Robert Gibbs is dumbfounded as to why the liberal base is unmotivated

[usregimechange]

“I don’t know why some segments of political observers don’t seem to be as motivated. There’s a lot at stake. There’s a lot at stake in the election in Massachusetts; there’s a lot at stake in what’s debated every day on Capitol Hill. What’s at stake is whether we’re going to go forward with ideas for an economic recovery,’’ -White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/01/17/democrats_struggle_to_rally_base_for_upcoming_votes/

Dear Mr Gibbs,

Like many of my peers during the primaries it was difficult to settle on a candidate that I supported and felt had the best chance of taking back the people's house. What ended up tilting my support to Senator Obama was his opposition to a national individual mandate on the purchase of health insurance.

As a result of that decision, I knocked on thousands of doors for Obama in 2008. Today I can barely read OFA e-mails. The reason why is clear. I didn't work that hard to be bait and switched on something as vital as health care. So when you are wondering why things are so close in Massachusetts don't pretend to be unaware. Have some integrity and stand behind your own agenda and acknowledge your role in that discontent.

You know damn well why the base is unmotivated and thanks to your lack of authenticity and respect for those of us that worked to make you happen, I say we send you to Massachusetts to knock on doors.

Sincerely,

[democracy1st]

1. The Goldman Sachs admin doesn't have a clue,I must say I'm not surprised!

[usregimechange]

2. Suppose they will become aware around Tues night?

Edited to say that voting for Coakley is still the right thing to do.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

158. WE NEED A STATE OF THE UNION LIKE NEVER BEFORE

[pocoloco]

214. Nobel Peace Prize not enough for you?

[Mithreal]

259. .

:rofl:

When we stop fighting illegal wars, privatizing our military, enriching the war profiteers and mercenaries, end the whole world is out to get us nonsense, stop feeding empire, talk to me again about the Peace Prize.

[Dulcinea]

65. There is no such thing as a jobless recovery.

Yeah, I know employment is a "lagging indicator," but that cuts no ice with people like me who are "long-term unemployed."

If they keep giving our tax money to banksters & corporations instead of creating jobs, the Dems deserve what they get.

[Ken Burch]

107. Calling this a "jobless recovery" is like calling death a "lifeless recovery".

n/t.

[begin_within]

123. Great line

[Mithreal]

260. Well said

:applause:

[Roland99]

147. Well, Citigroup Admin. But, why split hairs?

[lxlxlxl]

193. yeah! and now by losing mass. everything is going to get really better! (Sarcasm)

Every GOP candidate and president has been the 'goldman' admin until you started paying attention. thank you for being so conveniently interested and now fuck off...

[suede1]

3. Being lied to and insulted, pushing a health care bill that makes things worse, doesn't motivate me

either.

With you 100%

[usregimechange]

4. And if they would have flopped on something else... this = people's lives, my parents lives

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DumbBassRepublicans]

234. I've been GREATLY disappointed by the Obama Administration too.....

but....
electing an anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-health insurance, anti-minority, anti-just-about-anything-decent, anti-American, is BLASPHEMOUS to Ted Kennedy...
If the voters of Massachusetts vote for this republican nit-wit, well then,
I guess they're gonna reap what they sow....!!!
PITIFUL...!!!!
Coakley has many, many faults, but...
ANY democrat, even if Bugs Bunny ran for Teddy's seat, should be elected
if only to honor Senator Edward Kennedy....!!!
I guess we'll find out very, very, soon, if Massachusetts voters are as
STUPID as the polls seem to indicate....!!!??? :cry:

P.S.- Don't blame me.... I was for Hillary..!!
LOL..!!

[suede1]

252. I hope they're not. Being mad at Obama should never mean being pro Birther.

[bjobotts]

238. God you're right. If only we'd have elected McCain/Palin.Is it too late to bring back Bush

[suede1]

250. Didn't know that was our only choice. Thanks for dumbing it down so that you could understand it.

Guess now I'll like being lied to.

[cherokeeprogressive]

5. Listen to Gibbs talk for ten minutes, and it sounds like he's dumbfounded by any number of things.

[bjobotts]

239. They just don't understand perfection..Better to have just ignored HCR altogether

[bjobotts]

241. Than be held hostage by the minority & a handful of dems with the "filibuster".

[bjobotts]

242. Dems have it in their platform and just not doing it.Repubs- nothing in their platform-can't change

[bjobotts]

243. A vote for Brown is a vote for wall street, banksters and permanent filibusters

[bjobotts]

244. Which is better than mandatory ins anyday -right?

[DJ13]

6. I predict the admin will make a sudden shift to the left after HCR

They need to try and make people forget the bad aspects of the HCR Obama is determined to sign, and the airwaves will be filled with admin officials and party types all trying to out liberal each other as a result.

They will continue the charade through the early conferences on screwing over seniors......I mean, "reforming" Social Security hoping no one notices what they're up to until its too late.

[usregimechange]

8. I think it will be more like a bone they will throw us

[Skittles]

11. yup

the only thing in question would be the size of the bone

[usregimechange]

12. just large enough to be noticed and not large enough

[DJ13]

13. the only thing in question would be the size of the bone

..... and which orifice it will end up in.

[grahamhgreen]

47. LOL

[ChairmanAgnostic]

139. Ah, so size does matter.

That's what I always thought.

[sabrina 1]

42. The size will be determined by how quickly the base

falls for the talk of pushing a progressive agenda. If we go running back with promises of activism and donations in hand, the bone will shrink. I'd bet to about the size of a Chihuahua snack.

They still have Social Security and Medicare to take care of. Wall St. still needs lots of money. We will once again hear many great sounding promises coming up to the election and if they win, what then? We know what has already happened, so I for one won't be believing much of what the leadership has to say.

As for Gibbs. How COULD he know why the base is not energized? When was the last time they talked to their base other than Rahm, who told them to STFU? Gibbs has apparently bought the meme that the base will always come back as they have 'nowhere else to go'.

[elocs]

63. No, they'll bind us to them with promises, ones they really, really mean.

Next time.

[tomp]

145. the democratic party is fresh out of bones.

that's why our money is going to wall street and insurance companies and we're getting this piece of shit health care bill.

imho, we've reached the end game. the party of bone-throwers knows the ultimate shit is going to hit the fan ultimate fan very soon, and we're not in the rescue plan.

[JVS]

16. Maybe they should start it now by getting a less odious HCR or throwing the current bill away

[tblue]

26. Yeah! Is it THAT difficult to figure out how to motivate the base?

Even if they just watched Ed Schulz once or twice, they might kinda catch a hint. It ain't rocket science.

Unless, of course, "we" are not really "the base."

[Jackpine Radical]

128. How could a bunch of lunatic moonbat lefties, all filled with liberal angst,

possibly be the Democratic base?

Everybody knows the Democratic base is made up of insurance company shareholders & execs and Wall Street banksters.

[tomp]

144. brilliant! nt

[salguine]

38. I'll take that bet. if anything, history has shown us again and again that every time

the Democratic Party hits a wall, they ALWAYS respond by moving farther to the right, even when everyone else understands it's precisely that worst tack to take. They'll never get it.

[laughingliberal]

91. +1 nt

[dflprincess]

103. I'm sure they'll talk a good game

but I won't trust them in 2010 or 2012 without some action to back up the words.

[Hello_Kitty]

133. Nah. The guiding principle of the DLC is that moving to the right is the answer to everything

If Coakley wins tomorrow they will take it as a sign that their center right policies have been validated and they will shift to the right.

If Coakaly loses tomorrow they will take it as a sign that their center right position isn't far enough to the right and the answer is to move further to the right.

[mochajava666]

149. That's exactly right. Moving to the right solves everything

for the DLC, including cooperation from the corporate media to shape the DLC message, and big donations.

[lxlxlxl]

194. what HCR? your going to lose Mass tomorrow. HCR and anything else will never happen.

good job progressives.

[ProudDad]

211. WTF???

Progressives were never heard in the HCR debate...

Or anywhere else in this 3rd bush/2nd clinton admin...

Who the frick are you talking about, newbie?

[CoffeeCat]

219. That's exactly what they will do...

They screw us over on the most vital Progressive issues. Then, they'll spend the next months
throwing crumbs at us, thinking that we'll forget about the horrible things they've done.

Obama continued the horrid Bush legacy of denying Americans Habeas Corpus. Obama said he
would reinstate it. He didn't.

Obama has also continued the warmongering. The PNACers got their foot in the door with Iraq,
and Obama is helping them to continue their desire to dominate and pillage that part of the
world, using military might.

Obama didn't lift a damn finger on healthcare. He didn't advocate for the public option, in the
same way that Bush advocated to privatize Social Security. In fact, during Obama's address to the
nation, he told Progressives that we needed to let go of the idea of a public option. Now, we
have non-reform reform--that we are mandated to buy into. A boon for the health-insurance
industry. This bill contains NO cost controls. Just as they wanted. Nothing for us.

They'll do exactly as you predict. They'll get all "librul" on this nation. Maybe they'll make
some liberal appointments or throw us a few social-issue wins. However, nothing they do will
harm their precious corporations. Nothing they do will make elections fair. Nothing they do
will reform campaign elections. Nothing they do will stop the military-industrial complex.

We will continue to slide into Fascism--with the dance between powerful corporations and bribed
politicians--still intact.

So, pardon me if I don't get all giddy with these little meaningless crumbs we'll get. Without
our democracy--we have nothing.

[xxqqqzme]

251. That will not happen.

Shifting left is anathema to rahm. He is wedded to the dlc and can't help but push its agenda. He can talk left but he ain't going there. Every single paycheck will remind those fortunate enough to still have a paycheck that they now are REQUIRED to pay for crap insurance because there will be that new deduction. I cringe for my son's new little family. They are hanging on the edge now because I help them w/ their food purchases.

If my social security disability and medicare go, we will be shit out of luck!

Thom Hartmann made the observation the other day, if the teabaggers/dlc/neo-cons/libertarians think living tax free is such a spendid idea, take a look at Haiti - that is the end result of tax free living!

[Wilms]

7. "...we’re going to go forward with ideas for an economic recovery...’’

Who's economic recovery Mr. Gibbs?

[amborin]

9. speaking of "economic recovery":

snip

Despite Obama's cheesy rhetoric and faux-liberalism, his economic program is, in fact, little different than that of George W. Bush. More than $14 trillion have been committed to the banks in the bailout but only $135 billion have been committed to the automobile industry. That's $100 to the banks that wrecked the global economy for every $1 devoted to the "real" economy, where real people live and work. This ratio played out exactly in December when, on Christmas eve, Obama, with a wave of his magic pen, increased funding for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by $400 billion. Later, he begrudgingly relented on an additional $4.5 billion for GMAC. Once again, that's $100 to the banks for every $1 to the automobile companies and their workers.

This policy reaches its abusive extreme when the government allows banks to borrow unlimited amounts from the Federal Reserve at 0% and then re-loan the same money to maxed-out credit card holders at 27%. Or, with the same banks opening their own payday lending arms to milk truly desperate borrowers with interest rates of 400% or higher. If the front door of the looting operation was the $14 trillion hand-over during the bailout, this is the back door, out of sight but ever so effective because, with everybody hooked on debt, they have no alternative.

So what should we do instead?

What we need is a national program equivalent to the Manhattan Project that built the atomic bomb in only 4 years. It is a program to create high paying jobs that can restore lost middle class incomes and create the wealth to pay down the massive debts run up over the past three decades. We can have such a program for $1 trillion, less than one tenth of what we've wasted bailing out the banks for their destructive, larcenous, unrepentant, sociopathic greed.

Here's the program.

The federal government should commit $1 trillion to refitting the U.S. economy for dramatically more efficient energy usage and improved energy generation. This is less than one tenth the sum it has committed to bailing out the failed financial services industry. Half the money should go for transportation, one quarter for residences, and one quarter for energy generation.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/17

[DeadEyeDyck]

17. that's encouraging

just to play it safe, I added the :sarcasm:

[yourout]

28. Sounds great but we have to fix our trade policys first.

NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, opened the doors and the Chinese came rolling thru.

[Skittles]

10. maybe because we are sick of being bent over

truly clueless fuckers in charge

[meowomon]

14. Us LGBT folks are really unmotivated

we really got baited and switched.

[Skittles]

15. and lots of us straights knew that what comes around goes around

and it really, really got spread wide and thick :thumbsdown:

[usregimechange]

20. Don't get me started on that too, I will lose all of my Obama apologist status

[clear eye]

57. Rachel Maddow doesn't seem to think so anymore.

Ever since two gay people were appointed to relatively high gov't positions (according to her reports), she's forgotten all about DOMAs and DADT and dicey HCR. She's begun sounding awfully cheerleaderish in general lately. I guess I'm naive; I expected better from her.

[Hatchling]

88. I really don't blame her.

I imagine her corporate employer may have reigned her in.

[clear eye]

106. True. It would only take a purge of her research staff

to send her a strong message and deprive her of the best progressive stories. Or perhaps "reminding" her that Pres. Obama is facing many challenges from rw media, and shouldn't he have someone in his corner? Of course that conveniently omits the need to earn progressive praise w/ at least some progressive advocacy and actions.

[Goldstein1984]

236. That's it.

I was disappointed by her chearleading, too. Then the obvious occurred to me--MSNBC is MSM. The limit to MSM activism is what the corporate owners and sponsors can bare.

[liquid diamond]

58. I'm sure Browne will come to your rescue.

Not!

[highplainsdem]

18. K&R

[peacetalksforall]

19. Dear, Mr. Gibbs. We are continually being told to be patient. What we have seen seems to be

carved in stone. What are we waiting for? I'm demoralized by some of the decisions, especially everything involving rights.

And we hear that the health rip off artists are thrilled with the bill. It prolongs their profits. The stock market confirms this.

I always vote, but I can see why others who came out to vote are all not so motivated.

I try to fight my feelings. I search for messages from my peers who share their analysis hoping that I will be helped with rational messages exposing a hopeful outcome.

Try something serious like withdrawing the nomination of Bernanke. Kick out Geitner. Stop bad-mouthing and working against leaders in Central and South America and making threatening remarks about them. Taxing and new legislation doesn't help the moral - it's long term. Kicking them out and putting in some of the people who are making a name for themselves with their wisdom would help.

Just don't allow the barons to become more wealthy. Do something about those without homes, food, insurance, and transprotation. Don't run the hourly pay to $6.00 or less. Get out of Afghanistan - bring the money home even if it doesn't make the barons more wealthy.

The usual whines - there is a long menu of actions that could be taken to motivate us.

If we are temporarily stuck - tell us. We are getting the wrong impression.

The economy and fabulous profits and rewards for big war and earth resource corporations and the perpetuation of death from war is a grand and mammoth downer.

[tblue]

33. They thought they had till next November.

Even posters here were saying, "Be patient. Give it a few years." And now look.

[JDPriestly]

51. I'd like to add: indict war criminals; stop wiretapping innocent people;

clean up the environment; stop outsourcing; stop granting visas for foreign worker; don't touch Medicare or Social Security. Social Security checks get spent on basic necessities. Keep them flowing. Don't kill grandma.

[laughingliberal]

94. +1 nt

[FrenchieCat]

21. He didn't realize that some were expecting a dictator in the White house,

or better yet a magician to wave his wand and make everyone's ouchies go away.

He should have asked me,
cause the pity party for Progressives
started days before the inauguration....
and has picked up strength ever since.

Gibbs doesn't realize that most ignore the good news,
and only quibble over the not so good news.

Gibbs doesn't realize that we don't know shit about DOJ
and the job that it is supposed to do, so that we blame
everything it does or doesn't do on Obama.

Gibbs didn't realize that we don't understand that Democrats
from conservative states ain't gonna be voting for some real progressive shit.

Simply, Gibbs didn't realize how stupid the majority of us folks actually are.

[usregimechange]

24. On most days I agree with that

[Skittles]

37. you started sounded ridiculous long ago

now you're in parody status

[timeforpeace]

125. LOL

[Dr.Phool]

167. It's a shame too.

She used to make a lot of insightful, intelligent posts.

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[freddie mertz]

68. Question: Is this supposed to look like some sort of "Beat" Poetry?

I mean the sentence structure of your posts, which resembles a kind of "beat" verse.

Is that intentional?

[Name removed]

110. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pecwae]

262. Slingblade,

Morris the Wordsmith,
Reminiscent of.

[tbyg52]

73. >>Gibbs didn't realize how stupid the majority of us folks actually are.

No, he *does* think we are stupid, and unobservant. Looks like he was wrong on that.....

[flamingdem]

84. +1 thanks nt

[laughingliberal]

97. "real progressive shit..."

seems to be how they view it, yes.

[liberation]

111. The best part is that some of the DLC acolytes are genuinely surprised why insulting liberals

does not work to "bring us to the fold."

It probably is a sign that intellectual dishonesty in such copious quantities has an atrophic effect for the brain of the common DLC troll.

[scytherius]

121. Bullshit

We wanted someone who would fight, not look at those that would kill America and its people and swoon "oh let's work together" or bend over and say "thank you Sir, may I have another."

Quite frankly, this has been a long war and is going to be a long war. It's ok to lose, it is NOT ok to fight. Following Obama and the Dems into war, the way they are, is a sure way to get us all killed. What did we do? We elected s smart George Bush.

I've been in battle, I've seen many a horror in this life, so your can shove your condescending BS. We want what is best for people. THAT is worth fighting for. Dems and Obama don't fight . . . they bac down to protect their power and pad the "see I did something" resume. Let me say again . . . it is OK to lose . . . it is NOT ok to fail to fight.

You don't always have to stand tall, but sometimes you DO have to stand up. Obama and the Dems don't understand that and, clearly, neither do you.

[Name removed]

140. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Barbara2423]

150. Thank YOu.

[Caretha]

190. You sound

so patronizing.

[sendero]

207. Patronizing?

No, he sounds like an idiot because he is one.

[ProudDad]

215. Real Progressives know that Obama is just the latest version of the

Klassic Kapitalist Korporate Mouthpiece (tm)...Harvard Law Review version...

So real Progressives didn't expect shit from him and we weren't really disappointed...


Gibbs realizes there IS no fucking good news to be had when you're doing Korporate Kapitalist USAmerika's bidding so he pretends that kissing Korporate Ass is good news.

Gibbs realizes that we see through Obama's fealty to the military industrial (bullshit) complex and their hold on the USAmerikan phony "economy"...but they don't care, they're getting their payoffs.

Gibbs fully realized that dems from "conservative" states don't even know what the actual definition of conservative is, are scared shitless and witless by <shiver> the republicans <shudder> and have no fucking guts in their squirming, squeamish, obsequious caving in to Korporate Kapitalist USAmerika.

Gibbs knows exactly how stupid the majority of you are and how easily you'll vote for Tweedledee over Tweedledum.

And they expect you to do it again in 2012 -- and you probably will -- and the wars will continue -- and the banks and stock market and the Korporate Kings will do great!

Until Catastrophic Global Climate Change takes out all of the large air-breathers...

Mother Earth will take out the trash of another evolutionary dead end...too damn "smart" for their own good...

[pecwae]

261. .

:thumbsup:

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[usregimechange]

23. There are a few good ones out there but sure seems like it,,, welcome to DU!

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ShortnFiery]

25. Our "illustrious" Executive Branchers need to get OUT of their Corporate Bubble ...

and mix with us "common folk" more than for those lovely photo shoots. :eyes:

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tnlefty]

36. Good Gawd A Mighty!

I can't believe that you just accused a fellow DU'er of the same shit that the right wing said about anyone who opposed Iraq or the insane policies of Dimson**, "you hate America."

"Most people who live here actually don't hate this country." Well, I'll be goddamned, I just saw it here.

[grasswire]

46. I'm still stunned by that attack.

Outrageous.

[tnlefty]

173. Good to see you, grasswire!

Outrageous and not even a time out for it I don't think. Beyond the pale.:hi:

[grasswire]

that was a really, really offensive remark.

Damn!

[madrchsod]

29. we have been rahmatized.....

[FrenchieCat]

31. You've been in denial that a Tall Tan Kucinich didn't win......

[eridani]

52. Former campaign workers who still have the anti-mandate literature that Obama used against Clinton--

--are the only ones who are actually in touch with reality here.

[WyldRogue]

119. I have several left as well..

... wish I had a scanner to show the complete turn around Obama allowed his policies/agendas to take. I can mail 1-2 of them to any takers if they have a working scanner. They were distributed all over PA (I was one of the lowly Dems that went door-to-door-block-by-block for his campaign and I still believe I did a damn good job on getting the votes for Obama. However, the same people are now pissed at me for the way things have certainly 'changed'.

I may criticize him but he still has my support so far. I just want to know when he will turn back around and help We the Little People because I am really getting sick of the 'must prop up the 2%' mentality.

[Hello_Kitty]

135. LOL!

Not to mention we only have to do a brief search of their posts during the Primaries to show how anti-mandate they were back then.

[Dr.Phool]

217. Frenchie,

You gotta lay off that Kool-aid. It causes Dain Bramage.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

237. You get more bizarre with each passing day. n/t

[JVS]

44. lol

[Leopolds Ghost]

45. New verb! "rahmatized"... can I borrow that?

[madrchsod]

66. oh course

[tbyg52]

74. That sounds painful. nt

[laughingliberal]

99. Quite! nt

[timeforpeace]

127. Bravo! May it catch on.

[timeforpeace]

129. This is one of the best threads ever. Kudos to all.

[depakid]

32. Mr. Gibbs has worked afainst the base for much of his career

That quite aside from being among the poorest public speakers to ever fill his role,

That's not just my opinion- listen to the man for yourselves.

[usregimechange]

34. Tony Snow was good, not on our side but good.

[jgraz]

35. There's no way these guys are that dumb. No way.

We're being played.

[salguine]

41. You got that right. They know exactly what they're doing and who they're doing it for, and

it sure's hell ain't us.

[krispos42]

39. The legistation proposed does not deal with the issues at stake, that's why

And legislation that DOES deal with the issues at stake is DOA because it's "far-left", "socialist", "communist", "fascist", "Marxist", or some combination thereof.


The left base gets motivated by a)left-base-orientated legislation and b)right-base-orientated legislation.

The compromise shit makes the base cold.

[QC]

126. +1

[Mithreal]

160. excellently well said

[zaj]

40. Next time, beat Joe Lieberman in the GENERAL ELECTION!

He has a veto the public option, which is to say that we *never* had the 60 votes. 59 wouldn't do it.

[Mithreal]

162. You are being sarcastic, right? They never needed 60.

Check the record during the Bush years. He had as low as 49/51 and I think his high was 55 but google it if you don't believe me.

The filibuster is a recent invention, it can be modified with I think it is 50+1 votes. An alternative progressively decreasing filibuster has also been discussed by the grassroots. So something like, 60 votes needed the first so many days, 57 the next so many days, 54 and so on. Do I even have to mention the threats Republicans made to blow up the filibuster rule, just kill it? Could have done that too.

It gets more interesting though. Because medicare buy-in, medicare for all, public option all are budget items they can be passed with 50+1 now using reconciliation. All the other reforms popular with the people not directly budget related could be put in a separate bill and passed separately or not.

Please fellow DU'er don't believe the hype. We are about to get a bill that is unlike anything we worked our asses off for and are being given excuses and nothing more. At the very least don't propagate this excuse.

[ProudDad]

218. You are correct, the 60 vote myth is just that, a myth

Reid could rescind rule 22 in a heartbeat...

Then make the fucker actually stand on the floor if they want to block cloture...the way it was before ronny ray-gun!

Those who don't know history are condemned to be stupid...

You are 100%, the 60 vote crap is just that, crap -- but convenient crap when you're doing Korporate USAmerika's bidding...

[zaj]

246. Read this...

... please...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7502597

[TexasObserver]

43. I believe it. His smugness toward the progressive wing is typical.

This administration has a major attitude problem and it had better get an attitude adjustment. The attitude of this administration toward the progressive wing is outrageous. The president has gotten his ass kicked by his old buddy Joe Lieberman and his gang of GOP disruptors. He's done so while pissing off progressives in the country.

Frankly, if they don't pull their collective head out of their collective ass, we're taking a beating in November. The election will be a referendum on the president, and he needs to get his voters back if he wants to avoid having a GOP run congress next year.

[Enthusiast]

72. I'm not so sure a turnover

in congress isn't part of the fucking plan. I mean, the Administration couldn't be this stupid.

[laughingliberal]

101. It does seem that way, at times. I mean, if they were idiots I might think otherwise but

they are not idiots which leads me to wonder if a more Republican legislature might be more in line with their move to the right on the issues. I did call the White House week before last and comment that the bashing of those on the left is starting to look like a voter suppression effort designed to help Republicans get elected and facilitate a move to the right. If that was not their intent, I said, they might want to muzzle the CofS for a while for starters.

[clear eye]

108. Was just hitting my mouse to say the same when I read your comment.

I do believe that Obama gets more sympathy when he has an actual need to triangulate, instead of doing it w/ a Dem super majority, and knows it. I'm reminded of how I wrote in one of my journal articles during the '08 campaign that he needed to stop sounding apologetic about being a Democrat. Many state Dem organizations felt snubbed and worked around by his outfit. I'm beginning to have strong doubts that he thinks of himself as a Dem or has any party loyalty. More like if he can't move us into taking more pro- big corporate stances, he'll abandon us.

[Mithreal]

163. Something to think about, agreed, though will be surprised if someone doesn't throw

a fit over your comment.

[dkf]

48. I took myself off the email list.

And I told them why. It's not my fault they are still Clueless.

[suede1]

53. Me too.

[usregimechange]

54. I really think they believe this is the way to go to keep the middle, it is not

it how you lose the middle and the base.

[ProudDad]

220. Unfortunately...

What's laughingly called "the middle" nowdays would have been called loony, bat-shit crazy, far right-fascist in my younger years...

I still call it loony, bat-shit crazy, far-right-fascist...

[clear eye]

59. They won't listen to you about that either, and keep sending emails.

You can tell them a 1000 times, hold your breath, stand on your head, all the while begging them please to not send anymore, and they'll still keep them coming. When I got tired of being told by them how wonderful all the things that are going to make my life harder were, I found I actually had to make the WH a blocked sender to make it stop!

I guess I could have made a message rule to direct the emails to the trash instead of the inbox so they wouldn't see that I wasn't even reading the subject lines, but I guess I felt that blocking them sent at least a bit of a message about how I felt about the way they were handling the bank crisis. Shortly after that, emails I tried to send people started going into people's spam folders even though I checked and am not on any major spammer list (or any other one that I know of, nor should I be). Must be a coincidence.

[DisgustedInMN]

62. Same same.

Got zero response from them, Obama, his staff, either of my Democratic Senator, their staffs.

That is, if you don't count hitting me up for "donations that just might make that difference."

[tbyg52]

75. Ditto

And I send every begging letter from the DNC, DSCC, DCCC back with a piece of my mind instead of a check.

[nashville_brook]

197. same here.

[grahamhgreen]

49. I don't believe they can really be that naive, makes me nervous.

[ibegurpard]

55. I find that hard to believe

If it's true he has no business doing what he does.

[liquid diamond]

56. So a Republican would be better than Coakley?

Spare me your hurt feelings. You miserable people better get to the polls on Tuesday. The future of this country depends on it.

[laughingliberal]

102. Nobody here thinks Brown would be better than Coakley

The discussion here is why Gibbs seems clueless about why some of their constituency is not enthused. And people who talk to those who are not happy with the direction of the administration with words like, "spare me your hurt feelings," and "you miserable people better...blah, blah, blah" are part of the problem.

I think anyone here on DU who lives in MA will be going to vote for Coakley tomorrow despite this rudeness. But this, overall, rude tone that the administration has taken towards the left is a big part of the problem and those who perpetuate it are either clueless or covertly trying to suppress the vote.

[rpannier]

152. Hell of a rally call

You miserable people better get to the polls on Tuesday.

[Mithreal]

164. Motivational speaker?

I am sure that is what people were saying. Republican better than Coakley, right.

Strangely part of your comment reminds me of another I heard before. The one that accuses the left of not voting. Calling your audience miserable, well that just looks like something any freepet would say.

Tuesday is the future. I only hope that whatever happens we take the responsibility to fix this mess and accept ZERO excuses.

[laughingliberal]

176. Damn it! Just choked on my coffee

Motivational speaker! :rofl: :rofl:

That was the best laugh I had all day!

[Mithreal]

180. You're welcome, America

:patriot:

[sendero]

208. We thought that last November..

... and look how that turned out.

[Double T]

60. Hey RG! YOU, the WH and the dnc congress are out of touch.

The angry voters are more than a little dissatisfied with your performance on 'change' and have given up on 'hope'. rethug style business as usual doesn't cut it; lie to the voters and they will turn on you. Keep sucking up to the banks, the health care industry and the illegal aliens and see where 2010 and 2012 get YOU! Stimulus and bailouts don't create jobs; it creates more and MORE debt. The dnc better start doing its job, so we can get our jobs back!

[Vidar]

64. K&R.

[Krashkopf]

67. One by one the Obama administration threw members of the Progressive base under the bus . . .

and now they are surprised, and don't understand why Progressives are NOT motivated!!

Maybe these folks aren't as bright as we gave them credit for being.

[Tailormyst]

69. Well Mr. Gibbs if your bosses would stop calling us irrelevant among other thing...

or even hint at moving in a liberal direction, maybe we would be a little more enthusiastic. Most you get out of me is my votes. I have to bitter a taste in my mouth to actually campaign for the lesser of two evils.

[Mithreal]

165. My wife said for the first time today, she didn't know we had been

voting for the lesser of two evils. She doesn't think he is evil, just extremely disappointing.

[jpak]

70. Bait and switch - bullshit. Obama cannot cast 60 votes in the Senate and 220 votes the House

Don't like the HRC bill? Blame Lieberman, Nelson et al. - not Obama

:thumbsdown:

[usregimechange]

77. He can push for HCR without an individual mandate/public option

He gave up on the public option but came to support the individual mandate that he campaigned against, the Senate did not make him do that.

[AlinPA]

98. Yes.

[jeff47]

109. That's a failure of leadership

Obama and Ried have tools to reign in Lieberman, Nelson, et al. They decided not to use them. So Lieberman, Nelson, et al did what they always do, make themselves feel important.

The current state of HCR is terrible because there was nobody out there being a leader. Just a bunch of country-club denizens strutting around to make themselves important.

Obama could have easily destroyed that by taking a much more proactive role, especially back in July when 70% of the public was in favor of the bills being discussed way back then.

[The Wizard]

146. Lieberman and Nelson

provide cover for the rest of the crooks who just throw up their hands and say they are helpless to do the will of the people who put them in office because Lieberman and Nelson are assholes.
It's all about getting campaign donations from the well heeled lobbyists. Follow the money and find the thieves.
Nothing matters anymore. Maybe the Myans were right about 2012. Hell, the Jets have a chance of going to the Super Bowl. Now there's an omen for you.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

240. Exactly!

[Mithreal]

166. The Senate Finance bill was the Obama bill.

Reposting my response to another DU'er confusing the question.

Check the record during the Bush years. He had as low as 49/51 in the Senate and I think his high was 55 but google it if you don't believe me.

The filibuster is a recent invention, it can be modified with I think it is 50+1 votes. An alternative progressively decreasing filibuster has also been discussed by the grassroots. So something like, 60 votes needed the first so many days, 57 the next so many days, 54 and so on. Do I even have to mention the threats Republicans made to blow up the filibuster rule, just kill it? Could have done that too.

It gets more interesting though. Because medicare buy-in, medicare for all, public option all are budget items they can be passed with 50+1 now using reconciliation. All the other reforms popular with the people not directly budget related could be put in a separate bill and passed separately or not.

Please fellow DU'er don't believe the hype. We are about to get a bill that is unlike anything we worked our asses off for and are being given excuses and nothing more. At the very least don't propagate this excuse.

TO REPEAT THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS POWERLESS is so obviously a lie it could only be believed by a low information citizen or someone who swallowed the propaganda from a certain group of people I will not name. There has been SO MUCH evidence to the contrary, your comment either represents poor understanding or willful ignorance.

[emsimon33]

199. You have spoken the truth. People need to listen. We are being fed lies!

[sendero]

210. The buck..

.. stops there. This idea that the president has no power over congress was thoroughly destroyed by a moron, George Bush.

[ProudDad]

222. What HCR bill?

HCR stands for Health CARE Reform, right?

This piece of shit coming out of the corporate funded Congress should be titled "The Health Insurance Industry and Big PhRMA Stimulus Package of 2010". It's been designed to stimulate those industries with infusions of extorted private and more public CA$H -- BIG BUCKS -- Trillion$ -- in order to continue the same damn for profit sick care system that's been repudiated by the Civilized Industrial Nations of the Earth.

I blame Obama for being the corporate mouthpiece he was hired to be and just paying lip service to any real reform.

I blame the democrats for being the corporate tools they are, for NEVER considering what SHOULD be done to do real Health Care and for their hypocrisy - since they knew all along they weren't going to do anything really useful and pretending that they were.

I blame the republicans just for being the evil fucks they are...

And I blame all you idiots who keep voting for these assholes and expect a different result...

"If voting could change anything, they'd make it illegal"

[Karmadillo]

71. Oh noes!!!! Maybe the base isn't as gullible as we think!!! Roll out another speech!!! Quick!!!

nt

[tbyg52]

76. >> Roll out another speech!!! Quick!!!

Too late. All I hear is "wah wah wah wah, wah wah, wah wah," like in a Peanuts cartoon.

[invictus]

78. K&R

[GeorgeGist]

79. In all likelihood Mr. Gibbs has bought into the Chicago Boys ...

philosophy that progressives are just as stupid as everyone else.

[Octafish]

80. Two major illegal wars. No universal health insurance. Bailout for billionaires...

Don't you read the papers, Mr. Gibbs? Either way, you should read DU.

[prolesunited]

81. Yes, because having a Republican in charge of your state

will certainly make things better.

[ProudDad]

223. Only if you're cowardly enough to let them take your power from you...

Relocalize, take back your power...

www.transitionus.org

[Mari333]

82. he lives in LaLa land doesnt he.

knr

[bvar22]

83. Gibbs....from the same mold as Snow, McClellan and Fleischer.

I can't watch him anymore.

Who could have predicted that letting Lieberman and Olympia Snow write the HCR Bill would piss off so many Democrats? :shrug:


Note: The White House and the Democratic Party Leadership could have crushed Lieberman like a roach....if they had wanted to, anytime they wanted to.
Anyone still using Lieberman as an excuse for bad HCR is naive beyond belief.

[amborin]

89. +1000

[Lydia Leftcoast]

90. I voted "uncommitted" in my last caucus

because I didn't like either Hillary Clinton or Obama, but they were the only ones left.

However, as I told a friend, I had a slight preference for H. Clinton because I KNEW who she was--a DLCer, through and through, predictably so.

Obama was a big Question Mark, and I realized that he could turn out either way--either a stealth leftist or a stealth rightist.

Turns out he was a stealth rightist of the most corporate-welfare-loving sort.

The whole populist shtick was just to get elected, because the strategists knew that the public was fed up with Bush-era policies. The real agenda became clear the minute he announced his staff and Cabinet appointments--and more continuations of Bush-era policies.

[ProudDad]

224. You don't really think HIllary would have been any different...

do you?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

235. Of course not

The minute the MSM pretended that there were only two contenders (in 2007 already!), I was pretty sure that the next president would be acceptable to the corporatists.

[QC]

85. Dumbfounded is his normal state of existence.

He is probably dumbfounded when traffic lights change colors and the sun comes up in the morning, to judge from his performance at press conferences.

[laughingliberal]

104. ROFL!! nt

[ddeclue]

86. +1 and add bailouts to banksters instead of a jobs program for main street.

[flamingdem]

87. PHONE BANK FOR COAKLEY FROM HOME -- DO IT FOR TED !!!!! Last chance.. MOTIVATE REGARDLESS!!!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/votercontact/login?requested=%2Fpage%2Fvotercontact%2Fmake_calls%3Fcampaign_id%3DfnrU

[Romulox]

92. Now, now Mr. Gibbs. I wouldn't say you are "founded!"

(ok, juvenile, I know. :evilgrin: )

[WillyT]

93. I Have A Feeling That The Entire Administration And Democratic Party Are Dumbfounded...

as to what's happening outside of the Beltway.

:shrug:

[FLAprogressive]

95. I can't stand to hear that smug sack of crap anymore....he is arrogant and condescending

[bobbolink]

96. Well, Mr. Gibbs, if you actually LISTENED to people, and understood them,

you'd GET it

This is this society in a nutshell..... sermonize rather than LISTEN.

[Better Believe It]

100. K & R

[BrklynLiberal]

105. Are they really that unaware..or just lying thru their teeth?

[The Wielding Truth]

112. Obama is and always has been a compromiser. You &I knew that, yet

we wished that the greedy corporate run national federal government would be vanquished, and peace, love, and total democracy would come to the USA. It was unrealistic and overly ambitious.

It's a Hell of a job. He is doing what he feels is the best he can do. He compromises to bring consensus. He does not bulldoze or go in guns blazing. This is not who he is or has ever been. He has a fine vision of our country and he will work tirelessly to get us there.

We needed more, yet we must do the best with who we got. Democracy must be directed and run by us. He asked for our hands and feet to turn things around. Have given enough support since his election? I stepped back and watched. I think most all of us did and we are still watching will one man pulls all the weight. I think we should at least not bite at his heels when we knew him and gave him the job.

Yet in a desperate country revved up by a power thirsty right,we find his negotiations, which we needed so badly with Bush, are frustrating us.

I think we should get real and get more progressive actors in this game, while applauding the work that Obama has done. He is holding the country together with his ability to respond civilly to the outlandish forces against him. We must accept his leadership and work with him now. It will pay off if we help using our heads and hands, and getting our feet on the ground.

[ProudDad]

225. Bullshit...

"We must accept his leadership and work with him now"

Hardly.

My community is seceding.

We expect no real help from the Feds, our State or even our City (until we take it over)...

We're working locally, one neighborhood after another, building the infrastructure we need to survive this "Long Emergency" since nations WILL NOT SURVIVE...

So, we don't need no stinkin' Obama, or the Feds or the State... We're taking back our OWN POWER!

www.transitionus.org

[The Wielding Truth]

227. Are you serious? Do you live on an island?

[ProudDad]

233. I'm deadly serious

We're building a lifeboat because the corporate capitalist ship is going down...

I just hope they don't pollute the Earth so much that they take us all with them...

Don't expect ANYTHING from their tools in Washington, DC or your Statehouse...

[shadesofgray]

113. Gibbs, that's what happens when Rahm claims you don't need us.

Deal with it.

[laughingliberal]

181. See, I think they had no idea the HCR bill would not have already passed before this race was over

when they started pushing the 'left of the left' out of the party. They were caught napping on this.

[Cronus Protagonist]

114. Maybe you now know what it's like to be a GLBT Democratic supporter

This kind of thing happens every election for some of us. Welcome to reality.

[QC]

213. Excellent point. We are all queer now, it seems.

Fortunately, there is room for all under the Hopemobile!

[Bluenorthwest]

115. Gibbs is always dumbfounded, stammering, shocked to be

asked a question when that is the definition of his job. Each question seems to stun him. Insult him, even.

[Name removed]

116. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[judesedit]

117. We're REQUIRED to carry HOME and AUTO insurance. Why not HEALTH????

Wake up! Do you forget how we got here in the first place. I think you are probably a GOP shill. Otherwise, you would see how important it is to revise our SICKCARE SYSTEM, instead of worrying about YOU YOU YOU. Why do you think doctors and nurses support it? TOO MANY reasons to list here. If you are really interested you can find the answers anywhere the truth is told. Obviously that does not include FAUX, Lintball, Cheesy, and Poor Pitiful Palin and all of their followers. I recommend you DON'T get sick or you'll find out firsthand.

[timeforpeace]

124. Home and auto protect the other guy (mortgage co and driver you hit). Get the distinction?

[Hello_Kitty]

137. Yawn. That bullshit analogy has been so thoroughly annhilated here, numerous times.

Really, the only thing auto and health insurance have in common is that they are both called "insurance". Beyond that, they are almost polar opposites in terms of what they actually do.

[Barbara2423]

151. I agree there should be no free ride for anybody.

I thought this was the site of the smart people. Then noticed when changes are not made right away people start to complain even though they know how government works and the process is slow and often ugly. I agree with the president we completed a one year term trying to change policies that have been put in place for the past eight years.

I cannot turn around my own financial situation in one year and I don't expect the Democrats to turn the government around in one year either. While I may not agree with the President 100% of the time, I do understand how government works and will stick with him. Democrats have been know to cut and run at the first sign of trouble. Let's change that. Sometimes I think people on this site are really GOP.

[ProudDad]

228. You should really study up on the actual situation...

There WILL BE NO CHANGES.

B. Obama was NOT hired to make change. He was hired to be the next happy face on the fascist takeover of your lives.

Government, especially the fiendishly diabolical USAmerican Empire's version of "government", is NOT SUPPOSED TO "make change". It's designed to maintain privilege and protect the priveleged from the masses.

And the USAmerican version does a DAMN fine job of it.

"Democrats have been know to cut and run at the first sign of trouble. Let's change that. Sometimes I think people on this site are really GOP."

No offense but this is one of the most naive, stupid statements I've ever seen on DU...

[Mithreal]

169. Health care includes health maintenance, disease prevention not just catastrophic coverage.

That makes it very different from house and auto.

Even when people with home owner's and car insurance have an accident or damage they resist using it for what it will mean to their premiums, let alone they might get kicked off their insurance and find it difficult to get affordable insurance again.

We don't need insurance. We need health care and that is the distinction worth mentioning.

I have expensive insurance through my wife's job and I can tell you I am absolutely not happy with it with the exception I appreciate the nurse's hotline when I have a potential problem.

People also do not have to own a car or house. No one has a choice about their body though, so that makes it very different to impose a mandate to corporations who have proven they will roll over profits into compromised political parties, legislators and taint legislation with bailouts and loopholes. The corporations that caused the very problems are being rewarded.

I haven't seen the debunking of your idea but thought to try my hand at it. I have four people in my family that work in health care, had a fifth, a hospital administrator but he passed. One is a high level consultant who has been a professor of health admin and worked a the top of the Joint Commission that accredits hospitals, she was also an ER nurse and administrator. Another is a doctor and consultant and manages a large team of doctors. Another works for the insurance companies trying to find evidence people are scamming the insurers by essentially spying on them, another cuts checks to doctors for a large insurer that is growing significantly. Also forgot myself, I do have a little insight, I worked for Glaxo in RTP in NC. I trust what they have to say about reform and I know what we are being sold. I get it that people are desperate and many people will be helped by the bill at least as we last saw it but it is a far cry from what it could have been if only our "leaders" gave us the same consideration they gave the profit takers.

[ibegurpard]

172. We aren't REQUIRED to if we don't own a home or a car

How do you propose we get around just existing?

[laughingliberal]

184. We're not REQUIRED to carry HOME and AUTO insurance unless

we own a home or an auto. And there is no law requiring us to do so. It is quite hard to continue existence on earth without a body.

Oh, look, my keyboard has a caps lock key, too.

BTW, the AMA supports this effed up bill but they are the Chamber of Commerce of doctors. Other physicians' groups? Not so enthusiastic. The ANA has offered some support but they tend to be the ivory tower nurses who write a lot of nice articles and policies for those who do the work. National Nurses Union who works with the nurses in the trenches? Not so much.

[ProudDad]

229. NNU - not only not so much but...

they've been 100% behind single-payer for over a decade.

They're wonderful people to march with too!

[laughingliberal]

245. Very strong patient and nurse advocates. nt

[Name removed]

226. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[johan helge]

118. Why blame Obama or the Dems for what Lieberman does?

The Senate health bill is as it is because the Dems needed Lieberman's vote to get it passed. So why blame the Dems for the bill's weaknesses?

I am furious at people who are "unmotivated". Have they no idea what kind of people the Dems are fighting?

[ooglymoogly]

171. Because they keep propping the bastard up, even though

He said he would vote for Mc Cain, amongst many and other dem treasons. They put and leave him in one of the most powerful positions in the Senate with the most power over our lives, even though he has no seniority whatsoever, none, zilch. You might ask yourself; Why? while he may be a bastard to us, he is a very important (to the corporate world) good ol' boy, in the good ol' boy club, pretentiously called the Senate when it nothing but a whore house.

[Mithreal]

177. Please see my response in post 166.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7493779&mesg_id=7500349

You are right to use quotes around the word "motivated." Many of us that are angry, disgusted, or disappointed are motivated in a way that does not please the DLC movers and shakers.

[ProudDad]

230. MYTH ALERT!!!!

They didn't need 60 votes!

See my post #222 and #224...

Then stop spreading this myth any further...

[newtothegame]

120. When did you send this? n/t

[usregimechange]

134. I didn't just posted here, but now that you mention it... think I will

[ananda]

122. This proud and loud LIBERAL has never been motivated..

.. or enamored by Obama or the way the Dems have
turned into corrupt corporate lackeys.

Any questions?

[icee]

132. Excellent post, imo.

[ooglymoogly]

130. Lost touch much Mr. Gibbs.

If the Prez and his gaggle had been fighting for his constituent lo these many instead of the good ol' boys we would not be in this fix.
If you are asking us to get enthusiastic for pug policies just because they are under the Dem column, which is double jeopardy for us, you are foolish indeed and think we are just as foolish.

[TheEuclideanOne]

161. This can have been easily predicted and so is the 2010 election

Gibbs can play stupid with the "I have no idea why people are not motivated" line, but he knows. He knows. He also knows what happens in November and in 2012. Neither Obama and Gibbs are stupid people.

[Hello_Kitty]

131. Remember the pro-health care rallies back in the summer and fall?

We had a few in Phoenix and they were very well-attended and we always outnumbered the teabaggers who showed up to protest us. HCR supporters were from a wide swath in the community - everyone from progressive activists who always show up for rallies to soccer moms to health care providers. The one common thread we had that Gibbs and his DLC co-horts are missing is that EVERYONE wanted at least a robust public option and there were always many single payer proponents in the crowds. The people who came out and enthusiastically supported HCR back then wanted a bill that was far more progressive than the one that came out of the Senate. You can't strip everything out of the bill that your supporters (and most of the public) wanted and expect their enthusiasm not to wane. There are good things in this reform and I'm sure many of the people I stood with at those rallies still support the bill. But I'm not seeing anyone jumping up and down to go sell it to the public. We have a big problem right now because the people who oppose the bill REALLY hate it while people who support it aren't all that excited about it.

[laughingliberal]

185. Excellent, as always

And while us 'left of the left' were out raising money and running ads to increase support for the public option to a point that lawmakers would have been scared to vote against it, the President's CofS called the ads, "fucking stupid." Way to enthuse your constituents!

[janet118]

200. My biggest problem all through this health care water torture . . .

has been trying to figure out what the hell will be contained in this bill. It's kind of hard to get "fired up" to pass some nebulous health care reform when you don't have a clue what it means. The specifics of the Senate bill made me ill. The House bill was better but not by much. Now we are told that we can't be told what's going on in the secret conference committee meetings. Fine - but don't expect enthusiasm. I'll vote for Martha Coakley, but not because I am signaling support for this health care mess. I just don't want Scott Brown, a male Sarah Palin, representing me.

[Hello_Kitty]

203. Yup. How do you sell a garbled 2000 page mess to people?

The teabaggers have a simple argument on HCR: "No!"

[Uncle Joe]

136. The 180 from the 25 second mark of this campaign video is just one small reason,

combined with mandates to bail out a dysfunctional, ineffective, illogical, immoral for profit "health" insurance industry; the primary villains of the health care crisis.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x229556

But I refuse to believe Gibbs or Rahm don't know why some segments aren't motivated, they're not stupid men, the overwhelming perception is the people's best interests were sold out to the corporations and their well financed lobbyists.

I suspect independent motivation is eroding as well.

Thanks for the thread, usregimechange.

[laughingliberal]

186. An inconveniet little video to still have hanging around. nt

[Mithreal]

191. They were prepared for someone's image to be tarnished in advance

This is just one tactic of many to minimize the problem, marginalize and delegitimize liberals and progressives.

I would bet any amount of money if I were the betting type, that the strategy to counter any criticism from the activists on the left was planned well in advance. DFA training taught me all campaign strategy, the ups and downs during a campaign, real and potential problems as well, anything your opponent may conceive must have a response prepared in advance how it will be dealt with so to avoid panic and stay focused. President Obama's team, the master campaigners, I am certain are applying the strategies used in a successful campaign to dealing with pressure.

Haven't read the David Plouffe book and probably won't for some time if ever, I still have too much disillusionment from working within the Campaign for Change where I saw grassroots scorched and volunteers poorly treated. The organizer above me told me often there will always be more volunteers when he unapologetically screwed them over time after time. I could explain the numerous ways this happened even to friends of mine that I requested special treatment but not feeling like it at the moment. Several of our organizers broke away from the Obama campaign when a week into what was supposed to be GOTV they kept screwing us day after day. As of right now I will only work for local Dems who I know and I will be as honest as I can be about the others.

[Swede Atlanta]

138. Rahm Emanuel.................

This was the beginning of the end of the Obama administration. He is a DLC operative that has done everything it can to oppose the progressive agenda.

I would hate to lose the "loose" 60 vote majority that is absolutely mandatory to push through health care reform but maybe this loss will prove once and for all to bonehead Democratic leaders they cannot forsake their base.

Obama started with a good bang....the Equal Pay initiative and "prohibiting torture" although he continues the rendition flights so I'm not so sure how meaningful that is, terminating the policy of excluding visitors based on HIV status, announcement to close Guantanamo, etc.

But since then I haven't seen anything of the fiery candidate. He has been muted and at times enough to put one to sleep. There doesn't seem to be a fire in the belly anymore. He achieved his one goal which was to become the first African-American president.

He hasn't fought for health care reform as those of us who contributed and knocked on doors for him believed. He has forsaken us on many civil liberty issues including continuation of rendition, wireless wiretap, etc. He has failed to deliver on repealing DODT and DOMA.

He has turned out to be a milktoast president and I for one will not support another. Either the Democrats need to learn what it means to be a Democrat and that isn't selling out to the Ben Nelson's and Joe LIEberman's of this world and turning away from your base or let's have a new party. The established Democratic cabal needs to go - lock, stock and barrel. Until we get rid of them there will be no meaningful change in this country. Rahm Emanuel was a colossal misjudgment or a moment where BO revealed to us what he really is, a turncoat.

[mdmc]

143. rahmatized

like traumatized

[ProudDad]

231. 60 votes = MYTH!!!

See my posts #222 and #224

and stop spreading this myth...

On Edit: Obama's just doing his job though. Like every president, his base is the have mores and the have mosts, not the rest of us...

[valerief]

141. Gibbs' "clueless as an ingenue" routine doesn't work and it's insulting he tried. nt

[tomp]

142. exactly, gibbs is being disingenuous (lying).

he does know exactly why the base isn't motivated. to say otherwise is an insult to our intelligence. but then, what else is new?

the white house can choke on it for all i care.

[quiller4]

148. I did some phoning and what I heard surprised me. I kept talking

to Democrats who thought the Obama Administration was moving too fast. They expressed concern about the debt. Not only did they not want a new jobs bill, they argued that the stimulus bill had been a mistake. They sounded like Blue Dogs. I only talked to one self-identified liberal who bemoaned the death of public option.

[Mithreal]

195. They may have been targeting weak Dems with your phonebanking.

I wouldn't read much into it. However, if you were working out of something like Votebuilder you could see how often they vote, whether they are Dem leaning, and other useful info. If you were talking to people categorized as strong Dems and I would bet you weren't, then that would be intriguing.

[saorsa]

221. Imagine,

if our party leadership was really interested in democratic progress, the feedback you gained by speaking to these voters / potential voters would be seen as valuable info for a real voter outreach and education campaign, designed to follow up and and make your effort pay off, if not this election, then the next one. Not discounting Mithreal's response at all, it may be that the sample was not representative, but if we actually had top down support for the year round grass roots infrastructure we need to connect with potential voters we would never be in the weak position we find ourselves in year after year, with razor thin margins, in a country where poll after poll shows a progressive inclination ready for realization. It seems to me that these voters may be open to more information and progressive ideas, but who will bring it to them? It is possible they are not accessing the liberal / progressive or even what is left of the 'independent media', but may be getting their main source of news & opinion from television, i.e. the nightly news, and may God help us all. It used to be the strategy of successful campaign of any kind was to open a line of communication to the electorate, and then do your best to keep that line open. Isn't that what unions and civil rights movements do? But when it comes to a permanent Democratic Vote Building Strategy, we are told that it cost too much, and sooner or later we see one reason; it was cheaper in the long run for some candidates to crawl to the money men and kiss off the voter after each election. Every time a campaign closes it's doors and says 'don't call us, we'll call you, next election time' , they are either too lazy to care or really don't believe in this idea of representative democracy after all, they was just foolin, and 'please pass the key to the golden revolving door on your way out'

Thanks for being brave enough to try! :patriot:

[Mithreal]

255. Agreed. OFA is still going but it has been corrupted.

At least here they are still lying to people and wasting their time. How is it that an organization that relies upon volunteerism can treat people like garbage and expect them to keep showing up? I hope only WA state's wing has been tainted. I saw firsthand and worked every single day within the organization for months and I do mean every day. I talked twice with one person who was one level down from the top rung and he acted oblivious to my concerns, strangely other organizers shared them, found out later. The phone banks I ran daily, the people who showed up with me daily actually were demanding a strike until they would start respecting our time. I think we won this election with some brilliance. Who could argue otherwise? However, I saw more brute force solutions to problems than much thought given to avoiding problems at all at least with regard to the management of volunteers. I know running a volunteer organization is an awesome responsibility but time and time again, the paid campaign for change people disappointed me. Lucky for us, most of the people I worked with were willing to do Plan B or C which I always had ready. And you can bet your ass when I had to use Plan B or C just to use our volunteers in a non-wasteful way all I ever heard were threats about kicking us out if we didn't sit on our hands and wait a day or more for them to give us our marching orders. I am still angry. It wasn't just my group but others. I know because I had to get access to data that higher ups were the gatekeepers. We essentially had a guerrilla grassroots effort going down here. In the final days, campaign for change kicked me and the people who had been showing up every day out of the offices we were using for GOTV. We used actual lists that I fought for, with daily check backs as to ballots returned. I am not making this up. They kicked all of the volunteers out. I had a backup plan, a third office but that did not have enough phone lines so some worked from home. I don't believe a lot of the hype anymore and I am still processing what I learned.

Edit to add and this was a significant problem but in absolutely no way the only significant problem encountered.

[Mithreal]

153. He would be.

[autorank]

154. They don't care what you say or how you feel, period. n/t

[democrank]

155. K & R for

all us lunatic moonbat lefties~

[senseandsensibility]

156. LOL

Gotta keep a sense of humor. But after this, we might be asking, "Who's crazy now?"

[YOY]

157. Because we voted the left most of the 3 major candidates and got Clinton Part II when we needed FDR?

n/t

[ddeclue]

183. Acually you didn't... Edwards was, Obama was close to Hillary both of whom were moderates with

Hillary being on the right end.

Actually even Edwards was not the left most of the original candidates - Dennis Kucinich was. That's why I was an Edwards backer because Obama clearly trying to dodge questions and go on the record - he was for nebulous "change" not for particular policies and when ever you could "nail the jelly to the wall" he'd come out as a slightly less DLC version of Hillary.

I picked Edwards over Kucinich because Kucinich didn't even have an outside chance although his views were the most in line with my own.

On the other hand Edwards never got traction and would have blown up on us in the general when his personal scandals (unknown to me) blew up on him.

In the end our choices were DLC and DLC lite (Hillary and Obama) so we didn't really have a lot of choice in our primary which is why we NEED a SINGLE nationwide day where we all get to choose and a guy like Kucinich would have a chance instead of it coming down to the money people like Hillary and Obama.

[YOY]

202. The three big ones were hairs to the right and left of each other.

It was all window dresssing.

[truedelphi]

159. I think your idea of writing to Gibbs is a good one.

Obama is shut out of what we are saying. Early last fall, I called the WH and after 45 minutes on hold, was greeted by a very young intern who laughed her butt off at my apparently pathetic notion that we as a nation were being wronged by having to purchase mandates.

So maybe we need to get the mouth piece Gibbs to become dubious of what he is forced to read off to us. Maybe then there will be some change -when he wakes up one day and says to his handler, "Mr President, please tell YOUR handlers that what you are doing to this nation really is not at all the agenda that your voters thought they were signing off on. I can no longer read this tripe. Please change and dump Rahm,or voters will be dumping Demcorats all over the nation inFall 2010."

[Mithreal]

196. When I call I let them have it, but have never been laughed at.

I started out just advocating for this or that, but it has progressed to very frustrated comments to the President. Strangely, the wait time to get through to the White House comment line folks has decreased dramatically for me anyway. Could be the time I call, but it is usually at all different times. Anyway, maybe they increased the number of volunteers or fewer are calling. Either way, we should be calling often and stepping up the pressure in all sorts of other ways.

[HughMoran]

168. Ahhh, the "1 issue"

It's everything they teach us not to be when growing up - rigid and uncompromising.

[ibegurpard]

175. I DID compromise

I wanted single-payer...i would have settled for the watered-down public option.
It was the first to go.

[HughMoran]

187. lol

OK bud, you really are not getting it.

[ibegurpard]

188. explainnnn it to me then please

I'd really like to hear how my willingness to compromise means jack shit.

[Name removed]

189. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProudDad]

232. You're right!

we can't depend on getting decent health care from the dems any more than we can depend on getting decent health care from the pukes.

Got it...

All we can expect from the corporate funded White House and Congress is more Korporate Kapitalist Krappy Kompromises...

[Hello_Kitty]

179. Yeah, we should fold like a cheap suit every time Lieberman says boo.

If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

[greengestalt]

170. I'd rather the Republicans win

Rather than "Fake Democrats" kissing up to them and the global rich elite's short-term goals and spreading the blame. Let the Republicans win and hold onto power and drive the entire country to true desperation and misery. The blame will be in one area, not "It started with a complex series of factors..."

[Mithreal]

201. Truman

"Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time."

[bridgit]

174. There, there, Robert, things will be just fine - the "liberal base" is merely occupied between...

Trashing Barack Obama and defending Hugo Chavez :kick:

[hay rick]

178. Motivation.

I think progressives have an importance disproportionate to their actual numbers because they tend to be strongly committed and are willing to be a campaign's "boots on the ground." We are over-represented among political activists. We phone bank, knock on doors, donate money out of proportion to our means, and confront and cajole our friends, neighbors and co-workers.

We know that we live in an imperfect world and try to be pragmatic. We bite our tongues and try not to subject our candidates to pass/fail litmus tests. Others may seek paradise- we merely seek continuous improvement.

There comes a point, however, when the apparent return on one's effort is just too minuscule to make it worth the continued sacrifice of one's time, money, and effort. I'm sure Coakley is vastly preferable to Brown, but I don't really believe that giving Obama one more vote in the Senate will have a measurable effect on his agenda.

[janet118]

182. I'm from Massachusetts and I'm voting for Coakley

I feel the same way you do about the cluelessness and tone deafness of this administration, but that doesn't mean I want to be stuck with a teabagger as my senator. I'm glad you're not from here because I want everyone in Mass. to send these out of state Fox News inspired jerks to leave our state and not come back. Scott Brown is a male version of Sarah Palin and his campaign is filled with angry white guys who can barely hide their racist and sexist motivations for getting a foothold in a really blue state. If Brown wins, every gasbag on television will be blathering about how America is moving to the right. It will be unbearable to watch.

[NorthCarolina]

192. I'm sure Mr. Gibbs and the WH know exactly WHY, but they'd never admit to it

because the truth would not bode well for the DLC.

[emsimon33]

198. The bait and switch was not just on health care!

I, like you, did not expect miracles from Obama, but I felt that I could not support Hillary Clinton because of her strong ties to corporations (Her husband was such a good Republican president in the traditional sense of the word).

I did, however, expect Obama to at least keep his campaign promises: At the very least a strong public options (which could have been achieved if it were a compromise over single payer--which was never permitted at the table); taking on Wall Street; ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell; and, I would hope, not capitulating to big pharma.

I also did not expect his minions to marginalize and demonize the base as well as characterizing us as "the fringe" and likening us to the far right nut jobs.

Frankly, despite what Rachel Maddow contends and others on DU argue, I don't see where Obama has really followed through on his campaign promises.

I know that the country was in a mess, but keeping the very men that blew up the financial base of the country is not change that I voted for.

I have stayed home for the Virginia governor's election and have not called into Massachusetts as I normally would have for MoveOn or Obama PAC, or some other Democratic organization, because I feel that the only way to get respect and a return to traditional Democratic Party values is to do to Obama and the Democratic Party what Republicans did to Bush I and the Republicans: If the Party feels that its base is an obstacle to its realizing its goals, then it is best that we just stay home.

The Party feels that we have no choices: It's either them (whatever and how little they offer) or the Republicans. The choice is to show what a sham the Democratic Party and the election process has become and just stay home.

If the base is not energized, then all the money in the world will not buy an election any more.

Marginalizing and demonizing the base is not an effective strategy for energizing us.

Obama needs to dump Rahm and his neo-Deocratic Party strategy and listen to Dr. Dean!

[Hubert Flottz]

204. "Don't Look Back!"

We voted for change, not wimpy assed BushCo lite!

Besides Mr. Gibbs you wanted "Bipartisanship" we wanted real health care reform. We wanted an end to Bushism, you wouldn't look back, so LOOK OUT!

[merkins]

205. It all started with me with the cave-in on FISA

K&R!:thumbsup:

[SlingBlade]

206. I forwarded this letter along with

my own comments to both of my U.S Senators, Durbin and Burris.
As usual I get no reply from Durbin and a form letter from Burris.

I also unsubscribed from BarackObama.com after receiving another,
"Better watch out for the Bad Cop Republicans", E-Mail
I sent along with this reply......

From:
"Mitch Stewart, BarackObama.com"
Please tell us why you are unsubscribing

HCR. I'm a Progressive Democrat
Not a Republican , And Certainly Not a Lieberman Liberal !

Unsubscribe Me Please.

Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.
GWB-BHO :(

Yes, It's FINALLY come down to it, I'm frigg'in Done with these corporate democrats

[Sebastian Doyle]

209. Robert Gibbs was part of the DLC terrorist group that slandered Howard Dean before the Iowa caucus

by comparing him to Osama Bin Laden.

No wonder he's clueless about the base of the Democratic party. He's been too busy opposing them for years.

[pleah]

212. K&R

[ProudDad]

216. Dear Mr. Gibbs...

Hey, DIPSHIT!!!

Why don't you call in that Reid character, read him the riot act, and get the little pipsqueak fucker to GET RID OF RULE 22!!!

How about going back to being at least the shadow of a "democracy" by restoring majority rule to the Senate?

You listening numbnuts!?!?!?

Dumb fucking democrats...

[Goldstein1984]

247. "...don’t seem to be as motivated."

I disagree that Progressives are not motivated. Not responding positively to being marginalized and insulted doesn't equate to a lack of motivation. Demanding respect in exchange for support is not apathy.

Perhaps a hypothetical scenario will make things clear:

When I'm really feeling low, I like to imagine that I'm visiting Washington, D.C. and making my regular pilgrimage to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, when I see Dick Cheney about to step in front of a speeding truck. The thought of pushing him would, of course, pass through my mind, and I would reject it as a violent act. The thought of remaining silent and just letting him step in front of the truck would also occur to me, and I would ACT on that option by NOT saying or doing a thing to prevent the world from becoming the better place it would be without him in it.

I believe that those who are tired of marginalization, insults, and the lesser-of-two-evils voting scenario, are very motivated, and they are acting by refusing to vote for either party. They may simply have come to the conclusion that the loss of one seat will result in the Progressive agenda being taken more seriously in the future.

Progressives are motivated; they are engaged; they simply are not sheople following the Democratic Party herd.

I hope Coakley wins tomorrow, but I'm really going to understand why if she loses.

[Suji to Seoul]

248. because your boss sold us out to the Blue Dogs and neanderthals America hating Republicans

Dear Mr. Gibbs:

Kindly remove your head from your ass.

Sincerely,

American Ex-Pat in China.

[Name removed]

249. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[democracy1st]

253. How does AA's fit in with Bankers and Defense Contractors?

[Mithreal]

258. Trial lawyers were included too. Something doesn't smell right with this one.

[Mithreal]

256. Misspell your username or was the alternative spelling already taken?

This post is representative of rightwing thought on several points.

"Fact of the matter is is that if BHO starts tacking hard left, the Dem party will be in even worse shape come the fall elections."

"From what we've seen, BHO must be defining his base as" trial lawyers, African Americans.

"It's the big leagues now, Barack, and petty Chicago-style hustling doesn't cut it."


Strangely on some things many R's and D's agree, like reining in profiteers on Wall Street, TBTF Bankers, Defense "Contractors" and mercenaries, PhRMA, and Insurers. Maybe we can focus on some of the things we agree on, however, rightwinger talking points poison any accidentally or purposefully other points you made.

[democracy1st]

264. good call Mithreal you saw right thru that bs!

[Mithreal]

265. Right back at ya.

:fistbump:

[TheKentuckian]

254. He ought to check the email at whitehouse.gov or go through the letters

If you don't know it is due to willful ignorance.

[Mithreal]

257. Truth

[WyldRogue]

263. This is from a good friend of mine in MA

Hey XXXXXXXXX,

I find it funny how I am relevant when it comes to donations and a vote. Last time I checked, I donated more than I could really afford to Obama's 'Hope and Change' and worked my butt to help him carry my state, only to watch as he literally turned his back on me and my family to court Republican ideologues and attempting to force me into buying insurance. Health Insurance extortion??

Anyways, I did go vote for Coakley but I must admit, it seems that for some reason, the Dem leadership missed the signs or just flat out ignore the signs (you pick) and so he now needs those of us he pushed to the sidelines to bail them out.

She got my vote, not my husband's but that is the only support call we will answer if he doesn't turn around and go back to what is right for our country: a Public/Single Payer Option

Take care and wish us luck that we pulled out a 'victory' NOT for Obama or Coakley, but for the sake of Kennedy's memory.

So much for those 'senators' that pledged to keep Kennedy's torch going for TRUE Health CARE Reform. They have been absolutely silent since their bold announcement, isn't that right Sen Kerry?

Anyways, thank you for the info and here's to seating Coakely!!

Love and respect,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX


===================================

I hope most of us managed to stir up enough Dem, Ind votes in MA for Coakley