'Unity', Senator Obama? With the repubs?

[Sapphire Blue]

[sandnsea]

1. "if you can't convince 'em, you have to beat them"

He also said that, so let's get the record straight.

[Mind_your_head]

2. Sounds like a great 'strategy'....that most of this country is ready for.

'beat' meaning 'defeat', right?

[sandnsea]

6. As opposed to what? n/t

[Sapphire Blue]

4. Convince who of what? And just who is he trying to beat?

Some answers in an OP posted by Ken Burch...

Barack, if you want progressive support, stop acting like WE'RE as much to blame as the Right is.

In your book you attacked us repeatedly, and your basic attitude seemed to be that we had no right to ask or expect anything from you.

What did we do to deserve your contempt?

And what right do you have to ask us for support when you continue to give us this contempt?

You need to face facts.

the "center" no longer exists.

Progressive ideas have majority support.

And the way to win is to mobilize the progressive majority, not to demand that progressives shut up and remember our place.

You've made your campaign much harder by treating us this way.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3473179

[sandnsea]

7. contempt??

:eyes:

Oh honestly.

Are you trying to tell me that there is no possiblity that anybody on the left can ever be wrong about anything?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

8. From what we are told one major Dem candidate has never been wrong on anything nt

[draft_mario_cuomo]

5. That is spin. His chief theme is "unity" and a "new kind of (bipartisan) politics"

Of course he is going to say he will fight if he has to. He is running for president. What do you expect? What his orientation and preferences (consensus--which requires concessions to the right-wing--over fighting hard for 51 votes for the most progressive bill possible) are is very clear at this point. Let's put it this way, folks, who would you want walking into a room with right-wing Republicans and the insurance, drug industry's representatives and negotiating for you on health care? Someone like Obama, who would enter the room with a list of concessions he would be willing to make for consensus, or someone who walks into the room with his or her sleeves rolled up and ready to fight tooth and nail for progressive goals? Compromise when necessary is fine; to sacrifice progressive principles on the altar of consensus because of a perverse obsession with getting 65, 70 votes is a tragic mistake. Now is the time to fight for progressive change with a Democratic Congress and a Democrat in the White House by 2009. Compromise? "Unity"? Where was that from 2001-2006? When have they ever caved into us because of an obsession with "unity"? They don't give a damn about consensus. Look at what they have rammed through Congress in close votes and 5-4 decisions on the Supreme Court. Why should we? Because it polls well and makes for a good campaign commercial?

[Mythsaje]

3. The reason they keep getting away with everything they do

is every time we have the chance to put them on the ropes, to make the American people finally understand what greedy and violent impulses drive them, we end up with a milquetoast who wants to "play nice." The Republicans don't play nice. Ever. They gripe, groan, whine, bitch, and moan when they're in the minority, they obstruct anything that might actually HELP someone, they drag their heels, call us names from the side-lines, recruit and send out scum like Ann Coulter and her ilk to fire cannonade after cannonade of slime grenades in our direction, and otherwise act like a bunch of ten year old shitheads.

All the time pointing the fingers at us saying "you people are just so MEAN."

But when they're in power. Oh, my god. We know what happens then. They run roughshod over everyone, call us traitors, suggest that we be arrested, or even killed. Publically state they'd like our cities to be nuked, shriek like banshees when it's pointed out how hypocritical they are, and CUT OFF OUR MICROPHONES anytime we look like we might be getting a word in edgewise.

And they try to say that it's all OUR fault.

How, precisely, do we achieve "unity" with motherfuckers like that? Only one way...by rolling over and being their doormats. That's all they really want, after all. That we just shut up and let them fuck everyone over again and again with no objections from us.

Anyone ever notice that the only time they talk about unity in D.C. is when the Dems are in charge--or if it looks like they'll be in charge?

This is such bullshit.

I, for one, am NOT ready to make nice. I'm tired of digging daggers out of my back. We should ALL be tired of it.

On edit: I'm beginning to see why our Dems in congress seem so spineless. They're just representing all their constituents who are just as spineless.

[killbotfactory]

9. Yes, he should insult and disrespect every republican in the country

In fact, he should announce tomorrow, that if anybody considers themselves a republican, he doesn't want their vote, and he won't work with them in the government.

That will get him far.

[derby378]

11. Well, now that you mention it...

...if a Republican is willing to support neo-fascism in America, complete with the triumph of the military-industrial complex, I don't think any Democrat (with the possible exception of Hillary) would want their vote.

[wyldwolf]

10. Remember - up until Obama came along, anyone who felt this was was tarred and feathered here

I bet if theres ever a pic of Obama kissing Bush, the Obamites will will think it's a fine thing.