Our divisive president, redux

[TheIdiot]

From this morning's Washington Post:

Our divisive president, redux

By Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen
Saturday, October 30, 2010; 12:00 AM

President Obama's post-partisan America has disappeared, replaced by the politics of polarization, resentment and division.

In a Univision interview on Monday, the president, who campaigned in 2008 by referring not to a "Red America" or a "Blue America" but a United States of America, urged Hispanic listeners to vote in this spirit: "We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us."

Recently, Obama suggested that if Republicans gain control of the House and/or Senate as forecast, he expects not reconciliation and unity but "hand-to-hand combat" on Capitol Hill.

What a change two years can bring.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/29/AR2010102905966_pf.html

- - -

Also FTA: The president is the leader of our society. That office is supposed to be a unifying force. When a president opts for polarization, it is not only bad politics, but it also diminishes the prestige of his office and damages our social consensus.

Moreover, the divisive rhetoric that Obama has pursued can embolden his supporters and critics to take more extreme actions, worsening the spiral.

Emboldened, yes... a year ago, a month ago, last week I would not have posted this, gritting my teeth instead and remembering the derision for my defense of Hillary. Maybe next time...

[jaxx]

1. Oh brother.

[babylonsister]

2. TheIdiot-how appropriate. Perhaps you're on the wrong site? And

the primaries are over. :eyes:

[BlancheSplanchnik]

28. he thinks he's a disciple of Dostoevsky, I'll bet.

Dostoevsky would probably like to smack the pipsqueak.

[emulatorloo]

3. You really beleive this wingnut BS?

Seriously - Rove and his ilk started pedalling this 'divisive' crap before Obama took office

[TheIdiot]

8. So now Cadell & Schoen are Rove's ilk...?

And I'm the wingnut here...

[emulatorloo]

12. Didn't say you were a wingnut. I just asked if you actually believed the line Beck and Limbaugh

have been pushing from day one.

Seriously, the Republicans have lied and lied and lied about Obama and Dems in congress, they are the ones dividing the country.

[TheIdiot]

14. Of course Republicans lie...

that's what they do. But it's not a lie to say that our president goes out and refers to anyone who doesn't agree with us as "our enemies" and declares that they will be "punished" and that we will "reward" those who stand up with us. This embarrasses me, as it should any small-d democrat. He is our president, yes, but he's also the president of the entire nation.

[Windy]

4. hahahah....seriously, Move on and get a life! Patric Caddell?? Really?

And you think that a Hillary Clinton presidency would have brought the country together? Wow....can I have some of what you're smoking?

[emulatorloo]

5. Bushies: 'We make our own reality'

This article is really parallel universe stuff. Repubs have told every divisive lie in the books about Obama.

[TheIdiot]

6. Only difference is, now...

we're telling lies about ourselves.

I and others like me may not have prevailed in "the primaries", but what's more important is that our ultimate choice of president has failed to prevail in reality. When we lose the power of the pen, anything but acceptance is denial, and a very public denial, at that. Call me an idiot if you like, but this idiot was and is right - how could things possibly have been any worse?

[MineralMan]

7. Nobody is calling you an idiot but yourself.

You chose your screen name. Some screen names are descriptive. Others are not. You chose this one. Good luck to you in your future endeavors.

[TheIdiot]

10. Thank you, Mineral Man... same to you.

Although that's the least salient issue here, I believe I can understand why that's the one to which you've chosen to respond.

[MineralMan]

11. I did not give you the name, nor did I call you that.

You brought it up in the post to which I replied. In it, you referred to yourself as such, thus reinforcing your choice of screen names. I would not call anyone on DU an idiot. That someone can log on here and post a message is proof that they are not. Now, I suppose your screen name does get some attention, but, you are obviously not an idiot. By definition, that would make it impossible for you to have posted.

As to your OP, I find it not worth discussing, to be frank. Hillary Clinton would probably have done much the same as President Obama did on almost every issue. They are remarkably close in their views. I'm sorry you did not get the candidate you wanted. That's politics, I guess. Now, we have a Democratic President. I support him in what he is trying to do. Sadly, the situation makes some of it impossible or delays things.

Again, good luck to you in your future endeavors.

[emulatorloo]

13. Nobody is calling you an idiot.

I just don't think you have been paying very good attention these last two years as to who has been "divisive". Classic Republican 101 - accuse your opponents of what you are actually doing. That is what is going on in this editorial.

[TheIdiot]

15. Oh... I get it...

so it was my lying eyes and ears that watched and listened to our president call half the damned country, including quite a few blue dogs and independents, "our enemies".

[MineralMan]

16. Oh, balderdash and bother! (nt)

[emulatorloo]

17. The only citations I can find for that statement are on wingnut blogs. The same ones that claim

Obama is a "racist" in his Car in the Ditch Metaphor. These people exist to twist and deliberately misinterpret what Obama says.

Do you remember the "No Votar" ad? The one put out by Republicans to convince Latinos in Arizona to "punish democrats" by staying home and not voting? Well those wingnut blogs don't seem to remember it either.

EDIT: Spelling

[TheIdiot]

21. Why is it that anyone who disagrees with you...

is a wingnut or an enemy...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CJqD7F2pwA

(and I post this only because of your insistent denial)

[MineralMan]

18. What does that have to do with the idiot question.

As I said, I'm not addressing your OP. I don't see any reason to.

[TheIdiot]

22. Nothing, MM...

and yes, I understand and respect your decision to not address the topic.

[rury]

31. This was AFTER he reached out to them over and over

while they held up work on progressive legislation.
So yes, they are enemies, enemies of progress!!
Your screen name is highly apropriate and your nickname should be Troll.
Now, get thee back to redstate.org!!!!

[TheIdiot]

9. yes... and yes... next question? eom

[yurbud]

19. I can't believe Obama said that, but if he did, it is just an acceptance of reality

the right could not get more extreme and obstructionist, and pandering to them has gotten Obama nothing but demoralized democratic activists.

he needs to shit or get off the pot.

What exactly do you think Hillary would have done differently? Been even MORE conciliatory with the right?

[TheIdiot]

23. One man's conciliation...

is another's diplomacy.

Given the current, unprecedented ultra-polarized state of affairs, instead of "What could she have done differently?", shouldn't the question be "How could she have possibly done worse?"

[Doctor_J]

20. You trolls are really boring

shoo

[TheIdiot]

24. I understand, Doc...

when you can't refute the assertion, call names.

[Doctor_J]

32. This opinion piece has been run in every right-wing rag in existence

and will be on all 600 hate radio stations all day tomorrow. Which is not surprising, since the source is two Fox "News" employees. I wish you wingers would get the fuck out of here, and stay.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

25. WTF? There's no integrity in this article--it's the repuke lie machine.

"We're so innocent! WE were trying to cooperate, but he refuses to work with us! Everything is Obama's fault! Things weren't like this until HE took over!"

fucking propaganda.

[TheIdiot]

26. I guess I didn't get the memo...

re-assigning Caddell & Schoen to the ranks of the repuke lie machine.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

27. Dostoevsky wrote in order to shine a light on the hypocrisy

of the Soviet system..... you, TheIdiot, seem to write in order to nurture RW disinformation. Quite a reversal of your apparent hero's values.




As per Media Matters: With these continual attacks, Schoen and Caddell demonstrate over and over again why they're Fox News Democrats.


I'm not doing any re-assigning.

[marmar]

29. Hoo boy, you can tell we're close to the election........

Strays abound.

[Skittles]

30. this is ridiculous

The Washington Post doesn't understand the difference between campaigning for president and campaigning for mid-term? Please.