Dodd:To those who have a problem with Obama governing from the center right or right: "Get Over It"

[Emit]

In Charlie Rose interview with Dodd, Charlie noted that during the election, the media painted Obama as the "most liberal Senator." Charlie then asked Dodd what he thought and had to say about those within the Democratic Party, if it is to be believed, that have a problem with Obama "governing from the center right or right." Dodd responded by saying, "It doesn't mean a lot...Get over it..." He contrasted that 'concern' with real concerns, like, whether folks have a job, whether they can pay their bills, etc. Then said, "If that is your only problem then you don't really have a problem..." (all paraphrased)

Dodd had a lot more positive and reasonable things to say about Obama.

It's a great interview. If you missed it, you can catch it later at this link: http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/2152














http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/2152

[otohara]

1. That's So ..... What's The Word I'm Looking For?

oh yeah...republican.

Republican's, for the last eight years said "get over it".

[Honeycombe8]

48. Raven? nt

[Mark E. Smith]

2. Amen.

Though the chronic complainers around here will
claim that this is all a conspiracy to take away their
right to talk about their sensitivity and caring.

Or some such shit.

[ben_meyers]

3. You mean Senator Dodd, number one on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

list of favorites?
The top five received nearly one-half million dollars from the FMx2.

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/07/top-senate-recipients-of-fanni.html


1. Sen. Dodd, Christopher J (D-CT) - $133,900
2. Sen. Kerry, John (D-MA) — $111,000
3. Sen. Obama, Barack (D-IL) - $105,849
4. Sen. Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) - $75,550
5. Rep. Kanjorski, Paul E (D-PA) - $65,500

Is it any wonder he thinks center right is just fine?

[EconomicLiberal]

17. Could you please stop repeating Rush Limbaugh talking points?

Good grief, this is not Free Republic.

[atimetocome]

20. gee, he uped Obama by 2.

[ben_meyers]

22. Sure, what talking point would that be?

[EconomicLiberal]

30. That taking Fannie and Freddie money led to their collapse.

You are aware our president elect is #3 on that list, right?

[Kingofalldems]

45. I noticed that--attacks Democrats from both sides

[karynnj]

43. Opensecrets alsohad a link disaggregating

contributions of employees from the PAC amount - this list is the combination - and is why Kerry, Obama, and Clinton are so high. (It is also an old list as a later one had Obama the highest.) As can be seen from the disaggregated info - Obama took $6000. Clinton $8000 and Kerry $2000 - putting them way down the list. Looking just at the PAC puts Republicans on the House amd Seante Banking Committees highest.

No matter what company you use the three Democrats, who raised the most money from individuals in history will be highest. Repeating the aggregate list is not something any Democrat should do.(It bothered me when Edwards did - because his being lower was just that he was less successful.)


http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html

[xchrom]

4. i think he said more than he meant to here. nt

[Jim Sagle]

5. Dodd ain't nuthin' but shit. Get over THAT.

[jenmito]

6. He's right. Just because the MEDIA painted Obama as the "most liberal Senator" doesn't mean

he painted HIMSELF that way and he DEFINITELY didn't CLAIM he was going to take the most liberal positions on issues. Just the opposite-he kept stressing how we aren't a "red America or a Blue America, but the United States of America" and kept talking about how he'd have Republicans in his administration, even John McCain if there was something he thought he'd be best for.

[Laelth]

13. "The Media" didn't paint Obama as a liberal.

The Republican Party and their noise machine on hate radio did. They did the same thing to Gore in 2000 and to Kerry in 2004. They lied both times. What made me angry is that the media gave them a pass on these lies and never called them out on the lies.

Now we're supposed to just ignore these Republican lies again and pretend that "the media" was their true source?

Personally, I hope Obama is a closet socialist and governs from the far left. But he ran as a centrist. There is no doubt about that. Why can't the media do their jobs and call out repeated Republican lies.

The United States is a LIBERAL Country.

:dem:

-Laelth

[jenmito]

16. True-but there are Repubs. in the "media" like Joe Scarborough and

his buddies who kept repeating the "most liberal Senator" line over and over.

[Laelth]

18. I acknowledge the echo chamber.

But why would Charlie Rose take the blame personally for the lie and place the blame on all "the media" when the true source was the Republican party and its habitual lying?

That I do not underastand.

The United States is a LIBERAL Country.

:dem:

-Laelth

[jenmito]

21. I don't know...

maybe he sees the people in the media like Scarborough, Buchanan, and several others who repeat the lie and considers it to be widespread? "The media" itself is far from liberal. It's not just people on Faux and RW radio who repeat the "most liberal Senator" line.

[happychatter]

7. Dodd said it, somebody believes it, and THAT, settles it

purge the "leftists"

[Radical Activist]

57. It doesn't sound like that was his point.

It sounds like he was telling people to look at real issues instead of creating purity tests for Obama.

[Clintonista2]

8. Why are people surprised at this at all?

I, as well as many others on DU frequently pointed out that Obama is a centrist during the primaries. People DO need to get over it and let him do his freaking job. Ideological purists on the right have run the country for the past 8 years, and ideological purists on the left will be just as harmful.

[harun]

25. He hasn't started governing yet, so STFU until he does.

[Clintonista2]

26. You don't consider the selection of a cabinet governing?

You've got a lot to learn.

[harun]

49. He is simply picking the people he wants to get the job done. Their positions

don't matter in terms of what his agenda will be. Governing will be implementing his agenda.

[tomp]

37. ideological center=ZERO change.

still waiting for change.

[Oak2004]

69. No, you don't ever "get over it" with a representative of the people

Democracy is not a once every four years event. It's something to practice every day.

1776.The colonists won. Get over it.

[flpoljunkie]

9. It doesn't mean a lot, but Dodd is an ass for saying, "Get over it!"

[Algorem]

10. He's up for reelection in two years.Maybe we can get over him.

If the next two years ar a big fat Dudd.

[totodeinhere]

14. Yes, heaven forbid that Chris Dodd had a moment of candor.

So lets defeat him for reelection just because he defended President Obama. Go figure.

[Algorem]

33. Yeah.That's what he did.Heavens to Betsy.

[Marrah_G]

36. You want to oust Dodd for defending Obama?

It's not Dodd's fault if some people saw in Obama what THEY wanted to see rather then the reality of the type of President he would be.

Obama is not Kucinich. Obama was not just pretending to be a centrist to win, with plans to magically turn into a defender of all things on the far left. Anyone who thought that was only fooling themselves.

[Algorem]

42. Get over it.

[Marrah_G]

44. oooookkkayyyy...............

:eyes:

[w4rma]

11. Governing from the right will not help regular Americans with our economic problems.

Governing from the right *will* help Dodd's financial industry fat cat friends, however.

[BzaDem]

12. Go Dodd!

Obama will not be governing from the right. He probably won't meet some people's expectations here about how left he will go, and those people will complain that he is governing from the "right", and those people should get over it.

[MindMatter]

15. Chill people. Skinny black guy knows what he's doing.

These "center-right" meme is bullshit. But if the media is willing to paint it that way, Obama can use it. When it comes down to it, he is going to be radically different from Bush. He will stop the torture. He will close down Gitmo. He will get us out of Iraq. He will redirect priorities just as he said during his campaign.

And if the press wants to make the narrative about how "centerist" he is, well that's just fine. Truly, this is where the center of America's CONSCIENCE is anyway.

Think about it. Would you rather have the press talking about how "center" he is or how "radical left" he is? It all comes down to the policies, not the adjectives.

Now, if he turns his back on the commitments he gave us during the election, that's a different story. But for Chrissakes, let's at least let him take office before criticizing that.

[gravity]

19. Exactly

I don't see a problem calling our policies centrists

[Algorem]

46. out of iraq,into afghanistan.where's he going to move gitmo?

[MindMatter]

50. This is what he said he was going to do

The increase in troops in Afghanistan is consistent with his campaign statements.

Regarding Gitmo, I don't know how he'll address this. One option is to give an ultimatum that charges must be brought to trial no later than April 1 or else the prisoners will be released and deported to their home country. This will force the issue. I expect there will still be some prisoners there a year from now, but I do expect him to accelerate the process of prosecuting or releasing.

[Dis Pater]

23. "Get over it"

3 of the strongest words of reconciliation, eva.

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. I marvel that people don't get it yet.

Obama got into the White House with the help of the internet. If it weren't for the left-leaning blogs, he wouldn't have had the vast resources to tap into. Assuming this is still a Democracy, it would be a terrible mistake to assume our opinions don't count anymore.

[BzaDem]

32. So do I. Exhibit 1: your post.

Obama had millions of donations from small doners so a single constituency could not dictate his agenda. I highly doubt most of Obama's 3.1 million donors came from left-leaning blogs, and I also highly doubt that McCain would have won if people like you withheld your donations. Assuming this is still a Democracy, Obama should not let veiled threats decide who he appoints to his cabinet.

[sufrommich]

34. There are some on internet blogs who begin to

believe there favorite blog is the center of the universe.This explains a lot of the drama that frequently shows up here.

[The Backlash Cometh]

40. You are grossly and intentionally understating the importance of the blogs.

[The Backlash Cometh]

39. Obama can do whatever he wants. If he hits a homerun, he is king.

If he continues making the same backslide because he has the same people in place making the same mistakes, then we will be on him in no time.

What I'm pointing out is, that if he respects the left-wing of the party, he would also value their opinions and include them in his cabinet. All this talk about a Lincoln administration is falling short.

[mkultra]

27. at least we always know where Hillary stands

on our side, thats where!

[Sebastian Doyle]

28. After 8 years of having Freepers and traitorous pieces of shit telling me to "get over it"

I will be GOD DAMNED if I'm taking that shit from so-called Democrats :grr:

This is not now, nor has it ever been a right wing or center right wing country.

The corporations are right wing

The Freepers are right wing

The religious hypocritical nutcases are right wing

The whore media is right wing.


The PEOPLE are nothing of the kind.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

29. FUCK DLC!!!!

[BzaDem]

31. WAA WAA WAA

I figured I'd join in on the whinefest.

Dodd is not in the DLC (despite a few links on the Internet to the contrary). He was chairman of the DNC at one point during the Clinton presidency, but not a member of the DLC.

[Pale Blue Dot]

35. Nah. But thanks for asking! nt

[tomp]

38. why is it always presumed that the left has no solutions?

trick question. it is not presumed by the people in power that the left does not have solutions. it is presumed that they do, and that those solutions are bad for the people in power.

THAT is why the left is always shut out, and why we need to organize independently. Progressives, throw off your chains.

[Bluenorthwest]

41. Chirs Dodd needs to get over it

Chairman of the Banking Committee, and how's that area doing? After announcing his candidacy for President on the Don Imus love fest, Dodd appeared in national debates. Did he tell the country of the impending crisis? Or did Chris not see it coming?
Anyway, after Imus, and the debates, Dodd's campaign, heavily funded by the banking 'industry', managed to get under 1% of the vote. Out of the entire Democratic Primary field, Dodd came in dead last in popular votes. To be clear, not only did more people vote for Dennis Kucinich than voted for Dodd, more people voted for Mike Gravel than voted for Dodd. Dodd was the most rejected Democrat in this cycle. He sounds a bit bitter, but losing to Mike 'gaze into the camera' Gravel can do that to a person. Oh, and being Chaiman of the Failure Committee. And having all of your big donors go belly up in disgrace. But Chris needs to buck up and deal with it. Poor Chrissy!

[tomp]

55. thank you! that's what I call perspective. nt

[DCBob]

47. Obama has the weight of the world on him now. He is being pulled in a dozen different directions.

You would think those who elected him into office would give him a break and let him work through this difficult transition time in relative peace.

[DutchLiberal]

51. He's right. What else can you do but 'get over it'? Vote republican?

They KNOW this. They KNOW liberals/progressives will continue to vote Democratic, because there's no alternative. And because they have convinced enough people there is just a slight difference between the parties. So they can do whatever they want. Until there's a viable third party, nothing will ever change and no Democratic president will ever govern from the left.

[BzaDem]

52. How exactly do you think a left-leaning third party will get 270+ electoral votes?

The problem isn't that Democratic president's aren't governing from "the left"; the problem is that a majority of Americans don't believe that their president should government from "the Left." I quote "the left" because I believe that Obama will be a pretty progressive president; I just don't believe that Obama or anyone else ever successfully elected would ever be progressive enough for some people here.

[DutchLiberal]

53. What I'm saying is: Democrats will continue to behave like Republicans unless...

there's a third party where dissatisfied liberals/progressives can turn to. Right now, there's no need for Democrats to act democratically, because they KNOW li9berals will vote for them no matter what (like supporting the Iraq war, or supporting FISA, or NAFTA, or...)

[tomp]

56. this is correct. a third party does not need to get 270+ electoral votes.

they need to get enough to keep the right center democrats from getting 270+ electoral votes, in order to have influence. it's really simple, and it is the key point in electoral politics for progressives.

[BzaDem]

66. Nah, they'll just be another 2000-type election

where just enough people vote for a 3rd-party candidate to cause 2 wars, Katrina, etc. Then, each person voting for the 3rd party candidate will become a pariah, and we will still nominate someone who is not progressive enough for the "left" 4 years later.

[tomp]

68. it doesnt have to be that way. nt

[DutchLiberal]

60. Also, you should get rid of the electoral college and count the popular vote.

[Radical Activist]

58. You can work on real issues?

It looks like Dodd's real advice is to worry about real issues instead of worrying about creating liberal purity tests for Obama. Sounds like good advice for liberals or moderates. And it doesn't exclude the possibility of Obama governing from the left.

[DutchLiberal]

59. That's code language for center-right policies, a.k.a...

policies that benefit big business and isn't any good for teh average worker.

To solve the real issues , there are no (center)right solutions. That's what got us in this mess in the first place. So it has nothing to do with 'purity tests'. That's a word that gets throwed around here a bit too much, lately.

[Radical Activist]

65. Only if you really want it to be.

People are eager to interpret Dodd's comments to mean what they expect and want to hear. It amazes me that so many people are so eager to see Obama move right.

[DutchLiberal]

67. *I* am 'eager' to see him move right?

I wish he weren't, but I can't interpret his cabinet picks any different. And the remarks Dood made only add to that interpretation. We will not know until he takes office, but I have a hard time imagining having essentially a third Clinton administration making leftist policies.

[Basement Beat]

54. Sorry Dodd, I did not vote and campaign for a republican...

i'll be damn if I just, "Get over it.".

[Jennicut]

61. Dodd is my Senator and at this point I'm just glad he is not Loserman

I think Dodd meant that Obama will not govern from idealogy but from what is best for the country. Obama is pragmatic but still from a left leaning point of view. Everything will be fine, we all just need to chill a bit. I hate Dems fighting Dems, the Rethugs are to blame for most of went wrong in the last 8 years. They had all the majorities. This DLC vs progressives thing is stupid. The DLC was wrong on lots of things but now we need to come together and make some tough decisions.

[Sex Pistol]

62. What I find curious is the fact that people actually think that changing the captain on Titanic

will allow the "ship" to make a sharp turn.

[L0oniX]

63. I am sure all the Reagan democrats here will love that.

[Geek_Girl]

64. Obama is, was and probably always will be a moderate

No different than Clinton. If he was uber liberal then the media would have crucified him and he would not have been elected. Those that thought or think he's an FDR, JFK LBJ liberal have been bamboozled.