President Obama is now under seige.

[bertman]

I just read an exceptional piece that I hope some DU'ers will find enlightening and stimulating. Warning: it may not generate any warm and fuzzies.

Here's the link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-goff/getting-off-the-road_b_281737.html

[lapfog_1]

1. It's a good read, especially the first part.

He sort of starts repeating himself halfway through it (or at least, repeating the same themes).

I am not as cynical as he is regarding what POTUS can do, any POTUS. And I am VERY cynical.

[DaLittle Kitty]

2. The Prez ... Under Siege? And RIGHTLY SO! He Has Abandoned US!

[bertman]

3. Did you read the post, DaLittle Kitty, or are you just responding to the thread title?

[Undercurrent]

4. WTF?

Cheering on racist attacks against our President (as pointed out by Goff)?

What happened to this place? Did a bunch of DUers jump through a looking glass, and turned inside-out and backwards? :crazy:

[bertman]

8. The cheering on is/was being done by the Right-Wing, as Goff accurately pointed out. Perhaps you

should go back and read his statements carefully, Undercurrent.

[Undercurrent]

15. .

My post was not in response to your post, so there may be some crossed wires.

[Phx_Dem]

14. He hasn't abandoned me!

If he has abandoned you, you probably deserve it.

[sohndrsmith]

17. Huh? How so? n/t

[Honeycombe8]

18. I know what you mean, but come on. The article is about racism and planned assaults by the right.

Don't compare our feeling of being let down (and yeah, I'm right there with you) with what that article is about.

[Beacool]

5. Negrophobia????

Did it ever occur to some on the left that most people don't give a crap whether Obama is black, white or purple? We bashed Bush, deservedly so, at every turn for 8 years. We called him every name under the sun. Was race ever a factor?

The right did the same to the Clintons. What accusation was not made against them at one time or another? Was race a factor there?

So, why is every criticism against our current president seen from the prism of racism?

[bertman]

12. You must live in a very liberal environment, Beacool. If you lived around southern

working-class and upper middle-class folks your perception of what people give a crap about would be very different from what you just claimed.

Unfortunately, it's not confined just to southerners. It's the right-wing and many of the so-called independents who harbor racial resentment toward any non-white person who attains power.

EVERY criticism of our current president is NOT seen from the prism of racism. But many of them ARE because that is the underlying force behind the criticism.

Stan Goff, the commentator is pointing out the way that racial distrust is turned into blatant, overt demonstrations against President Obama. Do you deny that this is the case?

Living around many conservative, and some downright white-supremacist, southern white folks, it has been my observation that MOST of them will not express their racism unless they are around family or friends. They do not want to be "outed" as racists, so they would never let on in a public situation what their true feelings are.

[sohndrsmith]

21. I don't think the Dem criticism has racist undertones, but I think it is

_definitely_ fueling the insanity that is the robotic, freakish opposition of the other party... it didn't occur to me initially, but when it did I was skeptical at first - but not so much anymore.

I think the Dem opposition has much more to do with expectations that aren't being realized, whether due to outright disagreement, change in position or because of the Herculean struggles that are not coming around as fast as we want, or in the form we've imagined it. Yet.

I think Obama qualifies for legitimate complaint for things that he seems to have changed up on, but then I tend to be more lenient (so far) given the circumstances. Doesn't mean my view won't change over time, but I want to afford Obama the opportunity to succeed, and bashing him early on doesn't make sense to me (and no, I don't agree with him on all issues, but I still don't want to be part of any force that might help him fail, and making such difficult crises his administration/he is dealing with worse - could do just that, if strong enough).

I worry that the party does seem to have the propensity to self-destruct - but that goes with Dem values in fighting for what one believes is right (hopefully ending in consensus but not necessarily), not mindless (though fierce) loyalty that seems drive Republicans, and is their one and only strength. It's sort of modus vivendi (Dem) vs. modus operandi (GOP). That's all good, but it makes us more complicated...

Whoever assigned the party mascots REALLY got it wrong. : )

Obama has a heck of a job before him - and (to me) an incomprehensible number of crises to deal with - many of which the very foundation of this country depends on his getting right. So I believe judgment on some issues is a little hasty at this point...

And I am absolutely stunned at how racist this country is showing itself to be. Most of which seems to be congregating at tea parties, and follow creeps like Limba and Bechh...

President Clinton, in fact no president in history, has received even a fraction of the death threats this president has... if we don't acknowledge the racist component of this, then we can't deal with it appropriately. It will just metastasize like it always does when pretend it's not there...

[GoCubsGo]

24. There WAS a subtle racism with Clinton...

It was not because he was black. They had fits over the fact that he was so supportive of blacks. Remember that he was often referred by some of them as "the first black President." It was "guilt by association" with that bunch of crackers.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

6. give me a break

that article is the biggest bunch of horse shit ever. not everybody who opposes obama is racist, and it is absolutely asenine to even entertain the idea. i am a completely open minded individual, and i oppose obama because he is in favor of expanding globalism. period final.

[Cha]

7. And, I'm not reading the article but I support

President Obama in all that he's trying to do to bring our country back from the brink.

Yay, we have a President's who's pragmatic and into Reality.

[Enrique]

9. I would recommend reading it

it's a good article.

[Enrique]

10. .

[Cha]

13. Okay, thanks..

I check it out when I get home tonight.

[tsuki]

20. PuraVidaDreamin is das you? nt

[PuraVidaDreamin]

23. nope

My little jerk Kid- not the one you met. Forgot to sign out. (done that more than occasionally)

I can produce proof. I was in room 9 in the OR with a neurosurgeon all day.
(So I can keep my health insurance plan that has started rationing to even us, the healthcare worker)

How are you Tsuki?

[tsuki]

25. Looking for some incense. Ready to march again. Got the time.

Am now retired.

[sohndrsmith]

22. can you hold that racism is "asinine" after watching this? link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/01/protester-holds-up-copy-o_n_274611.html

Not sure what you mean, specifically by "expanding globalism" and thus what (specifically) is your opposition to it. (I'm not disagreeing with you - I'm purely curious... I'm not familiar with this term and haven't heard it before.

[Enrique]

11. a suggestion

maybe excerpt the beginning of it in your OP.

People who look to instantly characterize articles as "good" vs. "bad" wouldn't unrec it so fast.

[sohndrsmith]

16. "Now"?? He's been under siege since the first talking head uttered his then largely unknown name...

... well that's not entirely accurate. He was dismissed until he started winning, so he went from being invisible to under siege - no leisurely periods of ease for him - ever....

[HopeOverFear]

19. Agreed.