New Rules - Maher Goes After Fairweather Democrats

[tomm2thumbs]

In his editorial New Rule, Bill Maher calls out Democrats for distancing themselves from President Obama... and really rails on those who would turn their back on the successes of the President and Democratic Party itself.



and here is the first segment/part of New Rules

* for as long as they are available!

[bigdarryl]

1. You can't argue with a man thats right

A lot of these spineless democrats will loose Tuesday because they are distancing themselves from the President.I listen to black radio and a lot of callers are calling in to the host about this and are highly upset.I think the thing these scared democrats are looking at are stupid polls showing his approval ratings are down in a lot of states especially red states.Most African Americans including me have never been polled.So I for one never take stock 100% in these poll numbers showing the President is unpopular.When he goes out on the campaign trial for democrats who are not scared he still draws large crowds.

[A Simple Game]

4. I think polls don't take into account many like me, disappointed with

the President not because of what he has done but because of what he hasn't done or gone far enough with. Just for one example the ACA, I thought they could have gotten much more if they had tried.

I support the President but when asked if I approve of the overall job the President is doing I will say no. There is no doubt he is doing a much better job than Romney would have done and perhaps as well as he can considering the tactics of the Republicans.

[DonCoquixote]

5. nods "I agree"

Are there many many moments where Obama could have moved left and did not, of course.

However, this GOP was set to outright kneecap anything that was left wing, and they would do exactly what they have done, sit back and take all the money billionaires shower them with for either doing nothing, or outright breaking the government to the point where it does not even pretend to function. If Obama governed like a bernie sanders, the same Democrats that are so timid would be the first attacking him, with Bill and Hillary leading the fight.

The silver lining of the Obama presidency is that it showed how many Democrats were working hand in hand with the GOP, being a Coke to their Pepsi, so that nobody else became a factor. It is no accident that many of these Blue Dog Democrats are working so hard to Coronate, not Nominate, Hillary.

[ChiciB1]

21. You Said It For Me! Even Though He Knew They Wanted

him out from DAY ONE his strategy seemed to be to "try" to work with them. My problem is that after a certain length of time he HAD to realize THEY only wanted to obstruct everything, he could have decided to fight fire with fire!

I'm amazed he actually did get some important legislation through even IF ACA is what I fondly call a "baby step." And I actually think racism, while it's always been there under the surface, reared it's head and whipped too many into a full blown frenzy again!

I was raised in a military family and was very young when my father got orders to move to Ft. Hood, TX, so after Elementary school, we needed to go to a civilian school from 7th grade on. Since the military was integrated I always went to school with people of color, blacks, asians, hispanics or other ethnic groups. I didn't become aware of real racism until after I got married even though I still lived in Killeen, TX. By then I had relatives who lived in other places in the south and began to see the white/versus colored drinking fountains and all the rest of how blacks were treated. Civil Rights Movement was in full swing and I saw the real deal and really had my eyes opened.

Sure more people of color have been elected since that time, but one thing I've noticed over time is that it's almost always the Black Caucus in Congress who fights harder as Democrats and for the people. I totally understand their frustration with Obama because he DID represent so much HOPE! I suppose as a liberal I've been very frustrated many times myself wondering if Obama just never wanted to come off as an angry black man. I always knew he was more conservative than me and many here at DU, but so many of us were very willing to support him. Still are, it's all we have.

Neither he nor Hillary were my choice in 2008, Hillary less so than him. And I'm a female. What I didn't see coming was the outright HATE the other side feels and has been able to sell to this country. I now live in FL in a very Red district and have encountered so many jaw dropping incidents.

Electing Hillary isn't going to be a person who will sell well here either! And because of how the Right has taken over, any person who leans left in any way can't get elected!

I have to say that I wish he would have just gambled and demanded respect no matter what his color and let them know from day one they had to deal with it! In my heart I think he wanted to get along, but they never did! So now, just to keep things from getting even more dire, too many times some of us vote hoping a Democrat will take a strong stand and fight back!

I don't think it's happening, but all I can do is say VOTE no matter what because we know Repukes will vote for any idiot running! I don't recognize this country anymore... where's did Democracy go?

[kelliekat44]

6. Yes, but will you vote? nt

[A Simple Game]

20. Yes, always, why would you think I wouldn't? n/t

[Dustlawyer]

16. I agree with you, Texas would have been great for Obama to come here with all of the potential

Democrats here that won't vote or never have. The people here that hate Obama hate Wendy Davis too so that wouldn't change.
Mahar is a lot like Obama right now with his stance on Muslims. No one is going to be perfect, but both do a lot of what I like. While I think Obama blew his chance to be a transformational President which is what I thought he would be, he still did pretty good considering the shit sandwich Bush handed him and the Republican intransigence he faced from day 1.
I would like to see Democrats get behind Bernie Sanders, someone who would be transformationl and use the Bully Pulpit to keep telling the truth from, but Democrats would never let that happen because Hillary is so electable and Bernie isn't. Bernie isn't because of that attitude!

[hollysmom]

31. but you can argue with a man who is an idiot and is only posturing for publicity.

I so feel for how he is hurting for Obama, like he never leveled a criticism.

Here is a rule for you, - you are never going to agree with anyone else 100%
another rule - first you have to get elected and if your constituency has been berated with anti Obama material they are not going to want to to declare your undying love toward him.

OK, I might not go as far as Alison, but she is in a very red state and has constant barrage of anti obama, I know because I have fellow game friends that believe the crap they hear and so I have made it my business to correct all the stupid shit they hear. But I am not going to question how democrats have to run there to be elected. And deep in my heart I think that Mahr wants a republican senate and congress because it will give him more material for his show. So PUH-LEASE don't even try to convince me this man has and great wisdom because he was the ass that kept pushing Nader on his followers even when the race was close in 2000 and stroking the ego of Nader to keep him from dropping out. and look what we got! such a great prize and Mahr got more material for 8 years.

[djean111]

2. He has a valid point, but Aiken's district is so heavily gerrymandered that I doubt that he would

be successful no matter what he said. The Idol and gay snide remarks were totally unnecessary.

[loudsue]

3. I live next door to his district, and pretty much all NC districts are now gerryandered.

Clay Aiken had a great opportunity to get out the democratic message and run on it, and he did not. Maher is right....Aiken's content to come in second.

[Fred Sanders]

9. Did Aiken campaign on the gerrymandered districts issue, I would think that would rile up some votes?

He should have gone on Halloween in a "Gerrymandered Nurse" outfit.
Scary stuff.

[hollysmom]

33. FYI Aiken has defended the ACA said it needed a little tweaking but needs to stay.

Did not deny Obama but merely said Obama should not come down and campaign with him, which would be the death knell in that district. Other than that all he said is he disagreed with Obama on some things, as we all disagree with each other, he neither embraced or threw under the bus, but facts are not important to Maher or, apparently, people who post here. Just another democrat to throw under the bus.

[Fred Sanders]

34. Twice elected President and leader of his party not welcome there because....reasons...?

There is your problem right there, he should be made to be fucking welcome.

[hollysmom]

36. becasue he would drive away votes - these are not fun and games it is reality.

he did not say he was not welcome, that is Maher putting words in his mouth, he say was not needed. Not an insult to the president. I find the president and the people in congress did not defend him enough in the past, but I can tell you, if you get a lot of these people on face book you don't know, it is really hard to tell them just how racist they are, it has been a constant struggle for me to get people to take down their posts - not for me, but for them to realize just what they are posting.

If you want the Koch publicity machine of anti obama to win, fine march him out everywhere where it will make people lose - it is one thing to be an idealist on a message board, another in real life,. This is not the first time this has happene3d, and it won't be the last -
but it is one thing to insult the president another to shy back. Remember his Opponenet is trying to paste him as an Obama-Aiken economy i.e. it is a competitors fault for the economy said by the actual congress person!So be an Idealist and give away every day spot, That was the whole thing with Maher supporting Nader, how much harm could it do to have GWB in the white house. We will make a point by supporting Nader. Sorry but I live in the real world and seen the damage these do - Yes lets have a climate denier in charge of the science group - that makes a lot of sense. And how about funding for the EPA being tied to passing the the pipeline? Every elections is important and you work with what you have. Have you heard Obama Complain? No, he wants them to do what they have to to get elected.,

My father was the president of a union local. After he died we were surprised at the number of black men that came to his funeral. Came over and said he owed a lot to my father, in 1950, he desegregated the local union, decades later I worked for my father in the summer as a teen, no one ever mentioned or bragged or commented on the desegregation. And my father never ran using that, it was just done quietly. The majority of the union workers were white. do you think that might have cost him the election? I do.

[Fred Sanders]

37. You capitalize Koch, but not President....?? Post 35.

[hollysmom]

38. Post 36 - are you an off topic capitalization police - read it again I capitalized Obama twice

did not capitalize antiobama not deliberately but probably not used to capitalizing in the middle of the made up word.- I am not a hater and if you think I am you have not read my other posts - I never love politicians If you prefer to support someone who has said horrible things about Obama - Maher - and support his putting words in a candidates mouth to hurt the slim chances of a single (and there are many he hurt over the years) democrat - fine, you do that, but it is not supporting Obama to hand him a full republican congress.
keep kissing that asses of people like Maher fine. but I am done. I will never forgive him for Nader, but them I actually heard what he said and heard what my fan nephew said when he voted for Nader in Florida - "it is a protest the democrats will win. " So I kind of like holding his feet to the fire for lying about what a candidate says.

[ChiciB1]

22. Yes, I DO Believe He Did! I Remember Hearing People

say it was so great that he was running. Now, he looks like a shell of what I thought he would do! He really should have understood this, especially with the recognition he went into the election with. VERY SAD! Lost chance!

[Fred Sanders]

35. Because of gerrymandering, a district, all but a few, will have majority R folk...it is all fucked up

because of gerrymandering...same geographical area will have voted majority
Obama.....then D's are forced to try to siphon off some of the "not completely crazy but would not vote for Obama crowd", and then the fucking media makes hay out of Obama not being welcome there in these gerrymandered districts that they never mention are gerrymandered into visually grotesque area....like I said it is all fucked up because of gerrymandering.

[SunSeeker]

24. So then why did Aiken betray his principles if he is going to lose anyway?

I think the gay remarks were appropriate, to point out the stupidity and hypocrisy of a gay man distancing himself from the President who got rid of DADT and who was the first President to support marriage equality.

[Warpy]

28. I kept asking "Why HIM?"

Good grief. The party has to stop running people whose only attraction is that they won't scare the chickenhearted morons. Eventually they'll make a mistake and some guy who realizes he's a sacrificial lamb will know he's got nothing to lose but his reputation and go ahead and scare all the morons. That's the guy who's going to win, whether or not he hitches a ride on a President's coat tails.

Yes, I lived in NC from the ages of 10-19 and couldn't wait to leave. I know those scaredycat halfwits and knuckle draggers. The best advice I can give any Democrat there is BE SCARY.

[MaggieD]

7. The circular firing squad is a tradition...

That Democrats can't seem to give up. It's terrible and makes no sense but I've been watching us do it for 30 years. Heck, even DU is pretty anti Obama.

We have a purity test that no electable Democratic candidate for president can actually pass if they have been in office for any length of time. Makes no sense, but it sure helps republicans win where they should not.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

10. It's a state by state thing.

If you're in a state in which everyone basically hates Obama, and you want to win, you have to distance yourself. Dem voters will understand, and you might be able to pick up more votes than if you snuggled up to him.

So I'm fine with Grimes trying to keep him at arm's length, especially when McConnell's entire campaign message is 'Obama needs Grimes'. I'm in one of the media markets, and the vast majority of his ads are nothing more than 'Grimes is lying, she's Obama's best bud', with a tiny few 'McConnell helped me!' ones from Kentucky voters he arranged to have on hand as useful photo ops over the years.

If you're in a solidly blue state? Go ahead and spoon with the President if you want, it won't cost you the election.

[MaggieD]

26. Meh, I lived there for 5 years

I tend to believe that if democrats running for federal office would tout and embrace the successes of the Democratic Party instead of NOT having the courage to do so we'd have at least a purple state there.

After all Dems do pretty well on a state level. And Louisville is strong Dem territory. Bill is right.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

27. Oh I agree with you on the successes of the Party.

I just don't think Obama's numbers as an individual are helpful there.

[MaggieD]

29. I do

I think she should've run strong on Obamacare. It had more positive impact there than pretty much any other red state in the nation, but polls showed that many people had no idea it was part of the ACA.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

30. Again, that's not his personal numbers.

But yes, she should have been talking up 'Kynect' as a big time Dem thing, and slamming McConnell for his disingenuousness in talking about tearing out Obamacare root and branch when Kynect is Obamacare.

[RKP5637]

11. Exactly, the republicans count on democrats destroying each other, and with great success the

democrats self-destruct over and over again, all by themselves. And what is the democratic party today, it wanders all over the place, those wanting to be more republican than republican, those denouncing the president from the party they supposedly represent. We are totally screwed the way the democratic party works to self-destruct.

[ChiciB1]

23. I Have To Disagree With You...

I'm a true liberal and have stated how I've felt over the years. Still, when it came to voting and telling others that as a Democrat I supported him and no Repuke who didn't respect him as President, showed me how racist they were.

Pretty simple for me, and I can guarantee you there has been much that has frustrated me and made me scratch my head! Maybe not all here would do the same, but I would tell people how I felt and about my frustrations, still he's the President and I would vote.

The future doesn't look too good to me, but far too many Democrats folded a long time ago.

[MaggieD]

25. You have a perfect right to disagree

And to make your views known - loudly, and publicly - about how Dems have let you down or done this and that wrong. Just know that it depresses turnout, supports the false meme that there is no difference between the parties and therefore helps elect Republicans.

That's the reality. I know plenty are comfortable with that. We get the congress we deserve.

[RKP5637]

8. Democrats, as usual, are responsible for their own loses. They throw shit at the party, do not

stand up for the principles of the democratic party (or what were the principles), don't support the president they worked to elect, and then say hey, vote for me, I'm from that shitty party I hate. What kind of F'en logic is that!

Yep, one big tent, many sit around arguing and bitching while the opposing party rallies around each other, takes action and marches forward, while many democrats are arguing and others sit home on their ass not voting thinking somehow that is getting back at "them." Is this totally fucked up or what.

I hope not, but it will probably be goodbye senate.

[Fred Sanders]

12. Arguing and bitching over gun control is one example of why you are right, at some point there has

to be clear party unity. Not saying you voted for your party's leader and twice elected
President.....is fucked up campaigning.

Why do Republicans keep winning with their fucked up insanity may be because of the lack of passion displayed by a political party that can not unite under one clear leader, while they have that passion with no clear leaders.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

13. I agree entirely with

Democrats, as usual, are responsible for their own loses. They throw shit at the party, do not
stand up for the principles of the democratic party (or what were the principles)

I think the whole notion that there are any large number of people who

sit home on their ass not voting thinking somehow that is getting back at "them."

is an urban legend constructed as an excuse by losing candidates and their supporters to pretend they lost because of someone other than themselves and their own inability to win over voters.

There may be a few idiots out there who think like that, but they'll be statistical noise in the overall results.

[RKP5637]

14. Why is it that so many ignore the midterms? Midterms are so important, yet it seems

over and over again many choose to ignore them and then often wonder why congress does not represent their interests. And for many voting is so easy. I've lived in a few states now where voting is so absolutely easily done just by mail.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

15. Most people don't even pay attention to their Representatives.

If you're lucky, most voters care about the White House and maybe the Senate. And with Senators coming up only every six years, most of the time even those who care that much are skipping many midterms.

I think civics classes in high schools need to be re-emphasized, and probably revamped. When I went through (decades ago), the entire focus was on 'how government works' - following the path of a bill, the various branches and their individual powers, etc. There was no emphasis at all on the fact that without us actually getting out there and voting, we'd be left to the whims of those who could buy enough voters. (Of course, that was pre-CU as well.) Nothing that showed how every aspect of our lives is controlled by politics, from the water we drink to the air we breathe, to every single piece of food, place we live, tool we use. Government was treated as some 'separate' thing, that just sort of 'exists' and can occasionally be used to 'get something done'.

I also think we need some way to break away from 'soundbite' elections, pin down candidates on specific issues, and have those issues statements available at the time balloting is done. And for incumbents, a nonpartisan statement about whether or not their votes in office show that they actually did things in agreement with the claims they made on prior issues statements. So that voters can actually have some idea about the people on whom they're voting WHILE they're voting, not just vaguely remember seeing a name on a yard sign, or the latest smear ad.

[RKP5637]

17. I agree so much with everything you posted! Civics classes do need to be emphasized greatly

once again. I mentioned that to someone, and they said, yes, we do need politeness classes in high school. So, that is how out of touch some are with what a civics class is about. I went through much the same as you did in civics classes.

I was remarking to someone recently ... all of these political ads, all we hear is who out heckles the other one, but little on substance about what they represent and/or would do. It is basically a televised shouting match.

And the money in the political process, outrageous. It is not about quality and what is good for the entire country, but rather about those whom can raise the most money. Those with outstanding ideas and capabilities are often cut out of the entire political process because they can not feed the advertising machinery.

[ancianita]

18. I appreciate so much what you're both saying about how it needs to restart with education.

Last edited Sat Nov 1, 2014, 11:53 AM - Edit history (1)

I often wish I'd been a history teacher so that I could lead a curriculum drive to re-institute civics as a required course in my high school. To the extent that I know history teachers, many do strive within the courses they teach to do major units on civics, but that falls far short of the larger endorsement that school leaders and the public have to make to the engagement of the young in active citizenship and knowledge of governance.

Thanks for bringing this up here. I'm sure if Maher thought about this, he'd make a good case for it publicly.

[RKP5637]

19. Thanks! n/t

[freshwest]

32. It requires getting involved in local and state politics about education to change it.