom]

169. Yep. And ol Max was damned uncomfortable that day. He knew he sold us out.

Obama gave him a pass for it. So while Max was letting former insurance company exec write the bill that screwed us, Obama was just fine with Max's work. IOW: complicit in giving the insurance industry what they wanted instead of giving the people what they desperately needed.

I don't think Max has a lot of conscious left, but he was uncomfortable facing us that day. And Obama gave him a passing grade. Max knew he failed the people. Obama was OK with that.

Capitulation is putting it mildly.

[havocmom]

170. buggy dupe

deleted buggy dupe

[DailyGrind51]

168. And last summer, when he didn't ask Pelosi/Reid to hold Congress through the recess,

allowing Dick Armey and Freedonworks to monopolize the conversation on HCR.

[havocmom]

171. must give the peasants bread and circus. Well, circus at least

and that is all we got.

[HughMoran]

80. Living in a cartoon world are we?

Jesus effing Christ, no wonder the Dems chances this fall are looking shitty.

:eyes:

[Edweird]

102. If the Dems chances look bad it is because they are reaping what they have sown.

They have nobody to blame for their choice to pass RW legislation but themselves.

"We're gonna fuck you over just a teeny bit less than the other guys" isn't a very compelling campaign.

I live very much in reality.

[Deep13]

116. Pissing off ones base will do that. nt

[laughingliberal]

141. +1000 nt

[flamingdem]

124. +10000

[Shining Jack]

164. "Living in a cartoon world are we?"

I love your sig pic.

[Orsino]

103. No. He doesn't.

Not much power to defy the country's real rulers, anyway. Bush gave the Powers That Be exactly what they wanted, and the media painted this as evidence of some sort of strength--but we shouldn't be fooled.

We shouldn't believe that Obama could ever be an anti-Bush. That's not how Amerika works.

[babylonsister]

4. Ahhhh, so well written! Recommend! nt

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. What do you suggest we do?

Our calls and emails are falling on deaf ears. We screamed and bitched via those mediums for the Public Option to have a seat at the table, but it was off the list before negotiations even began (thankfully resurrected through the latest CBO scoring).

When lefty hero reps like Weiner and senators like Sanders give in on the negotiations (Single Payer vote, perpetual FED audit) - where does that leave us?

[emilyg]

8. It leaves us thinking long and

hard when we vote in Nov.

[mopinko]

14. it should leave you working long and hard around nov.

[babylonsister]

15. Too bad Clinton isn't running. nt

[HughBeaumont]

43. Clinton is less of an economic progressive than her husband.

That's not a compliment towards Bill either.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/HughBeaumont/32

[FedUp_Queer]

84. In fact, this is probably just what a Hillary First Term would have looked like.

[creon]

95. yes

There is not much to separate the two of them.

[Gravel Democrat]

100. Well there *was* one thing that did separate them...

Obama slammed Hillary repeatedly about Mandatory Health Insurance.



Then, he flip-flopped after hiring a bunch of ex Clinton staff.

Change you can believe in.

And no, it's not like auto insurance, as the Constitutional Scholar said.

The Feds have never mandated auto insurance. But no one in the Mainstream Media (what a bullshit term) had either the smarts or the guts to point that out.

Wise to implement the worst of this after the '12 elections!

"people that are dumb enough to be stripped of their liberties should be"

[dionysus]

50. .

:popcorn:

[tabasco]

151. Who you voting for? n/t

[emilyg]

155. At this point, I don't know.

[tabasco]

158. I'm sure you'll have a wide field of republicans from which to choose. n/t

[emilyg]

161. Nasty, nasty. Shame on you.

[HughMoran]

78. If you don't know

wow. :eyes:

[Ruby the Liberal]

123. So educate me. What are you doing that I should mimic?

[KakistocracyHater]

81. it leaves us without representation

*

[MisterP]

6. if you don't vote for Kang, Kodos will get in: Kang only replicates Kodos's policies because he

absolutely has to; and look at how different Kang's policies are!!!

[donco6]

127. And in case someone misses that reference -

[Raineyb]

7. Oh for fuck's sake

What does he think we've been DOING all this time while he took anything we wanted off the bloody table?

[babylonsister]

12. Anything 'we' wanted? Sure, that's what he did. Because he and

he alone can get anything passed, and screw everyone else because he just wanted to piss everyone off. :eyes:

[xocet]

16. ...and here I thought that woodchucks were afraid of fire.... n/t

[Lost4words]

23. well a simpleton named George W Bush seemed to get quite a bit done! howd he do it?

just sayin

[babylonsister]

24. You have to ask? Think about this: were Dems obstructing

every last thing that needed to be voted on because there was a rethug prez? That's right, they didn't.

Maybe the Dems should have, but then we'd be as bad as they are.

[Jakes Progress]

26. This is a very tired meme.

The idea that the president is a powerless eunuch is getting old. If he wasn't the leader that could lead the party, then what good is he? If he can't rally his own party members, then what good is he? If he a joke to all of congress? I can't understand how so many who value him so much can keep projecting him as this befuddled neophyte with no clue.

[babylonsister]

28. You might think he's a 'befuddled neophyte', I don't.

What in my post you responded to is untrue? Why not stick to that? Did Dems attempt to represent even when they might not have felt like it during the * years? Yes they did, and that's the difference.

As for Obama, despite the fact that you don't want to face reality, he cannot do it on his own. If you don't think/know he's tried to change opinions, you need to read up on the many attempts he's made.

And fwiw, your continual disparaging of this admin, given all the challenges they face/faced, is also tiresome.

:fistbump:

[Lost4words]

33. IMO you have this so wrong. Rah Rah

[Jakes Progress]

112. I'm not the one who keeps saying he's impotent.

You are.

[Lost4words]

31. They sure as heck should have opposed Busy instead of becoming lap dogs

you are proud of the democrats performance through all that, allowing bush to steel the election, IMO it was gutless treason and the democrats need to learn to be an opposition party. You cant have a fair match if only one side plays by the rules and the side that continues to play by the rules while the other does not, is destine to lose again and again!

I dont want to be as bad as they are, I want to be worse if that is what it takes to fix this cluster F* !

now off to bed with you

[babylonsister]

37. So the Dems didn't act correctly; should I now support rethugs?

Off to bed with you unless you have a solution.

[Lost4words]

44. Good Night!

[Jakes Progress]

113. Lost cause.

You can't argue logic with a true believer. You know, faith more than action, belief more than knowledge.

[Raineyb]

108. No one says he has got do everything by himself. But I damn sure expected

better negotiation tactics and starting from an already compromised position is just piss poor negotiations. Even children understand if you want 15 dollars but will settle for 10 you don't start negotiations at 10 dollars.

So I can blame him for the piss poor outcome of his compromises when he drops things before negotiations begin.

[laughingliberal]

142. Congress was well on their way to passing a deep audit of the Fed. Huge bipartisan support &...

wildly popular with the public. The administration lobbied Congress to water it down. Actually, they lobbied to kill it but Congress passed a watered down version (better than nothing).

Please explain to me whose interests were served by denying us the right to see who they gave $4.6 trillion of our money to while many of us scrape for food out here?

Yeah, the poor, powerless President is just a victim of a recalcitrant Congress who would do everything he could to help us if he only could.

[ThomCat]

17. Exactly!

How the @$@%! can we hold his feet to to the fire and "make him" represent the left when his first actions on Every Single issue is to remove the lefty option from consideration? :wtf:

His very first action in the health care "negotiation" was to promise the insurance companies that they would remain a vital part of health care and that they would remain profitable, no matter what happened, guaranteeing from the very start that there was no way in hell that we could get rid of the biggest problems: High insurance costs, and the strangle hold that insurance companies had over health care.

His first move on free trade once he took office was to appoint a conservative advocate of free trade agreements as they had already existed, and a negotiator of prior agreements as his negotiator. This guaranteed that there was no way in hell that a lefty approach to free trade agreements was ever going to see the light of day.

His support for the LGBT community has been as heartfelt as a root-canal. It has taken constant effort, with massive publicity, and a substantial threat of cutting off money flow from the LGBT community to get Obama to deliver even token and easily reversed policy changed to show support for our rights. We're still waiting for him to start supporting legislation, or signing executive orders, or doing anything substantial and public to show his supposed "fierce advocacy." Still waiting...

He talks about wanting to know who's butt to kick regarding the Gulf disaster, but they still haven't even started a criminal investigation. They haven't even issued orders to preserve evidence. His administration is fallowing his lead, and everyone is sitting on their hands, waiting, still officially treating it as an accident.

Repeatedly Obama has shown us that his supposed commitment to issues on the left have all been moves carefully orchestrated by PR firms to look and sound good, but meaning absolutely nothing. He talks a good game, but it's all just pretty speeches.

When it comes time to represent the left, he's standing timidly over there on the right with the corporate lawyers. He knows who he works for, and it isn't us.

[dflprincess]

9. So, first Obama and Rahm make it clear they don't give a damn what the left thinks

but now it's the left's fault because we haven't been loud enough?

I think the "we don't need the Democratic wing of the party" crowd is working their way around to who they'll blame if things don't go well this November or 2012.

[metapunditedgy]

11. That talking point has been bouncing around DU for over a month.

Obama really, really wants to do good, but the American people just aren't filling up his mana bar fast enough.

[Beartracks]

76. LOL n/t

[donco6]

128. LOL! n/t

[Foo Fighter]

47. Good post!

Funny, isn't it? The left is entirely irrelevant but hey, when Dems don't get re-elected, it's somehow all our fault.

It's nothing but an excuse to cater to the right while blaming the left.

Same as the whole "bipartisanship" crapola. That's nothing more than a pretense to bow down to their corporate masters while pretending to be the "good guys" that "reach across the aisle" in order to take everybody's views into account.

Well, everybody in the top .01% anyway. The rest of us can just pound sand as far as they're concerned.

[tavalon]

69. Yep, you have hit that nail on the head

[Jamastiene]

119. They are already blaming the left for losing Congress, even though

the general elections haven't even gotten here yet. Somehow, no matter what happens, it will be our fault.

We are danged if we do and danged if we don't. We are just royally danged.

[donco6]

129. I, for one, am working to be "dang-worthy".

I mean, if you're gonna get the blame, you might as well make the whole experience worthwhile, no?

[metapunditedgy]

10. Ok, Obama. I'll make you a deal. You use the bully pulpit to promote single payer

as hard as you can. Twist some arms and talk the the people. I'll be out there on the streets doing my part.

Do we have a deal?

[hfojvt]

41. sing;e payer? Are we repealing the health care bill?

IIRC the bully pulpit could not even get us a public option, what makes you think it could get us single payer?

[metapunditedgy]

48. We'll never know, because the bully pulpit was hardly used for either. n/t

[Marr]

58. Obama himself says he 'didn't campaign on a public option'.

It was a ludicrous claim, of course-- but I seem to recall his supporters backing him up on that claim at the time.

You're now saying he actually pushed hard for it while in office? Let's try to stick to one ridiculous narrative at least.

[boppers]

61. There are several ridiculous narratives.

Hint: Saying he either did, or didn't, fight for it are only two of them.

[katandmoon]

13. His little speech today was merely what is known as a sop.

[HomerRamone]

51. exactly nt

[madrchsod]

18. ya i`ll get right on that barack....as soon as you fire duncan.

[tavalon]

71. I'm really angry with him as well, but he is our first elected President

in almost a decade. Please afford him the respect of calling him President Obama or at least, Obama. Unless, of course, he's a close personal friend of yours.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. I take issue with this part

He counted on us to "to fight incendiary wackjob rhetoric from the right with facts and real information about real people"? Can you be serious? In the week of Sherrod, you are telling me the administration has been seeking real information about real people?
And the fact is, when Obama has employed incendiary wackjob such as McClurkin, he has defended their rhetoric against certain minorities, when we did fight it, and demand real facts about real people, he insisted that the invective hurlers were 'good, decent and moral'. One of them had called gay people vampires, and far worse. That was an Obama surrogate. Then he preened into office with Rick Warren there to double down the message.
So what a pile of bogus crap this is. I expected him to apologize for the invective he paid for. Comprehend? Mean, nasty so called 'people of faith' calling my community murderers, and here you come telling me HE expected me to fight invective, much of which is from his own people? Tim Kaine? DuBois?
Enough. At long last, enough.

[inna]

66. Exactly.

Obama goes literally out of his way to do something completely f*cked up, such as an example you just mentioned... Or creating the Deficit Commission via Executive Order and appointing well-known "entitlement" looters/privatizers as Co-Chairs... Or supporting extremely unpopular bankster bailouts (or FISA for that matter)... Or banning abortions for women in high-risk pools... Or putting single-payer off the table... Or making behind-the-scenes deals with Pharma... Or working to elect blue dogs/conservatives instead of progressives.... Etc. etc. etc.

No, I'm afraid this administration knows exactly what they are doing, and they don't even attempt to hide their contempt and disregard for the left.

[tbyg52]

20. >>The REAL power has nothing to do with an elected office.

Unfortunately, that is the (current) simple truth.

[hulka38]

131. If that is the real truth and the President has virtually no real power then

why not use what little power the office has, the bully pulpit, to tell America that truth and ask to empower him to restore the democracy? As it is now, he's not fighting that power, he's further entrenching it, albeit slower than the guy before him.

[tbyg52]

146. I completely agree with you. Except I'm not sure about the "slower" part..... :-( nt

[patrice]

21. We are supposed to become something that will be here no matter who is President

Personally, I'm thinking, from the looks of this board, that we don't have that in us.

[babylonsister]

30. Yay!

Nay for the looks of the board, but yay for your observation. :thumbsup:

[patrice]

36. We should have a forum strictly for posting what each of us does for the movement each day.

[babylonsister]

38. Excuse me? What does that even mean?

I was agreeing with you.

[patrice]

42. And I was agreeing with you. People want to make this thing about him and not themselves, so

I'd like to see at least a few of them put-up or shut-up.

[babylonsister]

93. OK, understood, and agreed.

There are lots of folks in this very thread who can't see past their Obama gripes to grapple with the big picture, or even the OP for that matter. A post figuring out how to 'make' Obama would be so constructive instead of just complaining about him, but I don't see that happening either.

[patrice]

49. That was the rhetorical you, not you.

[tavalon]

73. Like the activist corp was

That is actually a fabulous idea! Two days ago, I wrote to the White House (online) and yesterday, I sent money to Alan Grayson. Today, I'm kicking back and bitching on Democratic Underground. Tomorrow, if I can get care for my kiddo, I'm going to go to Afghanistan war protest at Greenlake. I would take him with me, but he's severely autistic and that would likely be more dangerous than helpful.

[tavalon]

72. Actually, the thing that is pissing off this administration

is that we aren't sitting down and shutting up. So, while they (and you) don't like it, I would say we do have what it takes - the sticktoitiveness, as my grandmother used to say.

[rucky]

96. +1

[socialist_n_TN]

22. But, but, but I thought we were supposed to be quiet

and not rock the boat by pushing for leftie positions???? I'm so confused.

[donco6]

130. When you figure it out, let me know.

Because I'm lost as well.

[Arkana]

25. You see what you choose to see.

I see a President who wants his base to push him. You want to feel like the victim so you feel like you're being taunted.

This thread seems to be little more than a masturbatory orgy for those who hate everything Barack Obama has ever done, so I know my point will be shouted down or ignored by many.

[Jakes Progress]

27. So let's have your list.

What are you going to push him on? What inadequacies will you write to him about? What posts on DU will you make about how he needs to work smarter and harder?

[creon]

97. push him

Perhaps he listens to what people have to say, and makes his own judgements.
There is an election in 2012. If people do not approve of his judgements, they can nominate someone else. His replacement will not satisfy you either.

[Jakes Progress]

114. Been pushin'

That's what he told me to do. It's not a matter of my being listened to, but a matter of the quality of his judgement. It lacks quality.

And just what how does your posts reply to mine? Have you no issues? Is there nothing you would like to "push" him about? Or is everything absolutely hunky dorey for you and yours.

[babylonsister]

29. "I see a President who wants his base to push him"

That's kind of the whole point of the OP imo. You might want to get with the nuance. :D

[Jim Sagle]

32. And I see a President who wants his base to amuse him.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TA9ZFMoBZMQ/S8PZYS3HZmI/AAAAAAAAFEU/kolB-FMl1IY/s1600/o+feet+up.jpg

[babylonsister]

34. Yea, he's been such a slacker.

:eyes:

[Lost4words]

35. Bush didnt need pushing, Thats the point you miss!

[patrice]

39. ?! That was/is a different kind of movement, i.e. authoritarian, not populist.

[Lost4words]

46. Im sorry, If someone is killing me with a rock and they wont listen to reason

Im picking up a bigger rock! How long can you afford inaction?

[patrice]

52. Now there's real creative, independent, free thinking for you . . . . Nevermind.

:eyes:

[Lost4words]

53. You dont have to be insulting, I didnt insult you! Take your anger elsewhere!

I guess you feel human nature counts for nothing. Nevermind as well.

[patrice]

54. Speaking of anger, who was talking about taking up "rocks"? Pot, kettle etc.

It is generally true that you get what you promote.

[Lost4words]

104. you are unable to think past the analogy arent you,

ah youth

[tavalon]

75. What does that look like?

[eilen]

153. Are you seriously stating that the current

Obama administration is populist?

I guess it depends how close it is to elections.

[AnArmyVeteran]

40. Superb!

[struggle4progress]

45. "Make me" is actually intelligent politics: it is a call for us to organize

at the grassroots level for the things we really want, instead of sitting on our hands waiting for somebody to do for us. If we really organized, we could win quite a lot; if we sit on our hands, we'll just get gobsmacked by the rightwing

The President has a lot of power, but he's not a dictator; much of his agenda depends on cooperation from Congress, and Congressfolk will often vote in accordance with what they hear from their districts

The game is to create local organizations that can pressure local, state, and federal officials to generate a long-lasting political environment in our favor. If we're not doing this, we'll lose. It's that simple

[Radical Activist]

56. Yep.

Why is the tea party doing this but not the left? It's such an embarrassment for the progressive movement.

[TransitJohn]

59. The left HAS been doing it, and longer....the teabaggers just get the free publicity.

Left=marginalized, as usual.

[Radical Activist]

60. I don't know.

Outside of unions I don't see many liberal groups doing community and precinct level work. They focus is usually on big national issues, Congress, and email blasts. That's inadequate. Progressives made ourselves less relevant within the Democratic Party by pursuing a third party strategy that hasn't accomplished much after 20 years of work. The same level of effort could have put progressives in charge of many Democratic county organizations and congressional districts.

I can name the national progressive organizations that do that kind of essential neighborhood level work on one hand, and ACORN was one of them. We marginalize ourselves pretty well.

[laughingliberal]

117. Oh, BS. We drove support for the PO to 70% among the public.

And were running a very effective ad campaign against the Blue Dogs pressuring them to support it. The President's CofS called us 'fucking retards,' for it. That is NOT us marginalizing ourselves.

The deep audit of the Fed had huge bipartisan support in both houses of Congress and it was wildly popular with the public. The President's staff worked the phones to get Congress to water it down. That is NOT us marginalizing ourselves.

[Name removed]

120. Deleted message

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

[laughingliberal]

132. Two extremely significant issues which the left did their part on and were insulted for their issues

Two extremely significant issues which the left did their part on and were insulted for their issues. Yes, the specific tactic he insulted was showing results. That 'grudge' is about a program that would have been THE saving grace of HCR reform. Of course, Rahm has excellent health care. Why should he worry? He insulted it because it wasn't really his agenda. I will not 'get over it.' I'll be joining the new fight for the public option. It was (and is) the only piece (sliver) of HCR that can keep this behemoth of a system they've created from totally rolling the American people.

All issues are not created equal. We didn't get a PO which would have benefited us immensely and we don't get to know who the Fed gave 4.6 trillion of our money to while we go without but, "Hey, look over there! The President signed the Lily Ledbetter act!!!!"

[creon]

98. It is exactly that

Progressives have to get organized. Organized at the local level. Find candidates to get elected to Congress and Senate. Win the primary and get nominated; win the general election and get into the HoR and Senate. That is how progressives influence the President. Until that happens, the President will listen politely, take note of who has power and who does not have power. Get the votes and get the power. Then, you can write legislation the way you want it written.
The president has told you to get moving. Get nominated, then, get elected.

[Raineyb]

109. You act as though that hasn't been happening. What do you think the people who get arrested for

protesting in front of the White House are trying to do? What do you think the people who drop banners about green jobs are trying to do? The single payer advocates that our party had arrested for daring to speak up in a hearing they were not invited to? What do you think the e-mails and petitions are about? People ARE making their wishes known. They are TRYING to make this President move but he is NOT LISTENING.

It's a bloody nerve to continue to say "make me" when you don't fucking listen in the first place. It's also a rather convenient way to shift blame as well.

[ibegurpard]

135. exactly

anyone who tries to throw this argument out has a lot of fucking nerve.
What we all just sat around and did nothing while they compromised all the reform out of healthcare "reform?"
Give me a fucking break...

[struggle4progress]

148. I don't think you really understand what I'm saying. It is not simply a matter of doing

direct action until "the President finally listens." It is a matter of building local organizations that actually win local and state fights and that therefore have some political credibility. It is a matter of putting our friends onto local school boards and town councils and moving them up the ladder into statewide office. It is a matter of monitoring state and federal regulatory and legislative processes, with a definite and adequately publicized agenda -- and showing folk that we can win

Unorganized numbers alone don't win in politics: organization counts

[Raineyb]

157. Thre are organizations. But what good are those organizations if those in power

ignore them when it comes down to the knitty gritty? It's not only direct action. That's what gets the headlines, when the media can be bothered to cover it, it also includes things like letter writing campaigns and organized phone calls. But if these please fall on deaf ears all the organization in the world isn't going to do a damn bit of good. People ARE making their voices heard, they are making their wants known but they don't have the millions of dollars to funnel into the party coffers so they get ignored.

[struggle4progress]

167. People who make careers in DC usually do it because they want to accomplish something:

so there's a prejudice against taking pointless stands that only gets one gobsmacked. And so there's a whole well-funded industry of folk who work around the clock to try to control the perceptions of decision-makers. That Beltway Bubble can be hard to penetrate, but people-power can win. I've never won a real political fight without spending years on it, so my attitude is: if we're not winning, we ought to ask ourselves what we could do better

[Radical Activist]

55. YES! You get it!!! I wish I could recommend this 1000 times!

Why are so many activists and left pundits so goddamn clueless about how this is supposed to work?

Every day there's another blogger self-righteously telling us that Obama is betraying the left by not doing enough and we should have known all along that he wasn't going to deliver change for us. Well no fucking shit, Sherlock?!?

People who listened and understood Obama never expected him to hand us easy top-down change. He told us so in almost every fucking campaign speech!

So my question is, why aren't more left pundits pushing a progressive agenda forward in a positive way, instead of spreading defeatist cynicism and stretching the truth to demonize Obama every chance they get? That's now how you make change. It's how you destroy the momentum of a movement.

We have a sympathetic President from a left-wing movement background in the White House. He understand how this is supposed to work and he keeps telling us to push him left. Instead, half the net-roots got busy forming the circular firing squad to show how they were right all along to support Hillary, Edwards, Nader, or to not vote at all. FAIL! Total fucking fail!

Yes, I'm looking at you Dave Sirota and Ted Rall.

[russspeakeasy]

159. Thank you for that Prozac posting...

Faux news is not going away....Tweety Bird will not get any
better....CNN see themselves as the mini faux channel. The
teabaggers get free tv time because they are willing to act
crazy as hell.
 Olberman and his ilk (if their are any) are the only
communications outlet between us and Rupert and Turdblossom
and Beck. 
I certainly don't have the solutions. but it doesn't make
sense to me to say "to hell with it, this is too hard and
it takes too long". The alternative is too ugly to
contemplate.

Someone else has already said this on Du; they said that they
are dissapointed in some of the things Obama has or has not
done, but they do not regret voting for him..I guess that's
the way I feel. 

[RetroLounge]

57. K&R

RL

[boppers]

62. Well written.

For Congress to actually move, they have to feel pressure from more than just down the street, they have to feel it in their districts and states. That's our part of the job, not Obama's.

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

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

[Arkana]

82. I'd love to hear where you got the idea that there was a "huge amount of support

for single payer".

Why? Because a few polls showed it polled well? Great. Fantastic. Now go into Congress and whip me a majority in the House and 60 votes to get it past a filibuster in the Senate.

Go ahead.

I'll wait.

Get used to it. The President isn't an authoritarian and he can't get everything you want by executive order. The best chief executives have always used Congress to get what they want--history does not look kindly on those who did not.

[scentopine]

118. Get used to it - many of us wons't be supporting Obama in the future...

What do you call Obama's drill baby drill plan? How about Afghan escalation, OK how about trillions for bailout?

I'm going to call bullshit every time someone tells me to get used to it. This is a right wing administration, I don't have to get used to this shit.

As for single payer - there was plenty of strong momentum - he shunted it right at the start. Off the table. Not even a discussion.

Centrists - the enemy of the good.

[Arkana]

126. I wasn't aware Obama had a "drill baby drill" plan.

The reason there was no discussion was because there was no point--we were not going to get a single-payer system. I'm still waiting for you to tell me how you would have shepherded the idea through Congress.

And the fact that you have declared so-called "centrists" as the enemy is the reason no one listens to you.

[laughingliberal]

140. That 60 vote dog don't hunt, now

I, personally, did not expect we would get single payer but the public option was more than doable under reconciliation.

I'll be joining the new fight to get it done.

[inna]

91. +

That.

[ibegurpard]

137. well said

eom

[newthinking]

64. So, he knows what he should be doing and can't get himself to do it?

So therefore he hopes we will *make him* do that?

Sorry, but that sounds like an excuse rather than a call for the netroots to engage.

He seems to be saying "make me change", instead of "make it happen".

This is a huge distortion of the quote it comes from. Two things have to happen for the "make me do it" to work:

1. The people have to push and energize

2. The President needs to lead and listen.

You can argue how much #1 is happening, but it seems to me that there is plenty of work being attempted and voices clamoring, but the system is tone deaf.

But the real problem seems to be #2, that part never seems to get off the ground. The President actually has to believe and want to go forward with what the people want. Instead, he actually cuts them off and doesn't listen.

What I hear the President saying is:

"man, I know I should find a way to fight harder for what people want, but I can't get *myself* to go there, and I don't really always want to go there. I feel conflicted, so maybe I just need more convincing... So people, "make me change"?
"

[patrice]

68. complete disconnect from the political reality of his and our situation.

There's a little matter known as Congress, majorities aren't big enough, nor, with Blue Dogs and other DINOs, are they strong enough.

[Raineyb]

110. +1

Exactly! Seems a mighty fine way to put the blame on the people with the least say in this scenario.

Meanwhile people contact their congress critters, their senators, the White House, and they get no indication that anything they've said has been heard; while said politicians blame them for it.

[eilen]

156. I seem to remember the campaign website

which turned into an administration website that garnered thousands upon thousands of ideas and opinions on issues from citizens.

So no one was reading that?

They really didn't know what people wanted? It was so hard to find this out?

[tavalon]

67. Give me a blueprint

I've done and continue to do everything I know how to. And no, that isn't limited to bitching on a leftwing discussion site.

[NYC_SKP]

70. Kick.

I was the first rec. when first posted but wanted to save my kick for later.

Great post, important messages within for all to read.

:kick:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

77. Now the left is courted with words, while he still courts the right with "compromises".

No Sale.

[HughMoran]

79. We know what to do

Those feigning ignorance are really starting to piss me off.

GET OFF YOUR FUCKING LAPTOP AND DO SOMETHING BESIDES COMPLAIN!!!!!!!!

[tkmorris]

83. Who exactly are you talking to?

Seems to me you spend an awful lot of time on "YOUR FUCKING LAPTOP" here at DU. You are one of the most prolific posters here. What is it you think people aren't doing? And, are you doing more?

[jeanpalmer]

85. I'm not buying the "I'm helpless"

and "make me do it" lines. If he needs a phone call or a message, I'm gonna send him one in November. And if he doesn't get the message then, there will be a follow-up in Nov 2012. He has played us for fools.

[Raine]

88. Agree

and I'm thru playing a fool, I'm done with that game.

[Joe Fields]

86. One big question for you....

What was it that ever made you trust or believe in this guy? You mean to tell me that you couldn't see past the "hope and change" rhetoric? Oh well, you have a lot of company.

[Name removed]

87. Deleted message

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

[bkozumplik]

89. ridiculous premise

so its our fault now. got it.
Afghanistan, Iraq failure to change a damn thing...us
health care back room dealings/cave ins ...us
Rahm...us
filling his cabinet with rightwing dumbarses...us
pathetic financial reform, hardly fit to bear the name...us
little to no push for gay rights...us
constant need to "find middle ground" and "engage both sides" and "theres blame on both sides" ....us

thanks for clearing that up.
You sir, are brilliant.

[Bonobo]

90. This post ignores the realities expressed so succinctly in "this" post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8809672&mesg_id=8809672

[DCBob]

92. Well said.. I hope those on the left who constantly criticize our President will understand..

this someday. Maybe over time they will. I hope so because we need them helping not complaining.

[Name removed]

99. Deleted message

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

[DCBob]

101. I worked and campaigned for him and I dont feel he has wronged me in anyway..

maybe that piss on your leg is your own.

[old mark]

105. Well, good for you, Bob...I worked and voted for what I thought was a Democrat....

maybe you like moderate republicans, but I'm not fond of them.
Obama's administration IS better than the republicans, but only in degree.

I hope you two will be happy together inside the little world of DC.

mark

[DCBob]

106. I used to respect those on the hard left.. I admired their dedication and idealism and committment..

but now they just seem naive, clueless and childish. I hope they grow up someday.

[Forkboy]

107. I'm sure you did.

[Raineyb]

111. Yeah right. And I have some swampland in Florida to sell.

No doubt you'll be interested in it since you apparently will buy anything.

[socialist_n_TN]

122. Well maybe it's YOU that's changed..........

Everybody says you get more conservative as you get older. Hell, it's probably true. I used to be a Trotskyist, now I'm just some small "s" socialist.

The point is that the right has ALWAYS characterized the left as "naive, clueless, and childish" since I've been following politics (40+ years). Of course, when it comes to POLICIES and solutions to problems and even actually seeing that there WAS a problem, the "naive, clueless and childish" Left has ALWAYS been fucking Nostrodamus compared to every other political grouping INCLUDING the squishy middle. Yet we've always been and apparently still are "naive, clueless and childish".

[laughingliberal]

121. We understand. We understand he wants us to continue working our fingers to the bone

driving support for his policies like the PO to 70% among the public so his CofS can call us 'fucking retards' and he can go on Fox news and brag about 'beating back all sorts of proposals from the left.'

I'm not interested in 'helping' them continue passing center right policies.

[Marr]

134. So push him, but don't criticize him. Got it.

Pushing by cheering. What an interesting concept.

[Skittles]

154. wow

just....wow

[KG]

94. push him.

too funny. :eyes:

[kenny blankenship]

133. No no! Get in line and shut up!

No, push him! Make noise! It's your fault he's not effective and too rightwing!

No, no! Get in line and shut up! Your divisiveness keeps him from being effective and liberal!

No, push him! Make noise! It's your fault he's not effective and too rightwing!

-=-=-=

It's like they don't know whether to shit or go blind.

[hulka38]

136. Shut up and push.

He can't hear you!

[laughingliberal]

143. It's like it's just dawning on them the race is tight enough for the left to make a difference.

They fully expected all the corporate fellating to translate into overwhelming campaign donations that would allow them to see us as irrelevant. Hasn't quite worked out that way. Who'd a thunk? The RW never operates in good faith.

[TBF]

125. Right on Bright -

he needs us in the street - it gives him leverage. That's what he's saying and we need to do it.

[Triana]

138. Why should we have to MAKE him do the job we elected him to do and...

....the job he SAID he'd do? Hmmm?

[Enrique]

139. some of the "splashy and futile gestures" aren't so futile

like we got rid of Obama's boy Arlen Specter for example.

[blm]

144. KandR

,

[autorank]

145. k*r Netroots isn;t left wing

Not even close. Another battle within the ruling elite.

[Name removed]

147. Deleted message

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

[Marr]

149. So Obama doesn't push liberal legislation because the left doesn't make him...

but we shouldn't criticize him because it might weaken Democrats.

So no matter what happens, it's the liberals' fault. How convenient.

[Skittles]

152. it sucks

with repukes we get rightwing asshats sucking up to rightwing asshats; with "Democrats" we get moderates sucking up to......rightwing asshats. This country is FUCKED.

[bvar22]

160. "threw it in his lap and left town???...I think not.

A couple of points, old friend.
WE gave Obama a HUGE Popular Mandate for "Change".
We pledged to help him, and would have IF he had ever dared to use us.
But Obama never called. He NEVER used this popular mandate.
During Tea Bagger Summer, if Obama had called us to come stand with him on the Capital Steps for REAL Health Care Reform, MILLIONS would have answered.
WE WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!!

Instead, Obama chose the path of back room deals, "Bi-Partisan Consensus", and appeasement of Joe Lieberman.
We didn't abandon him.
He promised us a seat at the table, then hired Rahm to keep "the fucking retards" out.
A Mandate unused is a mandate wasted.

But the insult to the injury was the White House actively campaigning for Republicans (Specter), and
conservative Anti-LABOR Blue Dogs in the recent Democratic Primary when there were good DEMOCRATS in these primaries.
Hard to defend that.

I am willing to fight for the FDR values I believe in.
The problem is, I am having to fight AGAINST the Centrist Democratic Party Leadership for these values.
FDR and LBJ don't even have a seat at the table in the "New" Democratic Party.
I am NOT willing to fight for weak policy that is 1/2 Republican in origin.

"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone

[DonCoquixote]

173. I would like to believe that

But for all of Obama's faults, the truth is, we would NOT have been there, we would be doing exactly what we are now, trying to argue amongst ourselves while we try to dismantle our own piece of the pie for ourselves. The Popular mandate was a lie, because the victory was won sadly by the so called "independents" aka the reagan democrats, aka the cancer of the left that keeps it weak. And sadly, the "left" would have been a part of that too, as you would have people say "hey, why no full out Revolution like Comrade trotsky promised!"

[lib_wit_it]

175. Right-o. Instead of allowing the Tea Baggery to rage on unabated, he could have

rallied the the troops and not only would we have been there, it would have strengthened the bonds between and amongst us. Imagine the benefits he might have reaped from such morale-boosting, unifying action. Instead, he almost immediately alienated much of his strong support and left the wishy-washy "Independents" to be hypnotized by the shiny objects stirring the tea.

And could the right have ended up hating him any more than they do now? Hell, he could have at least earned the title, Socialist.

[snot]

162. So he WANTS us to vote 3d party or not at all, to PROVE he really DOES have to appease us?

[Iwillnevergiveup]

163. Am nearly finished reading

The Bridge - The Life & Rise of Barack Obama by David Remnick. I recommend it. The author had great access to lots of people who know Obama. The years in Chicago after Harvard Law are detailed very well and show great insight into the President we have today.

[Hubert Flottz]

165. My first clue came with the forgivness of Traitor Joe LIEberman.

The GOP's go to snitch on the hill.

[democracy1st]

174. +1 same here ... I knew this admin was a joke!

[cornermouse]

166. "Make me"? "I dare you"? ...childish and immature attitude. n/t

[Truth2Tell]

172. Great, a blame the victim thread. nt

[WinkyDink]

176. And I'll return the dare, November 2012. "Vote for you? G'wan, MAKE me!" Who's the public servant?

[sendero]

177. All of that...

.. just to land on the "the president doesn't have much power" bullshit farce of an argument.

Bullshit.

[old mark]

178. The administration is exectly where it wants to be - the left is of no consequence

to them.

Enough of us will vote for them out of fear of the insane right to make up for the few who will abstain as Obama strokes and rewards the moderates and the right.

It is all politics as usual, it is all about numbers and votes.


"Fired Up!"
Bullshit.

mark