President Obama seems to have discovered. "The Johnson Treatment".

[pa28]

President Johnson's well known tactic of using backroom arm twisting and lobbying to advance legislation.

In order to advance today's spending bill we learn that President Obama has been engaging in a little backroom arm twisting of his own in order to advance the bill. David Corn reported Nancy Pelosi got the call and Maxine Watters has released a letter suggesting the Democrats "stay strong" in the face of pressure to divide the caucus from the White House.

Here is a link to the letter.
http://democrats.financialservices.house.gov/FinancialSvcsDemMedia/file/001%20Maxine%20Waters%20letters/CMW%20Democratic%20Caucus%20Meeting%20%20-%2012-11-14.pdf

BTW it is division we're looking at here. This bill is not just some episode of political sausage making we can ignore as the price of having an elected republic.

With the stroke of a pen President Obama would be supporting a bank bailout provision written by Citi, legalized pension theft and Iraq war levels of military spending all of which were slipped into the bill. These are things Democrats won with hard legislation and political battles over the years. All suffering huge reversals which may never be won back and all for the purpose of benefiting mega donors and corporate lobbyists.

If we can't stand and fight on a hill just like this to define ourselves what is our purpose exactly?

Back to my original point though. I don't object to "The Johnson Treatment" or the "Bully Pulpit". I'm just wondering why Obama chooses to use these tactics now, against Democrats. There was a time not too long ago when whipping just one vote might have won us a public option but using such tactics, we were told, would make him "a dictator . . . or a KING."

[Autumn]

1. Funny the things he decides "to twist arms on" .

[Scuba]

11. You mean like "single payer" (or at least a "public option")?

Oh wait, those would be things he decided to NOT twist arms about.

[genwah]

2. Let him know how you feel

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Call the President
Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414

TTY/TTD
Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitor's Office: 202-456-212

[RiverLover]

9. Thanks for those phone #s, genwah! nt

[Rex]

3. Better yet, if we don't stand up to the oligarchs who will?

We are the last line of defense. The GOP already sold out decades ago to big banks. If we follow there will be no political party to stop the constant deregulation - meltdown - mop up - cycle we see by the biggest banksters on the planet.

If we don't, who will?

And if we do...that is it, no coming back.

[Fumesucker]

4. Same as it ever was

[pa28]

5. So true but after today I think he'll have to be called "center right man".

He's teaming up with Republicans against his own party on wall street deregulation, torture and the TPP.

[truebluegreen]

6. How curious it is that he decides to do this now,

thereby defending future bank bailouts, and not when defending against spending cuts that hurt the poor.

[pa28]

7. I stopped paying attention to statements about his policy priorities early on.

His actual priorities are very different from the TV version if you look at his actions alone.

[RiverLover]

8. Obama isn't being "centrist" here, its full on rethug

I agree we need to let him know how we feel. Along with the DCCC, who audaciously are STILL emailing me begging for money.

Grrrrr.

[msanthrope]

12. OMG..after weeks of DU GD discussions about how "thug" is a racial codeword, you

use a derivative of that word to describe a Black President?

[GoneFishin]

10. I was onto his selective feigned impotence act solidly by the time he twisted Dennis

Kucinich's arm over his not supporting ACA because it lacked a public option.

[woo me with science]

13. K&R Corporate Trojan horse presidency.

A society of hostages
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025927255