I am thrilled by Obama -- But I aint gonna drink the same old "centrist" Kool Aid

[Armstead]

To those of you who are jumping on those of us who are "whining" about the fact that Obama seems to be relying too heavily on people from Clinton/DLC-Land for his appointments:

We should have been more vigilant in the early 90's, when the Clintons proposed a form of healthcare "reform" that catered to Big Insurance and then walked away and allowed the healthcare system to rot for the rest of Clinton's term.

We should have been more vigilant when Clinton jumped on the Bush 1 Bandwagon and rammed "free trade" down our throats. The same form of corporatist globalism,that has hollowed out the US economy and sent American jobs overseas to sweatshops -- and is siphoning more of our capital to "transnational" and foreign holders.

We should have been more vigilant when the Clinton DLC types echoed Republican style deregulation of financial markets and most other industries, and supported the consolidation of economic power into fewer and fewer hands.

We should have been more vigilant when the Clintons helped to create the morass of Big Money politics, into which the Democrats found themselves in bed with the same oligarchs that run the republican Party.

We should have been more vigilant when the so-called "centrists" joined forces with W to drag ius into a needless and destructive war in Iraq.

Yes Obama campaigned as a balanced moderate, who made clear that he was not going to pursue some "ultra-liberal" agenda. But he did promise change from the corrupt status quo.

We want the best for Obama. But we also want the best for the nation, and not turn the reins over to the same folks who helped wreck this country over the years.

So, if some of us seem excessivly "concerned" about who he chooses to surround himself with, please forgive us. We don't want to drink the same old Kool Aid that helped get us into this mess, even if it is served up in a shiny new package.

[IndianaJones]

1. I'm thrilled with Obama too. nt.

[girl gone mad]

22. You don't have to wear those scarlet letters.

The DLC helped to destroy our once thriving nation, but liberals wouldn't be so vindictive as to force you to keep that humiliating avatar.

[earth mom]

29. You've obviously had too much kool aid to drink.

:puke:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. I agree, but it's soothing to know Obama is in control. But yes, I don't want any more DLCs or

Republicans. They destroyed our country.

[Skwmom]

5. And the way things are going , it seems like they are going to get the chance to

finish the job.

[MadBadger]

8. I bow down to the Queen of Concern...we are not Worthy!

[BeyondGeography]

3. These threads completely suck

for the simple reason that Obama the President will not be defined by his appointees; it is they who will defined by Obama.

He's going to be President, remember?

[Tempest]

7. What really sucks

Is what we are called and how we are treated just for questioning some of his choices.

If Obama is not going to listen to or take the advice of his cabinet picks, then why is he going to have a cabinet at all?

[atreides1]

12. It only sucks for those with blind faith

"for the simple reason that Obama the President will not be defined by his appointees; it is they who will defined by Obama."

Well we won't know that for at least the first 6 months!


"He's going to be President, remember?"

Yes we remember, but what does that guarantee? Nothing is written in stone and I am not the kind of person to have blind faith in someone. That may be your thing, but there are those of us who supported Obama, that will wait and see what he does before we join the rose colored glasses society, ok?

[BeyondGeography]

14. No, they suck because he hasn't even taken the job yet and all the Debbie Downers of DU

can't help but expect the worst.

[madfloridian]

19. Why don't you list the Debbie Downers of DU....that would be interesting.

To make a little list.

Please do.

[ulysses]

27. wah wah wahhhh.

;-)

[girl gone mad]

24. Hope for the best..

expect the worst.

And we've gotten the worst for more than a decade now.

[janx]

4. I understand that you might be worried, but these are different times.

There's going to be some overlap in the Democratic Party, but Obama was one of the first Democracy for America's Dean Dozen, and he ran his campaign in a fashion that went against the old DLC model. I'm simply not worried about that at all.

It's easy to fall into the fallacy of guilt by association. We shouldn't do that. Let's watch carefully and see what happens.

[Tempest]

6. Thank you

As one of those who has been vilified for questioning Obama's choices, I completely agree with you.

I'm calling it "DU's Night of the Long Knives". I've got DU'ers putting me on ignore just for questioning his choices and all but calling me a traitor for it.

[kwenu]

9. I voted for the guy that I trust to make the right decisions and I intend to let him do his job.

But you go on with your BAD self because you have a right to express yourself.

[democrat2thecore]

13. I voted for the guy to bring "real and fundamental change." -nt

[HughMoran]

10. Obama is no Clinton

That's the difference - the man on top makes the decisions - some seem to be forgetting this.

[janx]

11. ALSO--

There is a difference between the political labels (centrist, etc.) and what Obama is trying to do. Depending on these labels is not constructive; it's what the idiot talk show hosts do to try to get people worked up for ratings. There's a lack of civil discourse in our country's culture, and from what I've seen, Obama realizes that and knows that it must be overcome.

[Armstead]

16. I half agree with you on that

I agree that we often get too hung up on labels, and that we have to be pragmatic about these things.

However, labels do have their place, in terms of identifying overall directions and philosophies.

[janx]

17. They do, no doubt, but we're in a time of transition.

The reason I care about this so much is that I teach college undergraduates, and they have been raised in the world of talk radio, cable news, etc.--some of them have no idea how to write or communicate without ranting and using the language and labels that George Orwell has warned us about.

[Mass]

15. No problem with Obama, but I remember what Obama said during hisspeech in Chicago on Nov 4.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

From that, I imagine he does not mind disagreement and will continue to state mine, whether people like it or not.

[Phredicles]

21. I do like that he promised to listen, *especially* when people disagree with him.

[democrat2thecore]

18. Well said, Armstead -nt

[Phredicles]

20. Being vigilant is our civic duty. But before we say the cabinet picks suck,

let's see how they do they do the job, and whether they do in fact suck.

[ozone_man]

23. It's like Clinton deja vu all over again.

Didn't we learn anything the first time? The way to change is not to reappoint the same centrists from previous administrations. That's preserving the status quo, which may be what a lot of people want. I Don't know.

Obama has yet to demonstrate to me that he's about change. So far I don't see it.

[Dragonfli]

25. It appears our services are no longer required.

Rather than move from the right to the center, as I had hoped,(I was actually wishing it would move center left-but knew better) the Democratic party as well as die hard Democrats appear to be moving the party to it's extreme right neo-liberal/DLC minority.

They are effectively marginalizing progressives and even some centrists that are not corporate or hawkish enough for their tastes.

I worked very hard for Obama even though I knew him to be a centrist because I thought he would bring progressive ideals and politicians into the circle as well as the corporatists and hawks. I was mistaken to expect such large tent unity.

I worked very hard for what is turning into a republican-light only tent.
It's "ok" to caucus with a Lieberman, but not with a progressive that may not agree with him?

The reason progressive dissent is being disparaged on this board is because we are not invited to the party - period! - at least not by the right wing Democrats on this board. Many of the posters here are simply reflecting this left-free "hoped for" reality of theirs.

If we want a liberal party that is not in the pockets of military contractors and corporations, our only option left is to voice our concerns to a President Elect that has made overtures to those of us that are not on the right, one who has also voiced his willingness to listen to us I might add. It is either that, or go Independent until such a time as a viable progressive party can be built.

The Irony is that the progressives that had much more than is admitted to do with the election of this administration are going to have to wander the desert for several years before a new party can be built, or grown from the greens, if this current trend continues within this board as well as within the party in general.

Oh and by the way K&R. Good post brother!

[ulysses]

26. thanks for that, old friend.

Well said.

[PFunk]

28. I don't like Obama's DLC-heavy cabnet either (infact I despise it).

But I'm going to wait until seeing how it works before I seriously begin ripping it (and him). But so far it isn't a good sign as it does seem like he's ditching the libs under the bus like a used napkin.

[earth mom]

30. This is why so many of us where furious when Edwards was pushed out. nt