wouldn't it be nice Obama/Dems "victory" wasn't stopping a negative thing (SS cuts), but advancing..

[themaguffin]

progressive policies.

Too often, "cuts were prevented" so WE ARE PLAYING DEFENSE

which means Democrats are letting GOP set the rules and write the narrative.

All of the deficit bullshit being the largest of all this bs.

[ProSense]

1. You mean

"wouldn't it be nice Obama/Dems "victory" wasn't stopping a negative thing (SS cuts), but advancing..progressive policies. "

...like raising the minimum wage and including disabled Americans for the first time in history: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024489919

[themaguffin]

2. that's good stuff, but not the national impact of SS or a national min wage hike

[Pretzel_Warrior]

13. So what?? A victory is a victory.

Now that Obama has completely written off any cooperation with Repukes to get anything meaningful done, he's using every tool in his toolbox to make progress for Americans.

Sad this cannot be acknowledged without a bunch of caveats and grumbling on an ostensibly liberal/Democratic website.

[Tarheel_Dem]

18. They're always on a different page than the Democratic leadership, it's like a well organized.......

suppression operation.

[themaguffin]

23. I'm not dismissing this, my point isn't about one thing, but the larger

framing of issues, priorites, and narratives.

Like deficit reduction - we all know that's code for cutting programs. Any talk should ALWAYS be a pivot to progressive measures.

That's changing, but we lost a lot of time.

[woo me with science]

17. +10000. Especially while *simultaneously* pushing the massive, predatory TPP.

Raising the minimum wage by a few bucks and seeking praise for not stealing the subsistence checks of the elderly (for now), while simultaneously pushing the TPP.... is like handing a man a quarter, feigning a punch and then holding it back, and then emptying the bank accounts of everyone in the family and then breaking their legs so they can't work anymore.

Study: Obama's "Trade" Deal Would Mean a Pay Cut for 90% of U.S. Workers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023661805

Obama cannot push the TPP and simultaneously claim to give a damn about income inequality. They are, as Manny put it so well, VIOLENTLY MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.


.

[okaawhatever]

3. We aren't playing defense on that issue. The Republicans are. Social Security recipients vote

for Republicans (61% last poll i saw). The Republicans want to cut SS and always have. SS is an entitlement program, but most seniors don't realize it. when the repubs talked about cutting "entitlements" their ss recipients cheered them on, having no idea they were talking about SS benefits. So, each time Obama proposed "cuts to entitlements" he put SS on the table. The Republicans couldn't let it pass because those cuts identified SS, and not the bad "entitlement program". Obama gets credit for offering cuts, Republicans forced to back down. That's a win for the Dems.

But I suspect you know all that and just posted this to start a bash Obama thread.

[Mojorabbit]

6. It is not a win when a Dem president offers cuts to Social Security no matter what the reason. nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. Wouldn't it be nice of Obama/Dems had a veto proof majority? 2014 GOTV!!!

[Scuba]

5. We'll be very, very fortunate to hold the Senate.

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. Perhaps you missed this? "2014 GOTV"!? n/t

[JoePhilly]

15. That's harder than ...

... complaining on DU.

[Tarheel_Dem]

16. Exactly! Between that, and undermining Dems at every turn, you'd think some didn't wanna win!

[woo me with science]

8. [phone] That's how twisted the Third Way/corporate messaging has become.

Last edited Thu Feb 20, 2014, 06:07 PM - Edit history (3)

They have trained the people to expect so little that they actually seek praise and applause and gratitude not for representing us and putting forth policies that actually HELP people....No, the bar has been lowered so far that they actually demand praise when they temporarily suspend the axe THEY put over our heads. And let's not forget why they put that Third Way axe there; the very real, vicious results they accomplished by doing it; and why it will return:

The Third Way Social Security con game has harmed EVERYONE.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024535742#post19

These corporatists have perverted the messaging of the Democratic Party so thoroughly that a post like yours is like the outcry of the kid in the old fairy tale, "The Emperor's New Clothes." Imagine believing that a party should work FOR the people, not merely lessen assaults on them from time to time!

You are absolutely right. The messaging is ABSURD. If a party wants votes, it must work FOR the people.

[jsr]

10. The Beating Will Continue Until Morale Improves.

[woo me with science]

20. No kidding.

[progressoid]

11. Oh pshaw.

Rejoice and be glad in it!

[Pretzel_Warrior]

12. How about his executive orders on min wage and other progress

Do those count for anything?

You know, actual material progress.

What you are describing are paper wins losses. The net effect on us re: the social security revised cost of living calcs has been zero. Zip.

But hey. Have a blast.

[DanTex]

25. I don't really think this is a "bash Obama" OP.

It's more about being disappointed that so much of the dialog seems to be "some cuts versus more cuts". The executive orders were good. Obama's hands are tied by the GOP house, but he's doing what he can. That doesn't mean it's not frustrating.

[11 Bravo]

14. You're going to fit right in.

[themaguffin]

22. ?

[pnwmom]

19. The ACA was a progressive policy change, with its large expansion of Medicaid

and its subsidies for lower incomes.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a Democratic Congress so we didn't have to fight them every step of the way? Of course.

[uponit7771]

21. It'd be nicer if the so called FUD... er ah progressives understood that for Obama to make FDR

... decisions he needs an FDR congress

regards

[DanTex]

24. Yes, it would.

To be fair, with a GOP-controlled house, advancing progressive policies is going to be difficult. But it would be nice if the bargaining started with the Dems pushing for progressive policies, rather than the Dems asking for less cuts to the safety net than the GOP.