Has Obama fought for anything? I mean, REALLY fought?

[Honeycombe8]

Just wonderin'. I'm a #1 Fan of Obama, but this latest deal, when he laid over so quickly, made me wonder....when has Obama ever fought for anything? I mean, really. I can't recall an instance.

[Tansy_Gold]

1. I think he fought real hard to get Tim Geithner confirmed for

Treasury Secy. Remember, Tim had some IRS problems, but Obama wanted him bad enough to lobby and get him confirmed even with the IRS problems.


That's about it. And look how well it's worked out!

:sarcasm:



Tansy Gold

[niceypoo]

2. He paid $500 billion dollars in ransom

I hope congress kills it

[LonePirate]

3. He has fought hard to alienate his base and squash their hopes and dreams for change.

[VMI Dem]

4. He fought to make sure that DADT would continue to be enforced.

[babylonsister]

5. Yea, I can tell

you're a fan. Maybe you need to review this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=433&topic_id=544500

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. He just FOUGHT for millions of unemployed and the working class

You may have missed it amid the cacophony of denunciations.

[demwing]

9. No, you missed the point. He DIDN"T fight

he gave in, and he folded on a campaign promise. Again.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. No, you missed the point

he fought for 2 million people and families the GOP was going to throw into poverty, even if it made him look bad. It took an intellectual maturity and strength of character that we need in the office. Did he have to "fold" on a campaign promise to do so? Yes, and that's why it was strong. He realized what needed to be done to save actual people was more important.

[GOTV]

30. Accepting what the GOP will give you isn't fighting.

[Dawgs]

31. +1.

Some of the excuses today are beyond logic.

[demwing]

45. "Did he have to "fold" on a campaign promise to do so? Yes, and that's why it was strong."

That is simply the least lucid thing said so far...

[Dawgs]

40. And he admitted as much yesterday.

:hi:

[Dawgs]

38. Obama admitted he didn't fight yesterday.

Maybe YOU missed it.

[Empowerer]

46. And is taking a HUGE hit for it

Whether you agree with him or not, you have to recognize that he's showing incredible courage.

[n2doc]

7. He fought to keep Bushco from being investigated n/t

[demwing]

8. He FOUGHT to get elected

other than that....

[bluestateguy]

10. I see your point

but Obama did fight for the resurrection of the auto industry when it was not popular, and he fought hard for a fairly good Wall Street reform bill.

Should Obama pick more fights more often? I think the answer is yes.

[Phx_Dem]

12. He fought for unemployment benefits, middle class tax cuts, financial

reform, the stimulus package and he FOUGHT BIG TIME for health care reform.

Some people are never happy no matter what they get.

[yourout]

13. I would argue he fought hard for an Insurance Mandate with no public option..

[Capt. America]

14. +1000

[Phx_Dem]

20. There was no public option to fight for. The votes were never there.

And this was among Democrats -- the votes were not there.

[Dawgs]

33. He didn't have 50 votes for the public option? Link?

Cause based on everything else, your full of shit.

[mtnsnake]

15. Not quite accurate

He didn't fight for the first two items you listed. He fought for an extension of them.

[Phx_Dem]

21. What? You just said he "fought" for them.

[mtnsnake]

26. I said he fought for an "extension" of them. nt

[Dawgs]

42. Didn't he admit that he didn't fight, but compromised (just yesterday)?

:shrug:

[QC]

16. He fought hard to avoid being seen as too pro-LGBT.

[TriMera]

44. +1. n/t

[ladjf]

17. Only to get elected. nt

[Beacool]

18. He fought real hard for himself.

He managed to get elected, aided and abetted by a willing media that had already decided before the first vote was cast who their guy was in the race.

:eyes:

[phleshdef]

19. He has done more real fighting than ANY loud mouthed keyboard warrior on DU.

Not a one of the foamy mouthed posers could handle this job and would get nothing accomplished.

[COLGATE4]

22. Obviously, the only reason he doesn't walk on water is

because he chooses not to do so...

[emilyg]

52. Heehee,

[Sheepshank]

23. Not having been present at ANY of the DEM/REP negotiations

it's impossible to tell in reality if Obama didn't fight. While you don't think he fought for ANYTHING, I believe he does. Go to your boss and ask for a $100K a year raise. Fight hard. Go for it, Send letters, cajole, get as many co workers on board as you can, get most of the BoD's on board, and beg and rant. What do you suppose are the chances when the boss simply doesn't want to give you the raise?

Fighting for something doesn't mean you will get what you think you will get. It's takes the "other side" to agree. When they don't, what is left? Negotiation and compromise. It's how haggling is done. Sometimes I think people forget this is not much different than haggling at the bazaar. The biggest difference are the politicians are wearing suits. Obama does not rule as a dictator...so he will never get everything you want or he wants.

[GOTV]

32. We are Obama's bosses and we wanted what he asked for - according to polls ...

... and he still didn't get it.

[Dawgs]

36. Actually, Obama admitted he didn't fight (but compromised) yesterday.

And, when did the Republicans become Obama's boss?

[Catherina]

24. Lieberman's protege fought real hard for what the Right wants. n/t

[ProSense]

25. Looks like the consensus is that he did fight. n/t

[donheld]

27. He fought Hillary

[AndrewP]

37. Tooth and nail

Who knew that would be his peak?

[Steve_I_Am]

28. No

He knuckled-under - refused to fight - on FISA when he was in the Senate. He knuckled-under in NOT fighting for the Public Option. He knuckled-under in NOT closing GITMO. He knuckled-under in NOT ending Bush's Domestic Surveillance programs. He knuckled-under in NOT attempting to hold Bush and Cheney accountable for their Torture policies. He knuckled-under in NOT nominating a true progressive to the Supreme Court. He knuckled-under in NOT appointing Elizibeth Warren to be the head the new Financial Consumer Protection Agency. He knuckled-under in his very conservative appointments to the "bipartisan" Debt Reduction Commission. He has already promised to knuckle-under, proposing deep cuts to discretionary spending, when he proposes his 2011 budget. What in the world makes ANYONE think that, in 2012, when the GOP starts demanding that the Bush tax cuts be made permanent, that this President, facing re-election, is NOT going to knuckle-under, again?

[treestar]

29. LOL

I heard he fought hard to win his basketball game and even got a split lip.

I doubt he did much schoolyard brawling, though. Check his biographies. Maybe you'll find a good fight in there. Then you can help the Republicans to use it against him.

A barroom brawl seems out of the question. It would have come to light by now.

[dave29]

34. 30 million added to the insurance rolls

but that was a "cave" also.

sigh

[Donnachaidh]

35. he's been fighting real hard for that seat on Poppy's Golf cart Clinton uses now

With this latest battle, I'll bet they even keep it warm for him. :puke:

[Name removed]

39. Deleted message

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

[frylock]

43. ahh yes... the RACIST card has been drawn!

what the fuck are you talking about? seriously?

[demwing]

47. No, the only successful leaders are those who are willing to fight for a pricinple

even if they don't fight, they have to be willing.

Obama has never shown that he has the strength of character to stand up to the bullies. He merely gives them what they want till they go away.

But they don't go away. They just get more abusive, and Obama is enabling that abusinve nature.

[cherokeeprogressive]

48. I wish we could rec individual posts. This belongs on the Greatest Page so EVERYONE can see it.

This one really jumped the "snark".

[ibegurpard]

41. tax cuts...we're seeing it now

he also continues to fight for education privatization
and he fought hard protect insurance corporations from the specter of socialized medicine.

[sohndrsmith]

49. Really? That seems so... sad... : ( Just because he doesn't bluster and

fret like McCain or Christie or _______ (insert politician of choice with dramatic body language, posturing, sweating or other substandard signals supposedly meant to define courageous adversarial passion).

If you don't see what this president has fought against (and won) in the last two years - it must be because it's hard to recognize because he doesn't look rattled. That's a GOOD thing...

...really? Nothing fought for? Really?

No, no bruises, no fanfare, no chest-drumming, no theatrics... the presidency isn't (and shouldn't be) reality television. Maybe that's all we recognize...?

That's scary, no?

[martymar64]

50. No. not for working people, anyway.

[BlueStater]

51. He's fought hard to give the GOP everything they've wanted. N/T

[inna]

53. fought really hard for his deficit commission from hell. went OUT of his way, in fact.

[chill_wind]

54. Getting Ben Bernanke confirmed a second time.

Since the first time around wasn't quite enough to do us in.

[pnorman]

55. Yes, he is no doubt the MEANEST and most self-centered creature to have disgraces that Oval Office

for many years! http://leishacamden.blogspot.com/2008/10/not-that-it-matters.html

[chill_wind]

56. That was a wonderful personal gesture and great anecdote from the primaries

told about here on DU back then, but has absolutely nothing to do with the question in the OP, really.
It isn't a question of is he a nice or a kind and generous man. It is a question of how good and aggressive has he been at confronting Republicans-- and GOVERNING for the good all the people, not just the rich and the influential.

[pnorman]

58. So much of the hysterical Obama-bashing goes waay beyond "tactics",

and dwell in "loving" detail on his alleged lack of character. That he had "peddled his ass to the highest bidder" accurately sum up many of them.

[blazerunner]

57. He's fighting pretty hard for this deal

sure wish he would have called pressers to publicly pressure Congress and sent Biden to the hill to twist some arms like he did today for some other legislation.