I'm sorry but I think Obama is partly to blame

[book_worm]

I have been a strong supporter of his over the years and think in many ways he has done a very good job. He is as cool as a cucumber or perhaps an ice berg. Sometimes there is a feeling that there is no passion there. He doesn't fight, so people don't really know if he truly supports his agenda. He seems to use the bully pulpit of the presidency only sparingly. He has accomplished a good many thngs--especially The Affordable Care Act, but even there despite providing insurance for more than 10 million people --many people are convinced by GOP arguments because, frankly, Obama and his team don't do well in countering the arguments.

I support the president and think he is a good man and a good president, but I hope the president will go to the mat once in a while and not just talk of 'cooperation' because for six years he hasn't gotten any in return.

[Recursion]

1. OK, seriously, what do you mean by "fight"?

Seriously. I see that all the time here.

Do you want him to go punch Mitch McConnell in the face? Key his car?

What do you mean by "fight"?

[el_bryanto]

3. He compromises prematurely - he takes things off the table before there's even a debate

Rather than doing that he should put genuine democratic proposals out there and then work from there - instead of prematurely giving up on things like the Government Option.

Bryant

[cleanhippie]

5. On that, we are in total agreement.

[randome]

15. You may not understand politics.

You don't play a losing hand repeatedly because then the electorate labels you a permanent loser.

If he had done the things you say, you know what would have changed? Nothing.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font][hr]

[el_bryanto]

34. You may not understand negotiation

You don't start with huge concessions because it just makes people think you are willing to accept even larger concessions.

Bryant

[treestar]

24. It's a substitute for GOTV and doing anything oneself

You sit back and demand the President "fight." Because only the Presidency matters to these people. They really wish Congress was simply a rubber stamping body.

[kelliekat44]

2. And the media does a very good job of promoting the GOP disinformation and agenda and not discussing

the counter arguments.

[arthritisR_US]

10. No kidding! nt

[emulatorloo]

13. And media does a good job of raking in Koch bro and Rove $$$$

[okieinpain]

18. i agree with you. I know it's not right but fox news is part

of the republican party, dems don't have that.

[Skeowes28]

4. Denial

I'm a diehard dem but I knew this election was over for dems before it began the Mai was terrible but thank god 2016 looks allot Bette

[6000eliot]

6. That Obama! How dare he be so blameworthy!

Isn't blaming Obama what made this victory happen?

[progressivebydesign]

19. Yes!!! Someone who gets it! n/t

[walkingman]

7. I'm a yellow-dog Democrat

but am personally frustrated with Obama. He doesn't seem to have strong principles and telegraphs that message. His recent escalation in Iraq was stupid and unnecessary and his willingness to change CPI on SS are not principles of Democratic Party.

Let's face it "white males rule" and if that sounds harsh then maybe minorities and women will get off their butt and vote? We get the government we ask for.

[antiquie]

8. I always get off my butt and vote.

See what we did in California with women and minorities?

[okieinpain]

25. i agree with some of your points but the iraq thing is frustrating

I hate that he had to get involved but the media made it look like iraq is one of the 50 states of the usa, and he allowed a terrorist organization to take it over. LOL, what happened to the dude running that country and i didn't hear one person say isil is the reason president obama didn't get more involved in syria to overthrow assad. i only heard that here on DU.

[walkingman]

36. It is definately frustrating

but only because we continue on the same path. I think most people agree that Iraq was a mistake but as usual we seem to try and fix our mistakes with more mistakes. The drone program was just another way to appease the "fear" campaign that surrounds almost everything we do.

God - fear of damnation and everlasting hell; Ebola - fear that a pandemic will kill us all; Guns - fear that we will not be able to defend ourselves against the bad guys or government; Gay marriage - fear that our social structure will disintegrate into bestiality or that gaydom will take over the masses and destroy the family values; Universal healthcare - fear that socialism will destroy our "free" markets; Taxes - fear that raising taxes will stop job growth; Minimum wage - fear that businesses will go broke paying more to their employees; Climate change - fear that it will destroy the oil companies and that other will gain advantage over us economically and on and on....

In truth the difference between left and right these days is small because we have shifted so far to the right. IMO, we are quickly becoming a nation rules by Corporations and the electorate is being manipulated to maintain the status quo simply because of FEAR.

Peace

[okieinpain]

37. lol, that sounds like the republican commercials in oklahoma. too funny. n/t.

[still_one]

9. of course it had nothing to do with the so-called democrats running away from his accomplishments.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. And may I repeat that the two Presidents...

in the post war era that have been most revered were Reagan and JFK.

And why is that?

They were communicators. They inspired the citizenry.

Now, I'm not going to defend just howReagan inspired us, but he didn't get to be this conservative icon for his policies.

At first, I had high hopes for Obama to continue the tradition. He might not have the oratorical skills of MLK, but his speechwriters are the best and I hoped he'd give it a shot.

Nope. He has lots of good qualities, but rousing speechmaking just isn't one of them.

And, you are right that he has been avoiding conflict, giving the other side free reign to walk all over him. It's like he just doesn't get that this isn't a gentlemen's quarrel-- it's a life or death struggle between two opposing forces. I think he gets that the public gets the worst of it as they battle, but just giving up isn't an answer, either..

[BillZBubb]

12. Agreed. Obama is viewed as weak.

He can inspire the Democratic base to support him personally, but he has zero coattails. The republicans mock him at every opportunity, but there is never any counter punch.

Obama has offered no vision for the Democratic future. He is more a day to day reactor to events. His chief ideal seemed to be bipartisanship--in a time when the other party was never going to cooperate. The end result to many has been a lack of leadership.

Of course, not all of this is Obama's fault, but he does bear some of the responsibility.

[Awsi Dooger]

38. Image is everything

The danger throughout with Obama is that he would come across as too weak. Unfortunately that has played out.

His entire presidency has been like that performance in the first debate against Romney. It doesn't matter what you are saying or doing if it comes across as if you are looking down at your notes and generally disinterested.

[jillan]

14. The amazing communicator is not.

This is turning out to be his biggest weakness.

The history books will write about Obama that he was one of the best Presidents ever....
but no one will remember.

[progressivebydesign]

21. Hmmm.. so when EXACTLY is he supposed to be doing that???

When the media not only ignores everything he does, and actually will cut IN to his speeches and press conferences to cover a Nascar story... You guys got it wrong. It's not his message, it's the medium. The media has refused to cover any of his accomplishments, refused to show him to the American public at all. We couldn't get Bush's idiot face off the TVs... they were there for every stupid staged photo op, every speech, every burp.

The MEDIA portrays Obama as week. He is far from him.

[Tatiana]

16. I don't think anyone (especially Obama) anticipated how racist the American populace is.

No one wants to believe they live in a nation full of racists. I truly believe Obama wanted to be the President of everyone. But everyone didn't want him to be their President and a resentment began to grow. I would even call it a hatred. It deserved to be confronted and tackled head on. But I believe Obama's advisers, as well as Obama himself, thought compromise and appeasement would be the way to win those racists over.

It didn't. It only emboldened them.

I don't think Obama, in his life, had ever dealt with racism on this level and he seemed genuinely mystified as to how to deal with this issue. His advisers were no help. I believe they encouraged him to move to the right, to "cave" and to try to pacify a segment of the population that should be confronted and shamed. Turning the other cheek doesn't work with these type of people. Force and strength does.

So, I don't think Obama got a good feel for the Presidential "bully pulpit." He was too busy trying not to look like an angry black man. Ironically, maybe the angry black man may have rallied others to his side and caused the virulent right to think twice about their disrespect.

I fear that we are in for more compromising in the future.

[progressivebydesign]

17. He who owns the media, owns the message.

I don't fault the President one bit. I voted for him twice, and he's done everything that he said he'd do. All the while enduring a hostile media (after the fawning media for Bush who fucked the Country up one side and down the other,) a GOP that vowed before he got in office that they would destroy him, scumbag's like Issa whose entire tenure has been to take the President down.

What more could that guy have done, FFS??? Shown up in a flight suit on an aircraft carrier???

Let's be honest, NO WAY he is to blame for this crap. He presided over: killing Public Enemy #1, OBL, the near gutting of Al Queda, the recovery of the job and real estate market, the saving of the auto industry, health care reform, reducing the deficit, growing the GDP, exploding the consumer confidence index.

It has NOTHING to do with how he acts.. it has to do with having a coordinated and hostile media that refused to EVER report on all of those things. They spend the past 6 years doing nothing but scaring people. And there is so much inherent racism in those folks that believe the worst about him.

[JaneyVee]

20. He wasn't running for election.

Senate should have spread the word.

[treestar]

22. Now that both houses are Republican

Will you blame them from now on?

[Ykcutnek]

23. Maybe Obama is sick of fighting.

The allure of the office has had to wear off by now.

[bigwillq]

27. If he is sick of fighting, then he should resign.

I don't believe he should. And I also don't agree with your post.

[Ykcutnek]

29. Plenty of people get burnt out on doing their jobs.

And he has one of the most difficult jobs in the world.

I wouldn't blame him if he were to phone it in the next couple of years.

[bigwillq]

31. Boo Hoo. Then quit.

That's the job. Don't like it? Get a new one.

[VanillaRhapsody]

26. never fear....the blame Obama "Democrats" have

Arrived....

[bravenak]

28. Maybe it was the job of those running to fight for themselves and us.

Republicans do not ignore their base. Democrats irritate their base and are always trying for the 'moderate' vote or trying to run away from policies that democrats and those on the left support. It seems to me that Dems try to pull conservative votes by leaning right and lose votes they should already have sewn up. And they assume that certain groups are in the bag and that they do not have to do anything for them.
Dems ignore issues that are very important to me all the time. They ignore racism so as to not piss off people who never vote for them anyway.

Democrats spend too much time sitting on the side lines waiting for someone else to do their fighting for them and lack loyalty to the president and the base. They completely ignore the younger voters and pretend to care while working hards to distance themselves from policies that would help young people. Some dems are fighters, but I find most to be stuck back in the 80's or 90's and they are still afraid of Reagan.

Maybe next election, we can play offense. Maybe we can stop caring about offending racist legislators and we can call them out to their faces instead of being nice. Maybe we can accuse the right of running a prison state. Maybe we can put minimum wage on the ballot everywhere to draw in young voters and poor voters. Maybe we can stop only caring about the middle class and try to get the poor votes too. We have plenty of poor. Maybe we can stop eating our own for a few years and do something for the people. And maybe we can get the 50' state strategy going again.

[Vinca]

30. I disagree. Democratic candidates (and uninformed voters) were to blame.

While we might disagree with many things the POTUS has done, he's also done some very good things. Democrats should have stood as Democrats and touted those things. Instead, they opted to go GOP Lite. I'm also wondering why Democratic candidates would expect minority voters to support them when they threw the first black POTUS under the bus.

[Bluenorthwest]

33. The LGBT minority has delivered the vote to many candidates who threw us under the bus

including candidate Obama who said he was against our rights because of God and held rallies with actual ex gay hate preachers who preached hate at those rallies. I have yet to be allowed to vote for a Presidential candidate who has not trash talked my community directly. Next cycle, Hillary who opposed my rights for 17 years, Warren who was an anti gay Reagan Republican during the early AIDS crisis, Biden, who used to spout 'I agree with Palin about gay marriage'. All of them threw me under the bus, again and again.
Such privilege, to sit out a vote because a politician did not sufficiently praise another politician. I'm used to holding my nose and voting for some guy who just said God thinks I shouldn't have equal rights.

[bravenak]

35. I agree with you.

I have to vote for people who ignore racism and think it ended in the Sixties and want me to hush so they can pull in 'moderates'. People who are pro drug war even though it is unbalanced and used as a defacto war against black families and men especially. People who expect my vote and feel that we as black people owe it to them because the republicans are demons.
It is hard to get black youth to vote for people who are pro drug war, anti obama, scared of raising wages or lowering school costs, and love corporations more that their mothers.

[Bluenorthwest]

41. Exactly. The LGBT community was apathetic and disenfranchised from politics for years

it really took the full tilt existential challenge of AIDS to get people engaged. But part of that engagement involved voting for people whose message was not always palatable and which was frequently openly hostile toward us. It was not easy to get people to vote for candidates in spite of the candidates lack of support for the people.
When we first organized, not only was the Republican Party anti gay, the Democrats were not very receptive either. Not one national Democrat had ever included the gay community in their campaign talks. Not even a mention. Well, no positive mention, there was no shortage of open bigotry.
Next cycle my choices are all a bunch of people with a history of anti gay talk, actions, votes. Every last one of them. Except Bernie Sanders. The rest have all of them done or said bad things to or about LGBT people. Openly said it. That's how it is.

[jwirr]

32. I am waiting for the stats. Who did and did not vote? I am hoping for a state by state breakdown.

Then I will decide if President Obama has any blame.

[Cha]

39. Partly to blame? you're not making sense to me.. blame for what? I have his back.. and,

a lot of other people do too.. he is in the front lines standing between us and fascism. But, it's time to pick at his bones like vultures now? It's ugly.

It's Yes We Can.. "We" being the operative word.. Too many people don't really pay attention to all that this President has been saying. He hasn't been talking about "cooperation" for a long time now.

Don't lump the President in with those who don't counter the arguments.. Obama does a great job of it.. if only people paid more attention.

[LawDeeDah]

40. the President does talk of other things besides 'cooperation'.

Where have you been?

And this ice bergy passionless shit - yeah, it's just plain shit.

[NYC Liberal]

42. Anyone who thinks Obama hasn't gone to the mat for progressive issues hasn't been paying attention.

At ALL.

Time and time again he has fought. Health care. LGBT rights. Women's rights. Better regulation of big business. The environment. On and on and on and on. His accomplishments have rivaled, or arguably even surpassed, those of FDR. Yes FDR. For all those people who scream that Obama should be more like him, where was FDR's health care reform bill? Where was his civil rights legislation? Where was he on women's rights? FDR had 75%+ majorities in the House AND Senate for almost 12 YEARS! And never had anything close to a Repub majority. Obama has done far more for many people with a far smaller majority.

But...any time President Obama accomplishes something, he is attacked both from the right (for being "wrong&quot and from a vocal minority on the left (for not doing "enough&quot . He has had to work twice has hard, accomplish twice as much, to get barely half the credit. And the people who claim to be on his side in actuality rarely have his back in supporting him against real enemies on the right. They attack him for speak out ("actions mean more than words!!!1&quot and then attack him when he takes action ("it's NOT ENOUGH!!!1&quot . It's never enough for some.

many people are convinced by GOP arguments because, frankly, Obama and his team don't do well in countering the arguments

No. They have countered the lies every single damn day. Put the blame where it lies: with the media. No matter what Obama says, it will be spun, twisted, and distorted by them. And if all else fails, they simply won't report on it.