Why Jane Hamsher and Howard Dean Can’t be Wrong - By: Cenk Uygur

[kpete]

Why Jane Hamsher and Howard Dean Can’t be Wrong
By: Cenk Uygur Wednesday December 30, 2009 7:15 am

Can Jane Hamsher or Howard Dean be wrong on the substance of policy issues? Of course!!! I don’t think they often are, but recently there have been many progressives who have thought so. These were reasonable disagreements and everyone was within their full right to think Dean or Hamsher might not have gotten the balance right on any particular issue.

So, why can’t they be wrong?

Because even if you disagree with them, they’re doing you a huge favor. If you’re a strong progressive and you think Howard Dean has gone out too far left in health care reform or Jane Hamsher has attacked President Obama too hard from the left -then, fantastic, you are now officially a moderate!

And more importantly, so is Obama.

more:
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/21511

[snagglepuss]

1. What he fails to mention is the essence of moderation is don't expect change to happen

any time soon, go slow and easy, and don't rock the status quo.

K & R.

[Don Caballero]

2. I really like Cenk but he is way off on this.

We must ignore criticism of our President from both the Right and the so called Left. Constant bickering only delays real change.

[Donnachaidh]

3. so you're advocating silencing dissent?

how very puke-like of you.

[Don Caballero]

4. Not forceful silence of dissent

Just use your heads. Speaking bad about our President puts the brakes on real change. People like Hamsher and Kucinich are intentionally trying to make our President look bad. There is zero substance to the critiques they bring to the table.

[ThomCat]

5. If you think there is zero substance in critiques

you aren't listening or paying attention, especially re: Kucinich's critiques.

[EOTE]

6. Wrong. Attacking the President from the left encourages him to move to the left.

If the attacks from the right are met with silence, the right becomes the new center. If the attacks from the right are met with attacks from the left, that puts the President in the center. I'd rather the President move to the center than trying to appease the right.

[tsuki]

7. No, if the emperor is wearing no clothes and you point it out, that

does not make you look bad. It makes the emperor look bad for running around naked.

[JHB]

8. I am using my head, and your claim makes no sense...

...and twists it into a persoanlity-based thing rather than a policy-based dispute.

Not to mention it rings a little hollow to be lectured at to "use your head" in the same breath as a sweeping dismissal of a substantial faction within the party.

[roguevalley]

13. 'speaking bad about our President' was a Republican meme and

they used it to good effect. or weren't you watching? intentionally making him look bad? Really. Having differing opinions is now verboten. How ... odd.

[Donnachaidh]

18. so basically you don't want anyone to *talk* -- last time I heard, that was SILENCING dissent

Obama's a big boy, and can handle his own problems. You and the other chorale members are the ones making him look bad, by creeping all over the board trying to shut up any sort of dissent. Remember the *big tent*? Last I heard that big tent had room not for just people, but opposing views as well.

This *is* a tactic of the republicans, and it's shameful it's being done here. Period.

[Sebastian Doyle]

16. He's done so about 319 times this month

Rahm's new hires didn't even bother trying to disguise their contempt for anyone to the left of Lieberman.

[roguevalley]

12. odd statement. ignoring half the country or more because it delays

'real change' is odd. I guess we are then dispensable. How very undemocratic that is.

[mzmolly]

9. Somewhat misleading title given Dean and Hamshire do not agree.

:hi:

[WillyT]

10. K & R !!!

:kick:

[berni_mccoy]

11. Why Dean Is Right and Hamsher Can't Be: Grover Norquist and the Teabaggers.

Dean would never go so far.

[depakid]

14. Did you bother to read the article?

[berni_mccoy]

17. Yep, Cenk is trying to make his buddy Jane look better.

I get it. She's doing Obama a favor politically because it'll play out well politically for him.

You know what that sounds like? CYA bullshit for going too far enlisting the teabaggers, validating Fox and holding hands with Norquist.

[depakid]

19. Apparently the answer to that was affirmative

[Vidar]

15. K&R.