Starting to look like progressives will be left out in the cold again

[MadHound]

Clinton for SoS, Holder for AG, Daschle for HHS, OK, he's going to appoint a 'Pug, he's appeased almost every group so far except the left. When is the left going to get their reward. After all, it isn't like we didn't deliver votes, money and lots and lots of volunteers. Are we going to have to come out next election and run against him? After all, it seems to have worked with Clinton and Lieberman:shrug: Go out, slam him hard, and get rewarded.

Looks like this is shaping up to be simply more of the same ol' same ol' crap. Yipee:eyes:

[rockymountaindem]

1. Seeing as how the only "progressive" in the race was Kucinich

this was predictable.

[MadHound]

5. It's not just a matter of who was in the race

But what the progressives did for Obama. His earliest supporters were progressives, and we did more than our fair share throughout the campaign in terms of money donated, hours worked, and votes gotten out. Sure, we realize that Obama was more centerist than we were, but we thought we would get some sort of reward. That looks increasingly less likely to happen as Obama slides increasingly to the right.

[tabatha]

34. Crap!

Rhamn Emanuel said they were going to swing for the fences.

[SoCalDem]

38. Give him time.. He hasn't even taken office yet

and if he delivers on health care, and only that, it's better than we have had so far..I don't think his plan is as comprehensive as it needs to be, but it would at least be something..and a start toward a truly universal plan..

Unfortunately, the ONLY way that progressives ever have a chance at being meaningful, is with a parliamentary system..and we don't have that..:(

30-40 years of deliberate demonization via hate-radio and consolidation of media, has pretty much killed the idea of true progressives ever running things..

[grantcart]

74. No time to waste -- we have to start out pout now

What do we want - Patience


When do we want it - Now


Senator to be named later - Al Franken

[iamthebandfanman]

60. nobody cares about poor ole gravel. lol n/t

[tabatha]

2. Obama is going to do what is good for the country

- not left, not right, not center - but what works.

He will listen to everyone and try to do the best.

Please don't undermine him before he has started.

[BeFree]

10. Wow

You are a kind person, eh?

If it were me I'd of said: Quit yer whining and work harder, you're giving progressives a bad name.

[EstimatedProphet]

46. How dare he not immediately make this country into a socialist paradise!

Who cares how many people he alienates in order to do it? He's betraying us by not forcing the country to our will!

[knixphan]

3. Congressfolk

That's where progressives have to make their noise. Let's help Dennis and the rest of the good guys... HR676, 800, etc.

Fight on!

[bunnies]

4. Welcome to GD: Piss and Moan.

Why dont you give the fucking Administration a chance to do its JOB before you start shitting on them. Huh?

[CatWoman]

13. DUzy!!! DUzy!!!

Welcome to GD: Piss and Moan.

:rofl:

[olkaz]

29. DUzy?

People complain about this particular subforum all the time. This particular post didn't really add anything new or unique.

[MadHound]

17. Hey, why don't you try not being an ass

I've every right to voice my opinion around here as you do.

And if you think that this critique is "shitting on them" just wait until Obama really goes to the right.

[bunnies]

19. You first. nt

[Coexist]

25. that was damn funny.

[scheming daemons]

6. Wow... I just found out that Daschle is NOT a progressive.... who knew?

[Thrill]

7. YAWN. 2 cabinet appointments..And you're shitting bricks. TWO TWO

[democrattotheend]

8. Isn't Holder pretty progressive?

I don't know that much about him but I like what I have read so far.

[natrat]

9. i was like eh maybe...but now daschle? ...yea we have been fucked

[FrenchieCat]

11. Progressives are at the head of the table.

Read Obama's books, and think of his life, and understand that we have a progressive President who will do right by us. He doesn't need to advertise his bonafides.....but believe you me, Obama is as close to progressive as we could have hoped for.

15 days since the election may not be enough time for you to find out what time will tell.

[MadHound]

20. You can say that Obama is a progressive,

But his record says otherwise, that he's much more of a centerist. That's OK, most of us knew that going in, but now that we've played a large part in getting him into office, we'd like some sort of reward, some acknowledgment of our hard work.

[FrenchieCat]

22. He will use centrist tactics to get a progressive agenda through,

serious.

[Larkspur]

30. That's DLC speak

Bill Clinton followed that strategy and we ended up with NAFTA and an obsession with promoting free trade at the expense of the American people.

[EFerrari]

40. And we lost Congress.

It's a little early to know how Obama will manage the balancing act. Early days, yet.

[Skwmom]

67. Don't forget the repeal of Glass-Steagall which gave us this financial collapse.

[tabatha]

36. Yes - you've got his back.

[Skwmom]

28. Well considering centrist if often used to describe Liberal-Corporatists that's

not a very comforting thought.

Of course now we even have Liberal-Corporatist-Neocons since big business and the neocons have found common ground.

[tabatha]

35. I think you are a disruptive RWer.

[Doityourself]

69. agreed --a sleeper cell n/t

[mkultra]

52. sure, here yah go,

good job! and also. No McCain. congratulations crony boy, your not the only voter.

[1corona4u]

12. Wah, wah, wah....

who were you expecting? Kooch? LOL...

[stray cat]

14. Not Kucinich I guess but I didn't vote for him. I like what I'm seeing

[Skwmom]

15. Well, he might give us some lowly position where they can be seen on occasion but not heard.

[FrenchieCat]

18. I'm kind of surprised about you....although maybe I misread you.

I didn't realize that you didn't support Barack Obama.
I don't know why I thought you did. :shrug:
Didn't you support Wes Clark as well?
I am confused on this?

[Skwmom]

27. I supported Clark and Obama.

I worked to get Obama elected. I did voter registration, drove people to drop off their ballots, phoned banked, and worked the polls from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. on election day.

But the election is over. I am not a blind follower and what I am seeing so far has me very concerned. I worked to return the Democratic Party to being a party of the people. I'm far from certain that that is what we achieved.

[FrenchieCat]

50. Clark was a Clinton retread......as you know, and as corporatist if not more so than Obama.

and as for change, I do believe that change has arrived.....if not in the faces of the "to be" constructed administration, then in the man at the top. I don't believe that Change was about changing the Bush faces to faces unknown as much as changing how business is done in Washington and the policies that are to be implemented. The change is embodied in the one that will lead us, and not in those that will carry those changes out for him and us as much.

[Hardrada]

16. Anyway, Biden isn't as bad as Cheney.

Daschle will maybe work for national health care since he doesn't have to worry about being re-elected in South Dakota.

[1corona4u]

42. Biden and Cheney don't even breathe the same air.

They don't belong in the same sentence, unless Biden is bashing Cheney.

[Connie_Corleone]

21. I'm loving the "rumored" choices except for Hillary.

But, Obama knows what he's doing. If he thinks Hillary is the person for SOS, fine by me.

[Undercurrent]

23. .

Obama has just started filling his cabinet. If Obama appoints John Boyd that will probably get slammed too.

[AllentownJake]

24. Newsflash

Obama is a left leaning centrist.

[Forkboy]

26. Too early to say.

I don't have high hopes, but two picks is hardly a measure to go by.

[phleshdef]

31. This whole "not progressive enough" stuff is an invention of your own mind.

Hillary is progressive on healthcare.
Daschle is progressive on healthcare and labor issues.
Holder is very progressive on the issues that will matter to his position, such at Gitmo, torture and corporate corruption.
All have progressive positions on green energy.

[babylonsister]

32. Obama adds progressive blogger/advisor to transition team

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/11/10/11300/634

Huffington Post reports that Barack Obama has added Mike Lux, a blogger at Open Left and advisor to the Clinton transition team (among other accomplishments) to his transition team.

Veteran Democratic official Mike Lux has been tapped by Barack Obama to serve as an adviser and progressive liaison during the transition period, the Huffington Post has learned.

Lux, who worked on the Clinton administration transition efforts in 1992, confirmed the hiring but, citing a need for clearance, declined to offer further information.

More Lux credentials below:

After working in the Clinton White House on issues ranging from health care and the budget to school lunch policy, he founded Progressive Strategies LLC and began writing for the site OpenLeft.com in July 2007. He also helped co-found a number of progressive institutions including: Americans United for Change, Center for Progressive Leadership, Grassroots Democrats, Progressive Majority, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, and Women's Voices/Women Vote. He writes for the Huffington Post.

[EFerrari]

41. That's interesting. Thanks for posting it. n/t

[babylonsister]

72. You're welcome. I guess responses addressing the OP don't matter. nt

[WI_DEM]

33. I consider myself a progressive and I'm fine with all three of those appointments if they happen.

[zulchzulu]

37. Look at the issues and not silly labels like "progressive"...

Where is an issue like healthcare reform different when it comes from a "liberal" versus a "progressive"? What about getting out of Iraq?

It's about issues, not labels.

And yes, getting Obama in the White House is/was Phase I. We don't just stop there. We need to make sure we see real change and continue doing grassroots efforts for the issues we want reform with.

Liberals, progressives, leftists, moderates and even some Republicans want to change things drastically and in and for the common good.

[GR]

39. After An Earlier Studying of The Audacity Of Hope...

I was concerned that Obama was too quick to place equal blame on conservatives and liberals for the problems the nation was having. He seemed to ignore the fact that it was simply impossible to compromise with the movement conservatives and their ideological rigidity, as Paul Krugman has pointed out, and to try to identify and adhere to "the middle" was actually defeat for liberals.

Now we seem to be seeing the results of that type of "seek the middle" thinking in the Lieberman affair and the appointments, such as Holder, Daschle and even Clinton, he is making. The wisdom of the middle ground philosopy has the same problems that the false balance approach has in journalism. "Shape of the earth...views differ, sort of thing..."

The earth is NOT FLAT and conservatives are simply WRONG in their worship of the wisdom of the marketplace ....

I'm truly concerned about this turn of events, but not giving up hope yet...

[Cleita]

43. Time to start a letter writing campaign. We need a voice too.

At least one cabinet position should go to a social democrat.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

44. Obama is progressive, no liberal.

[Lorien]

58. Liberals are Progressives and vice versa.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

63. I think there's a different. Progressive is forward-looking stance, often pushing for

change and progress. Liberalism is a political philosophy about how we should be governed and what the role of government ought to be. I believe that one can be progressive and not be liberal. I think the Clintons are progressive, but they are not liberal. Same with Obama. Progressive but not liberal, though he may take a liberal position depending on the issue.

[EstimatedProphet]

45. Christ, not again...

Really, this issue is getting ridiculous. He's not even in office yet and everyone is talking about how he's already failing. Obama is putting together the team he thinks will enable him to succeed. Let's find out if he does. No one will ever be "progressive" enough to make people on this board happy, ever. Apparently people here think that the best plan is to ram whatever changes they want down the public's throat, regardless of their needs or feelings. That will guarantee us the exact same position the Repubs have now, because that's exactly what they did.

[TZ]

47. I wish I could recommend your post.

Sanity at last. Sometimes I think people just like to complain! BTW people, liberals make up only 17% of the country---it would be political suicide for Obama to cater just to the minority

[EstimatedProphet]

48. And "Progressive" liberals are vanishingly small

at least by DU standards, since apparently no one but Kucinich is one!

[Dr Fate]

51. Don't forget Nader & McKinney.

Anyone who wants a non DLCer or non-Clinton retread representing them on one or two issues obvioulsy thinks that these are the only people who should be Obama's top advisors- if I'm to believe certain posters, that is...

For the record, I'm cool with Obama's picks so far, and I'm Liberal on an issue or two...

[EFerrari]

54. It's not ridiculous to observe and mentate and comment on the transition.

Obama will not spring fully formed from Zeus's head in January.

And "the progressives are never happy" is a surprising complaint, coming from you, EP.

Lastly, to accuse the lefter wing of wanting to ram anything down anyone's throat after the last 40 years is deliciously ironic, considering how much swallowing we have done.

[EstimatedProphet]

55. Which is after all exactly my point

I have no problem with watching the transition. I do have a problem with the whole sky-is-falling attitude that has taken root. It's early yet, for one. Obama isn't a weakling, for another, and isn't going to be pushed around just because Hillary is SoS. And I'm not happy with the "progressives" I seem to be running into lately here, because in my opinion they are less concerned with fixing this country's problems and more concerned with getting revenge on the Repubs. Like it or not, we will have to work with the Repubs, and like it or not, they represent people who deserve to have their opinions heard (not necessarily enacted, but heard) every bit as much as we do.

The irony of our side promoting effectively the same thing that they complained about for the last several decades is very ironic indeed, and destructive too. If you want change, you'd better be ready to work in small increments, because change all at once will make enemies out of everyone. That's exactly why it is the Repubs are in the boat they are in right now.

[EFerrari]

61. It seems to me that the "revenge" meme is from the media or the RW.

Most people here may enjoy pounding an enemy, but their positions tend to be much more nuanced than that.

And there is none to zero chance of liberals behaving like right wing authoritarians. On the contrary, liberal overthinking everything is what got this party so far over to the right in the first place.

I don't hear anyone saying Obama must implement a liberal agenda, whatever that would be. Most of us knew exactly who we were trying to promote. On the contrary, I hear people wondering why the left seems to be excluded so far, although it seems to me 'way early to come to that conclusion.

[EstimatedProphet]

77. And that's where I disagree

I think there is an undercurrent of "let's do to them what they did to us" attitude going on.
It's understandable, but it's not constructive and if it is implemented, it will be our downfall. I also think it is likely some liberals will behave like rightwing authoritarians becaus eof this.

But I agree with you on one point: although it seems to me 'way early to come to that conclusion. Which is what a lot of people mean when they are talking about "sky is falling" posts.

[Lorien]

59. Indeed. n/t

[onenote]

49. I'd be curious to see some specific names you think he should be appointing and for what positions

Easy to take potshots at the specific appointments that Obama has made or is expected to make, since there is a name and a position to go with the name.

I'd be curious to see who some of the "progressives" that you think Obama should be nominating to top cabinet-level posts and which particular job you think they should be getting.

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

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

[Lorien]

56. We don't own enough in the way of corporations and resources

to have a voice in our government. This isn't new. Any administration is going to take Progressives and liberals completely for granted. Wouldn't matter if we were 75% of the population, we aren't the power in this country. The Gods of Greed are.

[rhett o rick]

65. Thanks for the cold splash of reality. I was still riding the high of "Change".

Yes there will be some change but not enough to save our democracy. But I honestly didn't expect anything more.

but I will fight until i die.

[rhett o rick]

66. Thanks for the cold splash of reality. I was still riding the high of "Change".

Yes there will be some change but not enough to save our democracy. But I honestly didn't expect anything more.

but I will fight until i die.

[Lorien]

76. Well, they never said "Change for the better"! They just said "Change"

it's vague enough to mean anything at all, so that's what most of us expected. "Change back to the Clinton administration" might have been more specific. Clinton was still far, far better than BushCo, but Clinton was also still owned by big corporations. No "Change" in that status quo, I'm afraid. All we can do is continue to fight, even if no one listens.

[Alexander]

57. Holder's against the death penalty and Daschle's for universal health care.

My guess is you are smoking something that will soon be decriminalized.

[lunatica]

62. As long as he does something big about global warming I can wait

First things first. That in itself will force him and all the world's leaders to instill progressive solutions. It's just the way it is. That or inherit the dry harsh wind whistling through the bones of extinct humanity.

[rhett o rick]

64. Honestly, what did you really expect? nm

[mmonk]

68. Our job is to send in money and vote for them while being taken for granted.

Know your place.

[MarthaMyDear]

70. Give the baby a bottle...

...whine and moan is all I seem to hear anymore on this forum.

Go find some other shoulder to weep on, because you won't get one from me!

Obama 2008!

[DCBob]

71. What exactly are the critical issues for a "true" progressive?

I consider myself a progressive and I am very happy with the direction Obama is taking.

[glitch]

73. All they've got to rebutt this is ridicule. Not too impressive.

I am still hoping that he is coming out with the DLC types early but will finish with some powerful Progressives.

[craz3z]

75. I am still waiting

to see how Obama governs (after all, what choice do we have?). While I admit I am a little concerned about the number of Clinton re-treads he is appointing, I have had enough of the "Republicans in Congress made Bill Clinton balance the budget" rammed down my throat to know that leadership makes a difference. Otherwise, why did the same Republican majority increase spending and run the deficit up once Dubya took office?