Why did so many people vote for Barack Obama two years ago??

[kentuck]

And why are so many against him now? What changed?

Of course, there is a big difference between campaigning and governing. But why did so many supporters desert this new President? Hasn't he done a very good job under the circumstances?

What were the expectations? Did they expect him to be an FDR progressive? Or were they disappointed by his pragmatic, bi-partisan style?

How was he able to get so many different groups behind him? The young, the old, the independents, the moderates - gave him an over-whelming victory in November 2008. What has changed since then?

[Warren Stupidity]

1. We were hoping for change. nt.

[stray cat]

26. and since he used the word you voted for him?

[Warren Stupidity]

41. No I always vote 'D'. Obama was not my first choice.

The question was more general, as was my answer.

[glowing]

2. 2 yrs of living hell. No jobs, but everywhere we look work that needs to be done.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. Projection.

Due to his novelty, they projected their expectations on him often in direct contrast to what he actually did and promised.

[rocktivity]

4. What changed is that he and most of the Dems

don't even TRY to push back against the Rethugs of when the MSm enables them. Thus, they still seem to be running things.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[paulk]

5. he was never as popular as many of his more ardent supporters

would like to believe. Many of those in the center voted more against Palin/McCain than for Barrack Obama.

His support was a mile wide and an inch deep - so it has been an easy thing for the conservative media to turn those voters against him.

[tridim]

7. He is the most popular national politician, by far.

[paulk]

9. case in point

[tridim]

16. Case in point that your last sentence is BS. nt

[paulk]

30. you know, "tridim"

I'd address your point if you actually had one to make.

Your initial post to me does not address what I posted at all

I don't need to waste my time talking to people who don't have anything to say

or at least add to a conversation

[EFerrari]

17. I think there's a lot of truth to that. nt

[Gecko6400]

31. I agree. Well put paulk!

[Larry Ogg]

64. I am way left of center and I agree,

and to go further, I don't think Obama would have won if not for those on the left who voted against McCain/Palin. In fact I think the powers that be planed it that way, and their goal was twofold, 1) too maintain the illusion of two Parties in our pretend democracy, and it was the Democrats turn to win. And 2) let's see how big the batshit stupid crazy right wing authoritarian base has become, and from my perspective, we the sheepeople are in a whole lot of trouble...

[elocs]

92. In hindsight I think the belief that his support was wider than deep has merit.

After 8 years of enduring Bush it seems as though many of us Democrats projected our hopes and dreams of a Democratic president upon Obama. Unrealistically so. We endowed him with being JFK-esque when the promise was never there. Now we fault him for not being who we wanted when that really was not who he was.

I do think that Obama is far, far more willing to compromise on things which we at DU believe he should take a principled stand, drawing a line in the sand and saying, "No more". With all of the compromise and willingness to compromise that Obama has made, had he been a Republican the rank and file of that party would not even consider him for renomination.

We may never know exactly how many votes Obama received were actually against McCain/Palin. I do believe that if the economy does not significantly improve by 2012 that we will be faced with the very real possibility of a Republican and running mate being elected to the presidency that would make us shudder.

[Demeter]

6. We Was Had

Snookered. Gulled. Diddled. Seduced and abandoned. Mocked. Abused. Robbed of our nation and our government. Insulted. Injured.

I could probably add to this list, but everyone is invited to share....

[customerserviceguy]

12. Clearly, no one has ever been elected President in modern times

with so thin a resume and a track record. That's probably not going to happen again for at least a generation.

[Demeter]

15. For sure

but what were the options? Revolting resumes and abysmal track records...

[customerserviceguy]

25. All I remember for sure is that

we had a lot of candidates in the mix at the Iowa caucuses, and most of them had more of a track record. The media just fell in love with the story of Barack Obama being able to win there, and carried it because it would sell newspapers.

[RKP5637]

40. I also think it was a MSM love affair, the dregs of 8 years of Bush, the

idea of significant change and IMO a rock star personality. I'm hoping over the next two years things might change.

[Donnachaidh]

43. Don't forget the big push by celebrity

What other time has someone with such a vast viewership as Oprah has a celebrity come out for any politician? We were being sold a candidate as if it was the second coming of christ.

And that candidate didn't come through with what was being promised, by Oprah and everyone else.

[aquart]

48. The MEDIA fell in love with him?

Do you remember what it was like in this place for supporters of other candidates? Please don't sluff the responsibility off on the media. The self-esteem of the Democrats depended on setting a record. It was going to be the first woman or the first black man.

The mindless chant of YES WE CAN is hardly a specific legislative agenda. Turned out it was less YES WE CAN so much as DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER.

[customerserviceguy]

55. For progressives who pay attention

yes, it was tough. But elections are won and lost by swaying the people in the mushy middle who really don't think about who to vote for until the weekend before the election. Those are the people who don't remember any specifics, who just got swept up in the whole post-racial era fairy tale, and who are now disappointed.

[global1]

39. Did You Forget About G.W.Bush Already.....

some resume and track record he had. And what about Regan? Oh - he was in the movies. And why all this talk about Palin in 2012? She certainly has a great resume and track record. Come on people - get real.

[customerserviceguy]

65. Both Dubya and Reagan

were elected twice as governors of large, populous states. Barack Obama had barely served a third of one US Senate term (which he won by default, having drawn an absolute idiot for an opponent) before he threw his hat in the ring for the big prize.

And if Caribou Barbie does get elected, it will be because the game has changed, and depth of experience no longer matters anymore. But I don't think that will happen.

[QC]

79. But he was so just dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeamy! n/t

[customerserviceguy]

134. He had an attractiveness about him

that John Edwards was counting on, as well.

[swilton]

108. +1,000

A great job of manufacturing/call it public relations - Sigmund Freud's nephew Edward Bernays' theories of marketing and creation of a 'product', application of marketing - a real snow job

[customerserviceguy]

8. He was short on specifics

and this allowed many people to say to themselves, "He's just like me," when in fact, that was impossible. His message was, "I'm not George W. Bush, and Gramps here would be a third term of that."

Between those two things, he was able to get elected, but it's different, once you have to start governing.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

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

[customerserviceguy]

28. It doesn't matter

since there are a lot of people in this country with the same impression, liars or not.

[HuckleB]

124. Actually, he offered more specifics than any nominated candidate in recent history.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. It was the economy...yes, you what the next word of that quote would be.

It Started in 2006, and hit a peak. Because Obama did not bring sweetness and light, Democrats may be history. It may turn out that Rove's permanent Republican majority just needed a short historical break.

[alc]

11. transparency, honesty, trust

That's what I hoped for. I can live with not having many accomplishments when those required congress or when the economy doesn't cooperate.

But
* hiring lobbyists the first week (after an exec order saying no lobbyists)
* secret deals with pharma
* signing statements after he had criticized them
* poor FOIA responses
* going to court to not release WH visitor logs (multiple times after losing before finally giving in)
* going to court to defend many Bush policies
* telling us they were right and the stimulus worked and economy's getting better rather than admitting they were wrong and what they were wrong about and why to trust them going forward
* telling us health insurance reform was a good deal and need SOME fixes. It needs LOTs of fixes. Tell us what you plan

I could go on and on, but basically I don't trust the current administration and that is what I voted for.

[jaxx]

13. The anti rhetoric is what has changed. Nothing else.

Then it was pro, now it's all con. It seems like dissing the President is the full time job of the right wing, and it carries over. What has he done wrong, why hasn't he done this or that or something else? People hear he's going to give a speech and instead of listening they write what they want him to say and then bitch because he didn't.

Why did the country trot along in suspended animation while the economy prepared to dump and 2 wars were dancing in the background? The USA didn't suddenly turn on a dime on January 20, 2009 but many are under the false impression that the bush years never existed and it all happened because Obama was elected. I hate penny ante politics. It's cheap and divisive and accomplishes nothing.

[Fire1]

75. True that, jaxx! But I have always felt that the McCain/Palin

pick was purely by design.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. Expectations that could never be met

[Demeter]

20. Expectations that Obama Posited

and had absolutely NO intention of meeting. Why is Alan Simpson STILL on that deficit commission?

[EFerrari]

23. "Hold me accountable" v. Rahm, Gibbs et all telling the left to ef off

two or three times a month. There's a reality check, for sure.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

33. Some but not all

I saw expectations reach amazing heights. Commenting on its impossibility got you blasted. Anyone with any experience in government would have seen this coming. When you add that to promises that have not been kept, the level of disappointment is not surprising in the least.

[EFerrari]

38. Except the people with the most idealized, highest expectations are not the ones

that are disappointed at this point. Those people are still saying things like Obama will bring peace to the Middle East when he's escalated Afghanistan and Iraq is rocky and his administration is supporting the rabid right wing in Israel.

It looks like the people who are most disillusioned are those whose expectations were not very high. The right because they followed the distortions of the right wing media and the left for other reasons, but mostly because the administration seems more aligned with the right than with the left, I think.

[Radical Activist]

18. False premise.

He won 52% of the vote. His approval ratings are just barely under 50%, if polls are to believed. That's not a significant change. There is no "so many" who stopped supporting Obama.

[NJmaverick]

47. No there you go being all reasonable and using facts

that's not very fair of you

[uppityperson]

83. According to poll and voting #s, not much has changed. Thank you.

Many were hoping for more than we have gotten, many feared we would get more than we have.

[Cal33]

112. According to the latest Real Clear Politics polls average, 45.5%

approve and 49.5% disapprove of Obama's job performance. So there is a
drop of 6.5% from the 52% you mentioned -- which is quite a big change!

[Vinca]

19. I actually trusted him.

Guess I forgot he was a politician.

[kenny blankenship]

21. My excuse is that Hillary was the devil I knew and didn't want any more of

I thought there was a chance - just a chance mind you - that if Obama won the primaries and the general, he would remember that the grassroots was responsible for his victory, not the DC party establishment, not the big corporate donors. And he would behave like he remembered that.

Who has two thumbs and feels like a sucker now?

[USArmyParatrooper]

22. It's the economy, stupid

That is the single, most decisive factor in President Obama and the Democratic Congresses approval ratings. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the flame Obama fest as it pertains to the general electorate. Generally speaking posters on a political forum aren't an accurate sample of mainstream America.

There are certainly other factors at play, but if you were to pick one single issue the economy is head and shoulders above the rest.

[shraby]

27. Propaganda in the media. Nuff said.

[TexasObserver]

29. They believed his message of hope and change, and now they're disappointed.

It's not complicated at all. He won because he compellingly ran on hope and change. He promised a new way, a new path, better government, and smart government. As the leader of the country when he had a majority in both houses of congress, he had a mandate, and many feel he failed to live up to his campaign rhetoric.

Two years into every new presidency there's a referendum on the new president when the mid term elections are held. Once the bloom is off the rose, it's not so pretty any more.

The only thing surprising is that so many people think this is unique to Obama. He promised much and delivered ... less. Now the public blames his party, in spite of all the logical reasons for blaming the GOP. His biggest mistake was thinking he had to constantly plead with the GOP for support on key matters, instead of simply bulldozing through the way great and good Democratic presidents have when they held the numbers in congress to win. He allowed the GOP to sucker punch him again and again, and that's the main reason he's lost support. By trying to meet them in the middle, he didn't accomplish what many voters expected him to accomplish.

[stray cat]

32. I preferred him to McCain - and although disappointed I still prefer him to McCain

when it comes down to it - people may have their wishful candidates but living in a democracy means they often have no chance in hell of being elected or given totalitarian control

[MineralMan]

34. A most excellent question.

People had expectations of things that were not promised. When they didn't immediately get every one of those things that were never promised, they were disappointed. Not in themselves for their unrealistic expectations, but in a man who didn't deliver the things they wanted him to promise.

So, to punish him, they'll return the Republicans to power and end up punishing themselves. It's a weird, weird thing to behold.

[Fire1]

76. And the Independents are gaining momentum b/c most

didn't realize Obama was a new age democrat.

[global1]

35. I Was Asking Myself The Same Question The Other Day.......

I was in Grant Park in Chicago the day he was elected. The mood there was one of elation and relief. It was the happiest crowd of people that I ever was in and it was a big crowd. What happened?

My guess is that many people are buying the MSM's craptrap. The MSM seems to be piling on Obama every chance they get and the MSM seems to always take the side of the Repugs, the RW crazies and the TeaBaggers.

It doesn't help that the Dems don't pull together and defend the President either.

In my mind nothing has changed. I still support the President. I might not be happy with all of his decisions - but I'm smart enough to know that I don't want to go back to the previous 8 years under BushCo.

We live in a highly restless, demanding and impatient society. The only way I can characterize this is when people go into a McDonald's and don't get waited on within the first few seconds - they are already criticizing the help as too slow. We're spoiled. If we don't get our way immediately - we complain and look for other alternatives.

It almost seems like no one has any patience any more and we'd all stand to learn something if we just followed the example of the President. He is methodical in his dealings. He is cool under pressure and uncertainty - but he keeps forging ahead in a positive direction - even if it might not be the most ideal path at the time. But he does get things done. He's doing them on his schedule and not letting anyone get to him to push him off his path.

I think everyone needs to go back and put themselves in that mindset that they had when they supported Obama and ultimately voted for him. They need to look at the alternative that is facing them if they don't support the Dems and the President going forward.

I can sleep at nights now people. I can go to sleep knowing that I have a basic trust in the people that are running this country. I wasn't able to sleep during BushCo. I was afraid to put on the news in the morning because I feared that BushCo would cause some new calamity. I pulled my retirement money out of the stock market funds I had them in and just put it in cash funds - because I didn't trust BushCo. I don't feel that way anymore. I feel more secure that we have grown-ups in the White House who are basically good people that mean well and are working to do well for me and my fellow Americans.

Change sometimes doesn't come as fast as we'd like. But the Hope is still there and beyond the Hope - there is Trust.

So in my mind - nothing has changed except that I get a better nights sleep and the world seems better off now than it was under BushCo.

In my contact with my friends, colleagues and just people in general - I try and impart those feelings in them.

I'm sad for the lack of patience many of my fellow Dems have for the present administration. They put up with 8 years of BushCo - but won't give this President a chance to prove himself.

I almost think that many here are happier when they have something to complain about. In many of the posts I read here - it almost seems like the posters will go out of their way to find something about the President or his administration to complain about. I think many of them would be happier if they didn't have to work so hard to invent problems for themselves to post. Certainly if the Repugs take over Congress - either the House or the Senate or both - they won't have use their brains to come up with something to bitch about - because the Repugs will solve that problem for them.

Sorry for running on like this and ranting - but when I look at the crazies that could get elected in Nov. and how the climate in D.C. will change - just the thought of Boehner or McConnell being majority leaders turns my stomach - not to mention the Bachman's, Rand Paul's, Whitman's, etc having positions of power.

I can't even fathom - hearing the Hannity's, Beck's, Limbaugh's of the world gloating - let alone the analysis and disecting by the MSM of the reasons for the change and how this world will be better for it.

So people - if that's what you want - by all means sit out the Nov elections. Then you'll be happy as pigs in slop.

[Ineeda]

44. I agree 1000% and we'll be having nightmares

instead of just losing sleep if the rethugs regain control. You think it's bad now? Just wait. It'll get much, much worse.

[derby378]

133. It sounds like the basic premise of THE POWER OF NIGHTMARES

Are you supporting Obama because he's daring to dream, or are you supporting Obama because he's protecting you from nightmares?

I'm glad you're sleeping better, but there is something fundamentally wrong with the chemistry of the Obama administration.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

36. Because things sucked and there were only two choices

The same reason so many people will vote for Republicans this fall.

[Yupster]

37. Because BUsh has a popularity rating of about 20 %

So pretty much any Democratic candidate would have beaten any Republican.

But then why did Obama beat Hillary?

He had a better campaign and he understood the oddities of the primary rules. The arithmetic of it is that he beat Hillary because his campaign participated in each causus in eah deep red state where he piled up delegates 6-0 and 9-1, while Hillary ignored those little state caucusus concentrating on the big industrial states which she would win 137-134.

In my opinion, Obama should not have run for President as he did not have the experience necessary for the job. I think he had the responsibilty to know that.

PS - I was for Hillary so my views may be a bit well not bitter, but maybe slightly biased.

[Steely_Dan]

42. There Are So Many Reasons...

This subject has been covered directly or indirectly for months now. I'm sort of surprised that the OP couldn't answer his/her own question just by hanging out here.

For me...and the one thing that is not mentioned enough, is the lack of transparency. I was so hoping for a government that was completely open concerning its activity. Yes, I know that there are plenty of other things to complain about. But if you think about it, transparency impacts everything. I wanted Obama to follow through on a new openness in our government.

-P

[metapunditedgy]

58. Transparency does affect everything else. You're right. n/t

[NJmaverick]

45. Nothing changed and that's the problem

[ibegurpard]

46. Because he wasn't Hillary, it was apparent he could win, and a fairly blank slate

who talked a good game
What I've gotten is exactly what I would've expected from Hillary...corporate friendly policies that they try to market as public friendly reform.

[Fire1]

80. With all these blue dogs, I don't think anyone to the left of

PO could have done any better.

[AngryOldDem]

49. No change, and no hope.

I consider his campaign to have been one of the biggest bait-and-switch schemes in the history of American politics, and once again I feel as though I was played for the sucker who I most likely am.

I know that "real change" takes time, sweat, perseverance, and patience. But really, there are some days when I think we're seeing the third Bush term. I don't know if I can afford any more time, sweat, perseverance, and patience to spend on a second Obama term. Right now I really don't know what I'm going to do in 2012. I feel like there is a power bigger than all of us working behind the scenes manipulating both parties to its own ends. I felt it during the Bush debacle, and I'm feeling it just as strongly now.

[Name removed]

78. Deleted message

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

[AngryOldDem]

95. I actually gave him a pass on Rick Warren.

In hindsight that was the first warning and that was essentially his first day on the job, for crying out loud! I also defended him months in, when people started complaining that some of the stuff he promised wasn't yet in the pipeline. Another warning.

But it really hit home with how he literally caved in on health care. That wasn't "bipartisanship," that was dressing up essentially the same old broken system and hoping people wouldn't notice, all the while preserving the status quo.

I saw in LBN that today he's promised to take the side of the middle class. He should have been doing that all along.

There's a McDonald's commercial out now with kids looking into empty Happy Meal boxes, with the voice-over saying there's hope and change in them because the proceeds go to charity. The kids, however, are asking where? They don't see any hope or change. Nicely sums up this administration -- lots of nice talk and promises of neat things, but in the end a box full of nothin'.

[global1]

50. Why Are People UnRecording This Post?......

when I clicked in to K&R this post it was at +4 now it is at +1. Why? Seems to me this is an important topic to discuss. Why shut off discussion?

I'm really getting increasingly frustrated with my fellow DU'ers here. The negativity on this board has never been so great. I don't understand it.

Call me a conspiracy theorist - but I think we've been infiltrated by the Repugs - and they are purposely posing as disgruntled Dems - to try and jade the picture.

[Radical Activist]

53. Because it's based on a false premise pushing a Fox News talking point.

See comment 18.

[kentuck]

56. What is the "false premise"?

Since you think the President is as popular now as when he was elected two years ago, the Democrats should have no problem riding his coattails to victory in November, right?

[Radical Activist]

59. Did you read comment 18, as I suggested?

It's written very clearly.

[kentuck]

62. I read it.

I think you believe what you want to believe. Is that the only poll you have seen?

[Radical Activist]

71. The polls are in the same range right now.

Around 45% to just under 50% approval. Obama won with only 52%. Therefore, there's no factual basis for your claim that "so many supporters deserted this President" or that there are so many more "against him" now than there was on election day. The change in support is small and his approval ratings are currently going back up. You're simply making shit up that reinforces your own personal views.

Feel free to state why you no longer support Obama, but don't falsely project your feelings onto the general public. You're a small minority.

[kentuck]

74. If, as you say, his polls are at 45%...down from 52%...

That would be a 14 point swing. We are talking landslide numbers. That is no small number.

[Name removed]

77. Deleted message

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

[kentuck]

81. Why did you write 45%??

If he loses 7 points, then his opponent gains 7 points. That is a 14 point swing. Not to belabor the point, but your name-calling is getting a little old.

[Radical Activist]

126. CNN Poll: Obama approval rating at 50%

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=429747&mesg_id=429747

Does this make you sad? I notice that the narratives and unsupported assumptions in your posts don't favor Democrats. What's your goal in posting them?

Also, could you explain how Obama's "opponent" gains 7% in a favorability poll? There is no opponent. Only Obama. You know that's a hogwash claim.

[EFerrari]

63. Even DU is split right down the middle so even your own experience should tell you

that your spin isn't believable, let alone, true.

[Radical Activist]

67. lol DU is not reflective of the general public,

or even of most liberals who still support Obama by a large margin. A relatively small number of dedicated anti-Obama campaigners have made their viewpoint seem more popular than it is.

[EFerrari]

69. LOL

[Coyote_Bandit]

51. He marketed himself

by suggesting that he would bring both hope and change. But day to day life has gotten worse for millions of us - and things in Washington seem to be plodding along largely unchanged with lots of political posturing and spin and highly bipartisian politics that continue to serve corporate interests. Hope? Change? Yeah, right. Whatever.

Personally I view this administration as one of lost opportunities - but I'm not terribly disappointed. I never drank the "hope and change" kool-aid and never had high expectations for this president. High hopes - yes. High expectations - no. His failure to proactively seize the opportunities available and attempt to enact significant meaningful change has been disappointing. But not surprising. He's not a principled leader - and never pretended to be. He's a coalition builder who will revise his expectations downward as many times as necessary to get a few crumbs enacted into legislation (e.g., the healthcare reform fiasco). Meanwhile, an old style skilled politician with majorities in the House and Senate might have concerned himself with party unity and pursued an aggressive political agenda. But not this president. He's been willing to see the political careers of some Dems destroyed (Blanche Lincoln anyhone?) while pursuing a bipartisian agenda. And now there is some concern that some Dems might not be willing to be completely loyal to him. Give me a frickin break.

[JNelson6563]

52. Perhaps it's all the negative campaigning against him?

Lord knows it's coordinated and relentless. Though, not to rain on your parade or anything, out in the REAL WORLD, he's still pretty popular.

Julie

[Bluerthanblue]

73. you nailed it

imo.

[Steely_Dan]

54. I Also Believe...

that if it were just a matter of a handful of issues that we were disappointed in, then we might have given the Administration a break realizing just how much they were facing. I know I did in the beginning.

However, it is the shear number of "failures" and oversights that simply can't be ignored or excused away.

It is also not just a "quantity" thing. The quality of the failures only make matters worse. The importance of some of the issues struck right at the heart of the Dem philosophy (which should have directly opposed nearly everything Republican). When you cut at the heart of our philosophy, that which rests in our very souls, it is no longer a matter of specific issues as much as it is a matter of overall betrayal...at least that's how it feels for many of us.

This is why when others ask us to "support" the president, it would mean going against all that we value in our heart of hearts. They (the ardent supporters) cannot understand how impossible it is to betray ourselves and all that we stand for. You are asking us to do something that is simply beyond conception.

-P

[ChiciB1]

57. The Idiot & What Was Done By Him... AND, My Grandson And Many Of His

"young" Democratic friends talked about him as if he was a "rock star!" He was NEVER my first choice, and I wasn't going to actively campaign for him. However, when Palin came on board I KNEW I couldn't be part of letting THAT HAPPEN!!

Knew he was to the RIGHT of me, but I thought maybe he was "talking" that way to get the Independent vote, and perhaps he would show his "real" self after he got elected!! To me, as one who never lived in Chicago, but knew several people who did, I made the mistake of thinking he was a "liberal" underneath the hype!

We ALL should know that campaign rhetoric & slogans are used to get elected, it's part of the GAME!! Instead of him leaning to the left, he went further to the RIGHT than I could have expected!

I ALWAYS laugh out loud when Repukes around here tell me how LIBERAL he is!! THEY HAVE NO CLUE!!

So yes, it was about the alternative was much worse, but now I'm sick of hearing "would you rather have had McPalin?" The answer to that isn't hard, but his leadership is milquetoast to me, and I AM DISAPPOINTED!!

[metapunditedgy]

60. Because he is governing the way he campaigned. I'd take Obama 2008 any day.

If I had to choose between Obama 2010 and the other 2008 primary candidates, I might re-think my vote.

It's not complicated at all. He is not governing the way he campaigned. End of story.

[The Second Stone]

61. Here's why I am disappointed but still going to vote for hm

He makes a big deal about bipartisanship, yet he let's his staff insult us, his supporters, without any repercussions. I like his court appointments, but his staff drives me nuts.

[WillyT]

66. Well... McCain/Palin Was a Non-Starter, But In The Primaries...

I voted for Obama because I was afraid that Hillary Clinton would govern as Barack Obama does today.

My apologies to the Secretary of State.

:shrug:

[GreenArrow]

118. She would have.

She was just more open about it.

[rucky]

68. People are still uncertain about our future.

He failed to pave a clear path towards something more concrete. People see he's getting in there and doing work, but he hasn't communicated clearly enough where it all should be leading.

[kentuck]

72. I believe he is trying to emulate the Clinton Administration...

I think most of his advice comes from the Clintons and the Clinton people. Also, I think that is totally the wrong way to govern at this time. Just my opinion.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

70. I voted for him because he wasn't McCain. End of story.

That's the only reason.

I would have voted for Hillary Clinton with equal reluctance. Because she isn't McCain, end of story.

Ever since I saw how truly progressive candidates can be shut out of the picture on both the state and national level, I have been deeply cynical about the Democratic Party. The corporatists are in control, and as time goes on, they seem less likely than before even to throw crumbs at the general public.

After my first vote (for McGovern), I had only Republican candidates to vote against, never general election Democratic candidates to vote FOR. The losers have been pathetic, and the winners have lacked the backbone (or have somehow been threatened or bribed) to stand up to the Republicans.

The hordes of excited young people who were running around talking up Obama made me sad, because I knew that they were in for a letdown, supporting a fake progressive because they were too young to have ever seen a real one on the national stage.

He had a chance to be the Robert Kennedy we never had.

Instead, he turned into Tony Blair.

So my answer is that I didn't like either Obama or H. Clinton to begin with, but I liked McCain even less. However, Obama has been worse than I anticipated.

[RKP5637]

85. + 1, same here. Disappointment. n/t

[L0oniX]

107. +2

[AngryOldDem]

111. And I'm getting tired of basing my voting decisions on the lesser of two evils.

Shouldn't we expect better? Don't we deserve better?

[stray cat]

130. Then you better figure out a way to get those you like palatable to the rest of the country

Sadly you live in a democracy - meaning few will ever get what they want. Reality - you choose between the lesser of two evils and if you think one is worse you better vote

[Lydia Leftcoast]

135. "Palatable to the rest of the country"?

How about "heard by the rest of the country"?

I knew the nomination process was predetermined when the MSM began acting (in 2007) as if Obama and H. Clinton were the only two Dem candidates. Most people didn't even know about the other candidates because the MSM never mentioned them.

"Palatable to the rest of the country"? Boy, do you ever need to wise up!

"Palatable to the moneyed interests who contribute to both parties to make sure that they'll have a corporate-friendly person in the White House" is more like it.

When the MSM begin referring to "frontrunners" before the Iowa caucuses, they don't mean the person who is polling best. They mean the person who has received the most corporate cash. Period.

[DBoon]

82. two words:

"President Palin"

[laylah]

84. I believed in him!

I believed his rhetoric (so flame me!), I believed he really would make change. I acknowledge his accomplishments, and the fact he was presented with SO much of *dumbass's f-ups. HOWEVER, I also believed he would hand the Repubs their butts, clad in truth and justice!

He is still MY president...but I am allowed to be disappointed!

Jenn

[QC]

86. Many people believed that he would be the transformational president

that his campaign strongly suggested that he would be.

Others of us weren't taken in by the marketing but voted against Palin instead.

[Dappleganger]

87. Yes,

I did expect an FDR-type progressive. Shame on me.

[chowder66]

88. My vote for Obama.

I originally was pulling for Hillary. Obama wasn't hitting his stride and I couldn't get what all the fuss was about at first. When Hillary started wavering I was able to concentrate a bit more on Obama or maybe he was starting to peak. What struck me about him was somehow he was able to get his message of hope through. I didn't really internalize it at first but then I realized what that actually meant to me. I had become deeply cynical, hope was not a word I would use to describe the state of our country and the path we were on. It was a small realization but had a big impact on my mindset. I dropped my cynicism and began to hope, listening to his vision and his ideas. They sounded reasonable and hopeful. I wasn't fully ready to give up my understanding that every politician makes promises they can't keep though. Nor will I ever. I think some politicians lie outright and others state their wishes thinking at the time they can be realized only to get into the Whitehouse and the political grind to find out that they are much harder to achieve than previously thought. I think Obama wants to achieve his ideas/goals. After Obama was elected, I knew that the countdown began immediately. It was only weeks - if even that- when the first shouts of "he isn't doing enough" started to broadcast. I knew that the cynicism was going to flood back quickly for many. The attention span of many would not sustain the message of hope or change. I am happy that I still have not given over to cynicism but I do have to fight it at times. I keep winning though... and I am glad for it. I am happy with our President and think that the mountain of problems that he is trying to fix, address, alter, change, etc sully the true intent of Obama's ideas and the progress he wishes to achieve.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

89. I didn't. He ran as a centrist and I believed him.

The speeches were a nice mix of sloganeering and promises but underneath them was a typical ambitious centrist politician who is governing just as he said he would.

[bvar22]

90. Excellent Marketing.

Great Grooming starting before 2004.

Charismatic speeches.

Ambiguous Platform and Statements that could be claimed for either side of most issues depending on what one wanted to hear.

Non-Specific open Promises of "CHANGE".

Overwhelming disgust for the Bush Administration motivating much energy for "CHANGE".

The "Not Hillary".

This is the one that got me:
"Everyone will have a seat at the table."
I believed that one.
To me, it meant that the FDR Wing of the Party would finally have a voice after being banished to the margins for 30 years. I believed that we would be allowed in the White House, and given a seat at the table.

Then Obama did THIS:

The DLC New Team

(Screen Capped from the DLC Website

At that point, I KNEW that "Hope & Change" was just a clever and very successful Corporate Marketing Scam.
I have seen nothing since then to indicate that I was wrong in my assessment.
The Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party has NO voice or representation in the Obama White House.
We certainly don't have a seat at the table...in fact, we are arrested if we ask for one.
ALL the seats are filled with "Centrists", Republicans, or Corporate Lobbyists.

---bvar22
Once a Mainstream FDR Democrat,
now a "fucking retard" Professional Fringe Leftist in the "New Democrat" Party

[RKP5637]

102. Same here, a moderate now apparently I'm the far left under the new democratic

definitions. All because I believe in fairness, a better future for America and meaningful change, NOT the same old sh** propped back up and told it's new and better. I want choice in the primary for 2010, not the same old sh**.

[DailyGrind51]

91. Obama promised change, Clinton promised reality, given the political environment!

[L0oniX]

106. Oh yea... the DLC reality!

[ZombieHorde]

93. He made promises he could not keep. Many people get mad when one person breaks multiple promises. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

94. I voted for one of the two "Its About Time" candidates.

Obama or Clinton were okay by me once it down to just these two. The first woman or the first black man were both fine by me.

Policy wise, I was never enamored of either Obama *or* Clinton, and I have not been shown to have been wrong. Since voting for him, the ONLY thing that I am still completely pleased about is that he's still a black man.

[Dark]

96. Because he wasn't willing to play hard ball, and people saw the sausage factory that

is Washington, D.C.

Also, people are unfamiliar with how Congress works and the Constitution.

[scheming daemons]

97. He got 53% of the vote... he's around 50% approval now... I reject your premise

of "why are so many against him now"



They're not


You're buying spin.

[kentuck]

103. Here's the latest polls:

http://polltracker.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[SoxFan]

98. .

[AnArmyVeteran]

99. SIMPLE: He's not doing what he promised, not even close!

[L0oniX]

104. +1000

[SoCalDem]

114. We "force" our pols into promising stuff we "know" they cannot deliver

we don't have a benevolent dictatorship...our presidents have many obstacles put in their path to promise-fulfillment

[AnArmyVeteran]

136. I understand, but Obama could have ended DADT in the time it takes to write his signature.

I could rattle off a lot of things Obama could have done or tried to do, but the list is a long one. No strong leader would give the keys of a car to a drunk as Obama essentially did when he allowed every bill to be watered down through compromise without getting a single vote. By giving in to the same drunks who put our country in the ditch is irresponsible. What good are most of the pieces of legislation when democrats allowed bills to be so watered down and filled with poison pills to the point where they are designed to eventually fail? Obama didn't even try to get a public option, and instead of doing what was right and what have been very popular, they were allowed to be gutted by Obama's advisors who believe the people who put them in office are retarded or crazy.

I can count on one hand the number of democrats who have balls in congress and in the Obama administration. All they do is react to the enemy's whims and reject what their base wants. Obama and democratic leaders even allowed the illiterate and ignorant tea baggers to outsmart them. It seems no one in democratic leadership has any idea how to craft a message the masses can understand. There is definitely a leadership vacuum and because of that republicans have filled that vacuum by controlling the message since the day Obama was sworn in. There is absolutely no excuse for their performances so far.

Sometimes I wonder if the democrats even want to retain control of congress. And by the way, the ONLY way to get our leaders to represent the people instead of their biggest campaign donors is to force them. Otherwise it will always be business as usual with those in power siding with the corrupt rich and corporations. Look what happened to health care reform. They eagerly caved in to the insurance industry instead of doing what was right for the American people and our country.

I am tired of being lied to.

[stray cat]

131. By and large he is - but you have to listen to what he said versus what you wanted to hear

[lib2DaBone]

100. What has Mr. Obama done for Labor?

1. Hire Arnie Duncan to bust the Teachers.

2. Rahm Emanuel said "Fuck You" to the UAW.

3. Created the Cat Food Commission to raise the retirement age.


Happy Labor Day

[stray cat]

132. So anyone non union is not labor and garbage?

[HughBeaumont]

101. They deserted him because they realized what pretty much the rest of us already did:

And I'm paraphrasing from a post I read about a month ago . . .

The People are not in charge of the government. The government isn't even in charge of the government.

The way we vote means nothing more than the difference between incrimental, albeit miniscule, changes mixed with back-scratching and cringe-inducing appointments & policy versus Reagan/Bewsh II jacked up to liquefy.

Disappointed? Hey, for 15 years, I tried telling everyone that voting Republican is like shooting yourself in the foot every year for the rest of your life, but they all called me a Commie leftist asshole who doesn't know shit about shit. That's the world Reagan's Lil' Trickle-Down Dumplins left you - an overpopulated sinkhole of debt where there are far more people than there are living wage jobs and a selfish greedbag bunch of restaurant-quality assholes that control it all.

And we expected Barack Obama, or ANY Democrat, for that matter, to DO something about this?

We're too busy punishing those suffering from the symptoms instead of looking for a cure for the disease. The reason for most to all of our problems is right in front of us, but it's like America has a giant Directive 4 which prevents them from being brought to justice.

Ask the last guy who tried fighting corporate and military interests for the needs of the people what that quest got him. Or rather, talk to his eternal flame at Arlington.

[L0oniX]

105. I am so sure that DLC queen Hillary would have been so much better. NOT!

[HughBeaumont]

116. That's what GALLS me about threads like these. . . the "What Could've Been" Gang.

They don't seem to get that Hillary was no progressive. The DLC is strong with this one . . .

[SoCalDem]

109. Millions of people had unrealistic expectations & they feared a McCain presidency

That's the basic 101 answer.

The "real" answers are many & more difficult.

I suspect that many hoped this brilliant man could somehow "cure" a decade's-worth of profligacy with a wave of a magic wand

Others may have thought that finally electing a black man would "show" the racist bigots "out there", that they have nothing to fear, and that this man, no matter his color, would be what was needed at this time, to restore our global standing

Young people probably saw him as their own transcendent president..the new generation of presidents...computer-savvy, intelligent, a "with it" president who prefers shooting hoops with his buddies, to yachting .

Some women may have seen him as handsome & young-ish...other women may have seen him as a good father-husband, and someone who showed deference to women, since his whole household IS comprised of women.(with the exception of the dog)

What all these people failed to notice, is that presidents do not get to win the job and then just govern anymore. They have to perpetually campaign, and that gets in the way of DOING the job.

There was a time when a guy would win the election, and then do the job. The insiders would squabble, but most of the electorate just accepted the "new guy" and let him do his job, while they put aside the angst over their guy's loss.. People took a "better luck next time" approach.

Since the Nixon impeachment, republicans have chosen instead, instant demonification of any democrat who dares to win, and since they also happen to control-own most of the media, and their henchmen never really ever leave DC (or power), they have ample time, money & opportunity to poison every well of information they can...and they do.

It is fine to critique what a president does in office, but it's beyond critique for right wingers. They seek to undermine and destroy any democratic presidency, even though when they are in power, they have no idea how to govern effectively themselves.

It's the equivalent of , in regular life, getting a job you applied for, and then having to put up with the foul-up you replaced and all his buddies...hanging around daily haranguing you and complaining about your performance...writing daily letters about you to HR, and sabotaging your work.

[EFerrari]

121. You know, if **millions** of people have unrealistic expectations

the problem didn't originate with them.

[SoCalDem]

122. every election cycle we all have unrealistic expectations, to some degree

because we hope so very much that "this time it will be different", and usually it's just more of the same..

We have to take our small victories along the way and hope for karma for our "enemies"... and then concentrate on the little things we personally can do:)

[EFerrari]

125. If our candidates spent millions of dollars on their image and message

I submit those expectations are well paid for.

[Freetradesucks]

110. I think that he is very charismatic,

and people believed that real change was going to come.

The fact of the matter is that they are all in the same club, Obama, Bush, etc....

[Taitertots]

113. I will vote for him, but I'm not going to bite my tongue when he does things I don't support

It was a lot easier to get people to support him before he did anything for people to complain about.

[Swamp Rat]

115. I voted against the GOP so that our downfall as a nation would be a little slower and less painful

It appears it didn't matter one way or another.

The GOP is still fucking us over, and the DLC is watching with crooked grins and laughing all the way to the offshore bank.

Meanwhile, our infrastructure is collapsing, the numbers of the jobless, homeless, poor, and disabled are increasing exponentially, much of our environment is poisoned, and the USA is still robbing and killing people all over the world in order to support a doomed empire.

[LWolf]

117. Perhaps they expected change that moved the party and the nation

to the left, away from neoliberalism.

[Odin2005]

119. We were had by his charisma.

Like how people were snookered by Reagan.

[Drale]

120. I personally believe

that people had why to high of expectations, remember it took W 8 years to fuck the country, it will probably take 10 to 15 years if not longer to fix everything. I voted for Obama because even if he sat in his office and played with a WII all day he'd have a more successful president then anything a republican could ever do.

[HuckleB]

123. Well, I thought he was electable, intelligent, and would move things in the right direction.

So far, he has done most of what I expected he would do. I want more. I wanted more. I know I'm never going to get all that I want. THAT is the essence of living in a democracy. Now, that said, we are also living in a democracy that is declining in terms of public knowledge and open debate. That is the dangerous part of what is happening in this country. And I do think that is feeding this sectarian notion that we should all get everything we personally think should happen.

The odds are not with us on that, however. Somehow, we miss that part of the equation. Somehow we also miss just how different Obama is to Bush, and how different he is to McCain, and how different he is to the GOP candidate in 2012.

[RandomThoughts]

127. Before the 2008 election.

The media was hitting Obama with ridiculous stuff also.

They tried to inflate the Palin pick, lucky that the wait till the pop happened at apex, great timing Tina Fey and the interviews.

They ran the Wright speech almost non stop for days, and a few other things.

It was a full sky of anti air through the entire election, even up till election night there were still people trying to make it sound close.

So power through get your foot soldiers to the doors, and let people know this is important, and hopefully it will work out.

[Kalun D]

128. Obama is a Flim Flam Man

He's "failed" on about 90 percent of what he promised

He's gone in the opposite direction on about 60 percent of it.

It's corporate business as usual

the biggest eye opener for me was the Gulf disaster, and it's still ongoing, toxic dispersants on top of toxic oil and the government running interference for BP, and then claiming 75 percent of the oil is gone, yeah right.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

129. I'll Give It A Shot

1) The nation wanted change.

2) He wasn't a Republicant.

3) He was charismatic.

4) People wanted to be part of something historic.

5) Voting for the first African American president made them feel good about themselves.

[RandomThoughts]

137. To prove things can be changed.

:)

[AsahinaKimi]

138. Kinda makes you wonder what life would be like

Under McCain/Palin. Can you IMAGINE it with President McCain and Vice President Palin? Some where there is a Parallel Universe where DEMOCRATS are screaming in rage.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

139. Um, the people who are for him are still for him.

50% approval ratings, give or take. That's pretty much unchanged.