David Sirota has legitmate concerns about Obama's "progressivism"...

[Postman]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/02/04-1

Blacklisting Progressives: The Untold Story Beneath the Daschle Headlines

snip:

Just step back and think about it for a minute: Amid a stable of eminently qualified and well-respected progressives like James Galbraith, Joseph Stiglitz, Dean Baker, Robert Reich, Paul Krugman and Larry Mishel, Obama has chosen Rubin sycophants like Larry Summers and Tim Geithner to run the economy - the same Larry Summers who pushed the repeal of the Glass-Steagal Act, the same Geithner who masterminded the kleptocratic bank bailout, the same duo whose claim to fame is their personal connections to Rubin, a disgraced Citigroup executive at the center of the current meltdown. And the list of Rubin sycophants keeps getting longer, from Peter Orszag to Jason Furman.

[paulk]

1. Sirota is desperately trying to maintain his cred

with the "progressive" community. He's got a book to sell, after all.

This means that the Democrats and Obama will be the new target, through whatever cockamamie conspiracy he can dream up...

[Postman]

2. Dude, he happens to be correct.

What part of his article do you dispute?

[Individualist]

7. He doesn't have to "try" to maintain his cred

He IS credible.

[waiting for hope]

14. Really?

"through whatever cockamamie conspiracy he can dream up..." So, anyone "progressive" that may have some criticism has to have your standard of credibility. Kinda funny, when he voted for Obama and pinned positive articles concerning him, he was praised. Now he has to maintain his cred?

[paulk]

45. I've never praised Sirota for anything

I think he's about the biggest hack out there.

This latest piece of crap he's written is just another in a long list

[NashVegas]

38. LOL. You Poor Dear

The Movement that Sirota wrote about in his book isn't going to shut up and go to the corner, just because we got a Democratic POTUS. Republicans - and Dems', too - corporate masters were sadly mistaken if they thought that was going to happen.

[Jane Austin]

3. Over and over again,

the other "smartest guys in the room" underestimate Barack Obama.

He *is* as smart as they are, but they are so used to Bush being two steps behind everybody else, they can't get used to Obama's being two steps ahead of everybody else.

I think Rachel Maddow is finally giving Obama more respect. She's starting to understand his strategies.

Sirota will eventually figure it out.

[bigtree]

16. this is a tired, vacuous defense

It's made more stale with every centrist or conservative impulse from the Obama administration.

I sometimes imagine what it would be like to have an administration (notwithstanding the President's own proclivities) which actually reflects progressive values instead of merely promising to preserve them in a reflexive race to the center.

[Jane Austin]

26. Why, thank you for

your penetrating view of my analysis, which can't be "tired" because I just thought it up this morning.

[bigtree]

47. it's not a view that's unique to DU

I find the argument that Obama's smarts will ultimately negate concerns like Sirota's complaints irritating. It's an argument which assumes some future contradiction of the facts in front of us while breezing past the specifics. We'll never get to that ideal future if we don't allow for consideration of the contradictions in policy and attention to the adverse nature of some of the policymakers.

[anonymous171]

4. That is probably the dumbest article I have read by a "progressive"

Ralph Nader is more coherent and reality centered.

[WI_DEM]

5. I don't know he's done a lot of progressive things since becoming president

especially in overturning Bush on several items. He also has proposed the most ambitious jobs program in history. His taking on corporate ceo pay is a thing of beauty. What too many people on DU expect is that he will be another Dennis Kucinich and he's not and never has been and never campaigned in that way.

[ananda]

6. Obama is NOT liberal or progressive.

He tracks center right, just a bit
to the left of the extreme right
Bushinc.

[ellacott]

8. center right is a republican meme

I think those labels are becoming a thing of the past.

[Romulox]

11. Nonsense. Center/Right is a description based on the range of political thought in the US

Not too many on the "Left" clamoring for a large increase in defense spending, or more "free trade"; these are Obama's positions, and there are to the right of mainstream political thought.

[robinlynne]

13. Couldn't have said it better. (so I won't).

[ellacott]

15. Actually that's not true

Military issues and free trade are not exclusive to those on the right. Clinton did more for free trade than many on the right.

[Individualist]

18. Clinton was DLC

As some have said, "the best republican president we've ever had".

[ellacott]

20. Doesn't matter whether he was DLC

He did do some good things. At least he didn't spend all the money.

Center right is still a republican meme. That's all they were saying after the election, "The country is a center right country". THAT's nonsense.

[Individualist]

24. Doesn't matter?!

It matters a great deal to many people.

http://democratsagainstthedlc.blogspot.com/2008/08/second-swift-boat-book-makes-debut.html

http://getridofthedlc.blogspot.com/2008/04/cbc-declaring-war-on-black-bloggers.html

[ellacott]

29. You're not paying attention

I'm talking specifically about this meme about "center right". It's a fact that Clinton was DLC. I never disputed that. That's why I said it doesn't matter because that's not what I'm talking about.

You all get upset at things before you understand what a person is talking about.

[hfojvt]

19. and Clinton was an obvious centrist on economic issues

Just because Clinton did it, does not make NAFTA, welfare-reform, tax cuts of 1996, Glass-Steagal repeal, etc., etc., etc. suddenly progressive.

[ellacott]

23. Who said anything about him being progressive?

How in the world did you get that froom what I posted. I agree that he was a centrist. That wasn't what I disagreed with either.

[hfojvt]

30. you implied that he was 'not on the right'

from where I sit, on economic issues he was almost as far to the right as Bush Sr. In fact, Clinton sorta ran as Ronald Reagan and attacked Bush for raising taxes while promising a 'middle class tax cut'. Clinton was always trying to out-Republican the Republicans.

[ellacott]

37. You're missing my point

No problem

[Romulox]

31. You've made my point for me: Clinton was/is a "neoliberal" and charter member of the DLC.

a group of conservative Democrats. :hi:

[ellacott]

36. Center right is still a Republican meme

That's all they were talking about after the election. They kept claiming that this country was a center right country. Do you believe this?

[Romulox]

39. No, it's part of the basic political lexicon. nt

[ellacott]

40. We can go back and forth

It doesn't change things. It's a meme that republicans saturated the media with right after the election.

[Romulox]

41. It's a shoe that fits. Sorry that your hero wears it.

:hi:

[ellacott]

42. Miss Cleo?????????

Where did I say he was my hero? That's actually a ridiculously funny statement if you had a clue about how critical I've been of our First Black President. You just ASSumed and made an ass of yourself and not me. Too funny. It's not a surpise on this board.

[Romulox]

43. I assume nothing. I am basing my post strictly on your attempt to deflect any criticism

of President Obama, right here on this thread.

[ellacott]

44. No, You are ASSuming

Too funny.

My point through each post on this thread is that center right is the latest Republican meme.

[omega minimo]

51. CENTER/RIGHT "description based on the range of political thought in the US" IS A REPUBLICAN MEME

enuff already

they make up BS language and drop it in the punchbowl. you find it meaningful. IT'S STILL A REPUG MEME.

:hi:

[Romulox]

9. Agreed. nt

[burythehatchet]

10. I believe the correct term is neo-liberal, just like Clinton, same administration

[Romulox]

12. You nailed it. nt

[fascisthunter]

21. that is the correct term globally

[ogneopasno]

25. Correct. And not only that, he made it pretty clear that he wasn't running as one, either. At least,

it was clear to those who were paying close attention.

[Oak2004]

27. No he's not, but we are

That means we continue to pressure his administration to do the right thing, not that we go "oh, he's not a progressive" and give up.

The argument that "he never said he was a progressive, so progressives should just shut up" is as specious an argument as there ever was.

[Jennicut]

50. LOL! Actually per his record in the Senate he is center left.

[leftchick]

17. a DLC/Neolib never changes its spots. This was calculated

<snip>

As the Nation's Chris Hayes shows, its the same in other key regulatory positions, as free market fundamentalists who created the problem take the helm of the regulatory agencies they tried to destroy. Indeed, the only movement progressive in a top economic position is Jared Bernstein, and he was relegated to an amorphous job in the Vice President's office.

And now we see that's not an accident. Though Obama won states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana on promises to challenge Wall Street and reform our trade policies, there has been a deliberate and calculated effort to stack the administration with the very Wall Street Democrats who created the problems he lamented, and shun those who have been fighting the good fight.

sickening.

[burythehatchet]

22. it's over. it was a nice dream for a few months.

[Jane Austin]

28. Don't be glum.

There's a lot to be happy about.

[burythehatchet]

32. I know. I post about the happy stuff too. But our long term prospects are a lot

more bleak if true liberals principles are abandoned.

[omega minimo]

35. Above is a lucid comment for the Sirota bashers to check out

:thumbsup:

[leftchick]

46. I agree

that is why I posted it. Hard to argue his points isn't it? Apparently some can not handle the truth, yet nothing will ever change if we don't accept reality.

[natrat]

33. doesnt feel so good getting fucked by these people again, does it? hope...

[Political Heretic]

34. Greg Palast (not exactly friendly do any Dem) sees it exactly opposite:

http://www.gregpalast.com/obama-is-a-two-faced-liar-aw-right/

Obama is a two-faced liar. Aw-RIGHT!
by Greg Palast

January 29, 2009

Republicans are right. President Barack Obama treated them like dirt, didn't give a damn what they thought about his stimulus package, loaded it with a bunch of programs that will last for years and will never leave the budget, is giving away money disguised as "tax refunds," and is sneaking in huge changes in policy, from schools to health care, using the pretext of an economic emergency.

Way to go, Mr. O! Mr. Down-and-Dirty Chicago pol. Street-fightin' man. Covering over his break-your-face power play with a "we're all post-partisan friends" BS.

And it's about time.

Frankly, I was worried about this guy. Obama's appointing Clinton-droids to the Cabinet, bloated incompetents like Larry Summers as "Economics Czar," made me fear for my country, that we'd gotten another Democrat who wished he were a Republican.

Then came Obama's money bomb. The House bill included $125 billion for schools (TRIPLING federal spending on education), expanding insurance coverage to the unemployed, making the most progressive change in the tax code in four decades by creating a $500 credit against social security payroll deductions, and so on.

It's as if Obama dug up Ronald Reagan's carcass and put a stake through The Gipper's anti-government heart. Aw-RIGHT!

[ProgressIn2008]

49. Heh, give it a few weeks - Palast will write a critical piece and the usual suspects will disown him

Under the bus!

[defendandprotect]

48. All of these appointees . . .

are a betrayal of those who voted for him --

and who gave him money -- huge amounts collected via internet ---

WITH NO LEVERAGE ON OBAMA ---

Hope DU is thinking about that --- !!!

These weren't even slightly questionable appointeers . . .

so many of them just reek --- Gregg!!! Summers!!!

Reward the DLC . . . for what???