White House unloads anger over criticism from 'professional left’ (They "ought to be drug tested")

[kpete]

Source: The Hill


White House unloads anger over criticism from 'professional left’
By Sam Youngman - 08/10/10 06:00 AM ET

The White House is simmering with anger at criticism from liberals who say President Obama is more concerned with deal-making than ideological purity.


During an interview with The Hill in his West Wing office, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs blasted liberal naysayers, whom he said would never regard anything the president did as good enough.

“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”

The press secretary dismissed the “professional left” in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/113431-white-house-unloads-on-professional-left

[Betty]

1. I'll have to remember this

when the next fund raising letter arrives.

[JaneFordA]

23. I got the begging campaigning call awhile back...

... and let the chirpy little debutante from the DNC know, in no uncertain terms, that I now support PROGRESSIVE candidates only. NEVER again will I contribute to the general till that funds blue dogs. I finished up by letting her know that's how we f* retards plan to do business from now on.

I don't think she was very happy. ;-)

[ericinne]

39. I got a call too.

I got a call from the DNC last month asking for donations too. My response to her was, I support the Democrat Party, but I do not support the DNC. That I will be donating, but it will be directly to progressive candidates.

[kath]

78. Uh, that would be "Democratic Party". There is no "Democrat Party".

[newtothegame]

204. What's the issue? Is it worth calling out a DU'er for?

:shrug:

[msanthrope]

208. "Democrat" Party is what Faux News and Teabaggers call us.

Yeah. Worth the call out....

[unpossibles]

230. it's also a tragic hit to the English language

:)

Seriously, it seems that people seldom correctly use adjectives and adverbs lately.

[msanthrope]

234. Well, I cannot claim purity on that matter. But I can hear a dogwhistle

just fine...

[WheelWalker]

441. true story... nt

[sodom]

755. democratic is what the federalists called us.

before the democratic party was the democratic party it was the republican party. the federalists used the word democratic to demean republicans by calling them democratic-republicans. the name stuck and the party became the democratic-republican party, then later the democratic party.

honestly, whether you use democrat or democratic its all born of an insult. the first republicans took ownership of the insult democratic and made it theirs, there is no reason not to do the same now with democrat.

by wasting effort and time on this you allow them to achieve their intended objective, which is to divert attention away from political issues of substance and divide the democratic party.

[SusanaMontana41]

763. Agreed. Thanks, msanthrope.n/t

[drm604]

226. The issue is that the term "Democrat Party" is a childish right-wing slur.

The name of the party is the "Democratic Party", not the "Democrat Party". For whatever reason many on the right, even relatively mainstream people, think it's clever or something to say the name of the party wrong. I don't even get the joke. Maybe there isn't a joke, maybe they just think that saying it wrong is funny or something. In any case we should not fall into the habit of using that mispronunciation.

I know that some on the left use terms like "Repubs" or "Rethuglicans" but it's not common to see serious candidates or party leaders doing it. On the right it seems to be common practice for nearly everyone. I guess it shows how childish they really are.

[roguevalley]

237. boehner and everyone else uses it all the time. I want to face plant them when they do

[RoccoR5955]

642. Yeah, If Boner and the rest of the RepubliCONs can use it...

I can use mine!
;-)

[ustilago]

284. "I don't even get the joke."

It's just another aspect of the bullying attitude they have. The just say the name wrong because they know it's annoying. So far as they're concerned, any dig is a good dig, no matter how idiotic.

[dogknob]

301. It's a venerable tactic...

...commonly employed by old, white men. Purposely mispronouncing someone's name is a passive-aggressive way to indicate that you have no respect for something.

[jdlh8894]

337. "that you have no respect for something."?

Please tell me you are over the age of (?)

[dogknob]

366. I am, in fact, over the age of...

(?). Many old white guys, when they want to indicate their disrespect for , will repeatedly mispronounce it.

Example

Noah Cross : "...Mister Gits."

Jake Gittes : "Gittes.


This tactic is older than the people currently employing it.

[Chef Eric]

592. Venerable? There is nothing venerable about it.

venerable, adjective. Worthy of great respect, esp. because of age (e.g., a venerable statesman).

Passive-aggressive behavior is NOT worthy of respect.

[dogknob]

675. If so, then why...

...do these people command the respect of holding elected office?

Their "respect" comes from the bzillions of voters who are motivated out of fear to be conservatives. To these voters, the figures deploying the "circular argument," ARE using a venerable tactic because it is unassailable (reason-, fact- and logic-proof) and supports their own "opinion."

[Chef Eric]

710. I see that you've put the word "respect" in quotes.

If you had done the same with the word venerable, then it would have made much more sense to me. After all, it's not you who thinks the tactic is venerable. It is other people.

[Crystal Clarity]

433. I'm not sure when the "Democrat Party" thing began

But I think it has it's origins in a controversial ad campaign the RNC did that highlighted subliminally the "rat" or "rats" portion of the word. I'm thinking the 94 Newt Gingrich campaign ads but could be wrong... At any rate, there was a 15 or 30 second ad being run in all 50 states leading up to the election. At the very end of the commercial the word Democrat(s)? was used in a sentence which, after some professional scrutiny was found to be using subliminal advertising by flashing the word Rat or Rats so quickly (like a few milliseconds) as not to be seen by the naked eye but was yet picked up upon subconsciously.

This happened long enough ago that decent investigative reporting still existed and the story was picked up by most of the networks. Considering all the crappolla the R's pull now, this seems pretty benign but I remember it being a big story at the time. It was around that time that I started noticing the contextual misuse of the word Democratic and have always assumed it stemmed from that controversy.

That's my theory anyway...Anybody else remember that incident?

[No Elephants]

450. Yes, someone else remembered--and told me about it a couple of years ago.

I posted Reply 447 before I saw your post.

[defendandprotect]

493. Think it goes back to the attacks on Truman .....

[MoonGlow]

757. No

[Clovis Sangrail]

565. I always saw it as an attempt to disassociate Democratic from democratic /nt

[Kurovski]

600. FOX now uses the term "Repubs", the way many use "Dems"

It's shorthand now.

Don't look for FOX to use "Repubes" though. Or even "Publicans", which I much prefer.

[truedelphi]

745. The "joke" is that without the "ic"

Then the word "rat" is emphasized.

Of course, with the "ic" you still get "ick", so there's that too.

But I could care less about such weird childish games on the part of the Republicans.

What really disturbs me is how the Two Parties have become one Big Money Party, Corporate Whoring their lives away.

And sadly, those who won't fall into line suffer. (Witness the charges against Maxine Waters this week, for instance.)

And our lives go downhill on account of that corporate whoredom. We have had Supply Side economics, "trickle down" economic theory, Clinton's NAFTA and GATT (engineered in part by no other than Rahm) the endless wars proposed by the Republicans and offered funding by the Democratic Congress. While legislation like "Health Care "Reform," and Finance "Reform" are written by the very entities that should be left out of the loop. (How can anyone have the foxes write such legislation and then try and tell us chickens that it is a good deal.)

And on and on.

[roguevalley]

235. yeah, it is worth calling out a DU'er. that is a word straight from the ass

hole of Newt Gingrich and its anathema around here.

[No Elephants]

447. "Democrat" was used it in a TV ad in which "RAT" lingered on the screen after t he

rest of the word disappeared, in an attempt to send a subliminal message. And Rethug posters used it, as follows: DemocRATs, DemocRAT Party, etc. I was unaware of it until a friend corrected me and explained. I was glad to get the info.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

513. kath's post contained nothing but grammar correction. -nt

[stevenleser]

672. I've never seen anyone on DU other than a Right Wing troll say "Democrat Party"

You can bet your house and your next paycheck on it.

[Xenotime]

720. I'd bet it if the RW hasn't taken it already

[stevenleser]

754. Looks like I was right as this person has been TS'ed

[earthside]

207. Apparently the "ic" is to be jettisoned.

It sounds like Gibbs wants the "professional left", that is the "icky" part of the Obama base, to go away.

So, perhaps it is appropriate to call it the 'Democrat Party' now.

[frylock]

264. there's no longer a DEMOCRATIC party either

[bvar22]

372. I agree.

The "Democratic Party" of FDR/LBJ is DEAD.

It has been replaced with the "New Democrat" Party.

[No Elephants]

The Left is far from dead. Some of the Left will continue to support the DNC and Obama on a "lesser

of two evils" basis. Some will stay home. Some will vote third party.

Gibbs and Rahm don't do Democrats, Obama or the DNC when they insult the Left. (I've said from Day One, just about, that Gibbs doesn't do Obama any favors with his snottiness, and that was well before Gibbs started flapping his gums about the Left.)

[defendandprotect]

495. Personally, I think they're really getting rather heated over liberals/progressives walking away...

We need to unite and get a firm Plan B together --

Cause more of this crap from the Wall Street Group and Rahm Emmanuel isn't what

we need at all --

Gibbs is a jerk!

[totodeinhere]

446. Correct. "Democrat" refers to members of the party, not the party itself. n/t

[Name removed]

156. Deleted message

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

[Dinger]

45. I Got A Call Like That A While Back,

said some of the same things (I suspect), and asked if there were any others who felt as I do. The woman said yes, there were many (Dems who worked hard for this administration and will not vote for them again). She also said that people told her that they were not voting for candidates who supported this administration. Guilt by association I guess. The call was not solicitation for money, but she just wanted to know if I was going to support my (Dem) congressman this fall, and I said I was, but that I was watching. He's a good one too, and I don't think he will disappoint me. I was impressed that this was not a money call, but just someone who wanted to know if I would be supporting my congressman this fall. Didn't even ask if I'd help (I will). Interesting call.

[toppertwot]

227. GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE!

I have been telling the DNC the same thing when they call me. Sometimes these callers act like they are plum mad.

[Hestia]

Me too - I unloaded on the guy who called asking if I would send $250 as my minimum

contribution! As freakin' if. I let him have it, and he started barking back at me, but hey! Couldn't care less. I'm in the wrong income bracket to be a "supporter" of DLC, et al.

[texastoast]

244. You won't be very happy either when the pukes win

Which will happen if progressives get too pure.

Idealism and practicality is the way to get things done. It's slow and painful.

[bitchkitty]

263. BULLSHIT. That dog no longer hunts. n/t

[texastoast]

465. Talk to me after the election and see what breed you find hunting for you

I hope you are happy.

[Duke Newcombe]

280. So it's no longer a progressive ideal...

to have candidates who run as progressives, and state they'll implement progressive measures held to their promises? Holding them to their promises is "wanting the Republican to win"? Really?!? Are you sure you wanna stick with that narrative?

[Phil The Cat]

384. Health Care is a Crisis! War is a Crisis! The Economy is a Crisis!

The President needs to grow a pair and say to congress, "Since you won't fix it, I will!" and do whatever it takes to end the wars and get people jobs, food, shelter, and medical care!

I know we are Democrats and this is the Democratic Underground, and so by definition we support Democracy! But our Democracy is badly broken by corporate corruption and lies, and needs to be rescued! It seems to me the only one that can do that is the President! He needs to step up and take emergency powers and say to the RW "No more of your filthy lies and oppression. THIS is how it is"!

Not for very long - we don't want a dictatorship! Just long enough to stop the ship from sinking!

And when the RW corporatists power is gone, we can then have a TRULY representitive government BY, OF, AND FOR THE PEOPLE!

[ElectricLightDem]

430. I am astonished that this post has not garnered a single response

One would think this sentiment would be prevalent enough around DU to at least illicit some "right on" echoing posts. For this most part, Phil *is* right on. I'm just not sure the president alone can rescue the democracy we seem to be starved for. Our system isn't set up that way. However, if Harry and Nancy were to get on board, it would go a long way to enacting the changes that are so desperately needed.

[theFrankFactor]

435. +1

[Hekate]

437. "Not for very long - we don't want a dictatorship! Just long enough to stop the ship from sinking!"

Kid, it does not work that way. Powers once taken are not given back so easily.

Hekate

[KakistocracyHater]

494. but they said the President couldn't override the Judicial or the Legislative

Branch-but W did. Why not make a big show of "signing" a document at the end of his term, outlawing what Yoo & others (unodir, etc)wrote & have the Supreme Court 'notorize' it? In front of cameras, even the Teabaggers would get that-no more W behavior, or else

[HillbillyBob]

411. No we dont want pukes to win or whine, but we are sick

of being fools for change and getting pissed on again.
It would be different if there WERE any godam progressives to choose from, or ones that would stay progressive once they got to the trough in WDC.

[texastoast]

468. Oh, yes, work your butts off for progressives, absolutely

But to say "I'm not giving my money to anyone unless they are progressives" works only to a point, then it is time to smell the coffee, whether Kona, Kenya AA, or Folgers. Holding them to elected officials to every promise works very well in certain areas of the country, but not so much in others, because it is a matter of negotiation. Period. It's like parenting teenagers. Pick your battles carefully, then fight for the most important.

It doesn't matter whether or not you "want a Republican to win" by supporting a lesser-evil Blue Dog. The question is: Do you not want a Blue Dog so very much as to pave the way for a Republican to be elected?

I quite stand by what I said.

[johan helge]

357. Good point.

Main example: Nader in Florida 2000. Liberal madness at its worst.

Fight for the most progressive candidate in the primary that can win against the Repub. And in the election, don't stay home, and don't vote Green.

[Critters2]

399. That's what I did last time.

Now, what do I do to prevent the DLC from owning this party?

[johan helge]

663. Fight for the

most progressive candidate who can/will beat the Repub, in the primaries. If that candidate does not become the Dem candidate, then the majority of the Dem voters want another candidate than you (and me). If you don't vote for this Dem candidate, you make Repubs smile.

[RedCloud]

460. Wrong. Sept. 12, 2001 BBC released its report on how Bush stole the election

Remember that gem? Oh yeah, something very convenient took place the day prior.

[johan helge]

670. I've heard a lot about dirty tricks,

but what happened the day prior?

Anyway, suppose Bush would have stolen the election, no matter how many people voted Gore. But then, at least, these people could blame Bush. Now, the ones who voted Nader, have to blame themselves.

[Le Taz Hot]

714. It's hard to belive that,

10 years later, the Party Loyalists are still pulling up that old canard. Mountains of evidence to refute their assertions, out for years even, and they're still crying "it was Nadar and the Progressives fault!" Sometimes it's just better to smile, nod and walk away slowly.

[mdmc]

475. lol

Nader!
To this day I don't understand it. I have Nader voting friends that will never vote for a pro-drug war candidate. They hate the DLC just a little less then the GOP.
Yet tons of Dems voted for Bush in FLA in 2000 - :shrug:

[johan helge]

666. Tell your Nader voting friends

that the Democratic party is a coalition of groups, that don't necessarily love each other, but that stay in the same party, because that is necessary to stop the people we "hate". Yes, staying in the same party is NECESSARY to beat the Repubs. If less liberals had voted Green, more blacks had voted, etc., the US would have been a better country.

[BDavinciNY]

700. Thank You!

Amen to that !:bounce: :toast: :yourock:

[johan helge]

752. Thanks,

welcome to DU!

[mdmc]

747. You don't get it

As long as folks are comfortable, able to afford their lifestyle, they are all good.
I can't imagine any of my leftist friends ever voting for a pro-drug war candidate - they just won't do it.
Conservative Dems will win without leftist. Drug warriors will win without the left.
America gets what it deserves.

[johan helge]

751. Yes,

those leftists definitely get what they deserve - Bush and his ilk.

[mdmc]

756. And we all get to complain together

in unity.. and solidarity..

[johan helge]

759. Yes, they are very good at complaining about Bush & his ilk

- but doing anything to stop them, never!

[mdmc]

760. no need to stop them

The people that I am talking about are real George Carlin kind of folk - politicians are on the side of the 'owners', and work for the interest of the rich over the interest of the nation.

And if you are anti-war, or anti-drug war, or pro equal rights (gay marriage) - you can choose between the lesser of two evils, or you can actually vote for a candidate that is anti-war, anti-drug war, and pro equal rights.

I really don't think that voters owe you or me anything. I don't think that voters need to be pragmatic. They just need to show up and vote.

If there were real choices, more Americans would vote. When the contest is war or war-light, anti-gay or anti-gay marriage, drug warrior vs. drug warrior; I understand why people sit home and watch tv instead..

[johan helge]

761. Yes, it is easy to understand

that many understand little, to put it bluntly. But I wish they had understood as much as the Gore voters!

[ooglymoogly]

361. You know, that fairy tale might ring true and hold some weight

If the corporatist Rahm et al, were not trying to get corporatist pugs to run with a D after their name and pulling the rug from progressive, non corporatist Democrats; And to add insult to injury, supporting corporatist republican Dino's over more progressive non corporatist candidates;

As in the Corporatist Lincoln, v the more progressive and non corporatist Halter, who, more than likely, would win that coming election, as Lincoln, a foregone conclusion, will most likely not, barring a miracle; And the DlC knew that strong likelihood from long before the primary, and that Halter would likely win, if the DLC thumb had not been on the Lincoln scale.

A foregone knowledge that Lincoln would lose in the final. And that the probability; Another non corporatist Democrat in the Senate, would be worse in their minds, than that loss to another Corporatist republican, diminishing the power of the D but further empowering the corporatists; These and other such flagrant hints and giveaways as to whose corporate feet the loyalties of this admin really lay.

Or as in the case of progressive and non corporatist, Al Franken and not lifting a finger when the pugs were trying desperately to pull the rug under his feet, Clearly not caring when or if he got seated. Only defending when a grandstand was near and real action is only vaguely implied.


They are packing all branches of government with corporatists, no matter the D or R after their name, as long as they are corporatist.

The battle at hand is not Democrats v Republicans; It is an Armageddon of an Orwellian Corporatocracy v we the people of this country.

Corporatocracy is in no way compatible with capitalism; Something we have been dealing with for centuries; Sometimes in harmony, sometimes not, but never as dangerous as the Orwellian corporatocracy, moving relentlessly to take over our government.

And we need to start using every wit, every tool and imagination at our disposal, to prevent the ongoing and ruthless, take no prisoners, onslaught on democracy.

And their worst enemy? We the people and their representatives; Non corporatist Democrats and even, non corporatist Republicans, at least if only in hope, there might be any.

We must, at whatever cost, find the way to say absolutely not, to the packing of corporatist Democrats and pugs in every seat in government.

One big tool at our disposal, is the coming primary which each of us must deal with in our own way, be it, as in my case, a write in of a non corporatist dem if a corporate dem is the only option, or whatever. "Primaries" is the key word here.

Cutting to the heart of the problem and calling a spade a spade; Drawing the battle lines so to speak;


One big tool is to stop calling ourselves progressives as the final definitive, which the corporate media finds just too delicious and far too easily propagandized into something silly and bad; Lending itself to easy red herrings and straw men, barn sized targets to shoot down.

We must find a way to get out the word; To call ourselves 'Non corporatist Democrats and progressives'; And even form a 'Non Corporatist Democratic and progressive, party'; And call our enemies in the democratic party, exactly what they are; 'corporatist Democrats' which is an obvious oxymoron, easily exploited.

A move that could only level more, the playing field and shed the brightest light on what is truly going on in this country.

[texastoast]

474. We do have our troubles

And I DESPISE the corporatist Dems but not as much as the corporatist repukes (but close--well, because, dammit, Dems are supposed to be BETTER than that). You have some really good thoughts rolling around up there. I can't tell you how many progressive independents I know work so hard for progressive Dem candidates, and if it doesn't work, hold their nose on election day and still vote Dem.

As you said, the battle is in the early stages. Right now, not at all. It is a foolish time for people to say, "Wah, I'm not voting" or "Wah, I'm not supporting any Dem who doesn't think like me."

But of course, we are free to do so.

All of us progressives need to be very active during the off years, laying the groundwork to hopefully make some real progress.

[No Elephants]

593. Problem is,

the DNC and individuals in the Party establishment are a big part of the reason the more liberal candidate loses the primary. I don't know that I want to support keeping Progressives out of the fray.

Holding your nose when you vote is one thing. Holding your nose when you give your hard-earned money is tougher. Even tougher for many, giving your scarce time and energy.

I'm not saying I'd never donate to a Blue Dog, or never vote for a Blue Dog, but s/he might have to be running against Attila the Hun.

Meanwhile, I'm going to be selective about where my time and money go. I am not interested in helping Democrats move any further right.

[defendandprotect]

496. If Obama keeps crashing hope and trust of liberals/progressives... repukes may win!!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

392. I think you're making a big mistake. This is one big honking ship that needs turning.

[texastoast]

478. And your plan is?

Yes, the Dems let Rove lead them by the nose to the right.

And that just means more work for you and me at the foot soldier level. Yep, it's a battle.

And we must never shut up and take it AND we must minimize the collateral damage.

[defendandprotect]

497. We sure need a Plan B -- 'cause Plan A under Obama/Rahm/Walls St isn't working ....!!

[ooglymoogly]

545. Plan B. A pipe dream

Work like hell to get one of the progressives we trust, (we all know who these are: Allen Grayson at least to me is the stronges but of course there are 5 or 6 others that would pose a real threat), (Unfortunately Dennis does not have a chance, even though I love him) And work like hell to get them to register as a challenger in the presidential primaries, then work like hell even harder, to get them past the primaries and into the presidency.

But if that candidate does not prevail in the primaries, game over. The advantage; A warning shot past the bow, forcefully signaling that we are not in the pockets of the establishment and even a more powerful advantage; Empowering our candidate for the future.

If we succeed in an upset...glory hallelujah, Change really will come, wars will cease and corporate America will be put in its place and with the help of Elizabeth Warren, the middle class will once again rise from the ashes.

[defendandprotect]

568. That's what Plan B is . . .new Dem candidate in 2012 . .. truly progressive/liberal Dem . . ..

I'm for Grayson, as well!!

Someone has to step up here cause this crap going on with Obama/Wall Street needs to end!!

And PS on Warren . . . evidently Dodd is working to keep Warren from happening!!!

And we aren't supposed to call out these Repug-lite Dems??

Too much damage is coming from INSIDE the Democratic Party!!!

And, we've been too quite about it by a long shot!!

[No Elephants]

597. Prevailing in the primaries is one thing--and very unlikely without

backing from Party leaders. (Recall the story about Harry Reid arguing that Obama should be "the one." I don't think it any coincidence that Obama then proceeded to win the primaries, despite the Clintons's incredible contacts and machine--and 40 point lead.)

But let's say your hypothetical candidate wins the primaries, against all odds. The Super Delegates can, if they dare, still override. That is the reason for their existence.

[ooglymoogly]

737. We are speaking of pipe dream miracles here, and the Herculean task...

of making the impossible happen. Not so ridiculously and absolutely impossible; As; 75% of the oil in the gulf has disappeared.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

570. Part of the plan is to know it's a long haul and much more work than say ,,,,,

Clinton's supporters had in 93 & 94. And yet he lost both houses. We can't afford that now that so many agencies and moles are in place left over from Bush/Cheney.

The plan is to follow the leader's advice and make him do what you want. I keep trying. And even though I'm unhappy about many things going on, I refuse to let up my support. We'll all drown.

Oh! And that "big honking ship" I referenced trying to turn is being fired at from above and below. And from all sides! This is big stuff and I never imagined being a citizen was this demanding.

[texastoast]

579. I hear you

You and all like you are who will make a difference for the generations to come. You can look your kids and grandkids in the eye and say, "I actually knew who was running for governor, senator, whatever instead of knowing who was left on Survivor." You can be proud and know you did your best. That's all anyone can ask.

Remember that Clinton was not first elected by a 50%+ majority of voters because of Perot. I *think* that made the '94 election more vulnerable than what we have at hand. I guess we'll see.

The work in the primaries is all important for us progressives. One thing that I think we can all improve on is raising consciousness about what being a progressive means ahead of time. We need to take back the term and couch it as meaning real, honest, measurable, factual progress--a betterment for the entire planet--and away from the hijackers who want it to frame us as "loony left." Fuckers.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

708. We most definitely agree.

Also it is cruel to get emails every day asking for money when your job has disappeared along with tide of the currency of wishful thinking.

I wish DU could get behind one issue - like clean energy jobs. Put in Robert Gibbs face every day that we want clean energy jobs. As him: "What is the president going to do to promote the issue?"

The whole of DU asking him to keep this one promise.

[No Elephants]

583. Rove did not lead the Dems right. He could not possibly do that .

The Democrats started to go right because they panicked after Nixon's big win (or, depending on how you look at it, McGovern's big loss). That was when they started talking about Super Delegates, to override the will of Democratic voters, if the voters ever again voted in the primaries for a candidate as "unsuitable" as McGovern again.

The Democrats went further right because they wanted corporate money. Before 1980, Republicans were getting it, but lobbying money in total was not a huge deal. Then, the DNC asked Washington Democrats to see if they could not get some, too--and lobbying started to inrease almost exponentially as both sides battled for the bucks and corporations tried to stay in everyone's good graces.

Meanwhile, Reagan, aided and abetted by Rove's mentor, Lee Atwater, pulled off victories as stunning as Nixon's. And the DlC officially came into existence, espousing many of the same positions as the neocons. And the Super Delegates also became official, just in case Democratic primary voters got any ideas that did not mesh with the ideas of Party leaders.

Badda boom badda bing.

You can blame a lot on Rove, but he was never in a position to lead Democrats to the right. Only Democratic Party leaders could do that.

[knixphan]

538. Progressives Only.

Seconded.

[Mojorabbit]

699. Got the same call, did the same thing as you did. nt

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

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

[crim son]

33. Yeah,

it's only the simple-minded sheeple we want. Thank you.

[liquid diamond]

36. Talk is cheap. Stay home this November. n/t

[Javaman]

50. are you asking crim son to stay home or demanding crim son to stay home...

way to campaign for the right.

[liberation]

82. The DLC is "genius" that way when it comes to "win" hearts and minds...

... no wonder everything they touch turns to shit, or piss ("liquid diamond" come on... LOL).

They have this weird self hate thing going, maybe is because they are frustrated because they can't register as what they would really like to be: republicans, and thus they are stuck with having to play democrat.

[Javaman]

88. Well said. nt

[Lost4words]

117. .

[Name removed]

694. Deleted message

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

[liquid diamond]

652. Read my previous post. I'm tired of these people threatening

to sit on their hands or vote for a candidate that has no shot at winning instead of keeping Obama in office. Enough of their talk. Put your money where your mouth is.

[fasttense]

184. Don't stay home, that is just plain silly.

You have to get out and vote-in the most liberal people you can find, so we can move this mountain to the left.

It is curious they seem uncomfortable, almost apologetic, when they dare bash the corporate elite or RepubliCONS.

I think they are trying to look centrist by jumping onto the band wagon of "hate the liberal". See, we are so centrist, so nonthreatening, we even bash liberals like all RepubliCONS do. So, you tea-baggers don't need to vote in conservative RepubliCONS, you have them already in the White House.

The final act of appeasement, take on the opinions and views of your enemies.

[Riley133]

225. That is exactly right.

They're in trouble and they know it. In order to placate the indies, they must begin to distance themselves; however, I do not condone the behavior.

[defendandprotect]

500. Liberals/Progressives need to UNITE ... as a voting block -- Plan B!!

[johan helge]

359. Vote!

Nothing is more important than winning against the Repubs. Nothing.

[liquid diamond]

646. Actually, that is what I would prefer the whiners would do, but

they keep making threats about withholding support (indirectly supporting the repigs). I'm tired of their talk. I'm sick of them expecting us to baby them.

[johan helge]

702. So

"Stay home this November" was irony? Good, but you should have made that more clear!

[defendandprotect]

499. Better yet, let's get rid of some of these jerks like Gibbs in the White House . . .

[crim son]

707. Talk may be cheap

but I'm not staying home. I can't imagine why you'd ask me to.

on edit: that was sarcasm, noted only because nobody ever seems to get it here.

[L0oniX]

91. Do you mind if I qoute you?

:eyes:

[RaRa]

144. took the words out of my mouth

on edit, my words had the obligatory "fuck you" attached as well.

[roguevalley]

233. they absolutely never learn and this should tell you the temperature

of the white house, the ease with which they say things like this. Obama is no liberal, no leftie, he has contempt for us to allow this culture of thought to exist. and what a masterstroke of timing, to say something like this to an already apparently tepid base before elections. bravo, you bastards. *you* should be drug tested. to quote Keith: "GENIUS! GENIUS, I SAYS!"

[Enthusiast]

269. A Republican congress

will allow Obama to cut social security and carry on a stronger right wing agenda.

[freebrew]

371. You don't think that's already in the works?

Seems to me, from the messages I get from MoveOn and AARP that SS is already on the block.

I can find more credibility there than in anything Gibbs says.

[defendandprotect]

503. Yes -- as we've seen from Pelosi's concerns re attacks on Democrats . . .

it looks like Obama is trying to dump this into the hands of the GOP --

and agree with your predictions -- easier then for Obama to destroy Social Security

and Medicare --

You can only really be betrayed by those closest to you!!

[defendandprotect]

501. Did we ever see anything comparable coming out of the GOP White House... re their base???

What absolute jerks let Gibbs loose -- and it doesn't look like he had any

difficulty saying -- came "trippingly off the tongue" as though he's said it

a couple of hundred times before!!

[MH1]

240. if you don't think Obama = Gorge W. Bush

then he wasn't talking about you.

If you DO think that, then why in the world would you have been sending money to him anyway??

[peace frog]

253. I'll never forget it

and it tells me all I need to know about this gang of elegant liars.

[roguevalley]

258. huffingtonpost says he's apologizing, his comments 'unartful'

they do this and then send an apology to make sure that they get their point out and then pull back their own arms before they get bit off. they mean what they say. Unless of course, they are as incompetent and stupid as I think they are. I've seen this I meant it, I didn't mean it like that shit before.

[Cherchez la Femme]

266. So is the apology due to 'unartfulness'

or because there is true remorse?

nm, I know that answer

[defendandprotect]

505. This is all crap -- we need a liberal/progressive Democrat to run in 2012 .. . let's start looking!

[No Elephants]

604. Yes, his habit of speaking out of turn publicly is what got him the job of President's press

secretary--and why he keeps it.

:sarcasm:

Much like Rahm keeping his job after calling liberals fucking retards.

[Reader Rabbit]

276. "Can't contribute. Need to save my money for drug testing."

Signed,

Member of the Professional Left

[Cherchez la Femme]

335. *chuckle* good answer

[PADemD]

343. +1000 n/t

[SteveM]

388. Gibbs knows what he is doing by using the "drug" metaphor...

The GOP has for years been hammering away at the "left" (really, just some liberals & progressives) as being a product of the hated "counter culture." Drugs (most esp. marijuana) are the enduring symbol created by the GOPers in identifying "liberalism" with un-American counter-culture beliefs. This is why the GOP constructed such a massive W.O.D. (it ain't the money trail, folks, it's culture and hatred). And they have been immensely successful at essentially downgrading ANY kind of progressive notion as immoral, unpatriotic, weak, corrupt, weak, elitist, weak, and weak. So successful, in fact, that the Democratic Party is actively working to end ANY sort of identify to "liberal/progressive" values and beliefs.

Gibbs knows exactly what he is doing. And so does Obama.

[glitch]

536. Are you saying these brilliant new young Democrats actually bought the Reagan/Bush propaganda? nt

:banghead:

[No Elephants]

609. I thought Steve was saying they purchased Lee Atwater's dog whistle.

Or maybe just borrowed it from his heir.

[SteveM]

729. They're young -- that's why they bought it...

Newt Gingrich and others of the Republican "revolution" (early 1990s) fashioned a counter-culture image even more explicit than the "dirty hippy" one drifting about since Nixon. And the W.O.D. was key and integral to that image. The hated counter-culture of the 60s was the BASIS of the culture wars. Gibbs is merely genuflecting toward the hard, established parameters of GOP-established reality. Best way to do that? Say "drugs," "drug-testing" three times and click your heels, then maybe they'll let you play their game. They win, of course.

[glitch]

744. Truth. nt

[Critters2]

401. That is brilliant!

:thumbsup:

[SpankMe]

419. I LOVE this!!

I'm doing it on the next solicitation for money!

[chatnoir]

529. lol this

[PanoramaIsland]

306. Let's see how much they enjoy taking shots at progressives when they can't raise any cash from us.

[SunsetDreams]

374. It wasn't Progressives

he was talking about.

Gibbs said the professional left is not representative of the progressives who organized, campaigned, raised money and ultimately voted for Obama.


Progressives, Gibbs said, are the liberals outside of Washington “in America,” and they are grateful for what Obama has accomplished in a shattered economy with uniform Republican opposition and a short amount of time.

[defendandprotect]

507. I doubt there's a liberal/progressive anywhere who wants any more Obama/Rahm. - or Gibbs!!

[704wipes]

619. I guess I am part of the unprofessional left outside Washington

No one pays me shit. They want my money and votes and shoe leather all the fucking time,
and then ignorantly think that I am 'grateful' for hcr that is a fucking treasury give away to
insurance and pharma ? I am 'grateful' no one in the white house will grab their balls and talk back
to the GOP bullshit machine the way Grayson & Weiner will? I am 'grateful' they want to trial balloon my social
secuity benefits to oblivion with a death panel cat food commission?

Somebody IS smoking something, and I wish to fuck it was me Mr Gibbs, because then I wouldn't
be ready to strangle you to within an inch of your worthless DLC life. Eat shit and die motherfucker.
Same for you, Rahm.

Now both of you run along and smoke some more Republican DICK. it's what you're good at.

[No Elephants]

620. He is talking about people with a certain view of Obama, a mindset, not

geography.

I supported Obama, donated and voted. I have also pointed out when Obama take a position that Bush took. And I am not grateful to Obama.

Do you really think Gibbs would not count me as a candidate for drug testing, just because I am not in D.C. and I am not a professional pundit?

[PanoramaIsland]

709. This shows how completely the White House fails to understand progressives outside of Washington.

I'm on the other side of the country from DC, not involved in politics in any function other than as a sometime protester/letter writer/petition signer, and I am frustrated as hell with Obama's half-measures.

[Butch350]

406. You'll also remember when that next Republican is president....

[defendandprotect]

508. You mean a Republican who will kill Social Security/Medicare as Obama is trying to do???

[breadandwine]

520. So it's settled, then, Mr. President.

Sleazy corporate healthcare with no public option and no Medicare available to all even if you have to buy into it, is just fine even though the corporations are going to make zillions forcing everyone to buy what they can't afford.

And it is just GREAT that the White House sucked up to BP like there was no tomorrow and wasted a golden opportunity to draw a clear and easy distinction with the GOP.

And it is JUST great that instead of saving the entire planet from global warming as the planet passes one tipping point after another, we instead wasted the last 2 years sucking up to corporations and blew our wad, politically, on THAT, in the 2 years we had before the GOP takes back the House and Senate. So we blew our wad helping insurance companies rake in more moola. SO F*CKING WHAT? STOP CRITICIZING US. IT ONLY OCCURRED TO US NOW THAT THERE IS A PARTY BASE.

And it is JUST GREAT that we should not listen to the warnings of the progressive left because we have to cave to the corporations on everything EVEN NOW FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE MIDTERM ELECTION.

Progressives are just a bunch of no-good professionals who just don't understand THE LARGER PICTURE, the LONG VIEW. Ronald Reagan was a "great communicator" who sold the country his IDEOLOGY. But Obama can't do that and must hide under the desk lest anyone think he is a liberal!!!!!!!

And then a funny thing happened on the way to the Midterm elections:

A funny little thingy.

Turns out that midterms are ALWAYS won by energizing the base since midterms are always underparticipated in so the enthusiastic and ideologues are the ones who vote in midterms. Like, whoda thunk? Like, the same DLC crowd, including the same Rahm Emanuel, that pushed healthcare to the exclusion of other important issues under Clinton and cost us the House and Senate is the same group that is DOING IT ALL OVER AGAIN. But what would the base know? They're all "F*CKING RETARDS," right Rahm?

But we can't do ANYTHING to please the base even at this late hour. Could we throw the left a bone? Never! Could we make even some little GESTURE to the left to try to win them back? NO WAY! Perhaps even a progressive speech that rebuffs the GOP for its obsessive corporatism? NOT ON YOUR LIFE!!!

So how then do we win the midterms? By blurting out that we don't like being criticized by the base! Sclerotic decrepit aging DLC functionaries know more than the netroots and THAT'S why we had to get rid of Howard Dean so we could lose state after state. Like what did HE know?

Please don't force us to appeal to the base before the midterms! We really want to lose the election! Stop criticizing the White House while they continue their obsession with being GOP lite! Harry Truman said, "If you run a Republican against a Republican, the Republican will win every time." But what did he know?! He was just a "professional leftist"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Five minutes before the midterms the White House is suddenly wailing, "Oh no! I forgot to be a Democrat!"

Do not listen to the base and instead cut the deficit which will shove us right back into a recession BECAUSE THE HALLOWED GOP SAYS WE SHOULD.

So it's settled. PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE BASE. THEY DON'T EXIST. JUST BITCH AND COMPLAIN THAT THEY ARE CRITICAL EVEN THOUGH YOU JUST SPENT THE LAST TWO YEARS IGNORING US AT EVERY F*CKING TURN. EVEN FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE MIDTERMS, LEARN NOTHING, FACE NOTHING, DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WIN BACK THE BASE, NOT ONE ISSUE, NOT ONE SPEECH, NOT ONE TV AD, TO WIN BACK THE BASE. THE BASE IS JUST WORTHLESS SH*T WHO SHOULD BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD.

AS RAHM SAID, WE'RE ALL F*CKING RETARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pengillian101]

683. Wow - JUST GREAT post! n/t

[Supersedeas]

762. I'm already there

[LostinVA]

2. My, my, my

[depakid]

6. Impressive, isn't it?

About the best tactic going into the fall elections since... ?

[LostinVA]

120. Seriously -- the timing is appalling

[defendandprotect]

509. It is appallling . . .unless you're trying to guarantee that Democrats stay home????

[No Elephants]

613. Well. Gibbs did say Democrats might lose the House Maybe he wants

to seem prescient.

[defendandprotect]

656. Pelosi has been raging at this WH attitude ... attacking Democrats ...and

Dems in Congress -- this is Gibbs second time around with it --

Pelosi was furious last time --

guess she expected a White House working with her to get Dems elected???




:evilgrin:

[Cherchez la Femme]

339. Hi Lost!

I've been partaking of java all day,
but I will remember your wise advice from last night and TRY to hold back! :D

:hi:

[MineralMan]

3. Well, it is crazy to say that President Obama is just like

George Bush. You don't hear that here on DU much, or for very long. That's a good thing, because it is simply an untrue statement.

[SarahB]

5. Gibb's whole statement is loaded with strawmen.

It's absurd, it's insulting, and it once again shows that the White House reserves its big guns for the left.

[Ineeda]

16. See reply #13 -- 'nuff said. n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

68. Right on cue! (nt)

[joeybee12]

42. And so Gibbs is simply perpetrating a myth then?...brilliant...

...the guy is incompetent.

[roguevalley]

249. gibbs words are the outward manifestation of a culture in the white

house that hates us.

[treestar]

119. +1000

Gibbs is absolutely right. To say such a thing, one cannot even be a Democrat.

[EFerrari]

It's crazier to be a high level White House official badmouthing your base in the press.

Maybe Gibbs needs to be drug tested.

[MineralMan]

178. Anyone who thinks Obama is the same as Bush

is NOT the base of the Democratic Party. They never were. They never will be.

[EFerrari]

185. Bush never slammed his base to reporters, did he? n/t

[MineralMan]

195. Not to my point. Bush loved his Freepers.

[EFerrari]

197. You have no point. You don't tell people ahead of an election

that you don't like them. That's just stupid.

[MineralMan]

209. If I have no point, I'm surprised that you would attempt to

engage in any debate with me.

[Kurovski]

267. I think the broad sweep of your statement needed addressing,

and I saw it addressed quite well.

[Ishoutandscream2]

341. +1

nt

[msanthrope]

215. It depends on who you are telling.

Currently, I'm watching the Greens in my state attempt to get a teabagging, homophobic Repuke elected to the Senate.

They should stay the fuck home.

[Duke Newcombe]

311. How exactly are the Greens trying to do that, exactly?

I ask for informational purposes only.

[msanthrope]

342. By accepting Repuke money to front a fringe candidate against Sestak.

Since 2006, the Green in PA have been taking money from various Repuke organizations that help them collect signatures for ballot slots. Being Republicans, the signatures are seldom valid.

It's why they got tossed from the ballot in 2008. It's why Sestak got them tossed in the primary, and hopefully, why he'll get them tossed from the general.

It's the usual skullduggery shit we've come to see and love in PA.

I can't link the lawsuits from Lexis, but they are worth reading....Greens and Repukes working together, and failing at basic election fraud.

[SteveM]

390. This apparently has occurred in Texas as well, using a Perry aide. nt

[defendandprotect]

510. .... unless you're working to keep the base at home -- not voting ...

[patrice]

662. b.i.n.g.o. ~ . . . You're ir-relevant to anyone but yourself and other crazies who will throw away

a relatively decent chance to create something Progressive, you're throwing that away for somekind of pony-in-the-sky extremely low probability chance of getting some completely undefined perfection that, by the way, has to evolve out of chaos made more painful by your own delusions.

{That's the rhetorical you, of course.}

[Riley133]

217. He is the same in that he doesn't seem to care about us. NFT

[kenfrequed]

262. Anyone...

Who would suggest that those Progressives critical of Obama are stating empirically that he is 'just like Bush in every regard.' Is guilty of a massive strawman obfuscation in order to deflect or dismiss legitimate progressive complaints.

[lostnfound]

350. "just like Bush.." in using predator drones in Pak, perhaps;or in

continuing NCLB..or perhaps in continuing the banker bailouts.. Depends on the context. Do you think Gibbs wasn't talking about those of us who have been known to make specific comments about specific topics of similarity? I think they are just annoyed with any and all criticism from the left. Fine. I'm kind of tired of worrying about public anything anymore. Ain't enough hours in the day anyway.

[No Elephants]

624. That is your opinion. Doesn't mean it is also the truth.

Besides, one can say Obama has behaved like Bush in this matter or that without saying or meaning that Obama is like Bush in eery respect.

[daleanime]

214. Which means...

Gibbs, and perhaps others in WH, don't see the left as their base.:mad:

[Amonester]

321. They "hope" the center-right will vote for them.

Bad news is, they won't (be enough).

[glitch]

547. If they are courting disaffected Republicans by hating on the Left they are making a mistake.

The left-haters aren't disaffected Republicans or even Moderates. They're still Republicans. And apparently, Republican-lites.

[Odin2005]

466. Goldman Sachs is their base.

[MH1]

243. shh, they're having so much fun with their panties in a wad

it's not like anything important is going on in the world ya know.

[GOTV]

248. It's also crazy to call Obama a socialist or a communist but the people who do that ...

... get their concerns addressed.

They get people fired from the administration
They keep Gitmo open
They get continued spying on Americans
They kill popular ideas such as the public option
They prevent reducing the size of too big to fail banks
They get continued deep sea oil drilling
They get to keep people in jail without trial or charge
etc.

[LAGC]

333. Ain't that the truth.

Where's the outrage over the right?

I guess the Clintons had their "vast right-wing conspiracy", so Obama sees it necessary to have his "vast left-wing conspiracy" against him as well. At least the Clintons were telling the truth.

[humbled_opinion]

268. You are so right I mean...

Bush never won the Nobel Peace Prize prior to escalating a war surge that is killing many innocent people in the name of TERRA... and Bush could only dream that he would be able to force millions of uninsured people to purchase health insurance from insurance companies via government mandates. It was a Bush wet dream to be able to control and shut down the Internet. Luckily we were the watchdogs then and managed to stop alot of bad policies, so what about now?

[alarimer]

287. Gee, continuing Bush's policies makes it very hard to tell the difference, though.

Let's see:

Indefinite detention
Continuing a pointless illegal war
More rendition to countries to avoid the spotlight of Guantanamo
No support of gay marriage

How is he not like Bush again?

[TBF]

461. He passed the Lily Ledbetter Act

and his Stimulus Package kept even more jobs from being lost.

At least that is what I was told by one of the ardent supporters awhile ago. It's weak, but that's what they've got.

[No Elephants]

625. Congress passed Ledbetter. Bush vetoed it. Obama signed it.

He did not pass it or get it passed. He simply did not veto it.

[TBF]

721. You're right of course - I didn't mean to overstate. nt

[No Elephants]

725. I understood you were quoting/ My post was more to leave an unambiguous record for the next person

ambitious enough to read through this thread.

:wave:

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

706. Some of Obama's policies exceed even Bush/Cheney's dreams

Whereas Bush/Cheney only got to kill foreigners, and had to have at least the appearance of validity (non-existent WMDs, a resolution passed by Congress), Obama has announced that he will assassinate an American citizen in a foreign land upon even the suspicion of being engaged in terrorist related activities.

Who gets to suggest to the president the names of those who should be killed? What are the standards? Is there oversight and accountability? All unknowns.

Why tell us about the policy in the first place? What was gained?

[liberation]

309. It is also a massive strawman...

... I don't think anyone in the left has seriously claimed Barack Obama is George Bush, what people are saying is that Obama is continuing George Bush's policies. That is a very different claim.

I don't think my issue with Mr. Obama is that once his administration started he seemed to have done a whole 180 degree turn from the whole "I am a DC outsider" campaign act, but the fact that the insiders he stuffed his administration with are so incompetent and tone deaf that almost looks like a comedy of errors (a comedy which I don't find funny in the least).

[montanacowboy]

4. Pathetic

we are only wanting what was promised

Close Gitmo
Stop spying on us
End DADT
End the frigging wars
Public Option
End DOMA
Creat Jobs Jobs Jobs, hey, like a HUGE pulic works projects and
STOP Destroying public education with that slime Arne
and on and on

To hell with Gibbs -sorry to say they are going to have a rude awakening come November

[davidhilton]

21. I remember November 5, 2008 . . .

Your list contains most of the reasons I voted for Obama, yet none of those promises have been kept.
I must admit, some of the hope has been lost. Great feeling on November 5, 2008, however, reality is a rude awakening at best.

[LibDemAlways]

44. Rude awakening is right.

This admin. reminds me of the old SNL skit with John Belushi as a short order cook who'd only serve up cheeseburgers and pepsi no matter what anyone ordered. The left is getting pretty damn tired of same old same old, and there will be hell to pay come Nov. when the base sits on their collective hands and refuses to vote for the status quo.

[creeksneakers2]

169. It would be better if "the base" sat on their hands

Instead, they dedicate their entire effort to persuading Democratic voters to stay home, thereby helping the GOP like they always do. There was no turning point. Its been this way since Obama appointed Rahm Emmanuel.

The people Gibbs is talking about aren't really "the base."

[roguevalley]

250. wow, you sound like the base is organized.

[Riverman]

186. LOL, or the Soup Nazi, You Don't Like it, Tough, Nothing for You!

[emilyg]

182. +100

[superconnected]

304. stop torture

prosecute war crimes
end the patriot act
put a bill forth against ever having an internet kill switch instead of supporting one.

We'll have the rude awaking in Nov if the repukes win because they'll do the same thing only to our face and they want even more corporate dictatorship over us.

[xocet]

348. That certainly would have been a good start. n/t

[SteveM]

395. ...And net neutrality. Oh, wait, there's the 2-tier "GooVer" plan. Sorry. nt

[The Unknown Derelict]

601. Independent here...

Montanacowboy, those are exactly the reasons why I voted for this administration. A shame I don't think they've been followed through on?

[Vinnie From Indy]

7. They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon.

No, I would just be satisfied if President Obama followed through with the ideas that candidate Obama laid out before the election.

[truth2power]

49. Actually, I WOULD be satisfied if we had Canadian healthcare...

Gibbs is talking like those RWers we ridicule.

Something in the water??

[alsame]

130. Me too. And the reason 'it's not reality' is because a decision

was made to stay within the existing for-profit employer based insurance system rather than push for a sructural change.

[truth2power]

142. And I can't forgive Obama for that....

But I guess I'll be accused of looking for a pony. Whatever.

[alsame]

149. HCR was a big disappointment to me too, especially since I'm

self-employed and have to buy private insurance.

While I dream of single-payer, I knew it wouldn't come immediately because of the entrenchment of the insurance industry, but I was holding out hope for a public option and a gradual lowering of the Medicare age until we got to universal SP.

I don't think that's at all unrealistic if a country wants to take care of its citizens rather than pump money into the private sector. Guess I wanted a pony too.

[burnsei sensei]

168. But we know very well that structural change

was what was necessary.
And I won't depart from that objective.

[alsame]

192. Of course it is. Staying within the current system only

strengthens it and eventually the industry will find enough loopholes to make the 'reform' disappear.

[roguevalley]

251. no. he's just a bitch.

[totodeinhere]

440. What's wrong with doing that?

Do that and we pick up seats in November and Obama wins in an historic landslide in 2012.

[defendandprotect]

511. You're right ... Canadian Health Care and ending MIC/imperialism = 40 years of Dem rule --!!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

8. dismissed? nice word. dismissed from the voting booth?

I wonder.

[Autumn]

9. I"m not too that the left wants the Pentagon eliminated,

just the budget cut back.(you know, instead of cutting back social programs like food stamps) stopping two useless wars would help a lot. I would have been satisfied with some health care reform (you know. being able to afford to go to the doctor, and not having to pay outrageous deductibles)instead of insurance finance reform. Grow some skin asshole.

[zogofzorkon]

10. Can't afford drugs at the prices charged by big pharma

[truth2power]

76. Good one, Zog! Gave me a chuckle...

If we can't have humor, what's left? :evilgrin:

[iamthebandfanman]

11. white house =detached from reality.

Its like they want to lose the election, i swear.


Im starting to wonder if there is any partys anymore. Its all just the same.

Corporate interests fighting with other corporate interests for corporate domination of the country.


I fear for this country.

[Lost4words]

14. +1 spot on!

[iamthebandfanman]

17. ive never wished more i was wrong :(

but as the months pass by, the more that sinking feeling sets in.

i hate to be a debbie downer, but i just dont think party or even ideology matter anymore.

we are all being played.

all of us.

both right and left.

keep us fighting, while they do whatever they want.

[Taverner]

331. Better to have your subjects fighting among themselves, than fighting you

Machiavelli, The Prince

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

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

[Demeter]

25. That's Rahm Emanuel--The Gift That Keeps On Giving to the GOP

He's a vector and the infection all at the same time.

[liberation]

89. No kidding...

... it seems his "liberals/retarded" comment was more a projection exercise than anything else. The guy likes to think of himself as a bulldog when in reality he is more like a chihuahua: all bark and no bite whatsoever.

[kenfrequed]

275. Oh he's a bulldog alright...

But only to the base of the Democratic party.

[roguevalley]

254. BREAKING: Ted Stevens dead in plane crash. News pending.

shit. what a day.

[704wipes]

622. Hey Levi can run for Senator now !!

nt

[No Elephants]

712. Uncle Ted lost the seat a while back.

[defendandprotect]

+1000% . . . but keep in mind, Obama picked him...

only two explanations for that -- either Obama knew what he was doing --

or he didn't --

I have trouble going with didn't know -- too many things have happened to prop up

did know!!

We need a new Democratic candidate in 2012!!

[laughingliberal]

187. I'm not convinced a smaller Democratic majority wouldn't be more to their liking.

I have been baffled by the efforts of the administration to suppress the liberal vote. I only see 2 possible reasons for this:

1)They are politically tone deaf idiots (and after the brilliant campaign they ran, I don't believe this).
2)They want to move right & keeping the conservadems in place & adding some Republicans will suit their purposes.

Who the hell bashes their own constituencies?

[SteveM]

404. Well, you named it. Your #2 pretty much sums it up. nt

[defendandprotect]

515. +1000% -- evidently Pelosi has the same concerns you have!!!

[L0oniX]

99. Exactly!

[MissDeeds]

133. Exactly

They may get a reality check in November and again in 2012.

[rurallib]

145. but if they do, republicans will really stick it to the middle class

and the poor etc.
One way we lose less, the other way we lose really big.
What a choice.

[Larry Ogg]

164. I've been saying much of the same thing.

The Democratic leadership would much rather see conservatives controlling the government, then they would liberals; whether those conservatives be republican or democrat doesn't really matter, because to them ideology is a facade to garner votes for the status-quo, as apposed to liberals who see ideology as a guide to moral conscience and social justice for all.

[SteveM]

403. A contemporary Grand Myth of politics: The Country is Polarized...

It takes two or more poles in electricity and politics. We don't have polarization because there is no effective opposition to the Far Right. If one wishes a constituency to only mean corporate interests, then you can make the pathetic, sophistic argument that there is polarization because you would have an institutionalized pro-corporate party (corporate subsidiary) in the Republican Party, and an entity called the Democratic Party which is crying "Me Too! Me Too!" in an effort to compete for CorpUSA's attention and support. Otherwise, there is no polarization except perhaps within the many cell-layers of the Far Right GOP.

Ain't NO ONE wants "liberals/progressives/left" in its house.

[vi5]

12. Good to see Gibbs and the WH have their priorities in tact....

..make sure to not hurt the feelings of republicans or people like Ben Nelson or Blanche Lincoln or Mary Landrieu but go out of your way to make a biting, extended statement about how bad your voting base is.

Look I can handle swallowing the pill of them not pandering to us on the liberal/farther left end of things. But to outwardly direct such venom in our direction while making efforts at every turn to please so many other non democratic constituents is just pathetic, cowardly, and...just rotten.

As someone said earlier in this thread, I'll have to remember this the next time I get a democratic fundraising letter.

[Riverman]

216. Calculated Move to Appeal to Independents to attempt to capture

a base that Obama and Dems have most since 2008 due to their cowardice on so many fronts, caving to Wall Street, Insurance Industry, Big Oil and Coal on Climate Change legislation (or abandonment). This is to join the right wing crowd to point at the people who are causing the problems - the "professional progressives!" Demoncrats are uncomfortable blaming immigrants when the economy tanks. Republicans have no problem with that - find a vulnerable, smaller population and point at(scapegoat) them for the problems. So for the so-called moderate or corporatist democrats, not supporting gay marraige is easy, attacking progressives is easy. Who is next? Children of gays, of progressives? Maybe we can amend the 14th amendment to include not granting citizenship to people who disagree with us?

Progressives, like me and us, need to continue to fight, support candidates who will speak truth to power, maybe a few will even get elected in certain districts. But, until there is a great call by the population to throw the bums (republicans and right-wing democrats) out and move the agenda, it is going to be a long slog, no doubt!

Thank you Mr. Gibbs, for reminding us of that. I am sure Wall Street has a job waiting for you!

[Riverman]

380. Meant: Dems have lost...

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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

[Name removed]

66. Deleted message

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

[MarinCoUSA]

15. Wow! I feel the enthusiasm rising! Ever rising! Rising!

N/t

[spiritual_gunfighter]

18. Okay Gibbs

[progressoid]

19. "ideological purity"?

Hardly. Sorry to pee in your Wheaties Gibbs, it's just that it would be nice to see the WH and Congress work a little left of center for a change.

[burnsei sensei]

173. +1 & LOL nt

[SarahB]

22. You know, the more I think about this, the more it shows a distinct lack of confidence.

They're terrified. If they were confident that news about the economy was going to be good between now and November, they wouldn't be doing this - attacking the very people with the GOTV energy they need. They don't have that confidence, and are therefore grasping at straws.

They think they're going to lose Congress.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

31. They long since gave Congress away of their own free will.

They don't WANT the power- having it means USING it, and USING it means taking RESPONSIBILITY for it. Every chance they get they go running away from it at top speed.

:puke:

[kath]

81. Ding, ding, ding, ding!! We have a WINNAH!

[TriMera]

498. Yep...+1. n/t

[defendandprotect]

516. Absolutely -- and that isn't new . .. George Mitchell did the same thing w/Dem majority ...

turned the Dem Senate over to Bob Dole!!

Sometimes it's just more obvious than others --

but this is decades of destruction of the Democratic Party from INSIDE --

We need a new Dem candidate in 2012 --

[leftstreet]

692. +1

Spot on!

And I'll join you: :puke:

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

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

[RaleighNCDUer]

60. Who is the base?

Is the base the disconnected sometimes-Independents who have to be convinced to drag themselves to the polls where they vote on issues they don't understand,

or is the base the progressive activists who man the phones, knock on the doors, and are called fucking retards by Rahm?

Frankly, without the left there IS no base.

[Dr.Phool]

Not anymore!

[Name removed]

83. Deleted message

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

[treestar]

116. This says it all

YOu are more important than the average Democrat. BS. You are trying to be obeyed. How progressive and Democratic of you.

[MineralMan]

183. Please don't tell people here to leave.

[iamthebandfanman]

115. "you people"

classic!

[LostinVA]

124. "You peopel" -- rofl

[Grinchie]

61. Lose Congress? They are going to lose America!

Something big is afoot, and they are all scared.

[defendandprotect]

517. We need a new Democratic candidate in 2012 . . . !!!

And, we should be looking to get this jerk Gibbs fired --

In fact, why the hell is Rahm still in the White House --

How did we ever allow this crap??

Wall Street running the White House and we've been as quiet as lambs!!

[bbgrunt]

153. right you are--and they are setting up progressives to take the blame.

[burnsei sensei]

176. The straws they're grasping at are

corporatism and volunteerism.
Same straws that Herbert Hoover grasped at too.

[Lorien]

177. Hell, sounds like they WANT to lose congress for political cover

then every corporate handout and every cut to social programs can be blamed on the opposition instead of having to take responsibility for it themselves. The old good cop/ bad cop routine, and the majority will probably fall for it.

[defendandprotect]

518. PELOSI has been tracking this for quite a while and trying to tell us what's going on....

[Grinchie]

691. Highly Plausible.. Because they've got nothing.

Nothing like skating in luxury for 2 years before the next election.

The Good Cop Bad Cop scenario is old and hackneyed, and is used way to much right here on DU to make a difference anymore. That game only plays to people that have shallow thinking skill, and don't realize they are being screwed by either the good cop or bad cop.. They are all the same fascist pigs.

[Hawkowl]

179. I think you have something

I think you are right. Very insightful. Backbiting and recriminations only start to happen when failure is perceived and expected.

[truedelphi]

451. Maybe they want to lose Congress.

They are more in the loop with the RW evangelical preachers than they are with real people.

Obama sold out women's rights because of ONE SINGLE rally held by the right wing against abortion. So now women have pay mandated insurance policies and have to pay for abortion out of their own pockets!!

however I am a little happy about one person with a "D" after his name - Jerry Brown, who really stepped to the plate last week in light of the Vaughn WIlliams decision on the Gay Marriage, prop H8 ruling.

I now have a reason to vote for him over Piggy Meg.

[me b zola]

24. I'm so, so glad...

...that I told the DNC to knock on their own doors, do the phone calls themselves, and then call Rahm and tell him that I said that he is a "fucking retard" (apologies to those whom care about the mentally challenged, I was just quoting Rahm).

[dem mba]

26. um, I've literally read posts on DU that compared Obama to Bush

at least policy wise, and I've read several articles around the web that did the same time. Those kinds of comparisons are certainly over the top.

But Gibbs would do well to avoid insulting his base.

[nyy1998]

52. Agree with this post

There are some ppl that are pissed off that Obama had to compromise. Well jeez, he has 59 seats in the Senate, he needs atleast one republican to get anything passed and that one Republican, whether it's the Maine ladies or Scott Brown, holds all the leverage(as does any moderate Dem that tries to break the coalition i.e Liberman, Lincoln, Nelson). It's not as easy as it looks.

That said, Gibbs said something incredibly stupid. Cue apology in 3, 2,......

[Delver Rootnose]

87. It is not that ...

...compromises had to be made but to me it seems that he hasn't even fought hard for anything. He is the leader and has the bully pulpit and has not used his power. He even, pre-compromised on health insurance reform.

[nyy1998]

206. He pre-compromised on the health bill? Last I check, he pushed for it until December

But he couldn't get a public option because Lieberman blackmailed against it. It couldn't get a stronger financial regulation bill because Feingold decided to ditch it, and Reid then had to go to Brown and the Maine ladies, who weakened it. On the stimulus, they had to get the Maine ladies and Arlen Specter, when he was still on the other side of the aisle. As for cap-and-trade, no Senator west of the central time zone was ever going to vote for it. That's the problem the Democratic caucus in the Senate, in order for them to win they have put out moderate candidates in places like Arkansas, Alaska, Nebraska, Louisiana. So just because we had 59 seats, doesn't mean a huge wave of liberal bills were going to come in. Don't blame Obama, blame the Senate rules. If only 50 votes were needed, we'd have a bigger stimulus, a better financial regulation bill, and yes, a public option. But it doesn't work that way.

You have to keep in mind, I'm not defending Gibbs and what he said.

[liberation]

313. There is nowhere in the "senate rules" that forces every Dem sponsored law to be passed by cloture

That red herring is starting to smell putridly fishy.

[nyy1998]

326. Maybe so, but if Republicans filibuster every major bill

Then they do have to pass cloture.

[liberation]

334. So? Let them filibuster every fucking bill.

90% of the GOP in the senate is so old and decrepit they can't stand up for more than 10 minutes without having to go to the rest room.

So a bill takes a couple extra days to get passed, in the big scheme of things: big fucking deal.


There is always a excuse isn't there? And if they had 60 votes, then the "senate rules" will magically claim every bill has to be written as a perfect haiku... and then...


In this country we supposedly elect politicians to represent their constituents, not to make up excuses as to why they can't perform such representative duties. Not a hard concept to get really.

[Sherman A1]

363. Precisely

I am sick to death of getting told that we can't get EFCA, Single Payer Health Care, The wars ended, real financial reform, a bail out for the working class rather than Wall Street that it makes my head want to explode. I know the issues are complex, I understand that there will be compromise, I understand that I won't get everything I want.. but, They didn't even try...:banghead:

and now the folks that helped get them elected, they want to insult.....

Two words come to mind one starts with an "F" and the next one starts with a "Y".

At least I understand that the GOP wants to screw me over, I don't like it but I understand it.

These guys... well, I expected better.

[nyy1998]

443. If they do filibuster every bill, then there won't be a bill

If you want a REALLY liberal congress, send 70 dems to the Senate. But we're stuck with Liberman, Lincoln, and Nelson and 59. So it's 50-52 lib Dems +7-8 moderate Dems + atleast ONE Republican, to pass cloture if the other side filibusters. And if they other side filibusters, you better have the whole ideologically diverse caucus on your side, which isn't easy. Passing cloutre isn't as easy as you make it sound. If you don't have all 59+1, then forget about the bill passing. That's why we don't have cap-and-trade even though it's gotten through committee. That's why we probably won't get illegal immigration, another stimulus/job bill.


Truth be told, that the administration got a sizeable stimulus, a decent halethcare bill, and a fairly strong financial regulations bill is quite a remarkable achievement esp considering the horrible political climate and the bad economy.

[liberation]

661. Majorities in both houses are now a "horrible political climate"

and half assed bills are "remarkable achievements" now?

Seriously, where does it stop?... how low in the intellectual honesty scale are you guys willing to dive in order to basically tell people to stop believing their lying eyes?

Filibusters are not infinite, and the only reason the GOP gets away with them is because of people like you who think delaying a good bill by a couple of days is somehow a worse outcome than getting an awful bill passed early. It is the penultimate appeal to style over substance, it is not about legislate and execute good proper bills, it is about passing a bill regardless of it being good or bad. It makes sense why this admin won so many accolades for advertising and marketing...

[nyy1998]

697. I didn't say delaying a bill a couple days was a good thing. Read the Senate rules again, and then

get back to me about "intellectual honesty." Look, I wanted a public option, cap-and-trade, and a strogn financial regulation bill much like you do. But I realize it was poltically unfeasible. So did the Obama administration. These bills weren't half assed by no means. The fact you call it "half-ass" shows that you don't know what's in these bills. I think what happen here was that people expected the moon and weren't willing to compromise and got pissed off that the Administration did. There's excellent examples of Presidents with strong majorities that didn't get everything they wanted(and what they did get, was also watered down), FDR, LBJ, JFK, Clinton, and even Bush couldn't get privatize Social Security in spite of all these presidents at one point(keyword here)having large majorities of their own party. But sure, Obama could get anything he wanted because those Presidents did.

[No Elephants]

718. Make them fillibuster.

[No Elephants]

715. "If you want a REALLY liberal congress, send 70 dems to the Senate."

Even 70 Dems, as unrealistic as that is, might not be enough, given that the DNC, Obama and other Party stars seem to fight against the more liberal Democrat every time. (Lamont, Sestak, Halter, Romanoff are a few examples).

So, trying to fight the DNC, Obama and other Party stars--AND Republicans--to get more liberals in Congress is not only a very uneven fight. It's a battle that might only mean more DINOS in Congress, or even more Republicans (because primary fights help the other side, especially if no one rallies around the nominee--ask Lamont).

"Truth be told, that the administration got a sizeable stimulus, a decent halethcare bill, and a fairly strong financial regulations bill is quite a remarkable achievement esp considering the horrible political climate and the bad economy."

People here seem to keep confusing their own personal opinion with "fact" and "truth." No matter how strongly you believe your own opinion, it's still only your own opinion.

Yes, those bills passed. That is fact. However, who got them passed, what people did or did not fight for, how decent or disappointing these bills are and how much of an achievement passing them was and much more, are, as you know, opinions that have been highly debated by knowledgeable people among both the professional left and the amateur left.

For example, Dr. Dean, who wrote a book on health care reform, and Michael Moore, who made a movie about it, and many others, see the HCR bill as highly flawed and itself in need of reform, as do many people who ultimately voted for it because it was better than no bill at all (what a standard!) And so on.

[defendandprotect]

519. Obama put Baucus in charge of Health care -- pre-owned and pre-bribed by insurance industry....

and Obama is also pretty much in the Baucus/insurance industry boat!!

[nyy1998]

549. Right, cause Obama chooses Baucus to sit on the Senate Finance Committee

Especially in 2007 when he was still the Junior Senator from Illinois......

[Name removed]

567. Deleted message

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

[nyy1998]

611. Obama is trying to destroy Medicare & Social Security? This is news to me

So you seriously think the junior Senator from Illinois who was like 90th in Seniority is going to have Harry Reid's ear as to how he should set up Committee Chairman?

[defendandprotect]

653. Where have you been . . . ???

The panel set up by Obama -- is majority Republican --

[nyy1998]

695. Your not making any sense.

The better question is, where have you been?!?!?

[No Elephants]

722. Your checker and/or your memory is lacking.

Obama was not fighting for a health care bill until last December. Obama did not ever need to fight a Democratic Congress at all for any ole health reform bill. That some bill in some form was going to pass was a 100% certainty.

Obama was certainly not fighting for a public option until last December. After giving it some lip service, he was calling it a "sliver" and not very important long before December, chiding his "friends on the left" for even urging him to fight for it. Nor did Obama need Lieberman's vote to pass the bill because it ultimately pased by reconciliation, requiring only 50 Senators plus Biden.

Obama met first with health insurers, Big Pharma and Big Medical Providers. When the ACLU tried to get the White House logs to expose those back room bargaining sessions Obama had promised he would not have, Obama refused the ACLU on silly reasons, then fought the ACLU's formal FOIA request in Court.

He killed a bill for drug re-importation. He refused to meet with doctors advocating single payer. He refused to meet with the House Progressive Caucus until after Baucus and Collins had finished watering down the bill health insurers, Big Pharma and Big Medical Providers had written. Then Obama began to fight for that watered down bill.

He fought the House Progressive Caucus, Kuchinich, Sanders and others. He fought his "friends on the Left. He fought doctors groups, except for the ones that dutifully showed up, as requested, in their lab coats, for a photo op.

Did he "pre-compromise" on the bill? You bet. He started "pre-compromising" while he campaigned, giving away single payer without getting anything in return from anyone, except maybe some approval from health insurers, Big Pharma and Big Medical Providers. Did he "pre-compromise" further with those groups? Sure looked like it.

[RobinA]

247. This is Exactly

my issue. I expect compromise and am not a purist by any stretch. You just get the impression that they aren't even TRYING. This was my issue with Clinton, although he got something right now and then despite not using the bully pulpit like he could have done so well. Obama hasn't taken a stand on much of anything, even if he had to retreat a bit in the end. I was never convinced O was much of a liberal, but I did expect a few bones to be thrown.

[LostinVA]

125. The Administration didn't compromise, it embraced

[nyy1998]

201. Embraced what?

It couldn't get a public option because Lieberman blackmailed against it. It couldn't get a stronger financial regulation bill because Feingold decided to ditch it, and Reid then had to go to Brown and the Maine ladies, who weakened it. On the stimulus, they had to get the Maine ladies and Arlen Specter, when he was still on the other side of the aisle. As for cap-and-trade, no Senator west of the central time zone was ever going to vote for it. That's the problem the Democratic caucus in the Senate, in order for them to win they have put out moderate candidates in places like Arkansas, Alaska, Nebraska, Louisiana. So just because we had 59 seats, doesn't mean a huge wave of liberal bills were going to come in. Don't blame Obama, blame the Senate rules. If only 50 votes were needed, we'd have a bigger stimulus, a better financial regulation bill, and yes, a public option. But it doesn't work that way.

You have to keep in mind, I'm not defending Gibbs and what he said.

[RobinA]

256. All True

but he never went to the voters. It all may have turned out the same, with the exception that he would have been on record as taking a position (maybe the real problem). Politics may LOOK like an inside the Beltway chess game if you are inside the Beltway, but I don't care what anybody says, anybody can be voted out of office. Obama made no attempt to sell public option, a bigger stimulus or a better financial regulation bill (ESPECIALLY not a better financial regulation bill) to the country. If you want better Senators to work with, you have to prime the pump at the voting booth, not stand around shaking in your boots about what FOX will say next.

[nyy1998]

323. He sold the public option to his speech to Congress and he took a lot of heat for his town hall

I'll concede the point on the stimulus, but not on the financial regulation bill. He went with Dodd instead of Frank's version of the bill, because Dodd's version was tougher....

[No Elephants]

738. He didn't sell squat or we'd have a public option. As far as taking heat, LOL,

that's what politicians are supposed to be able to do.

"He went with Dodd instead of Frank's version of the bill, because Dodd's version was tougher...."

Oh, so he does get to make those kinds of choices? Or was it Congress that went with Dodd's bill? The ground seems to shift quite a bit when some folk discuss Obama's ability to affect legislation. Either he's completely helpless, which is a laugh, or he's responsible for getting the legislation passed. LOL

And why didn't Obama "went" with reinstating Glass Steagall, as Feingold wanted? We never would have had a mortgage derivatives meltdown if Clinton hadn't urged and signed its repeal. And Feingold is correct: until we reinstate Glass Steagall, we will continue to be vulnerable.

[defendandprotect]

521. Lieberman -- Superman -- ran the Democratic Party according to Obama ...!!!

Believable? Not!

[nyy1998]

548. Obama didn't say that, I did.

When you have a coalition that includes middle(and in Liberman's case, middle-right) voters, then you're going to have certain Senators that enormous levels of leverage. Nelson, Liberman, the Maine ladies, and Scott Brown come to mind...

[defendandprotect]

566. Obama acted it out -- turned Lieberman into "Superman" ... did we not notice???

[nyy1998]

610. Seriously do you just make this stuff up as you go?

[Kermitt Gribble]

627. I'll trust Russ Feingold's opinion on who to blame for

the health insurance bailout:

"It would be unfair to blame Lieberman for its apparent demise... President Barack Obama...could have insisted on a higher standard for the legislation.This bill appears to be legislation that the president wanted in the first place, so I don’t think focusing it on Lieberman really hits the truth. I think they could have been higher. I certainly think a stronger bill would have been better in every respect."

[nyy1998]

698. Yeah, and Feingold shoudl really be talking about he did the same thing Liberman

did on the financial regulation bill.

[Kermitt Gribble]

735. Congratulations!

A red herring and a straw man all in the same sentence! Feingold's reasoning was exactly the opposite of Lieberman's on fin reg.

He's spot on with both his position on fin reg and on why we have mandates with no public option.

[Kermitt Gribble]

630. Or Glenn Greenwald's opinion:

"The evidence was overwhelming from the start that the White House was not only indifferent, but opposed, to the provisions most important to progressives. The administration wants not only to prevent industry money from funding an anti-health-care-reform campaign, but also wants to ensure that the Democratic Party -- rather than the GOP -- will continue to be the prime recipient of industry largesse. If you're interested in preserving and expanding political power, then, all other things being equal, it's better to have the pharmaceutical and health insurance industry on your side than opposed to you."

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/12/16/white_house/index.html

[No Elephants]

726. You left out something important.

Feingold ditched the financial reform bill because it was already too weak for his liking--specifically it would not avoid another crisis like the one most of us learned of in 2008--which we had been told was one of the most important reasons for the bill.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/37393/feingold-will-vote-against-financial-services-reform-bill

Rather than fight to get Feingold what Feingold wanted--and what the public has always been promised the bill would definitely do---Democrats made the bill even weaker.

[senseandsensibility]

205. Apology?

You really think so?:shrug: I would be very surprised if one were offered.

[nyy1998]

210. What he said was pretty stupid, both from a political perspective and in general.

He's going to need the left if the Dems have any shot at winning in November.

[senseandsensibility]

229. Agreed on all counts.

But he made this statement for a reason. It was not a slip of the tongue. Unless the pushback is extremely hard by the "professional left", I don't even think he'll even mention it again. There was no apology for the "retard" statement either. They really don't care.

[JoeyT]

471. A minor correction:

There *was* an apology for the retarded comment.
They apologized to Sarah Palin and Fox News.
Don't you feel better now?

[senseandsensibility]

541. No.

I had mercifully forgotten that. Yikes. ;(

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

57. Just read two yesterday. (nt)

[MineralMan]

65. See #13, right in this thread.

[Dinger]

97. You Mean DUer Lost4Words?

Just so we're clear.

[Lost4words]

110. Yes, Bush took the USA 3 steps to the right we are supposed to be pleased with one step to the left?

Just so we are clear!

[Dinger]

122. I Agree With You Lost4words

Sent you a pm.

[defendandprotect]

524. +1000% -- and Obama loaded WH+Administration with Wall Street/DLC'ers . ..

[MineralMan]

137. I mean post #13. I wasn't paying attention to the author.

[Lost4words]

108. You can bet I did, and will continue as long as its true!

[Lost4words]

104. and you will read many many more

[SteveM]

410. "Comparisons" are unavoidable, esp. when someone asks:

"Well, didn't you expect Guantanamo to be closed? The wars to be drawn down quickly? A big jobs program? A sensible health care plan? A firm stand for net neutrality? Solid protection for Social Security? Real financial reform?" And a host of other questions. Frankly, I cannot honestly argue that many of Obama's policies have NOT been continuations of GW's. Does this mean I will vote GOP, or not vote in November at all? No, it merely means that the Obama Administration has firmly and aggressively distanced themselves from the liberal/progressive traditions and values of the Democratic Party.

And I will re-assess my meager financial resources, energy and time in light of this Cheney-es-que sneer at the things I support.

[lovuian]

608. Why is Obama compared with Bush because of the BP spill

His letting BP call the shots was absolutely corporatist

He will not be there a second term
The Iraq War Guantanamo banksters Insurance debacle Afghanistan War
and the biggest is his Justice Department ...not arresting the attorneys fired and criminals of theft with the banks

I could go on and on

the drug testing that needs to be done is doofus who called for it
The Emperor has no clothes and has lied over and over again

[SteveM]

728. Well, I'm not doing that "comparison."

[Odin2005]

473. Well, lets see: tourture is still going on, the Banksters are being sucked up to...

Obama is against same-sex marriage. I'm not seeing very many differences.

[defendandprotect]

525. DLC still INSIDE the party -- and Rahm inside the White House....

what did we really expect after Obama eloped with Wall Street and DLC???

[No Elephants]

643. If Obama follows a Bush policy we found objectionable under Bush, no one should mention it?

And why would mentioning it be over the top?

[Blue Owl]

27. Way to show your hand, Gibbs

Are you gonna go home, watch Reefer Madness, and feel all self-righteous this evening?

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

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

[spiritual_gunfighter]

29. Thank you Robert Gibbs for my new sig line

It will insure that I wont forget what you said, especially on election day.

[crim son]

34. +1 n/t

[bullwinkle428]

128. Gibbs sounds like every one of these pathetic little local wingnut radio talkers;

all thinking they're the next "El Drugbo", with the talking points he chose to spew!

[defendandprotect]

526. Think Gibbs is less concerned about Repugs getting re-elected than he is

that liberals/progressives know the game they're playing and are calling

them out on it !!

[crim son]

32. I think I suddenly understand

and really, this statement is the last straw. Who the FUCK does this administration believe put it in the white house in the first place?

Left or right, they want us dumb and compliant or they don't want us at all. I'm an independent who has voted dem since Bush I and while I'm no professional, I have a massive extended family of dems who is.

Fuck it. This is personal.

[burnsei sensei]

37. INCORRECT, Mr. Youngman.

The White House is simmering with anger at criticism from liberals who say President Obama is more concerned with deal-making than ideological purity.


Wrong.
The professional left, the traditional liberals, are angry with the president because he favors the interests of the profit-making corporate class over the public good.
He is like GW Bush in that foreign policy has not changed.
The "professional left"?
We are the true left, the sincere left, and the advocates of the people.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

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

[joeybee12]

43. Apparently stupidity bothers us...you, not so much apparently...n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

58. I think the stupidity Gibbs is talking about bothers us.

See anything that looks familiar?

[Fly by night]

46. "You people"? WTF?

I was curious to learn how long you've been hanging around with "us people", but since you have no profile, I can only guess.

Welcome to DU.

[Javaman]

51. Yeah, that jumped out at me too. nt

[Dr.Phool]

72. I think Cary returned undercover.

[myrna minx]

100. "You people" is a common phrase used by this poster

and it always stands out.

[Gormy Cuss]

106. Well, "you people" is inherently an insult so it would stand out. n/t

[LostinVA]

126. Who was it?

[L0oniX]

107. I think he came here for some pizza.

[Cherchez la Femme]

347. I believe, if s/he got TS'd, you'd be able to see profile & name

that's what I heard, at any rate :shrug:

[Bluenorthwest]

121. All up and down the thread

Also the word 'type' as in your type.

[Cherchez la Femme]

345. It's always used to denote 'the other'

and is the opposite of complimentary.

That it's been used towards we libruls, on DU no less, is disturbing in the extreme

[liberation]

94. "you people"???????? LOL.

I really wonder if you were deluded enough to think your avatar was masking your stripes.

[wundermaus]

40. Hmm... I feel a song comin' on... sing along with me...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U-rBZREQMw

[earcandle]

135. nice pick!

[Jefferson23]

41. Hmm, so Gibbs claims to be outraged and the "professional" left

who will remain nameless are ungrateful and unappreciative.

Thank you Gibbs, you have produced more than enough confirmation for me. I honestly appreciate it, more than you likely ever
imagined.

[Name removed]

114. Deleted message

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

[earcandle]

140. Pay attention to the concerns of the rich, pretending their concerns are yours.. and we fall into

the deep dark hole again and again.  

Gibbs and Obama are not the Democrats we need.

We must get organized and get Grayson, or Franken, or Weiner
or Feingold to run against them.

Obama has kept the Bush folks around, continue their policies,
are murdering civilians via drones, continuing to pump money
into Pakistan to fund the Taliban to kill our own, will not
take the path of least resistance on legalization of pot and
ending the war on drugs, will not give us a public
option...are not going to end wars.

With Dems like this in the house, the people have nothing, the
infrastructure is falling apart, Goldman Saks and the rest of
them walk off with settlements smaller than the profits they
made from criminal behavior they should be doing time for...
this whole America thing is like a cancer full of bad cells
and we really need a ballsy guy who will ignore the wealthy in
our nation and start grassroots movements with OUR TAX DOLLARS
to pull us out of this.  Asap.  No more fooling around, folks.
 This is it.  If you want a land of peace and freedom, you
better find a way to root out this evil and replace it asap. 

IMNSHO..... big dinosaur companies need to roll over and do
the opposite if they want to stay in the game. 

[Larry Ogg]

238. We need a national wake up coin called the "conservative character coin"

With republicans on one side and democrats on the other (referring to the leaders of both parties).
And no mater which side comes up, the elite predator class wins and everyone else looses.

[izzybeans]

47. I don't understand the professional left comment, but agree

that anyone saying Obama is just like Bush is crazy. Comparisons are fine.

But I've seen that conflation here a lot. Mostly from reactionaries with little to say and low reading comprehension. It's rational to compare them, which is what most thinking people here do.

It's irrational to believe they are the same or to say that they are.

On another note: I don't get the boohooing over this statement. Who gives a rip? Are we that sensitive? I'm going to chalk this up in the "can dish it, but refuse to take it" category. And that is true of Gibbs too.

We are locked in a Tu Quoque stalemate.

[awnobles]

48. Very Poorly Done

Many other ways to defend oneself bedies attacking your allies.

[bemildred]

53. Tsk, didn't get a pony? nt

[Lost4words]

132. I would have been happy with no pony, its this pile of pony shit thats the problem!

:banghead:

[Javaman]

54. I get tired of the bus tire marks on my face. nt

[golddigger]

55. This admunistration doesn't fuckin know

when to keep its mouth shut.

[Grinchie]

56. Waaah Mommy! They called me a Republican!

I'll tell Mr. Gibbs what reality is..

A Single term president that exposed the Corporatocracy for all to see due to its unabashed, blatant spoonfeeding of the Oligarchs, the War Machine, and the Corporations while ignoring its people.

I'd settle for cutting the Pentagon budget by a third as a show of faith.. But that's not reality is it?

How about following through on healthcare for our Vets instead of shutting down facilities and reducing staff?

How about creating fewer Vets in the first place?

How about jumpstarting real Alternate Energy projects, instead of subsidizing obsolete technologies like CdTe on glass? or a Solar Powered steam kettle built by a foereign corporoation no less?

Mr. Gibbs. If the shit fits, wear it proudly, but don't whine and try to deny it.

[truth2power]

59. The WH sure can find their gonads when it comes to insulting their base...

When I read the title in the OP I thought maybe they were going to quote somethein Rham said. Sounds like him.

Keep it up, guys! :mad:

[theFrankFactor]

427. +1

[defendandprotect]

530. It seems we're getting in the way of their real agenda . . . which doesn't seem to have anything

to do with any legitimate Democratic Party Platform concerns --

or Democratic Party ideals -- !!!

Guess a few of us have noticed that -- and our talking about it is pissing them off!!

What a jerk!! -- Fire him!!

[ladywnch]

62. Mr. Gibbs might want to remember just who it was that put his boss in office.

without the left Obama would but just another footnote in political history along the lines of Dukakas.

[msanthrope]

203. It wasn't the "professional left."

Sorry, but in my state, what put Mr. Obama over the top was the hard work of centrists and Dem party stalwarts.

We were the election judges. The canvassers. The organizers. The people who donated.

I watched the Greens and the Socialists in my state ally with the mofo Repukes to attempt election fraud.

And this election? The Greens are trying the same shit with Sestak.

[ladywnch]

219. I worked the campaign and was election judge too

the first one of my life because I believed. I'll vote for him again because I'd sooner die than elect a rethug but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hugely disappointed.

[msanthrope]

232. Well, unfortunately, there are posters here who would rather elect

a Rethug.

Governance takes responsibility. Anyone who thought Obama wasn't a centrist wasn't listening. He certainly told us he was.

[liberation]

315. When, where and how did Obama ever defined his actual ideological leanings during the election?

Sources please.

[Phlem]

462. Wow

if there are then what the hell are they doing in this group. I don't know of any true Dem that would vote repuke. I am throughly disappointed in Mr. Obama, I would vote for a better Dem, there's no F*cking way I'd vote republican ever, especially in their current state.

Also I tell everyone I know to never vote republican and lay out the case why not.

If there are Dems here that would vote republican, then they're not Dems.

-p

[defendandprotect]

531. If Obama had said that he was going to attack Social Security/Medicare would you have

voted for him?

Now let the alibis begin!!

Would Pelosi be saying the same things we're saying here --

this is stupidity or betrayal of Democrats this close to the election --

AND THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPEND -- IN MY COUNT!!

Would Pelosi be saying . . . "Obama was for a lot of things during the campaign . . .

he's no longer for!!"

Pelosi knows and she's been calling the WH out on it -- if you've been paying attention!

[Phlem]

458. really?

In my state it was everyone who voted Dem, including hippies and the far left, of which I am a part of. I would imagine it could be different in another state even. Centrists and stalwarts aren't the only group that Obama elected I can promise you that.

-p

[No Elephants]

634. Ay, there's the rub(s): The left voted for Dukakis, too.It was not enough to elect

Dukakis, though. Neither Party's base is enough. You have to attract somw indies. You can do that by great messaging. Or by spending big bucks. Or by seeming like a better version of the other guy/gal.

So, the battle is for the indies. The conventional wisdom is that your base has no choice but to vote for you. And Nader 2000 did not change that appreciably, though I am not 100% sure why.

[ladywnch]

734. only those of the left that showed up voted for Dukakis.....

the point being, if your base stays home, say, because you managed to piss them off 3 months before the election you can have all the indies you want, you still won't get elected. You're wrong, the base ALWAYS has a choice.....they can choose to not show up at all. I agree, you need the indies too, but without your base, no one is knocking on doors, making phone calls, sending money....or voting.

[anigbrowl]

750. Evidence please

I'd like to know why you think Dukakis picked up all the votes he needed from the center but not from the left, with some nombers rather than your own personal feelings about that election. If the left wing of the Democratic party is so large, Dennis Kucinich should have been polling far higher in the primaries, instead of the usual single-digit showing.

[mike_c]

63. I will indeed be VERY satisfied with Canadian health care and Pentagon elimination....

Seems Gibbs and I agree about something after all! And guess what you'd find if you tested me for drugs? :smoke:

[Delver Rootnose]

64. Well...

We are still in two useless, unwinable and resource draining wars. One more than before the other less.

Osama Bin Laden hasn't been captured. And that is still not the focus of either war.

Guantanamo bay is still open for business as a legal limbo to stash inconvenient people.

The patriot act is stronger than before.

The promised change in how things get done in Washington has not happened. There still is little transparency and back room deals still prevail. Lobbyist for the powerful still rule.

The interests of big business and the well healed still are more important than the average person. CEO's still make hugely more than average worker.

Whistle blowers still are being prosecuted Rather than lauded.

So I guess I have to say in a very systematic way things have not changed and Obama is either does not want to take on the Republicans or fears to because he might make some old white guys into raving racists.

I am so disappointed in him but I knew he could not win in the power game. Unless i see some real changes I will support a primary challenge.

[theophilus]

67. The left, all of us, need to pour it on. This administration might actually

make some changes when pressured by the left. A reptard admin. would, of course, not. Let's vote Democratic in the election coming up but make the President keep his promises by complaining publicly and citing examples, as in the article. We can do this. Even FDR told the Dems they should "make him" follow through on his promises. We need to make sure our voices get to the President. He probably doesn't read DU. Go to the next levels.......

[Cherchez la Femme]

351. we're already discounted

the pres has shown his stripes, and there's not a liberal one among them -- not even a shadow.

They just want to insult us, then be able to count on our votes and money :mad:

[defendandprotect]

532. We need a new Dem presidential candidate in 2012 . . . We need a liberal/

progressive Democrat to step up --

[MissDeeds]

569. Yes we do

And we need to start encouraging some of the true leftists to do just that. Maybe we should even start a draft movement. The stakes are too high to continue on the current path.

[defendandprotect]

576. Agree!! 1000% . . . I'm frankly amazed that no Democrat has stepped up yet to challenge!!???

Looking at what's been going down -- why the hell not?

From the very first, this fish has stunk -- Obama eloping into White House with

Wall Street and DLC -- Rahm!!

All the failed efforts -- and this pretty much put the cherry on the cake today --

looks more and more like this WH has quite a different agenda from Democratic voters!!

Dodd is also working to keep Warren out of Consumer affairs --

And we've been much too quite about all of this -- all of it!!

[MissDeeds]

585. Yes, we've been much too quiet

We've been shouted down and berated and accused of everything from wanting a damned pony to wanting Palin to be president. All of that smacks of desperation. The writing is on the wall: this administration is far afield from Democratic ideals and policies. If we shut up and settle for what we have, we deserve what we get - and I am in no way going to hang up my Democratic banner and be herded further and further to the right.

The leftists among us need to send a clear message that we want a better alternative.

[defendandprotect]

589. The administration game-playing -- eh .... "Chess Game" bought a lot of time for mischief making---!

We all need to set our BS meters much higher --

From the first -- eloping into White House with DLC-corporate wing leadership --

and Wall Street!! What a farce!!

[mike r]

69. Gibbs & Emanuel: Progressives are not merely retarded, but crazy and drug-addled

[EFerrari]

157. Is it just me or does this sound like Ray Romano's father?

Next, they'll be calling us "Nancy". Gawd almighty, stop them before speak again.

lol

[Lorien]

191. They sound more and more like Bill O'Reilly every day

soon they'll sound like Rush Limbaugh. Truly pathetic.

[defendandprotect]

533. This duo and betrayal of the base have to go . . . and new Dem for WH in 2012, please!!

[peacetalksforall]

70. Dear Mr. Gibbs. I am anti-DLC. The DLC is Republican. The President is surrounded by the DLC.

Some of what the President has done is really shocking.
Why don't you stop calling some of us naysayers.
Why not say we are on the fence.
Why not examine how some of us despise the DLC and see
them as One World for Corporations enablers.

Why not honor our desire for peace.

Why get tight with the military brass who are all about death,
weapons, and industry.

Where is Obama's Department of Peace.

Tell a young child that there is no Department of Peace.

This country appears to have been designated (by multi-national
CEO's and powers that be) as the world's military AND someone
has decided that these powers should own the earth recources -
earth, human, sky.

Shall we concede that there is an awful lot of enabling going on?

We have a different dream. Don't put us down for it.

[defendandprotect]

590. DLC is corporate cancer INSIDE the Democratic Party . . . !!!

[cliffordu]

71. I didn't know there were this many 'professional left'

(now, victims) were here on DU....

Just goes to show.....

[Cherchez la Femme]

353. See this "victims" hand?

See 4 curled fingers, and one standing at attention?

What the hell did you expect to find at Democratic Underground for god's sake?
Authoritarians? :crazy:

And WHAT, pray tell, does it "go(es) to show"?




edit: typo

[Yeahyeah]

73. You all better have paid your taxes on your leftist paychecks.

[kath]

74. Yep - we're "fucking retarded" and need to be drug tested. LOVELY!

assholes.

[Oak2004]

90. Well, ya know, I was looking for a job

but the only job opening for a retard on dope was Professional Leftist.

:sarcasm:

[mrs_p]

75. i wouldn't be satisfied with just Canadian healthcare

and elimination of the pentagon. it would take equal rights for all, real education reform, and a serious program to end poverty as well

but besides that, what the heck is a professional liberal?

[harun]

86. Yep, my list is A LOT bigger than that as well. I was wondering the same thing

about "professional" liberal, is that supposed to be an insult?

[felix_numinous]

77. Shutting down discourse by insults

is the best way to divide the party.

I am disappointed in people's lack of social skills. How on Earth are we going to begin to solve problems if some people bubble off and start using dialog ending personal insults instead of expressing exactly what is making them so angry so everyone can understand. I am all ears, but I do not want to hear character assassinations.

You know after such an enlightening discussion about the use of shaming in our culture, I met some fantastic people here. Shame is used to make people doubt their principles and their very identity. By hearing things like:

-We don't want your kind here.

-Those people need to be drug tested.

I'm just calling it like I see it. These are shaming techniques to derail discussion. Now it is time for some real diplomacy.

What I would like to hear from the WH, is that the ideals we all agree on are still in place. I know there has been progress, but insults to the left make it hard to know where we are being led to right now.

That is all. Respect to everyone.

[KoKo]

289. +1

[still_one]

79. Instead of working with the liberals, the White House spokes people find it more productive to

publicly dis them. This isn't the first time that they have chosen this route. A similar thread was presented yesterday on DU where Chris Dodd was saying something similar. You remember Senator Dodd don't you, he is one of the Senators who got preferential treatment, and under market interest rates from Countrywide

The most revealing thing is instead of addressing the criticism, they choose to attack the liberals. All Gibbs needed to say was something like the Democrats are an inclusive party and not concerned with ideological purity. By taking this approach it demonstrates that there is most likely some truth in the criticism

[KoKo]

290. +1

[Cherchez la Femme]

356. Is it my imagination or

is the WH deferential to just about everybody else (including, by far, Republicans)
except Liberals?

[still_one]

573. I don't think it is your imagination /nt

[Milo_Bloom]

80. Best... Idea... EVER.

Insult your money base and your most passionate work force.

Try to peel off a few of those "independent voters", by making it appear you don't care about the left.

I am sure the money, volunteers and votes they just sacrificed are well worth the voter(s) they may have convinced.

[myrna minx]

105. It's like Target - their political contribution cost them more

that $150,000. Sooo - the WH is totally fine with the Tea-baggers, but loathes the Democratic base. It's bizarre.

[Name removed]

84. Deleted message

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

[wryter2000]

85. Professional left?

Odd. I didn't know I could make a living at this. I guess I can quit my day job now.

[harvey007]

92. I want my $25 back

I was already mad at Obama for interfering in the Colorado Democratic Party's primary election.

This is a terrible insult to the "small people" who got Obama elected.

[Lorien]

202. I want the months of canvassing and calling back

and those thousands of dollars I lost taking all that time off work!

[Riley133]

245. I want my money back from John Edwards! NFT

[shireen]

459. +1

[Gormy Cuss]

93. “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare ..."

Like that's a bad thing?

[golddigger]

101. Yeah, what's up with that statement. I would

take Canadian healthcare over the piece of shit we have now.

[rurallib]

146. and the bloated, bloated Pentagon?

could be way slimmed down and the money used to develop sustainable power.

[Duke Newcombe]

327. Gladly. Quickly. Happily! +1 n/t

[snagglepuss]

95. I assume that the professional left is the same thing as 'latte liberals'.

[Cherchez la Femme]

358. I don't drink latte'

so I best turn in my Official Professional Librul card


-----but give me fresh-brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee ANY day! :woohoo:

[L0oniX]

96. He should be tested for drugs. Fucking crackhead!

[Dinger]

112. *SNAP* (nt)

[nightrain]

98. Gibbs and Rahm set the tone for the Administration. We're listening... If you don't want our votes

then I'll be glad to oblige.

Has Obama forgotten his roots in community organizing, and has money tainted him too?

[BridgeTheGap]

102. I guess they've decided they can get by on the corporate purse strings and don't need us "activists"

any more. Crying shame!

[ixion]

103. Truth hurts, I guess. There is irony in Gibbs statement...

in that he wants to use the very same police state apparatus on liberals as the GOP does.

Joy.

[valerief]

109. War that kills and maims innocents and drains out Treasury is a liberal agenda, I guess. nt

[Cherchez la Femme]

360. Damn our Librul eyes!

:(

[Name removed]

111. Deleted message

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

[Stoic]

113. The only voters they care about are traditional conservative ones

The Democratic leadership (and really, Obama, too) have moved so far to the right that it's acceptable to stick their thumb in the eyes of the Liberals and Progressives every chance they get.

That's who they think will re-elect them. That and all that sweet, sweet Corporate money coming their way.

[Name removed]

118. Deleted message

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

[Pisces]

123. I agree with Gibbs 100%. Kucinich wouln't be good enough for some on this board. I get

sick of hearing all of the complaints, no matter how much gets done. Fighting for your rights and your cause is good but when you can't see the difference between Bush and Obama you have
definitely lost all perspective.

[tammywammy]

129. +1 n/t

[Roland99]

139. Yeah, the differences are SO stark!

Guantanamo Bay: Still open
PATRIOT Act: Still in force and still used, in fact, even moreso according to some articles I've read
Wall St coddling: Still in effect. Obama tossed aside people like Reich and sidled up with Bank of America execs that he put in his top economic spots
Corporatism: Health care "reform" that is a boon to private insurers (who helped craft the legislation). Wall St "reform" that barely registered as a slap on the wrist (again, big banks and top execs helped craft it and it was watered down to cater to the GOP)
Treatment of gays: DADT still in force, President stated again the other day he's against same-sex marriages (he's fine with "civil unions" or somesuch...nice attempt at nuance there.
Wars: Afghanistan has been escalated. Still wasting billions in Iraq.


My oh my I don't see how ANYONE can't see those differences!!

[Lorien]

196. +10000.

[burnsei sensei]

199. +1 nt

[ixion]

259. exactly...

gee, how could one possibly compare...

[theFrankFactor]

428. +1

[dencol]

303. LOL. Well, I am pissed at their swipe of Kucinich.

Many on the left, including myself, view him as one of our heroes for the work he does and for his consistent push for legislation helping the middle class and poor. At least Kuch tries. That's the difference between him and Obama. Obama does not use the bully pulpit to push legislation to the left. Of course, the President cannot always deliver on everything, but we're not hearing him try to fight for the public option or signle-payer; he's not calling for the immediate withdrawal from occupations; he's not demanding unemployment extensions for the 99ers... Kuch and others would be much more vocal.

[Bluenorthwest]

338. And in Party reality, Dennis is a candidate at this time

and good Democratic volunteers are working hard to defeat his Republican rival, while Gibbs lends aid and comfort to the other side.

[theFrankFactor]

429. +1

[LostinVA]

127. Why is wanting Canadian Healthcare a BAD thing?

That statement tells us all we need to know about the "capitulation" of the "HCR."

[Tansy_Gold]

332. Because we don't have it.

We're supposed to be ecstatically happy with whatever we're given, never question the process that gave it to us, and never ever EVER ask for more.

Don'tcha know that by now?



:sarcasm: Very very bitter :sarcasm:




TG, NTY

[SlingBlade]

131. K & R Thanks for reminding me

Proud member of the F'ing Retarded Drug Addled Progressives Club of the “professional left”

[Dinger]

134. Perfect

I like it.:)

[Jefferson23]

136. Very good return, 5 Stars! n/t

:hi:

[Cherchez la Femme]

364. Oooh! Oooh! Do I have to join?

Or am I automatically in?

[onehandle]

138. We elected Clinton II.

Which I predicted and is fine with me. Bill Clinton was a great President.

He's not George Bush. He is accomplishing things for regular people. Possibly more than Bill did in the long run, assuming we keep Congress this Fall.

I just want to see the 23 million jobs that Bill created return.

[JJW]

141. On Drugs?

Isn't that very typical stereotyping of us liberals by the right, that we are on drugs.

Rahm says "F" you and now Gibbs accuses us of being on drugs. When did Gibbs ever accuse the right of being on drugs?

The way "not" to win hearts and minds of progressives. Perhaps they are really trying to when the right by bashing the left, as they always do in the tactic of triangulation.

[avaistheone1]

143. Give Gibbs his due.

At least he called us "professional". :rofl:

Truly, Gibbs sounds like a desperate man who is all puffed up on DLC talk.

[Name removed]

163. Deleted message

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

[laughingliberal]

147. I'd have been satisfied with a public option & defense spending cuts.

Mr Gibbs,

Hyperbole much?

[Jefferson23]

148. I would like to see Gibbs grant an interview with Scott Horton, there

are more than a few others who are as sharp as Horton, but I would like to see the interviews start with him.

Gibbs is getting a pass here, and is not being challenged on any level, he is merely lashing out.


Gibbs isn't stupid, he is highly unlikely to ever grant such an interview he could not control. Horton would mop the
floor with him speaking directly about the policies under Bush and Obama. Gibbs accomplished nothing but name calling here.

Come on Gbbs, take on a real challenge, and stop behaving so cowardly.

[CreekDog]

150. And just as I'm deciding how much to help with the fall fundraising

:eyes:

[Webster Green]

151. I guess they don't need a vote from this drug-addled retard.

Fuck 'em then. :smoke:

[Vinca]

152. Icing meet cake.

[AlbertCat]

154. That’s not reality.

Why isn't it?

Canada has Canadian health care and no bloated Pentagon and they seem to be doing better than the USA. That's reality... right over there.... just up there.

[democracy1st]

155. Sorry butt would never disrespect repubs like that!

[Deep13]

158. So, the WH doesn't want our money or time at all then.

Suits me. Had I done nothing during the Bush years the result would have been exactly the same, except we would have a new kitchen by now.

[begin_within]

171. They get their money from corporate donors anyway.

[Deep13]

174. And apparently, that's who they serve. nt

[greiner3]

159. Just emailed the WH;

Asking when I am due at my nearest blood testing center. I await their response.

[RufusTFirefly]

160. Professional left? Ideological purity? Enough strawmen to feed a horse for a full year.

Or should I say a pony?
That's one tired, baseless insult that Gibbs didn't use.

[Cherchez la Femme]

367. Actually straw is bedding

(for horses to poop on!)
Hay, as in 'making', is the preferred horse feed.

:)

[patrice]

370. It's a distinction between those who create careers out of dissent, compared to those who actually

ARE the Left.

[PatrynXX]

161. and I thought that got the message after Rahm dropped the ball

Gibbs is being an ass. Flew an email up at the white house for that one. I'll be one of the crazies then. Nobody's saying he's like bush 100 %. He's like Bush maybe 45 %. Think Gibbs needs a vacation.

[backtomn]

162. Quite a strategy

I was thinking that the Dems needed a strong turnout from the base to prevent a disaster in November. Ooops.

If they keep this up, maybe they can get a couple extra votes from Republicans. :(

[madrchsod]

165. fuck them...

i guess it`s crystal clear what the whitehouse thinks of the progressives in the party.

[Name removed]

166. Deleted message

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

[NBachers]

167. He forgot the one about comparing Robert Gibberish to Sara Palin

Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs- you lose votes when you abuse the activist base who put you there.

Who do you actually gain votes from when you abuse the base? Do you think the teabaggers will vote for you now because you sound like an ersatz Billo the Clown? Yeah, fat chance, Gibberish.

Fire Robert Gibbs

[Demoiselle]

170. Well, he's right, actually.

I WILL be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare. As for the Pentagon, it doesn't have to be eliminated. Just shrunk. (Bathtub size, perhaps?)
Gee, I didn't know that that made me a Professional.

I'm flattered.

[Hawkowl]

172. Undisciplined political MORONS!!

90 days before an election and they're up their screaming insults at members of their own party?

Gibbs should be immediately fired. Period. They keep this up there is NO CHANCE! ZERO! For getting reelected.

They are showing as more political incompetence than any president in modern history. FOR NOTHING!

I wash my hands of these ass clowns.

[Gman]

175. So what did Gibbs say that was so wrong???

The man spoke the absolute truth. These people wouldn't be happy with Kucinich as president.

Obama needs to understand that the far left is NOT his friend. They never were, they never will be. They are no one's friend, but are only self-absorbed in their own perceived righteousness that they defend with faux indignation.

But I think that anyone that says Obama is no better than Bush doesn't need drug testing, they need their head examined for being totally out of touch.

[EFerrari]

190. You're right. The White House needs to be out in the press before an election

slamming Democrats. That'll show the "far left".

lol

[Gman]

198. The people the WH may be "slamming" are damn sure NOT Democrats

so what is the problem? If you support the president and are not trying to tear him down then you're part of the base. If not, you're not. Pretty simple.

[EFerrari]

239. Well, I sure hope the leadership isn't counting on winning with only the voters

that support them 100%.

[Gman]

252. I rest my case.. you just made it for me.

You don't support the president or the Democratic Party. You're not his base.

[EFerrari]

260. LOL.

[cyr330]

288. He needs all of us to win. . .

Whether we're part of his "base" or not, he can't win without attracting a significant number of us as well. I count myself as a very liberal progressive. I have always voted Democratic, as there usually isn't much of a choice. Nonetheless, I've always given money in the past, and I'm NOT willing to do that this year. I feel like Obama doesn't care about either his base or his independent voters, and it appears that he is simply trying to appease right-wing voters who despise him anyway and will never vote for him. He is ignoring his base AND his indpendent voters at his peril. It's his choice.

[Enthusiast]

291. I won't support someone

simply because they wear a D on their chest.

[TriMera]

535. Wow, that was deep.

Do you really think that the votes needed to keep congress and win another term in 2012 can be found in a group that agrees with the POTUS and the Party 100%? That's not only unrealistic, but downright creepy. You do know that you can be a Democrat and not agree with the direction that the Party is headed, right?

[katandmoon]

324. So Moveon didn't support Obama even during the PRIMARIES?

[laughingliberal]

180. Alternate headline: White House planning new push to the right. nt

[Beacool]

181. Yep, this is the way to garner support from the left:

“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

188. "They wouldn't be satisfied if Kucinich was President" -- what is that?

Dennis envy?

lol

[Beacool]

200. Must be.........

:D

[Larry Ogg]

285. I think he was rewording an old saying, "You would bitch of you were hung with a new rope."

But I think he unwittingly revealed some pretenses...
What if we elected someone who actually fought to bring about change.
Someone who was on the side of the working class.
Someone who would prosecute war criminals, corporate criminals and banking criminals et al,
as apposed to giving criminals cabinet positions.

Etc, Etc. Etc.

In other words Americans would never be satisfied even if we were allowed to elect a President and Congress who were willing to do the right things.

I guess it somehow justifies screwing the ungrateful working class over for their cognizant stupidity...

[EFerrari]

354. It's a justification, projected.

"I would be a better person if not for XY&Z".

[liquid diamond]

696. How did Kucinich do the last time he ran for president?

Oh, right. **snicker**

[MellowDem]

189. The reason so many liberals here feel frusterated...

is that they can see on the conservative side that the hard right, the hardcore conservatives, have a lot more sway over the Republican Party than liberals do over the Democratic Party. You never (or very rarely) hear Republicans badmouth conservatives without paying a high high price. But liberals are badmouthed by everyone, including Democrats, and it definitely makes it seem like it is the world that is against us, a small minority.

Liberals are not as important to the Democratic coalition as conservates are to the Republican one. That is just the facts. The only way to change that is to increase the number of liberals among Democrats. But it is good to note that even conservatives, when they had Bush et al in power, didn't get most of what they wanted. In fact, Bush wasn't a true conservative according to them. A lot of criticism came from the right about not being to the right enough.

I suppose the lesson is that, no matter how ideologically pure you may think a president that you nominate is, when they get into power they will go to the center somewhat, especially in the first term. That is because of the political system we have set up.

While there are some things that Obama had full control of in order to keep his promises, for most he didn't. You can blame the Congress for a lot of the most egrigious broken promises, or maybe just our broken political system with legalized bribery. Not to mention needing 60 votes in the Senate to pass anything.

[on point]

193. We don't believe in the 'change' anymore

Bottom line is the president has failed to fight for a progressive agenda and to deliver on the 'changes' he promised.

I would be happier if they did hold to a position, fought for it and perhaps even lost. Then at least the difference between the repugs and dems would be clear and then it would be worth supporting the dems. Now they are just corp sell outs, like the repubs, but better because they are merely corrupt instead of corrupt and CRAZY.

If they are finally getting the message that we are fed up, then good. The proper response is to re-assess your agenda and methods. The repug response is to demonize your opponents when you have no real suitable answer. They grow more like them everyday.

We did not work for a party that moves ever more to the right with nary a whimper because they are afraid of their own shadow and repugs saying 'boo'.

If you want our support, then support us.

We didn't leave you. You left us.

[Lorien]

231. Amen nt.

[superconnected]

282. Yep, he supported the patriot act instead of dismounting it.

He added MORE surveillance on citizens. He said he'd get us out out of Iraq, we're still there and he may put us in more wars - Iran is looking like it could happen. Right now the gov is toting the internet kill switch so parts of the country can be magically cut off from the internet - that should be highly illegal in "free speech America". He has not outlawed torture or putting people in US prisons on foreign soil with no trials.

Since he is bush v2.0 - forwarding the corporate big brother agenda, he's got to go.

[msanthrope]

194. If only Boehner had the courage to tell this to the Teabaggers....

My, my...I've never seen more low-count posters bitching about the pony they didn't get than this thread....

The "professional left" in my state is currently helping a reactionary teabagger who hates gay people get elected to the Senate.

Why? Because the Democratic candidate is a 'corporatist'. I think it's because the responsibilities of governance are too difficult for some to handle--they realize they get more from the gravy train as the loyal opposition.

[man4allcats]

211. “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. ..."

I'd settle for Canadian healthcare. Do that, and I'm willing to leave the Pentagon in place - at least for now. :evilgrin:

[superconnected]

506. I'd be perfectly happy if we had Canadian health care and eliminated the pentagon, and

I've never taken drugs.

[madrchsod]

212. oh no! he`s retracted his statement!...well he..CLARIFIED!

oh it was "unartful"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/10/robert-gibbs-clarifies-pr_n_676934.html

[SILVER__FOX52]

213. That Prick, Gibbs................

just cut us loose. He needs to go.

[on point]

218. I was looking for just a donkey... but hey, anyone want to start the Pony Party?

[katty]

220. WH/DLC - dropping turds of 'piss off' to their voter base

as usual, they alienate those that actually vote for them.

[Generic Other]

221. Drug Test? Why stop there?

Taser me. Put me in a FEMA camp. Strip search me at the airport. Send my job to some third world country. Take my unemployment benefits. Give my social security to Wall Street. Fire more teachers. Hire more scabs. Wage more war.

Oh I forgot. They already did all that stuff.

All there is left is to make me kiss their asses come November just so I can have a pony.

[Historic NY]

222. Correct me if I'm wrong don't we hear this stuff right here day after day...

he sure sounds like a re-run of thousands of postings.

Even Robert Reich gets it.......

<snip>

“I busted my chops getting them elected, and they caved,” he fumes. “They’re all lily-livered wimps, and Obama has the backbone of a worm.”

Tea Partiers are getting all the press. But the anger on the left, including much of the Democratic base, is almost as intense.

The pattern isn’t new. I remember a gloomy fall 16 years ago when as secretary of labor I traveled around the country trying to rev up the base for the 1994 midterms. I found anger and disillusionment then, too. Of course, Clinton hadn’t accomplished nearly as much as Obama. In fact, he’d pushed initiatives like NAFTA that infuriated the base.

When Republicans control Congress or the White House, their base can get restless but doesn’t seem to suffer the same disillusionment. Republicans stood by Ronald Reagan in the 1982 midterms and rallied enthusiastically for his re-election in 1984. They were out in force for George H.W. Bush’s 1990 midterm as well as George W. Bush’s in 2002 and his 2004 re-election.
<snip>

http://robertreich.org/post/904101338/the-enthusiasm-gap-and-you

[radhika]

223. WH cluelessness is astonishing!

I am amazed at the demonstrated INABILITY/UNWILLINGNESS of Obama/Gibbs etc to really 'get' what liberal object to.

1) Back room sell-outs to Pharma, BP, Wall Street, Insurance Companies without a hint of a fight.
2) A pathetic pro-corporate excuse for HCR compared to virtually all nations of the world.
3) Abandoning liberal interest groups (anti-war, environmentalists, gays, unions) that he catered to during the campaigns. And these are the very groups that could have kept his back during the Tea-Party Town Hall horrors.
4) Lack of an effective strategy that deals with his (and our) sworn enemies - Repugs, Fox, big money Xtains.
5) Civil liberties abuses continue, protecting Bush's crimes.

We all know the drill. I don't think Obama/Gibbs do.

[superconnected]

274. They certianly understood what they were pandering to when they got our votes!

they were working us and had no intention of supporting the agenda Obama ran on.

[radhika]

424. Alas, tis true...n/t

[shireen]

463. +1

[backscatter712]

224. He should have expressed himself more artfully... n/t

[No Elephants]

651. He would have, but someone had filched his crayons.

[raouldukelives]

228. It's ridiculous to compare them

Bush fought for what he believed in.

[senseandsensibility]

236. brutal

Would be funny if it weren't true.

[jobycom]

241. Actually, Bobby, I'd be satisfied if you stood up to the right as strongly as you just did to us.

They try so hard not to anger the right that they won't stand up for gay marriage, but they will smack us around like their ugly stepchildren? I don't think Obama is a corporate shill or a Republican lackey. I think he's just so bad at his job that he gets twisted around. He doesn't want to anger the right, so he won't stand up to them, and when the left complains he gets frustrated because he doesn't know what else to do.

Grow up, Mr. President. You need to learn to plant your feet and fight instead of dodging punches. Surviving the fight is not the same as winning the fight. You have to got bloody, and you have to hit hard, and you have to risk losing. Turning and yelling at your team that they want too much won't get you anything.

And yeah, it was Gibbs and not Obama who said this, but he wouldn't have said it if it weren't the attitude expressed when they have discussions about these things. If Gibbs is that far off from his boss, he wouldn't have a job.

[KamaAina]

242. Left-bashing has been de rigueur for centrist Dems

at least as far back as Bill Clinton and Sister Souljah. :eyes:

[usregimechange]

246. Just when they are asking me to volunteer

[Name removed]

255. Deleted message

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

[DeSwiss]

257. K&R

Booze, rage and justice in the participation age

It is now clear to me that the people's rage is a tool in the hands of the new electronic and digital corporate state. Its various channels, eddies and pools, regardless of type, can be directed toward all sorts of mischief and profit. Left or right, the angry throngs on both sides can be managed and directed. They can be sent chasing various injustices, denouncing evil characters on Wall Street, Times Square bombers, BP executives, or whatever, worked up into slobbering outrage over Sarah Palin, and thus kept divided and working against each other for the benefit of last gasp capitalism.

Once outside the furious drek of American political and economic life, and having finished the last book I will ever write, I found myself asking: "Why did the good in the American people not triumph? How can it be that so many progressive, justice-loving citizens failed? Their positions were well reasoned. The facts were indisputably on their side. Obviously, there was, and is, more going on than merely losing battles to demagoguery and meanness. Why do we lose the important fights so consistently? What has kept us from establishing a more just kingdom? Something is missing.

I think it is, in a word, the spiritual. The stuff that sustained Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and gave them the kind of calm deliberate guts we are not seeing today. I am not talking about religion, but the spirit in each of us, that solitary non-material essence, none the less shared by all humans because we are human. When we let our capitalist overlords cast everything in a purely material light -- as material gain or loss for one group or another -- we played the oppressor's game.

It was always a game with no vision. Just good guys, bad guys, pissed off people, or apathetic disenfranchised ones, amid one helluva lot of money changing hands. Mostly the wrong hands. That game drives us to the petty larcenies we perform against one another in the name employment, and the atrocities abroad to which none of us lay our rightful claim as beneficiaries of the empire's pillage. Our purposeful blindness to such things necessarily eliminates any universal vision. All the best ones are universal.

Yet down inside human beings is a love of justice. Honestly. The psyche seeks balance, and therefore seeks justice. Regardless of the perversion of its definition, and therefore the laws, by those who own nearly all of our country and damned well intend to own the rest, we know.

~ http://www.joebageant.com/joe/2010/07/waltzing.html">Joe Bageant, "Blogging toward the Kingdom"

[fasttense]

271. There have been many successful political movements with absolutely

no spiritual underpinnings. Just look at the Tea-baggers.

[DeSwiss]

296. Well, I don't agree with Teabaggers.....

...but I wouldn't say that their "movement" (if that's the correct word to use here) doesn't have a spiritual aspect to it. It's the spirit of hate and of fear. A hate and fear borne out of ignorance and a lack of education mostly. http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0684818868">We've all been lied to from the start. Liberals realize this and have sought to learn the truth, while Teabaggers don't know this and are still in the dark.

And I'd hardly say they're successful. What the Teabaggers are, is a made-up initiative that was set in motion by rich oligarchs bent upon manipulating the political system and keeping us fighting against each other. And in that sense, this movement has been successful for the oligarchs but not the Teabaggers. At least so far.

In truth, liberals and Teabaggers have more in-common than either side is willing to admit. We totally disagree on what is the problem and who is at fault, but we all know instinctively that something is totally fucked up and is in need of change.


- What better way to avoid loss of control of the system of governance by those who flip the switches, than by pitting the two sides against each other......

[ConservativeDemocrat]

261. The Truth Hurts... Don't It?

On the nutcase right there are teabaggers who pretend President Obama is a Sekret Muslin Socalest.

And on the nutcase left, there are the sanctimonious loons who pretend there's no difference between Obama and Bush.

Both sides hate being called out on their bull. They both rightly fear that if people understood what they were actually
saying, they'd be laughed at, and start losing their outsized inflence in relation to their numbers.

Good for Gibbs. We need more of this, not less.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[EFerrari]

299. The "nutcase" left who wants Canadian healthcare

is most of the country.

lol

[Enthusiast]

464. +1 nt

[DeSwiss]

312. So you and Gibbs stand for this too?

Appointment of Summers, Geithner, and other corporate cronies.
Make Rahm Emanuel Chief of Staff.
Continue rendition.
Continue the infamous Bagram Air Force base torture prison.
Engage in drone killings and/or assassinations of US citizens abroad.
Continue Bush DOJ defense in denying lawsuits brought against Bush administration for crimes of torture.
Practice and defend indefinite detention.
Privatize education.
Fail to shut down Guantanamo Bay prison.
Set up Commission to look into privatizing and/or cutting social security and medicare.
Further secrecy and classification.
Deny Freedom of Information Act requests.
Break up labor unions.
Make backroom deals with the Pharmaceutical industry.
Have the Health insurance industry lobbyists define the parameters of a Health Care Bill.
Break his promised position of supporting a public option.
Drill baby drill.
Break his pledge to the American Freedom Campaign to defend the Constitution from any Presidential or executive branch abuse.
Escalate the Afghanistan war (I know he didn't promise not to).
Support a weakened financial regulatory reform Bill.

This list is not complete. Feel free to add things you did not want nor expect the Obama Administration to do.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x401636">mmonk

- Then you can have your reality-based community buddy. I want no part of it! Good luck holding onto it w/o us.

[Cherchez la Femme]

373. "nutcase left"? See my hand?

See four fingers curled...?

Sheesh. You're a real prince, you are

[Skittles]

591. "ConservativeDemocrat"

yes, I'm sure Obama and Gibbs LOVE you - just not us thinking Dems

[cyr330]

I RESENT this. . .

Fuck them. They wouldn't be in the WH if it weren't for those of us on the left. He shouldn't forget that.

[Enthusiast]

265. We absolutely should have had Canadian

style health care.

The only reason we don't is because too many politicians, including loudmouth Gibbs, have been bought off by the medical industrial complex. It was not too much to expect. Anything less is a greed ridden clusterfuck of a system that exists only to take advantage of the sick and powerless.

Gibbs and Obama have now moved several more notches up on my shit list and they were pretty far up the list to start with.

[superconnected]

270. I VOTED FOR THIS????

This is NOT something the white house needs to be telling me. My vote can very well go green since it's not making a difference.

[savalez]

272. self deleted.

[Cherchez la Femme]

273. Oh no they di'int!

& I was just raging last night about the 'fucking retarded libruls' slight

now this? OMG OMG OMG

I surely hope nobody ever dares ask me why I will never vote again for, volunteer for, give money to, etc. my "Fierce Advocate *TM" because they will get the la Femme equivalent of the 'Nuclear Option'!

[okieinpain]

277. I agree with gibbs but I wouldn't have used those words. n/t.

[savalez]

279. Me too.

[Ikonoklast]

286. Just look at all the hurt feelings above.

Gibbs is right on this one, and those that can't see it are the very people he's talking to.

President Obama is MILES from what Bush was or did as president, and those here who can't see that fact are being less than honest.

You can't change thirty years of damage overnight, and you can't do it without a legislative majority. We don't actually have one.

The problem is in the Senate, but everyone wants to blame Obama for getting the best deal done, with the votes he has to work with.

THAT is reality.

You can't pass laws by fiat in this country, even though Bush tried to with a lapdog Congress.

[superconnected]

294. Are you delusional? Obama has supported the patriot act and added MORE surveillance

He's kept the US prisons in other countries, torture, etc. He's decided not to pursue any war crime prosecution and he allows the war crimes to continue. He said he would get out out of Iraq and didn't and now we have to worry if he's going to actually get us into Iran.

Get real. We would have national health care if the president was behind it. He could have turned this place right around.

Instead he throws us an occasional bone while he furthers a very sold out corporate agenda that includes advancing big brothers control over us. The internet kill switch the gov is touting right now is a HUGE deal. Pay attention. He is Bush 2.0.

[Ikonoklast]

300. Case in point.

[DeSwiss]

316. +1

They don't have a clue. Pitiful, really.

[Phlem]

298. No I was not expecting changes overnight

I was also not expecting him to escalate the bush doctrine, so check it when you start telling people they are being less than honest. I've been watching Mr. President for a while and he's definitely a different fish than what we elected. Sorry, not falling for the blind faith thing. Yes he's stepped on a lot of mice in the room, when's he going to get to the big elephants? Mr president is a conciliator NOT a leader.

-p

[liberation]

317. The penchant by some to equate their own personal opinion with "reality"...

... tells us more about your ideological under pinnings, than it does about the people you're supposedly projecting upon.

Cheers.

[Cherchez la Femme]

376. Can't change overnight?!

Perhaps not, but one could advocate for this precious avowed Change instead of keeping, and sometimes increasing, upon the past administrations mistakes.

Nor would I call over 1 1/2 years "overnight"!

[Riverman]

387. The Reality is that the Dems, Like the Repubs did, cnan do anything they want with

51 votes!

[Ikonoklast]

574. And if that rule gets changed, so can the Repubs when they get that number again.

No, thank you.

[DeSwiss]

314. You'd use nicer words.....

...to tell us we're all loons or druggies?

Oh how thoughtful......

[liberation]

320. Passive aggressive types are "funny" that way.

[savalez]

340. I doubt that's the part the poster agreed with. I sure don't.

But the more I think about this I conclude that it's time for Gibbs to step down or be fired. He has been doing a poor job of disseminating The WH's accomplishments in the first place and now this? He's a bum.

[okieinpain]

749. nah, not loons or druggies. just why beat up on obama, how about

the dems in congress and senate that played hardball. people wanted a bigger stimulus well there were dems in house and senate that did not so obama cut deals to get what he could. people wanted a public option, well believe it or not there were dems in the house and senate that did not, and it goes on and on and on. remember most of this stuff passed without one republican vote.

if you think i'm a president obama supporter, i'm not I would have the same words for any dem that had the job. the only thing i'm really against is a president with an (R) after their name.

[JJW]

278. Running to the Right?

Liberal bashing is absolutely trying to appeal to the right.

Only time will tell, how this politicking plays out.

[liberation]

328. It has been clear for a while that this white house expects to be re-elected by the center-right

I can sort of understand that a center-right administration wishes to be elected by its true ideological brethren, it must be really hard pretend to tolerate liberals... as its been shown time and time again by this administration completely losing patience with a significant chunk of their voting base in 08.

I would have appreciated some intellectual honesty from Mr. Obama on where he stood during the election though, as I would have saved all those hours and money I volunteered/donated. Oh, wait...

[alarimer]

281. The White House can go to hell.

The truth hurts, doesn't it?

I will not be voting for this guy ever again.

[lebkuchen]

283. Obama's lost the NEA and many progressive voters this summer

Not a good sign before an election....

[frylock]

292. this here seals the deal for me..

nose>spite>face. fuck you gibbs, and fuck this shit.

[mike r]

293. Obama urges liberals to 'keep up the fight'

"many of you who fought so hard during the election"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38396801/ns/politics/

Please keep the insults coming. WTF.

[Cherchez la Femme]

381. Schizophrenic, no?

[Name removed]

295. Deleted message

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

[MissDeeds]

308. +1000

Now that's a rant.



:applause: :applause: :applause:

[Nite Owl]

297. They are totally out of touch

with what real America wants and needs. Their base is not us anymore but unfortunately for them the Independents that were Republicans aren't happy either no matter what they do to please them. They call the health insurance reform they passed something we should be pleased with? He started with the compromise and caved on the public option like he never said it and it wasn't important anyway. We would have to be insane to work to keep this WH, let those Independents and DLCers do all the work and see how that works out for them. Our Blue Dog congressman keeps calling asking for help and has plenty of openings for interns and no one will help. Now that he's in trouble he expected us to bail him out and that isn't working out too well. Us 'fuckin' retards and professional left are busy helping out real dems.

[pgodbold]

302. I removed myself from whitehouse mailing list. There is a comments section I may have said fuck you

[patrice]

305. Whatever is going on here, some of what is in this thread plays right into Gibbs' hand.Thanks all...

for increasing the probability that the guy is actually right about you.

[patrice]

310. i.e. What's the point of including people who will never support you anyway.

[craigmatic]

307. Seems like they ought to be more angry at the repubs and blue dogs because that's who's

blocking their agenda. This just goes to show how ass backwards the white house cimmunications team is.

[bread_and_roses]

318. what an absolute and utter crock-would be hilarious if were not so ominous

The "concern" is not with ideological purity. The public option - hardly ideologically "pure" but accepted by we crazed lefties to help pass comprehensive reform - that was "ideological purity" on our part? Or the Labor Movement - was it ideologically "pure" for it to accept putting aside its prime objective, the Employee Free Choice Act, to work for Health CAre? But they did.

I could go on but why bother. We all know what's going on here for a good while now.

[DeSwiss]

329. +1

Well said.

[katandmoon]

319. Obama's DOJ gives BushCo's war crimes a pass so Obama has forfeited any right to any high ground.

Don't worry, Mr. Gibbs, I've long since gotten the message loud and clear from the actions and the words of your boss. He doesn't want my vote again so he's not getting my vote again.

[Loki]

322. 202 456-1111 White House comment line

called and waited 5 minutes for operator to take my call. Will try again later today. I think that the telephone lines at the White House are a tad bit busy right now, but I still plan on calling to express this long time loyal Democrats disgust. I will accept nothing less than an apology from Mr Gibbs and that President Obama needs to realize that when he demeans his base or any Democrat for that matter, he will be criticized and harshly. I might remind him of Harry's words..... if you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.

[Bluebear]

349. That's nice, but this President could not care less what the "left" thinks.

Patently obvious.

[Roland99]

352. Whatever makes the corporations happy

fuck the people.

[bvar22]

383. !

Fuck The Left.
What are they going to do?
Vote for a Republican?
Hahahahahahahahahaha!

[grahamhgreen]

325. BIAS - "more concerned with deal-making than ideological purity."

NOT ideological purity, just ideas and solutions.

[Name removed]

330. Deleted message

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

[JohnnyHardhat]

336. Complete, Utter Nonsense..

..is all I can say in response to Gibb's whining, petulant rant. Why did we bother to work our butts off to put these guys in office? To let them cave on issues we desperately care about?

That said, while I have been continually disappointed by this administration I recognize it is far, far better than having Repubs in office. However I also believe it is my duty to address their short-comings wherever and whenever I see them in letters, essays, and discussions. The administration better look in the mirror and change their attitude if they expect liberal dems and independents (whom they've utterly lost at this point) to help them in the next election. And when I say help it doesn't mean I won't support them over Repubs, it does mean I won't canvas or phone bank or give as much as before. I find this public rebuke offensive.

[mvd]

344. Here's what I just don't understand

Yes, Obama does not equal Bush. Not even close. But, that's not what all critics are saying. Gibbs seems out of touch, and it would be sad if this is what the administration is thinking. They take so much from the Repukes, but get angry when it's the left being talked about. :shrug:

[Name removed]

346. Deleted message

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

[JDPriestly]

355. Obama has surrounded himself with wealthy bankers and other

rich folks. He makes speeches at the middle class, but doesn't include us on his commissions and does not listen to us. The middle class is liberal. We want good public schools. We want a public option for health care. We want Medicare Advantage if we live in big cities with huge numbers of doctors some of whom do not accept Medicare patients. We are dependent on Social Security when we can no longer work for whatever reason so we will not survive if that is cut. We need our civil rights, and we know that our human rights are only safe when everyone's human rights are secure. We don't want wars. We don't want Guantanamo.

We want our fair share of the wealth in this country. Obama has done far too little to distribute the wealth and the work fairly.

We don't want free trade. We want our jobs back.

Obama hasn't done one thing for us in any of these areas. His tax cuts are a joke. What good is a tax cut if you don't have a job, therefore don't have an income and hence, don't pay taxes.

Just a joke.

[democrank]

362. Gibbs` comments are almost laughable.

He has finally joined the wingnuts and the DLC in their chronic degrading and dismissal of the left. Yes, just like the DLC says, we`re all professional elitists that wear Birkenstocks and drive Volvos. And now I find out we`re drug addicts. Excuse me while I upchuck.


Give me a freaking break. President Obama gets compared to George Bush when he hires and rehires Bush people and he restarts Bush programs.

Democrats used to stand for something but now we`ve squandered the most historic opportunity of my lifetime...and I`m plenty old. But wait...that`s okay as long as we win.

[MisterP]

365. usually when someone unloads like this at my retail workplace, I spend an hour cleaning it up

or are Republican mandates, Republican protection of torturers, contination of Republican wars, and Republican economics still so Democratic that we can't complain?

[patrice]

368. YOU create the reality that you get. MANY of you don't want the President to succeed, so . . .

what the fuck do you expect?

Some of you are just as bad as Republicans; IT'S ALL ABOUT POWER, YOUR POWER, NOT, NOT, NOT SOLUTIONS. So you're being shut-out, GOOD!

[Name removed]

448. Deleted message

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

[patrice]

467. Respond to my point; why is everyone pretending that there is no such thing as the professional left

[Name removed]

563. Deleted message

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

[patrice]

581. No it's not anyone who criticizes. It is anyone who criticizes with no intent of doing anything but

criticizing and criticizing for one purpose and one purpose only to destroy, so they can build their own power base.

That does not include most of the people you mention, but it DOES include people who will not, and likely never intended to, support Democrats in November.

This President's problems have a lot to do with Congress and most especially the Senate and anyone who doesn't get on board with trying to fix that ***IS*** against us and you can expect that they ARE out there herding like minded souls around their special interests. "Left" or not, such people have a professional interest in causing the President trouble and seeing Democrats fail.

[defendandprotect]

584. Liberals and progressives put Obama in office so they could shun him????

That's nonsense . . .

What we have is a DLC INSIDE the Democratic Party aiming to expand it's own power base - -

based on fulfilling a corporate agenda.

It does include the people I mentioned -- and many more -- from Wm. Greider to Michael Moore --

none of them expect to be invited to the White House again -- too much truth telling happening.

We're all here to support Democrats and the Democratic Party . . . NOT corporate-lite --

not a corporate agenda.

Obama's problems have only to do with the direction he pointed his ship of state --

directly into Wall Street/DLC waters -- corporate waters!

Think you need to set your BP meter up way higher!!

[patrice]

595. Maybe you're going to get through whatever happens. But if we fail in November, you all can pat

yourselves on your ideologically pure backs, while millions DIE ultimately because of Republican ascendancy.

There ain't fuck-all that matters right now, but winning in November

and the way it looks that's not going to happen. And as I said, there's some people it won't matter one damn bit to and there's a whole lot that it will make the difference between continuing to pay fat CEOs money they aren't worth and people actually being able to pay their own bills.

It's very fucking convenient and socially rewarding for SOME to get on here and say "I'm not voting for Democrats/Obama", because then you can't say to them "Well, what are YOU doing to get them on the right path? Are you helping them?"

Yeah, I'm not that happy with the President thus far either, but It's just bullshit, bullshit, BULLSHIT! All of acting like spoiled little children mad at daddy for this or that and then you DO have the PROFESSIONALS who DO have an interest in division who come along and take advantage of this bullshit. There's a dangerous synergy, so . . .

I'm saying if you're not voting Democratic, no one should give you another thought.

[defendandprotect]

598. Maybe the Democratic Party will get thru the destructive polices of Obama/Rahm/Gibbs...???

And your debate seems largely dependent upon fear mongering --

Oh, "ideologically pure" is now the new pony --

Seriously -- give the insults a break -- start to show some respect for the people

who did put Obama in office!!

If Repugs win, it will have a great deal to do with Obama failures than with the criticism

of those failures by the left.

What matters is that we kill the DLC corporate cancer eating away INSIDE of the Democratic

Party. Whatever has happened, whatever Obama/Rahm have done it sure as hell matters to

every Democrat who worked to get this sinking ship elected!!

Evidently, you haven't been reading threads here -- but I agree that Democrats need to get

even noiser -- I'd like to see them in the streets. But, Obama would probably have them

arrested!! We need a Democratic candidate in 2012 who would be likely to call Democrats

out to protest -- and to rally on issues like MEDICARE FOR ALL!!


Yeah, I'm not that happy with the President thus far either, but It's just bullshit, bullshit, BULLSHIT! All of acting like spoiled little children mad at daddy for this or that and then you DO have the PROFESSIONALS who DO have an interest in division who come along and take advantage of this bullshit. There's a dangerous synergy, so . . .

I'm saying if you're not voting Democratic, no one should give you another thought.

That looks less like reasoned debate and more like tantrum . . .

And more of the "pony" argument . . . wow, about now you must feel a brain rut developing from

that line of thinking!!

Again -- it is the White House and Gibbs and Emmanuel -- and the DLC cancer INSIDE the party --

which is attempting to create division among the left.

[patrice]

599. That's exactly what you'll be saying when we lose in November. You will CAUSE us to lose and

then blame that on the party.

[defendandprotect]

602. Pelosi is making it clear Dem leadership is acting like they want a LOSS..!!

Where have you been?

Haven't you noticed messages from Pelosi?

TWICE now she has had to complain to White House about attacks on Democrats --

only a few weeks ago an attack by Gibbs! This guy should be gone!

Pelosi has also made clear . . . "Obama was for a lot of things when he was campaigning

that he is no longer for!" --

And this is the THIRD attack on Democrats --

And you still believe this isn't intentional?

[patrice]

605. Hey, I have an idea!! Why don't you all just GIVE them what they want? That's what you ARE doing.

You're saying they want you to go away and you're saying fine, "We aren't going to vote for you." Smart.

Quitters.

[defendandprotect]

618. Hey -- that's what YOU are saying ...

and evidently you're low on reading comprehension --

We want a liberal/progressive presidential candidate in 2012 --

and an end to the fear-mongering by DLC posters here --

Rather it is the DLC-corporate campaigners here who are "quitters" re the

Democratic Platform -- this is an endless series of "compromises" with DLC-

corporate agenda!!

[patrice]

632. Are you or are you not saying to withhold support from Democrats2010/Obama2012?

[defendandprotect]

647. I am saying we need a new Democratic presidential candidate in 2012 ... how does that

escape you?

Are you saying you're going to continue on with this corporate agenda

Obama is throwing at us?


As for 2010, I'd be very selective about which Democrats I voted for --

or targetted to remove them from the party and to replace them with more

liberal -- non-corporate -- candidates.

[patrice]

636. No, you are the one that is saying that staying IN the process = betrayal of Progressive values.

Wrong.

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the experience of staying true and committed in a relationship in the face of adversity.

[defendandprotect]

649. Don't deny your own words . . ..

I don't have a "relationship" with Obama, nor with any other corporate winger --

Presume you do?

[patrice]

669. So, what exactly do you plan on doing with all of those corporate types that you won't have anythin

g to do with?

In your scenario for how it all should work, where do these folks who don't fit your definition of the real world go? Do they disappear? Shall we just kill them? Make them slaves? What?

[defendandprotect]

676. Evidently you don't actually read posts?

As I've made clear, we need to dump the DLC-corporate wing which is a cancer

working INSIDE the Democratic Party --

And, as many other Democrats have pointed out -- from Michael Moore to Wm. Greider --

we need to target right wing/corporate Democrats and replace them with liberals/progressives.


In your scenario for how it all should work, where do these folks who don't fit your definition of the real world go? Do they disappear? Shall we just kill them? Make them slaves? What?

I guess they'll do what Dodd is doing -- go to work for the corporations/banks -- !!

[patrice]

679. You will never dump the DLC if you don't work for Democrats this Fall.

[defendandprotect]

687. Again ... you don't read very well ...

the idea is to target rw Democrats and work for liberal/progressive Democrats --

As far as DLC -- who here is going to contribute to their funds or vote for them?

Most Democrats here at DU want Rahm out of the White House --

Now you want an employment program for those pushing corporate interests in Dem Party?

[patrice]

685. "dump"? Apparently, you don't answer questions. Where do they go? Do they just stop being

the obnoxious fucking bastards they are? Suddenly all nicey-poo? They all change into sweet little Socialists, right?

Where do all of these hateful Red-staters I live around go?

Does everything actually just suddenly freeze because you succeed? None of these cupcake people are a problem anymore?

How many different ways can they subvert our Perfect Progressive Solutions?

Will Progressive Programs last long enough to do some good before the pendellum swings back and we get another W?

What exactly does your Pure Progressive Ideology prescribe for the non-Progressive?

[defendandprotect]

688. This is reversing what the GOP did in attacking liberal/progressive Dems ....

and even their own moderates --

takes time --

YOU REPLACE THEM WITH LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS --

LET ME MAKE IT CLEARER, THEY LOSE IN THE PRIMARY -- THE LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE WINS --

Ah, when your "pure Progressive Ideology" rises again, I know you're getting frustrated --

Bye --

[patrice]

638. You are the one saying some Dem leaders want a loss & we should give it to them by withholding

support.

[defendandprotect]

650. Those are YOUR words . . . I said it looked like Gibbs was ordering up a Dem loss by tossing base!

[patrice]

668. Ordering up a Dem loss that you are planning on handing to him for FREE! because you are O. U. T.

[defendandprotect]

673. Gibbs dumping on liberals/progressives is working for a Dem loss ....

[patrice]

677. AND you are planning on giving him exactly what he wants, a loss. Thanks a lot for proving that he

is right.

[patrice]

680. You're playing right into his hand. People who do that are called "suckers".

[defendandprotect]

690. Ok -- you're getting really silly now . . . name-calling isn't debate ... Bye -- !!

[SteveM]

730. I don't see this...

If Gibbs were talking about the "Beltway Bandits" around D.C., he (and you) would have to face the fact that these groups lobby for their notion of success day & night; they have NO intention of "destroying" anything or have a "professional interest in causing the President trouble and seeing Democrats fail." Where would they get their money? Why? From whom?

If you are talking about some screamers on DU who post for their own troll-enjoyment, then who are they?

If you are talking about the creaking, vacuum-tube remnants of the Old and New Left (the latter stunk up the landscape during the late-60s when I was in school), then where are THEY? Who are they? Where can I hear them on the radio, T.V., Internet, etc.?

Frankly, I find it hard to believe there is much left to the left, except a bugaboo that floats around like some ghost, scaring people -- or as seems more likely -- providing a convenient electronic scapegoat for ANYONE to point at; the GOP has been pointing to Caspar the Ghost for decades.

I like the ring of "Professional Left," but it may be just a ring-tone.

[patrice]

469. Speaking of SELF-APPOINTED gatekeepers . . . way to demonstrate my point.

:eyes:

[patrice]

472. We are to credit the OPINION of someone who doesn't have the courage to post under their real name?

[patrice]

477. Why don't you just step right up here and tell us why you want Democrats to fail in November?

And you'd do a lot for yourself if you'd start with your actual name.

[defendandprotect]

564. Looks more like Gibbs and White House want Dems to fail in November... Pelosi has

complained to them twice now for attacks on Democrats pre election!!!

And she's given us all quite a few clues as to what's going on --

[patrice]

587. I'm not saying that stuff doesn't go on, but that there ARE those who take advantage of it, wolves

in sheep's clothing.

Tell me how you're going to separate the phonies from the real stuff, especially on the internet.

I think it's everyone's right to withhold their vote, but when you go around declaring that all of the time everywhere, especially this early AND quite likely in most cases without ANY of the other work that goes along with being a good Democrat, I have to say that I can't help questioning people's motives.

What's wrong with saying "If you are not going to vote Democratic, we don't need to listen to you." That's what I hear in Gibb's remarks.

No one can demand that we guarantee our party vote; it's just that if people have already decided then there's no point in making any more effort with them.

[defendandprotect]

621. So you admit the folly of Gibbs and DLC-Rahm and Obama ... but they're

just misguided "corporate" the liberals/progressives are taking advantage of ???

You separate the "phonies" from the "real stuff" by ruling out corporate agendas --

by ridding the party of the DLC-corporate cancer INSIDE the party.

You're sounding muddled here . . .

I think it's everyone's right to withhold their vote, but when you go around declaring that all of the time everywhere, especially this early AND quite likely in most cases without ANY of the other work that goes along with being a good Democrat, I have to say that I can't help questioning people's motives.

but let's be clear that it is YOU who is saying anyone is planning to "withhold their vote"

and only YOU suggesting that anyone is "declaring that all the time" --

Obama has had 18 months and more of his questionable "Chess Game" corporate agenda --

Yes -- you can question "people's motives" -- and we can question yours -- and the DLC's --

and Gibbs! He should be fired.

[patrice]

641. I think a more effective way to get rid of the DLC is to go out and work your ass off for a DFA

candidate instead of cheerleading, no matter how inadvertently, with those who want to take the Democratic party down - ALL OF IT.

[defendandprotect]

645. It is the DLC-corporate wing which wants to move party to the right ....

"and take it down" to hand over to the GOP --

Given the over the top "cheerleading" here for Obama based on nothing I would think

you'd avoid that word . . .

Obama got the immense liberal/progressive vote he did because so many WORKED their asses off

for his election --

We need a new candidate in 2012 -- a liberal Democrat --

and let's throw all these New Dem/DLC/corporate fish back!!

[patrice]

658. You create the very conditions that you say justify the conditions that you are creating, i.e.

you are completely SELF-referential. Circular.

"President Obama isn't doing what I want him to do, so I will not support him in 2012" and GUESS WHAT???? President Obama doesn't do what you want him to do.

There's something pretty dysfunctional about folks who, no matter how really Good their principles are, demand something for nothing. Do you let people do that to you? I doubt it.

Gibbs was talking about you and that has you pissed. You are a Professional "Leftist", someone whose personal perception and the attendant aggrandizement thereof, read that POWER, are more important than ANYTHING else, even other people's lives. Obama does not need to include you, because you have already decided that you will not support him. I'm glad your out. I will stand with the Real Left.

I predict I will see you here in November celebrating every Democratic loss with an "I told you so."

[defendandprotect]

659. If all you can deliver is more "pony" threads ... talk to yourself for a while ...!!

Bye --

[patrice]

660. Oh honey, you're the one with the pony, because you're living in power-drunk lala land.

[U4ikLefty]

654. You accuse someone of cheerleading???

Now that's rich!!!

[patrice]

674. Where have I said Obama is perfection? Research my user name. I'm talking about the

REALITIES of negotiating a variety of different factions: If you say I won't negotiate/support the process (vote Democratic in this case)

GUESS WHAT?????

You're out.

[U4ikLefty]

684. ha ha.....I guess I hit a nerve.

too bad...so sad

[patrice]

479. Come on mr/ms lefty "leader" I want to hear this. Let's hear your scenario for success.

[patrice]

485. Hmmmm, Looks as though you're the one being told to take your ball and go home, by those who

can actually do that sort of thing, not some PRETENDER on the internet.

[patrice]

486. HELLO? HELLO? Put your fucking money where you mouth is! Come on let's hear it!

[patrice]

487. SELF-APPOINTED GATEKEEPER HERE ALL - BE SURE TO DO WHATEVER IT SAYS!

:cry: OR ELSE you just won't be one of the kool kids! :cry:

[patrice]

489. I'm still waiting for a reply: Tell me there's no such thing as the PROFESSIONAL "Left".

crickets~

[patrice]

534. Looking forward to seeing you again, Your Highness. nt

[Caretha]

616. Spam much?

[patrice]

628. In fact, no. Say worthless crap, much?

[Caretha]

753. Okay so you don't spam much

you just say worthless crap alot. I'll buy that answer.

[defendandprotect]

561. Succeed? We're in no danger of Obama succeeding!! Health care deform to attacks on Social Security

is that what you're for --??

Or are you just willing to stand on a downhill slope collapsing beneath you for

another 18 months?

Only the GOP would see that as Obama "succeeding"!!

And, of course, the cancerous DLC INSIDE our own party!!

[FiveGoodMen]

369. Bet he really wanted to say we should all be hunted down and killed with drones.

Anyone would still doesn't recognize the enemy is useless.

[patrice]

375. I want someone in this thread to tell me that ALL of "the Left" has only the best of intentions.

Tell me that NONE of "the Left" is building its own base at the expense of **THIS** opportunity for all of us.

[defendandprotect]

560. First, tell us that the Democratic Party hasn't been infiltrated by DLC-corporate interests???

And that Obama isn't governing as a DLC-corporate president???

You could try it, but then you'd have to play "peek a boo" with the Wall Street

gang Obama took on -- and Rahm Emmanuel/DLC -- and what the behavior of this jerk Gibbs!!

[yurbud]

377. I gave this a rec for its importance not because I agree with it.

[yurbud]

378. no matter how many corporate donations Rahm whips up, they still need us to vote

and this aint the way to get it.

[patrice]

396. They know that. They're just trying to sort out who's who. And a lot of people in this thread just

very clearly played right into their hand.

[yurbud]

400. please explain

[patrice]

379. I wouldn't bargain with many of you either, because you can't be trusted to put your OWN

interests aside for those whom you SAY you care about.

[yurbud]

382. Can you imagine the Bush White House publicly insulting their voter base? This is idiotic

and confirms my suspicion that Rahm Emanuel mistakes his prowess at corraling corporate donations with winning the love of voters. It might be possible to do both, but he aint doing it.

[JJW]

385. Oh geez

Now that I'm off drugs I can see that:

The economy is really working out for bankers and Wall Street.
The wars are working out for the war profiteers.
HCR is really working out for the insurance and drug companies.
Although all modern industrialized nation have some form of the public option, silly us, it would never work here in Pay to Play of America.

[patrice]

386. If you can't get to the table, you're ir-relevant & you can't get to the table if you destroy it

at EVERY opportunity in order to build your power-base.

And the more often you destroy it, the bigger and more FORCEFUL you and your power-base have to become in order to actually DO anything, and the more FORCEFUL you have to become in order to do something the more DYSFUNCTIONAL your product is.

...................................

You are being invited to the table, but the terms are that SOLUTIONS must come first and, apparently, that's just not acceptable to some of you. So you go right ahead and trust strangers with phony names on the internet and put your base-building ahead of actually helping people, but don't be pissed off that you're out when you never intended to negotiate in the first place.

[patrice]

389. Why is everyone in this thread ignoring the word "professional"? Do you deny the existence of such?

Can the Left not be the Left without these SELF-APPOINTED gatekeepers, sheep-herders, and tenders who influence your votes?

[defendandprotect]

559. See Olbermann tonight . . . Michael Moore was also on . . .!!!

[patrice]

391. Boy, are you all being played! Get a fucking clue.

[yurbud]

398. please explain

[patrice]

405. I did above. Their situation is that they have to figure out whom they have that they can

negotiate with.

It's all about timing.

If you say up-front, "I'm not voting (or WORKING) for Democrats in November and/or 2012", why would I bother to bargain with you? It's a waste of my time and my resources and there are PLENTY of other fish in the sea.

Fewer people to deal with will make things much clearer and more power will accrue to those who stay in the hand.

We're not at that part of the process where you call the hand and show your cards yet.

Yes, you do have to be willing to withhold your vote, BUT TIMING IS EVERYTHING, and a bunch of people in this thread just ruled themselves out on the first round.

I say good riddance, because I doubt their intentions in the first place.

[yurbud]

681. I think it's the opposite: if we give our support now, it will be taken for granted just as it was

after 2008.

Progressives worked their asses off and gave money to Obama, and from his appointments to his cabinet with the exception of his labor secretary, and how he has handled most legislation thereafter he has sent them to the back of the bus and put the corporate sell outs in the driver's seat.

[kurtzapril4]

455. Yeah, we're being played(and patronised), alright

By people who believe the the same as you do: pragmatists, DLC democrats, third way democrats, neo-democrats, blue dog democrats; whatever you're are calling yourselves these days.

I'm not a "professional liberal." In fact, I'm not a professional anything....I'm un-employed. Been applying for any and every job I am qualified for, from burger flipper to admin. assistant....for the last 6 months. No dice.

I guarantee you, that no matter what else OBama accomplishes in the next 2 years...if the economy doesn't turn around in a big way, he is a one term president. In the end..most Americans vote their pocketbook, as will I.

What was that sign that Clinton had his staffers make up for him? "It's the economy, stupid." Well, it's the economy, stupid.

I certainly don't appreciate being called a "fucking retard," or that I'm "on drugs," or that "I want a pony" or whatever other horse-shit, cheap ass meme you neo-dems are using these days. I really, really, really fucking resent it. You aren't making your side look too good, in fact, I'd say you're all for the status quo.

I wish I was on drugs...things might seem a little better.

And if I have under 1,000 posts...it's because I go outdoors once in a while.

[SpankMe]

393. Ouch!!!

"They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon."

Now that hurts, because that's just what a Republican would say. You'd never hear a Republican administration criticizing their own far right like that.

[orleans]

394. fuck him

instead of sitting up and taking note he thinks of drug testing.
fuck him.

[yurbud]

397. My comment posted on THE HILL:

The White House is being dishonest about the nature of the resentment.

We recognize that compromise is a part of politics and you won't always get a perfect bill, but what is aggravating is Obama's STARTING POSITION is often pre-compromised, he leaves the details to be hammered out by the more corrupt members of his party in Congress, then tells the progressive majority of Democrats in Congress to take it or leave it instead of pressuring the handful of corrupt ''centrists'' to back stronger bills.

Blanche Lincoln's primary challenge and Obama's public support for her shows that he had a stick to beat her and other centrists with--withholding his public support in primaries.

He is not forced to compromise his ideals but is forcing the majority of the party to accept weaker legislation than even the public wants.

That is the real reason why the Democrats lost the super-majority in the Senate. They didn't use it to accomplish great things but instead spent all their time begging Republicans for advice and implementing it even though they knew Republicans would never vote for the final product. They unnecessarily weakened legislation when they had no reason to.

Majorities of voters and wide majorities of Democrats in centrist Dems states wanted the public option in health care, but the White House and centrists ignore their constituents to pass health care reform that Mitt Romney could have written.

On financial reform especially, this is not a matter of nitpicking but of economic survival for middle class Americans: the tougher that bill is, the longer we can stave off the next Wall Street precipitated crisis. By letting pols owned by Wall Street water down the bill, they didn't do enough to weaken those who gut our economy with outsourcing jobs and pump and dump bubbles that enrich a handful of trust fund babies and wipe out the investments and retirements of middle class Americans.

Likewise, his appointees to key positions were people who formulated and enacted past policies that led to our economic crisis. The only jobs Robert Rubin and Larry Summers should have at the White House should be as dishwashers or valet parkers.

We want Obama to do more not out of ideological purity, but as a matter of survival and justice.

His approach of health care, financial reform, and sadly, even dealing with BP in the Gulf is the equivalent of a judge asking a rapist or murderer to help figure out the best punishment and restitution for his crimes.

We have spent three decades giving the wealthy and large corporations a free rein and lighter taxes in this country in the hope that it would trickle down on us. People realized it hasn't, but instead of making the profound changes necessary to undo that, Obama is doing just enough to appear to do something to assuage public anger, but not enough to prevent the same abuses from occurring again.

[Lil Missy]

402. He's right. People who think Obama = gw are ridiculous and impossible to please.

[nightrain]

422. please give links from DU that correlate GWB with Obama.

[Lil Missy]

452. please go fly a kite. I didn't mention DU. I said people who say Obama = gwb = ridiculous

[nightrain]

454. yeah, I didn't see any on DU either, nor "out there". LOL

but it sounds good, huh? stirring the pot...

[theFrankFactor]

407. Proud to be Professional Left! Fuck you fake Democrats and Blue Bitchs

[LWolf]

408. Damn. He sounds just like

the regulars posting in GDP and the Obama forum.

Deja Vu.

[NJmaverick]

409. The White House has every reason to be angry at the "'professional left"

[theFrankFactor]

412. Where's the punch line?

Is it:

It's the reason Congressional approval ratings are sucking dirt.

or

It's the reason Barack Obama's approval ratings are sucking dirt.

or

The "Professional Left" keep reminding people of the real reasons Congressional and Presidential approval ratings are sucking dirt.

or

The Professional Left are professionals and not weak ass wannabe dick weeds like our bamboozled fans.

[NJmaverick]

Sadly there isn't one, unless you are a Republican reaping the benefits

of the unreasonable, over the top and destructive criticism Gibbs is referring to

[Name removed]

421. Deleted message

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

[Chisox08]

571. Over the top criticism!?

Are you serious. We wanted our President to fight for Democratic values (I know the long white house blue links response is coming). When it came to Health Care they caved to the right. Hell Single payer advocates was locked out of the debate. WE didn't even get a public option, all we got was a mandate to buy insurance from the predatory insurance companies with little to no real regulations on them.
We got financial regulation that does nothing to stop to big to fail and derivatives trading. To me the criticism is deserved.

[mike r]

413. White House in dispute with 'professional left'

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The White House is defending Press Secretary Robert Gibbs over his criticism of the "professional left." Gibbs said some liberals critical of the administration ought to be drug-tested and wouldn't be satisfied until the Pentagon was eliminated.

Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton downplayed Gibbs' comments Tuesday, saying the press secretary simply "answered honestly" in a conversation with a reporter. Gibbs' comments were published in The Hill newspaper and drew angry retorts from some bloggers.

One Democratic congressman called for Gibbs to resign.

Gibbs lashed out at leftists who complain President Barack Obama hasn't moved far enough on issues like health care. He said people who say Obama is like George W. Bush "ought to be drug tested."

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i-Lypz8M2ebUXWtYScVGX3btdy9wD9HGQD7O0

[Lil Missy]

414. In other news - DU is not representative of the majority of Democrats or progressives.

[1955doubledie]

415. Oh, so you looooove Gibbs, is that it?

[Lil Missy]

633. yeah! So neener neener neener.

[DainBramaged]

425. And neither are you

:puke:

[Lil Missy]

635. and your mama wears army boots!

[DainBramaged]

637. (sigh) she passed away over a year ago, so your reply belies your intelligence

two words, and they aren't Merry Christmas.

[Lil Missy]

639. mainly because half the people I was with believed it until I explained the situation to them

[patrice]

432. I wish we had a forum where folks could post what races their working on. I just see no need to

credit those who don't do the work, likely BECAUSE they are hoping for failure, under the sick delusion that they will be able to "do it right" in the chaos that they have wrought.

[Fruittree]

540. Thank you for writing a truth people seem to want to ignore...

[BulletproofLandshark]

416. The MIC is going to be the downfall of this country.

Too bad Gibbs is too dimwitted to see that.

[patrice]

439. Getting rid of careerism on "the Left" justifies the Left's demand that others do the same.

[defendandprotect]

556. Gibbs isn't "dimwitted" . .. he's playing the DLC-corporate-power game . . .

That's where he sees the power -- and that's where he's staying!!

Agree re MIC -- Bush doubled the costs of it -- !!

Nature is going to play the final cards -- which is what we should all be talking about --

another huge chunk off a glacier in Greenland the other day/?

Russia trying to deal with great heat/wild fires and trying to keep their military weapons/arsenals

from exploding !!! Nuclear crap from Chernobyl could create new problems???

Floods in Pakistan --

We've known about this since '57 at the latest -- the oil industry/Pentagon war machine

will kill us --

Capitalism is suicidal in its exploitations!!

[woo me with science]

417. Which Democratic congressman? nt

[Abq_Sarah]

420. Keith Ellison

[woo me with science]

488. Thanks. nt

[MorganaSeawalker]

438. Checkbook closed.

Bash the Left, dis liberal Democrats as crazy druggies! Checkbook is closed. To coin Jon Stewart's favorite words ---- --- Gibbs.

[defendandprotect]

555. Think it's our WH administration which needs to be drug tested . . .!!

Unless they're trying to lose this upcoming election??????????

[patrice]

418. There's a price you all; if you don't want to pay a price, why should you be included?

[DainBramaged]

423. Well, now we know, don't we? And people lost their voices because they knew

and tried to tell everyone.

And we're nothing but drug-addled naysayers.


I guess there is nothing more to say. We know where we stand. We elected a dream and it looks like it is turning into a nightmare.

[defendandprotect]

554. +1000% . . . we need another plan for 2012 . . .!!

[zenprole]

426. Butt Puppet

For months, I've been saying that Gibbs is the true face of the Obama Administration. Press secretaries have devolved into a twisted, tinny version of a spokesperson, but Gibbs is an especially arrogant, bootlicking bottom-feeder. And he's near the pulsating center of this utterly fraudulent "No We Won't" administration.

It's so nice to see a tectonic scale of posts in response to Gibbs' delusionary outburst.

[theFrankFactor]

431. +1

Excellently put! Great observation!

[Hekate]

434. He's right. Those who say "Obama=Bush" should be asked what they're smoking.

Thank you Gibbsie for speaking the truth.

Now I'll say what he can't: The Obama = Bush crowd are *holes. You set up that dynamic and no further conversation is possible.

Hekate

[patrice]

444. Look at everyone in this thread pretending that there is no such thing as the "Professional Left"!!

Like we MUST have these Liberal power-brokers or we can't do our own thinking as Liberals, or we can't become a movement without these "Leftist" gatekeepers who tell others what to think and how to vote.

MOST OF THIS THREAD IS BULLSHIT!!!!!

:hug: Hekate :hug:

[kurtzapril4]

492. Hmmm.....

There's a professional right (the MSM). Can you explain to me why there shouldn't be a professional left?

So, it's okay with you that the right has a professional voice that gets heard on teh tee-vee all the time? The left should just go back to eating granola whilst sitting in the local Starbuck's in neighborhood focus groups? I guess we should shut up and sit down and just let the conservatives run rough-shod over everything, since the white house isn't that into crushing them?

That seems to be what you're advocating. Enjoy your one term president. And it won't be our fault...it'll be yours.

[patrice]

522. I don't think we NEED people, Left or Right, who make a career out of keeping us in separated armed

camps. The right does that and part of our problem with that is that in being so authoritarian, depending so much upon their "professionals", they have become inbred and abysmally and dangerously stupid. We should not risk that by lining up behind our own professionals on the Left.

We can prevent the alienation caused by authoritarian hierarchies, Left or Right, by distributing our leadership to **ALL** Real Liberals, people who are Liberal for its own sake, not for what's in it one way or another for themselves. There should be no one person or groups of persons who can say, in effect, "We refuse the deal that is being offered. Continue the conflict." That would be just replacing what has been going on on the Right with the same thing on the Left, so we'll always be at a disadvantage in the numbers game.

A hallmark of Liberalism is INCLUSION. This is our power, because it is the opposite of what the Right does, Exclusion. To become exclusive in the manner that the Professional "Left" proposes, i.e. "It's my/our way or the highway", abdicates our power by becoming that which we are fighting. There ARE professionals on the "Left" who BENEFIT from continued alienation and conflict. If we are to be a real People's movement, we can USE those professionals, but they MUST NOT be allowed to speak for ALL of us, because they have a conflict of (professional) interest in further division and continued problems. Look at how the Choice:Life debate never evolved into concrete solutions; that's because too many professionals developed a conflict of interest in perpetuating the differences rather than the commonalities.

I agree that the Left should have it's own professional media, but that's not what we are talking about here. This is about who either withholds or gives support ($$, work, votes) for what/when and, personally, I think that is waaaaaaaaay too important a question to turn the answers over to a bunch of anonymous posters on the internet, who seem to have a habit of frequently chanting that they will not support Democrats in November/2012. Even if they say so in good faith, they are quitting the negotiating process by taking their vote/support off of the table and if that's what they want, I say, so be it.

[totodeinhere]

445. Of course Obama does not = Bush. But having said that, Obama has continued or even expanded on

many Bush policies.

[Ramulux]

436. They just dont fucking get it

Recently I have been seeing some bad signs and this bullshit from Gibbs only adds to it. The dems have been making decent headway in a lot of important races all over the country and I feel are very likely to mitigate many of their losses, but stuff like this coming from the fucking press secretary is going to ruin our chances.

How can they not understand that they need us to show up in November, how can they not understand that making fun of us like little children DOES NOT FUCKING HELP? This administration continues to shoot themselves in the foot over and over again and the entire country is going to suffer for it.

[hulka38]

442. They continue to miscalculate badly. n/t

[truedelphi]

449. Sometimes abusive people get very mad at those who will insist on

telling the truth.

As we watch our insurance premiums skyrocket, despite last summer's deal of Health Care "reform" that the Rahm Obama Presidency made with The Big Insurers and Big Pharma, as we watch the Congress slash food stamps to cover teachers' salaries ("We have to!") we also watch the President and Congress both continue to supply huge amounts of money to the illegal, expensive, blood and money draining UNWINNABLE wars.

We cannot win these wars. There are only one hundred Al Queda in Afghanistan. Does anyone seriously consider our being able to fight a war on TWO fronts - Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Plus the situation in Iraq.

For what?

The President and congress's missteps on these issues push us closer and closer to a day when the policies will be met in THE STREETS.

Which is a very bad way to have things decided - look at the seven and a half million that died during the decade of French revolutionary fever in the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Century.

Look at what happened to the Aristocracy from 1914 to 1917 in Russia. The Russians and their rich person's DUMA did not want to admit what was happening to their middle and lower classes, and had they been willing to admit it, they may have prevailed in ushering in a true democracy. But instead we watched as their stubborn denial left them with riots in the streets and fanatics controlling their state for almost sixty years.

[nightrain]

457. hear hear!!

[defendandprotect]

553. The Obama health care fiasco/nightmare -- !! We wanted reform...not more deform....

[shireen]

453. they're BAFFLED???

Really? I don't believe that for a second. They know EXACTLY what they're doing.

They knew how to use us during the campaign. Now they're feigning surprise when we're protesting about unfulfilled campaign promises.


I hope Keith and Rachel serve up a mouthful in response to Gibbs' asinine comments.

:mad:

[mvd]

470. Either that, or they just don't know the situation

I gladly would have settled for a strong public option under the circumstances. Plus, what is so bad about a goal of Canadian health care? The new health law is more watered down than it should have been. I don't think we can win against an idea and think we should end the wars, but I also don't say we should have NO defense. I think Gibbs needs to go, because the President can't alienate the left, which was instrumental in getting him elected. Save the insults for the right. :hi:

[shireen]

482. thank you, mvd and other moderators ...

i see you're quite busy this afternoon. :evilgrin:

[Odin2005]

456. Another Obama FAIL.

“They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality."

Go screw yourself, Gibbs!

[defendandprotect]

552. +1000% ... yes, corporate bribery and pre-ownership of elected officials ....

make it "not reality" -- !!

[JoeyT]

476. More of the "Liberals don't matter" attitude.

Which they'll keep humping away at right up until they lose an election.
Then they'll scream like stuck pigs about how the left "betrayed" them.
Hell, I think there were references to Nader in this very thread.

Either liberals matter or they don't. You don't get it both ways. If we matter, then it might be a good idea to throw us some political bones. If we don't, then people can stop the endless whining about Nader already. (Especially since Gore won anyway.)

[mdmc]

480. I'll stand with the left

sure, I don't like when GOP corporatist are in power.. but I also don't like when DLC corporatist are in power..

[patrice]

490. I stand with the REAL Left. NOT those who promote division for their own gain = Professional "Left"

[mdmc]

748. I've never heard of "the professional left"

I've never met a leftist that is paid to be that way.. Just the opposite in fact..

[cstanleytech]

481. "ideological purity"? I must have missed the memo that we have adopted

the republican ideological purity tests to make sure everyone marches in lockstep like the republicans are doing.

[patrice]

483. Well you'd better march in lock-step here: you can't admit that there is a PROFESSIONAL "Left"

We're talking about people making their careers out of "the Left" the same way that careers were made out of the Choice:Life debate which ultimately never added up to SOLUTIONS for America's young women.

This is about people, professionals, more interested in keeping the fight going than in doing anything for the people who need stuff done, because solutions mean that they are out of a job.

[defendandprotect]

546. It's the DLC way of trying to shut up the left -- we're telling inconvenient truths re the party!!

[jmowreader]

484. This is really fucking stupid, you know that?

The people he is referring to are the ones who will not be satisfied until Dennis Kucinich is president. Well, surprise kids, that is NOT going to fucking happen so get over it. If we get so monumentally stupid as to run Kucinich in the general election the Republicans will call him Dennis the Menace repeatedly and show footage of the Cuyahoga River on fire so many times that by the end of the general election there will be Republican groups out there who are taking up a collection to buy a barrel of diesel, pour it on the Cuyahoga, set it on fire and throw Michael Steele on top of it. (That's not to say they don't want to do that NOW...)

Most of us would just like him to quit going to the Republicans and going "okay, okay, we'll give you exactly what you want if you just don't filibuster."

Like I have said before, we could completely eliminate the threat of filibusters from that party until the end of time if President Obama would simply hand them a phone book and a bottle of makeup and tell them to have fun. (They'll need the makeup because we're going to put the filibuster on national television so their constituents can see just what their senators are doing to take care of the interests of their constituents.) The networks will make money by selling a scroll at the bottom of the screen to every left-wing group out there..."MoveOn.org says you should call 1-800-555-1212 and tell Senator Snodgrass to shut the fuck up and do something positive for America."

[defendandprotect]

551. It is stupid . . . and Gibbs should be gone -- however. . .

ALL liberals/progressives are under attack -- not just Kucinich -- not just Howard Dean --

all of them --

Pelosi is making that clear to you if you're listening --

"Obama was for a lot of things when he was campaigning ... that he's no longer for!"

Also, this is the third shot at the Democrats -- and Pelosi has already complained twice --

she's wonder -- as we are -- is the White House looking for a Repug win?

That would work for the DLC-corporate wing, but not for the rest of us!!

Meanwhile, STOP the fear-mongering -- leave that to the GOP which does it so well --

and dump the rest of the insults --- "Miracles, ponies, purity, superman, magic wands" --

all of the junk that evades the issue . . .

Obama is governing as a DLC-corporate president --

We don't want it -- and we need a new Democratic candidate in 2012 --

We need a liberal/progressive like Grayson to step up!!

[defendandprotect]

491. MEDIARE FOR ALL .... isn't a "reality" in USA???? Only because of corporate control of the Party!!

[golddigger]

502. Gibbs: Just shut the fuck up

and vote for us.

[defendandprotect]

544. Gibbs should be fired -- WTF????

[kestrel91316]

504. I'll settle for Canadian healthcare in a heartbeat, Mr. Gibbs. A smaller Pentagon

along with it would be icing on the cake. And an end to ALL corporate welfare and fossil fuel subsidies.

[rury]

528. Demanding liberal purity will only result in us getting our asses

handed to us in election after election.
I am very liberal and would have loved single-payer, Canadian or European-style health insurance, but it wasn't happening so I damn thankful for the excellent start that covers an additional 31 million U.S. citizens.
Congress is simply not filled with enough progressives to do a lot of things we want and it is stupid - considering checks and balances/separation of powers - that President Obama can somehow MAKE conservative Democrats/Blue Dogs do that which corporations pay them NOT to do.
Money talks, Congresscritters worship mammon and change comes slowly, but surely.

[defendandprotect]

543. "Purity" and "Pony" are becoming dirty words here ... imitating rw fear mongering ...

isn't going to help the Democrats in November --

instituting liberal/progressive programs will!!

[kestrel91316]

631. Don't presume to use that RW talking point "purity" crap with me.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

512. It's nice to know they care SO much

to actually get angry over us. :nuke:

[RT_Fanatic]

514. Now that Gibbs mentions it...

"They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon."

Sounds like a promising start.

[defendandprotect]

542. +1000% ... and obviously that's how most of the country feels .... which is making Gibbs cranky!!

[LatteLibertine]

523. Dump Gibbs and bring back Van Jones

I want to see Van Jones as White House Press Secretary dealing with Pox News in their new front center position at briefings. :)

[rateyes]

527. Member of the Professional Left here (special ed school teacher):

Gibbs can go fuck himself.

Can't stand the heat, get out of the damned kitchen, asshole.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

537. Politically, this White House is horribly inept

Blame Rahm, blame who ever. But for Gibbs to go out and take a giant shit on Obama's base, has to be the most idiotic thing they could do politically. I am starting to think that not only are we getting screwed policy wise, these people are so inept politically to even know the damage they are doing to their own reelection campaign.

[knixphan]

539. Primaries Matter.

Let's get to work, progressives.

[Chisox08]

550. Gibbs is good for a chuckle

I'm glad to hear that the cornerstone of the Democratic platform Universal Health care is crazy. Oh yeah about the drug testing the next time I got an email or a letter asking for donation I'm going to tell them that I'm saving for a drug test that I might take on election day.

[politicalmajority]

557. Even the George W. Bush White House Did Not Publicly Insult Americans Like the Obama White House Did

Barack Obama has much more arrogant attitude than George W. Bush did against American people.

The arrogant behaviors of Rahm Emanuel and Robert Gibbs reflect how Obama thinks of American people.

[golddigger]

572. GWB publicly insulted Americans by being President.

[hay rick]

558. Ingrate checking in.

Last sentence of the article: "And from Gibbs’s perspective, and the White House perspective, they ought to be able to catch a break from people who, in their view, should be grateful and appreciative."

"Health care reform" is welfare for the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. "Financial reform" is a free pass for the financial institutions that plunged us into the abyss. "Ending the war in Iraq" is rebranding occupying troops as advisors. Obama's "Deficit Commission" is a thinly disguised platform for attacking Social Security. And the list goes on.

Gibbs' statement that "they will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we've eliminated the Pentagon" is particularly galling. He's correct about the healthcare. If we had a Canadian style system of healthcare we'd be spending barely half what we're spending now on health care, we'd have virtually universal coverage, and we'd live longer. I'm not sure which part of that trifecta the administration finds objectionable.

As for the Pentagon, I don't want to see it eliminated, but I do believe we could cut our DEFENSE budget in half and not have to worry about anybody invading us.

I'm not part of the "professional left"- whatever that is, but I am definitely part of the ungrateful left.

[maritzasolito]

562. I agree with Gibbs and no need to apologize

Here is an O-ED posted on this website some time ago: the email i will probably regret sending--edited with thanks and some responses
by NearlySomebody

Fri Jul 23, 2010 at 11:53:02 PM PDT
Wish I could write something in anger and disgust EVERY morning at 2AM then wake up at 7 and have my wife tell me I am on the rec list. Glad you all find this useful. I am just sick and tired of pussyfooting around HOW WE GOT INTO THIS MESS. For those of you who object to the salty language, my apologies. Please take it out, rinse and repeat. For those of you who asked about how it will affect my relationship with my family, worry not. My family, though politically divided, is big on love and understanding of each other. I have an awesome family. For those who asked if they could use parts of it, by all means, take it away.
For the past few years I have been getting email forwards from my dad. He always asks if they are true, and I always do a little bit of research and debunk them. And that was ok, if annoying. But I finally sent the email I have been fearing I would, and now I wonder about the repercussions.
• NearlySomebody's diary :: ::
•
The email came to my box with the note, "This will probably piss you off..."
Thanks for sending it then; I really love to be pissed off.
The video was some asshat out in Vegas who runs a casino and wants to tell us how badly the American government has failed...and of course, the usual suspects from my dad's email circle all had to chime in and say how right he was and how bad Obama is, etc... ad nauseum... So I replied...
So let me get this straight, the great recession is government's fault, the uncertainty of the American business climate is government's fault, the fact that we are pissing away 12 billion a month in an illegal war for no good reason other than to make money for oil companies is Obama's fault, the fact that when Bush took over we had a record budget surplus and in his 8 years he LOST net jobs (as compared to population growth) and ended up with more deficit in 8 years than we had had in the previous 200...and somehow this is Obama's fault? Jesus Christ. If you sat through the last 8 years and watched the Constitution shredded, our treasure wasted on a war we were LIED into, and the wages and wealth inequity gap get just as big as it was before the Great Depression and then you get mad at liberals, there ain't much I can do for you.
But for starters, what do YOU THINK is going to happen when the top 1% own 33% of everything in America and the top 10% own approximately 65% of it? Who is left to buy all the useless shit that we have to consume just to prop up the economy? Through the combination of union busting, outsourcing, and the ever-shifting tax burden from the rich to the middle class over the last 30 years, the middle class has had to borrow money for the last 3 decades to keep up with the cost of living. Inflation outpaced job earnings over the last 30 years. Think about that. If you don't see that there have been systematic problems in the country for almost as long as I have been alive, you need to start paying attention. They engineered policy to keep interest rates low to make it cheap to borrow money, and that's how we ran America...that's how we HAD to run America because working people were not making enough to make ends meet. So we borrowed and borrowed and borrowed. And then the bill came due. Hey, this is kind of funny! Did you know that Bush raised the debt ceiling 7 times while he was in office? That's like...almost every year he was in office,right? And you want more of that?
So to recap, Bush financed two wars on a credit card by selling debt to China...and NOW you are pissed off about government spending? Bush LOST net jobs...and NOW you are pissed off about jobs? Bush and the republican congress drove the car into the ditch and Obama tried to pull it out, and NOW you're mad? Now? You sleep-walk through the destruction of habeas corpus, through tax dollars spent on torturing people, through illegal and unconstitutional wire-tapping of America citizens, (and this shit is still happening because now it is JUST THE WAY WE DO THINGS HERE. THANKS!) through illegally outing an American spy for a political grudge, through the deregulatory enabling of Enron, Worldcom, and the shredding of Glass-Steagall (when they did the same thing with savings and loans we got the S&L implosion of the 80s...so we deregulated banks and got the banking implosion of the aughts. Which part of that is difficult to understand?) Your email circle slept through all of that, and NOW they get mad. Unfuckingbelievable.
Here, have some fun facts about wages in America: http://www.businessinsider.com/... Look through the slide show and tell me what you see. Rich getting richer, everyone else getting poorer.
Now some dipshit who owns a casino is going to lecture me about financial responsibility? A casino owner is going to lecture me about the proper use of my money? Really? Some asshole who is moving his corporate headquarters to China so he won't have to pay any taxes to America, a system whose government-subsidized roads and airlines supply him with an endless supply of morons who will gamble away their money at his resort? Give. Me. A. Break. If it were not for federal and state money supplying them with water, do you think they could even live out there in the FUCKING DESERT? Fuck him.
The reason we have an oil spill in the gulf, the reason the economy collapsed, and the reason we have wasted so much money in Iraq (did they find those WMDs yet?) is because government did NOT do its requisite job of oversight and regulation. The market is not rational...PEOPLE are rational. That is, if you are the guy who realizes that he can rip people off for billions of dollars and not get in trouble for it, you will, every single time. That is a cold, rational decision, the products of which we are suffering through right now. When you give regulators jobs to "regulate" and then tell them sort of tacitly that the market is infallible and that they should not interfere, you get this: http://www.dailytech.com/... People making 200k a year (paid by taxpayers) to watch porn in their offices instead of doing their jobs. Then, the failsafe for republicans is they can turn around and say, "See! Government doesn't work!" Right, because those assholes are systematically trying to destroy it. You drive the economy into a ditch we have not seen since 1930, and then you bitch about Obama spending tax money to try to fix it? Where is the disconnect here exactly? Do you think McCain would have done a better job? Sarah Palin? For fuck's sake, if she is our savior we're in big trouble (even though she does read ALL OF THE MAGAZINES). Drill baby drill? That's your platform? HA! Then Bobby Jindal is going to bitch because the federal government is not helping them enough? Just drill some more and remember when you said this: "We oppose the national Democratic view that says the way to strengthen our country is to increase dependence on government. We believe the way to strengthen our country is to restrain spending in Washington, to empower individuals and small businesses to grow our economy and create jobs." Yeah, Bobby, this is deregulation come home to roost. Suck it.
Then to cap it all off, every email forward your friends have sent in the last 8 years has been false. (Remember, these are the "rational" republicans, not the naive and emotional democrats!) I mean, republicans are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own realities. Everything that you guys are passing around and getting all worked up about is, you know, pretty much a lie created specifically to manipulate you into being angry.
Do I seem pissed? I have to tell you, it is not just because of some douchebag casino owner. It is because there seems to be two kinds of people in America: people who try to make America better for the greatest number of people on one side and people who lie, deny scientific evidence, and try to kill you for being a democrat on the other. In case Fox hasn't been covering it, there was yet another murderous patriot last week on the hunt for liberals. He was going to go shoot up the ACLU in San Francisco because Glenn Beck put it in his mind to. He was going to go kill liberals...liberals like me. And every time your friends fire off another email full of lies, the world gets a little less safe for people like me. And that is why I am pissed.
There, rant done.

[webDude]

575. The progressives got his butt in the WH, or at least if you believe the elction ...

...was not already planned.

[SlingBlade]

577. Guess What Gibbs ....

Paybacks a Beeyotch !

[politicalmajority]

578. Dr. Paul Krugman Warned Obama Just Two Weeks Ago

Curbing Your Enthusiasm
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: July 29, 2010

Why does the Obama administration keep looking for love in all the wrong places? Why does it go out of its way to alienate its friends, while wooing people who will never waver in their hatred?

* * *

O.K., I don’t really know what’s going on. But I worry that Mr. Obama is still wrapped up in his dream of transcending partisanship, while his aides dislike the idea of having to deal with strong, independent voices. And the end result of this game-playing is an administration that seems determined to alienate its friends.

Just to be clear, progressives would be foolish to sit out this election: Mr. Obama may not be the politician of their dreams, but his enemies are definitely the stuff of their nightmares. But Mr. Obama has a responsibility, too. He can’t expect strong support from people his administration keeps ignoring and insulting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/opinion/30krugman.html

[depakid]

606. "He can’t expect strong support from people his administration keeps ignoring and insulting.}

Yet that seems to be exactly what they expect.

Either that or they really DO want to be "working with" a Republican Congress.

[mike r]

655. Maybe that's their plan

A do-nothing White House and a do-nothing Congress.
And everyone gets all the perks and big bucks for doing nothing.

[Owl]

580. I'm glad there is at least some recognition that the "liberal left" is unsatisfied. Let's hope it's

Let's hope it's a wake-up call.

[scentopine]

582. Remember this - the Whitehouse doesn't need your money or your vote because

they have Fortune 500 covering their ass. That's how they can get away with repeatedly stabbing us in the back.

Fortune 500 goes to India, the Whitehouse goes to Fortune 500. We are being treated exactly as employees.

Fuck you, Gibbs.

The fact is, they believe they can win elections and stay in business by focusing on right wingers.

Both parties hate liberals.

Now its time for centrists to defend the the inherent balance of the two party system and the free markets.

[Jakes Progress]

586. Gibbs and Obama don't want my help in next election?

Fine.

They can crawl over glass and eat dirt to woo right wing nut-jobs and homophobes and corporate whores, but the ones who spent all those hours on the campaign are told to suck it.

Fine

Unless they are stupid as well as morally challenged, they have decided that they now have so much money from the corporate interests that they will get elected the way republicans do, without he help of the people but by buying the election.

S'okay. I've got better things to do with my time.

[mzteris]

588. anyone saying Obama is like Bush IS

crazy. They're high on something. Hate, I guess.

[maritzasolito]

594. "Being wrong while being right"

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/8/10/891907/-Being-wrong-while-being-right
Being wrong while being right
by blackwaterdog

Tue Aug 10, 2010 at 04:28:34 PM PDT
• blackwaterdog's diary :: ::
“Gibbs did a stupid thing, he should have known better, but he told the truth. And those who actually read all his comments know that he was NOT talking about the grassroots, about people who worked hard to get Barack Obama elected, not to mention the 90% approval he's got among Liberals - it's a bad spin - he talked about the same people Michael Moore once called "The Professional Left", those who makes very good money from their job as "Lefties", regardless the reality, regardless the damage they inflict.
It's about joining the Right Wing in creating a narrative of failure around a very good Liberal president. It's just amazing. In 18 months of some of the most toxic political environment in history, the man did more to promote the progressive cause than anyone but two other presidents, and he's "Like Bush"?
You can't just criticize him ALL THE TIME, never have his back, and then insist that it's about keeping his feet on fire. No one except Rachel Maddow even bother to mention most of the great progressive stuff that he has done. There's a whole new criteria for this president - Do twice the job for half the credit.
When the most Liberal president in decades is labeled as "Bush" 24/7 by the "Liberal media", when Right Wing talking points being used as weapon against him from the left - then it doesn't matter much who will win this November. Or in 2012 – and i'm almost ready to bet that it won't be Barack Obama, that he'll take the family and go home. I'm pretty sure that Bill Maher can win the election.”
The right wing must be very happy at the reaction of the left; welcome to the tea-baggers wagon US lefties! We sure deserve all the shit that we get from the “right”!

[humanityisfree]

596. who do they think elected them...!!!

Without the "professional left;" their organizing acumen, their pre-existing grass-roots connections and savvy, Obama would have had a much tougher time getting elected. Yes, it was the "independents" and "Moderate Democrats" that went to the pools in record numbers (along w/ progressives), but with out the energy and momentum generated by the net-roots, grass roots, and progressive left he would have had a tough go of it.
Now he (through Gibbs) wants to throw us under the bus for what??!! more pandering to the center-right republicans?

I'm loosing my patience.

[maritzasolito]

603. You go right ahead and Vote BUSH the next time around!!!

I will vote for THEE Black guy even if he does not run again! I'll take his "shit" berore any one's! (???)

[FedUp_Queer]

617. EXACTLY!!!

It was Bush that was for endless war in Afghanistan.
It was Bush who gave us Gitmo and Bagram.
It was Bush who gave is warrantless wiretapping.
It was Bush who gave is indefinite detention.
It was Bush who put banks before people.

Oh wait...did I vote for Bush in 2008?

[scentopine]

607. No problem, Gibbs will fix it later, just as soon as he's done fixing health care reform -nt

[maritzasolito]

612. Yippy!

Vote rebukes just as the Hill wants you to do and forget what President Obama has so far done for us!

You have to love Bush for sure! Oh well, I forgot what Bush did already, lovely for sure!!! Oh wait for $9.99 I can throw in the Iraq was plus how many died there don't worry about that, we have a better solution for ye, we have got the tax cuts for the very rich that you poor fucks are supporting!!!

Thank you Gibbs for remanding me more that others!!!

Rebukes please keep on saying "Hell No!!!" I so totally appreciate it!

[blackspade]

614. OOPs!

Apparently my last post in this thread was OTT and deleted!?

As a member of the Liberal Progressive Left I intensly resent Gibbs characterization of my belief that the administration should live up to or at least attempt to live up to its campagne promises.

Gibbs and the administration, if he is speaking for Obama, can go stick their heads in a bucket*.

I don't want Canadian health care, I want American single payer or at the least a public option that actually means something.
Also I have no interest in closing the Pentagon, but I sure think that it needs to be downsized.

The list that the "professional left" is disappointed or mad about is huge, with good reason.
Dispite the administation's accomplishments, it is clear that they didn't push far enough, and bargined away the best starting positions before negotiations even began.

*This is not what I want to say, but apparently using F*** O** was a post deleting offense.

[FedUp_Queer]

615. I'll have a drug test...

right after they take a cojones test. Prediction: both will come out negative.

[Goldstein1984]

623. Since I'm not paid to be on the Left, I assume I'm a member of

the "amateur left."

And I'm going to do everything in my power to help defeat the Professional Centrists who compromise civil liberties and support illegal wars, regardless of party.

[pmorlan1]

626. Gibbs let it slip how they really feel about us

I'm not shocked by what Gibbs said because it's been pretty clear for a long time that what he said was exactly how they feel about us.

I have no desire to vote for the Republicans but I also have no desire to vote for a Democrat who says one thing on the campaign trail and does a 180 once in office. For me BETRAYAL is not something I take lightly. I'd rather have my enemy do me in than have my friend stab me in the back and then call me names if I so much as question their treachery. Some people may feel comfortable allowing others to walk all over them out of some misguided notion of Party loyalty but I don't. You have to earn my vote by actions not words. I don't give my vote to you just because you or someone else thinks that you are entitled to it merely because you have a "D" next to your name. I came to this Party because of what it represented and I will vote only for those candidates who uphold those ideals.

[bertman]

629. Gibbs and Co. just reminded me why I will NOT give to the DNC, DCCC, DLC

or anyone else associated with the Democratic party leadership until they turn the U.S.S. Titanic away from the iceberg.

[patrice]

640. So some Dems want Progressives out of the process even if they lose and you all are planning to

give them exactly what they want = THEY WIN, because they'll just eventually pass those seats on to the next generation of Blue Dogs.

[patrice]

644. In this area, AFP runs attack ads on Pelosi et al, so how is it going to help her

if you get others to withhold their support across the board?

Quitting the struggle is losing; it's not preservation of Progressive values - BECAUSE YOU ARE IR-RELEVANT.

[Frisbee]

648. 651 post and 220 recs...

looks like someone hit a nerve!

[Name removed]

657. Deleted message

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

[maritzasolito]

664. Vote TeaBagter! Vote Bush! Vote Repuke!

Oh, I hate that Obama guy who is doing WAYYYY TOO much to undo Bush's crap for me!!! Kenyan, Muslim, Communist, Fanciest, That Hawaii-Asian or something I tell ya!!!

Since I am a levfty, I will for sure vote for the AZ law, trow away the 14th (you knoe what) out too! Gays? hell no-I just had my gay friends ove for dinner and my husband whom I have been married to for a qtr of a sentury did not turned gay!

Lord, save me from that Gibbs and that Black man so Called "Obama".

[liberation]

667. Strawmen, red herring, and a side of implicit ad hominem.

I'll be damned if you just did not hit the trifecta of intellectual fallacies.

Congrats I guess.


Desperate much? See what happens when your only electoral value proposition amounts to basically crying wolf? Remember, Peter had his flock eaten in the end. LOL....

[No Elephants]

665. So, what did Bob the Straw Man Builder say about the unemployment numbers?

[Armed and liberal]

671. Gibbs can kiss my liberal ass

It was the liberals who worked to put this administration in power and we have been getting the dutch uncle treatment ever since. I'll vote for Kucinch or Nader and risk letting the GOP back in before I'll be taken for granted by this administration.

[gauguin57]

678. Yes. I WILL be happy when we have Canadian healthcare. ...

... since you guys told us you'd work toward a public option while we were voting for you!

And I'd also be very, VERY happy if Dennis Kucinich were president.

[WheelWalker]

682. I was from the start a Joe Biden supporter. I warmed slowly

to Barack Obama, committing only after it was clear he would carry the standard (admittedly, of a wide tent). One thing (of two) that kept me from committing while Hilary Clinton still had hope was Barack Obama purportedly telling the Boomers to "get over themselves" or something similar. Maybe I'll search back through the DU posts to find how pissed off I was at that perspective. As a quasi-politician/quasi-judge,however, I have come to appreciate how difficult balance is to maintain; and balance, after all, is what keeps us standing. Still, I want more; and, while I might expect more, I should not forget that he is exactly what he has always portended. He is not what I would want, but he is not = Chimp. All that being said, I'll give this thread a pump with a kick and a recommendation. Because I am above all, not merely a professional progressive.... I worked for Jerry Brown's campaigh for President, and I'm fuck'n A proud to be on the Lunatic Fringe. Blessings.

[patrice]

686. Actually, I'm more worried about November than I am 2012, but I'm going to tell you up front . . .

I'm going to have a damned hard time working with and giving money for anyone who cops out on us in November.

[defendandprotect]

689. II was a Delegate for Jerry Brown --

but how could you support anyone DLC-corporate wing?

I wouldn't have voted for Obama had I known he described himself as "New Dem" --

Also surprised re support for Biden -- we have Clarence Thomas -- pervert -- on the

SC because of Biden's deceptions/lies -- !!

[WheelWalker]

693. .If there is one thing I've come to understand

after all these years it is that things are not as they might appear. I find doubt more frequently justified than might have been supposed, and even the most plausible premises have shown themselves capable of yielding implausible conclusions. The net result, I trust, is to substitute articulate hesitation for inarticulate certainty.

[Enthusiast]

701. We don't know exactly

what is going on with the administration. But it is clear that things are not on the up and up.

We do know something is afoot and we are convinced that it is not good. We watched the administration capitulate on various health care reform issues. And we know they gave the pharmaceutical industry exactly what they wanted.

We also know the financial reform legislation was designed to preserve the insane secret derivatives market. This on top of the fact that there were no conditions with the bailout, among other bailout issues.

This was an ugly realization for me. I did not vote for this shit, articulate or not.

[WheelWalker]

705. I don't disagree with a thing you said.

I am on your page. When there was talk of hope, I drank a full measure. Now, like Lewis & Clark upon reaching the Pacific, I rest at Cape Disappointment.

[defendandprotect]

740. Many are still reluctant to say they've been duped . . .IMO --

[defendandprotect]

739. Are you somewhere in that doublespeak trying to say Biden isn't corporate?

[flyarm]

703. Hey Gibbs , I would be damned glad to have Canadian Health care instead of the pile of horse shit we

had shoved down our throats and being sold out by your boss!

K&R!

and psssss ibbs , I am a liberal professional who has never done drugs..ever!

[defendandprotect]

741. We should be so lucky as to have a Canadian Health Care Plan --

evidently all we can afford is a huge MIC -- Intelligence complex !!

[Bluesbreaker]

704. Ho hum . . . more hope and change for the corporatocracy

If only the WH was this tough on Wall Street or the Pharmaceutical industry or the military industrial complex (got to keep those wars going for Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing et al.)

[Waiting For Everyman]

711. A corporatist by any other name is still a corporatist.

(Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, yup it's a fuckin' duck.)

Gibbs is just pissed because the left isn't as stupid and easily propagandized as the right.

The condescension and open insult in this crosses the line.

[Festivito]

713. Methodonists calling pot-heads "druggies" which ends up supporting the grand old crackheads.

Expressing reality is harder than having a think tank make things up for ya. So, the foibles get a little pathetic at times. At least it's not the see the fear and ignore your losses crackhead crowd.

This whole thread reads like a segment on unnecessary bleeping.

[Le Taz Hot]

716. Ah, yes. The standard Corporate Whore mantra:

"Fuck you! Now give me money and vote for us. Oh yeah, and fuck you again!" Makes this progressive liberal all warm and fuzzy. Check please!

[laureloak]

717. I agree with Gibbs. Anyone who believes Obama is like W

ought to be drug tested. It's crazy.

Remember that Obama is President for ALL people and not just a handful of Democrats who are only thinking of themselves in advancing their agenda.

[EFerrari]

719. When Obama continues a Bush policy, the left will call him on it.

That's not crazy, that's consistency. Unless you believe policies like wiretapping Americans and executing them without trail are okay now because Obama is doing them.

[No Elephants]

732. Crazy? What's a White House that calls its base fucking retards and, a few months before mid-terms,

says Republicans could gain control of the House and says Democrats should be drug tested unless they're in the "grateful to Obama" group? (Yes, I know that is not exactly what he said, but he mentioned only two groups of Democrats--grateful to Obama or in need of drug testing

"Remember that Obama is President for ALL people and not just a handful of Democrats who are only thinking of themselves in advancing their agenda."

Yes, a Democratic President is President of ALL the people (not only of those right of center). That means he tries to keep everyone safe from attack, spends money on everyone's education, health, disaster relief, etc., not only Democrats or blue states or blue districts.

When it comes to political agendas, however, any President is also head of his or her Party and responsible for advancing the Party platform and his or her Party's agenda. That's why we have two Parties, not one, and why we have Party platforms and political campaigns--so the people can choose between one political agenda and the other. And that's also what "Elections have consequences" means.

As far as that bit about a handful of Democrats who are only thinking of themselves in advancing their own agenda--sounds like you mean Gibbs and Rahm and company, who seem to think everything is about them and Obama's re-election, which keeps them in power. If not, I have no idea which "handful" of Democrats you are referring to or what personal agenda you mean.

[wordpix]

723. I'd be happy to have Canadian healthcare, as one whose daughter was born there & I lived there 5 yrs

so I'm qualified to say, bring Canadian health care on

[certainot]

724. gibbs is right -

(except for the canada thing)

THE LEFT IS NOT GETTING OBAMA'S BACK as long as it has no organized targeted response for dealing with the right's most important political tool- the 1000 coordinated radio stations that steer and feed media in this country- until then get used to the compromises. that coordinated UNCONTESTED repetition is why we are in iraq and have lousy health care and why the teabagers have more political/media power than the bloggers.

we got obama in there yes but the left collectively ignores the rights most important weapon while it pot shots all day, our causes, and our representatives. and they've been doing it for 20 years, since reagan killed the fairness doctrine. get used to the compromises.

until the left fixes the radio problem forget the kuciniches and wellstones. we don't have time for legislating a fix but if the left finally gets off their asses and pickets the radio stations that do the groundwork for all the right does it can WIN seats in November. until then liberals WILL NOT BE GETTING THEIR REPS BACKS. and they shouldn't expect them to stick their neck out.

[No Elephants]

727. Gibbs is wrong and you're way off base.

"THE LEFT IS NOT GETTING OBAMA'S BACK as long as it has no organized targeted response for dealing with the right's most important political tool-"

Yoo hoo. Once the left got him nominated, supposedly bc he was more liberal than DLC co-founder Hillary, he became the head of the Democratic Party and in control of the DNC. Guess whose job and responsibility it is to start up an "organized targeted response for dealing with the right's most important political tool" and get rank and file Democrats moving on it?" Hint: Not an unorganized, unfunded group of voters scattered throughout 50 states.

Also, once he got nominated, it became his job--and his turn-- to have the back of all Democrats, left and center right. Guess what? He put together a Cabinet and White House of DLC and Republican re-treads, with a side helping of Chicago friends. And shortly after that, Rick Warren said the most high profile prayer ever. And not long after that, Obama outed himself for the very first time, as a New Democrat. Not long after that, he began meeting with health insurers, Big PHRMA and Big Health care providers. It's no wild accident that the left began becoming disaffected.

When he takes his turn at having the back of the left , I'll go again.

Oh, and to the extent there has been a response to the right's media blitz, it's come from people like Olberman, Maddow, Schultz and Democratic "strategists" and pundits and the netroots. You know, the folks some might call "the professional left."

[certainot]

733. the left COLLECTIVELY has been ignoring rove's invisible 2x4

the DEM party should have bankrolled an effort specifically to monitor very day's national and local blowhards long ago but the rank and file ignores it because it gives them a headache to listen to it while it beats the crap out of their reps. getting their backs doesn't start from the little left media there is, it starts by protesting the 1000 coordinated local stations that lie and distort all day and fill our airwaves with racism and hate and global warming denial. WE get THEIR backs because as far as the billionaires and megacorps go dem president don't count for shit unless they play the game.

gibbs is frustrated and misses the root of the problem like ALL the left has- when adam green of the PCCC, which have done a lot of good stuff, says they'r egoing to pledge to get progressives back it is hollow if they're going to keep ignoring radio.

[No Elephants]

736. Again, Obama is head of the DEM Party and controls the DNC. If the DNC wants protests, it should

get the ball rolling. According to you, I guess Obama is not filling his responsiblity as Party head.

I don't think you do Obama any favors. The more people talk and act like the head of the Party that currently controls our country and the most powerful person in the world is helpless to fulfill his role or protect his own flank, the more lame they make him seem.

However, since you are convinced that it's unfunded, unorganized and unled rank and file Democrats who are at fault here, not Party leadership, you must feel really guilty that you've not done anything about it yet. What are you waiting for?

[certainot]

746. maybe you're new to politics

obama is not the most powerful person in the world and he's a politician, otherwise he wouldn't be in politics, and politicians generally have t compromise. the less the left is there to get their politicians backs the less progress we'll have and the more bold the fundie generals and oil lords get. you are naive if you think wellstone died in an accident.

every day the right sets up a soapbox on every corner in the country and screams our liberal mothers are whores and are fathers are thieves and the left collectively puts their fingers in their ears. if you don't think that makes a difference....

[DainBramaged]

731. I just thought I'd kick the shit out of this before it went to never never land

[superconnected]

742. I like what Gleen Greenwald says on this

"You may think that the reason you're dissatisfied with the Obama administration is because of substantive objections to their policies: that they've done so little about crisis-level unemployment, foreclosures and widespread economic misery. Or because of the White House's apparently endless devotion to Wall Street. Or because the President has escalated a miserable, pointless and unwinnable war that is entering its ninth year. Or because he has claimed the power to imprison people for life with no charges and to assassinate American citizens without due process, intensified the secrecy weapons and immunity instruments abused by his predecessor, and found all new ways of denying habeas corpus. Or because he granted full-scale legal immunity to those who committed serious crimes in the last administration. Or because he's failed to fulfill -- or affirmatively broken -- promises ranging from transparency to gay rights."
.
.
.

"Perhaps one day the White House can work itself up to express this sort of sputtering rage against the Right, or the Wall Street thieves who destroyed the American economy, or the permanent factions that control Washington. Until then, we'll have to satisfy ourselves with White House explanations that the Real Culprits are not (of course) them, but the Professional Left, that is simultaneously totally irrelevant and ruining everything. I'll give credit to Gibbs for putting his name on this outburst: these are usually the things they say anonymously and then deny afterward on the record that it's what they think"

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/08/10/gibbs

[Zorra]

743. Yikes! You'd think the prez would be more careful about the aides and advisors

the corporations pick for him.

Bobby, run along now. That's "good enough", sweetie. Mommy will fix it later.

Dude is either clueless or is a cheap corporate whore seeking to get more republicans elected to office.

[MoonGlow]

758. Who is the professional left anyway?