White House hopes to get liberals in line for November elections

[Francesca9]

President Obama and Vice President Biden indicated last week that they are concerned that liberals disappointed with Obama's policies might stay home this November, potentially costing Democrats control of Congress.

Obama made one key gesture to the left on Friday when he appointed Elizabeth Warren, a darling of the Democratic Party’s liberal base, to an advisory role at the new consumer protection agency.

Liberal groups applauded Warren’s appointment, but the White House has a long way to go before matching the enthusiasm that greeted Obama’s presidential run in 2008.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs acknowledged this summer that there is a great deal of frustration in the West Wing with attacks from the "professional left," liberal commentators who say Obama has compromised on too much of his agenda.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/119605-white-house-hopes-to-get-liberals-in-line-for-november


How do we get the energy back in the next 45 days?

[mmonk]

1. A little late to worry about Liberals.

We'll get to see if the "well where are they going to go?" mantra holds up.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. "Where are they going to go?"

Maybe nowhere.

That would be a disaster. Unhappy as I am with the general tenor of this administration, I wouldn't wish another era of Republican misrule on us.

[mmonk]

13. Indeed.

I'm a liberal or progressive populist. I, of course, rather they just concentrate on the right at the moment and aggressively take them on. I don't need anything disingenuous at the last minute. If we are of some concern, then listen to us on some sort of ongoing basis and don't use us as a whipping boy until election time.

[Buns_of_Fire]

28. Thing is, if they aggressively take on the right, a lot of liberals and progressives

would cheer them right along all the way to the polls. The Tea Potty crowd isn't going to vote Democratic anyway, so it's not as if they'd be risking a lot.

I know it's a bad metaphor, but they'd be killing two birds with one stone.

[Bluenorthwest]

2. Someone needs to tell them they are not on the ballot

I'll be voting for Democrats who pre-date this administration, who are above and beyond being defined by Obama, much less by the likes of Robert Gibbs.

[hayu_lol]

4. A good step in the right direction...

would be to fire Arnie Duncan and send his sorry ass back to Chicago.

[Jackpine Radical]

6. I get to vote for Feingold and a whole slate of progressives.

I've contributed money and will do some phone banking for them. I feel very fortunate in the people who represent me, and I want to keep them all in office, except maybe for the Democratic sheriff, who seems to be rather enamored of Joe Arpaio's policies, and who has fairly thoroughly fucked up the administration of his jail.

2012? We'll see. May not matter anyway, what with the Mayan calendar ending and all.

[bobbolink]

51. Yes, you are fortunate.

Those of us not being represented feel differently.

Would you be willing to trade Feingold for Bennett??? We would happily donate Bennett to you! :)

[Sapphocrat]

11. Exactly.

Obama needn't worry his pretty head about me, as I've got a straight ticket of real Dems -- all of whom who pre-date this administration -- lined up. Obama doesn't even enter my mind when I look over the list -- Brown, Newsom, Boxer, Eshoo, et al.

If this were the 2012 election (and if he actually cared about liberals like me), he'd have a lot to worry about.

[EFerrari]

17. I'm calling the local Latino community for Barbara.

I'm doing it without reference to the White House in any way.

[meow mix]

5. still trying to pay for my drug testing and i have no health coverage.

so much for hope and change. haha
all they can do now is use the old fear tactics, yelling that republicans are coming to get me.

fuck the line.

[DJ13]

7. hopes to get liberals in line ?

:scared:

[tech9413]

24. Yea, my feeling exactly!

I knew Obama was pretty much a corporatist going in. That was pretty much confirmed with his appointments. I could accept compromise with alternative points of view, but it seems the only people he want's to compromise with are only those that support the oligarchy that helped put us in this situation. I'll still support the lesser of two evils but reserve the right to express my disappointment. If only we had 50 Bernie Sanders there might be the political will to do what's right for the country.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. How do we get the energy back in the next 45 days? Easy.

1. End Obama's commission to slash Social Security.
2. Use Executive powers to help working Americans. Bail out America as strongly as he bailed out the bankers. Why is it that Obama's cool with continuing Bush overreaching policies such as secret prisons and outsourced torture, but eschews Bush's use of Executive power?
3. Re-introduce Glass-Steagall
2. Call for - and seriously campaign for - expansion of Medicare to all Americans

[democracy1st]

12. and the Goldman Sachs admin will not do a single one!

[Cleita]

15. I wonder if he could sign an executive order to open up

Medicare for everyone under 65 that they or their employers could buy into. I believe it could be done with the excuse that people need something until the health care bill comes into effect in 2014. Of course executive orders do expire, but I doubt if you could take away something this useful to everyone once it's been put in place. Just a thought about how he can circumvent the Republicans and Blue Dogs on this Public Option debacle.

[LWolf]

30. Fire Arne Duncan and stop touting union-busting and privatization

as education "reform."

[MannyGoldstein]

32. +1 nt

[orleans]

9. ha--good luck with that, white house. n/t

[Enrique]

10. maybe making fun of us at fundraisers will help

:shrug:

[USArmyParatrooper]

14. The ones that feign outrage at every little thing don't count.

They're not going to support Democrats regardless. They're just going to take their ball and go home.

[EFerrari]

19. You've been here since May and never through an election.

Apart from the hyperbole, how did you come to that conclusion?

The most active campaigners here tend to be on the dreaded and much maligned left.

lol

[scheming daemons]

44. I've been here for many elections, and he's exactly right

[Missy Vixen]

35. I've been voting Democratic since 1979

>They're not going to support Democrats regardless. They're just going to take their ball and go home.<

I'm happy to be voting for Senator Patty Murray in November.

BTW, my outrage isn't "feigned", and I'll thank you to not put words in the mouths of those of us who were voting, volunteering and contributing to Democratic candidates for quite some time before we arrived here.

If liberals/progressives are so small in number and their concerns mean so little to the current White House, why are they now so worried about getting the liberals "in line"?

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

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

[Arugula Latte]

16. The beatings will continue until morale improves.

[LooseWilly]

46. Heh, I knew there was a reason I was wearing that shirt today...

They'll need to keep up the beatings... my morale hasn't improved.

The party makes its calculations about who to piss on, I make my calculations about who I want pissing on me. A little sweet talk after the fact isn't gonna change things...

[laughingliberal]

18. If I was him, I'd start with not insulting and mocking them.

Then he might try pointing out some of the places we were right like needing a larger stimulus program and a public option and committing himself to fighting for those in the future. Then he could disband the Catfood Commission that's poised to force Austerity, American Style on us just after the elections and create a jobs' commission with people who like workers on it.

[EFerrari]

21. I must be easy. I'd settle for no more bashing anyone in our coalition

until after the polls close.

[laughingliberal]

22. You are easy. I'd heard that about you.

;)

:hug:

[gkhouston]

36. So had I. They really should scrub the graffiti off the walls a little more frequently.

:evilgrin:

[Exilednight]

20. And then, once election season is over, we wait another two years ..............

when Obama is running for re-election to see another real attempt at liberal policy.

And let's be honest, the Warren appointment.

I have a deep felt fear of a bait and switch, just like we got with the PO.

[Fumesucker]

23. A head fake to the left after going on two years of running to the right..

I have no nose and I must vote for Democrats.

And I know they'll be right back to running to the right the day after the election.

[katandmoon]

25. I'm voting for my progressive rep in Nov. but Obama has kissed my future vote for himself goodbye.

[Karmadillo]

26. Sis boom baaaaaaaaaaa!

nt

[Better Believe It]

27. I wouldn't worry about getting liberals in line. I think they are worried about millions of ....

ordary working class voters sitting out the election because they haven't seen any big changes and improvement in their economic situation.

It's mainly, but not entirely, about the economy!

How many here can say their financial situation is now better or at least not worse than nearly two years ago?

[LWolf]

29. I wouldn't not vote because I'm disgusted with the Obama administration.

I might not vote for candidates who are obvious supporters of this administration's policies, but as long as the candidate isn't a partisan yes-man or worman, and is walking the right path on issues, my vote can be earned. I'll be selecting the best candidates on my ballot, unless there is literally no one worthy of the vote. If that happened, I'd write someone in. But I'll always vote.

[Orlandodem]

31. He could get the teachers back if he fired Duncan and hired Dianne Ravitch.

Until then, I stay at home. That's bad news for my Congressman, Alan Grayson.

[dflprincess]

39. You could just go & vote for Grayson

you don't have to cast a vote for anyone else on the ballot.

[harun]

33. There's plenty of bones they can throw us. I don't expect any though.

They are going to keep governing the way they've been governing.

[gkhouston]

34. I'm expecting more jawbone. It's connected to the bullsht bone.

That said, there are some good Dems in my area who are actually on the ballot.

[harun]

37. There are good dem's in my area but I think they are toast.

Hopefully we will get Sestak in the Senate though.

[bvar22]

38. "hopes to get liberals in line"...???

*By attacking The Left from the White House Bully Pulpit?

*By ridiculing organized LABOR for supporting a Pro-LABOR candidate in the Arkansas Primary?

*By discounting our policy disappointments as perpetual whining?

*By serving up a shit sandwich (HCR) and telling us it is BBQ?

*By demanding that we Vote for the Democrat because Palin is worse? :shrug:
.
.
.
Somebody needs to have a Word or Two with the White House Marketing Team.
Seriously, NOW the White House wants The Left to "get in line"?
45 days from the next election, NOW the White House wants our support?

The BEST way to keep The Left "in line" was to FIGHT for traditional Democratic (FDR) Policy instead of middle-of-the-road Republican Lite Corporate Appeasement.
The best way to keep us "in line" was to have given The Working Class & The Poor a VOICE in the White House!


The DLC New Team

(Screen Capped from the DLC Website)

Did they think we wouldn't notice? :shrug:

I AM proud and loyal FDR/LBJ DEMOCRAT!
I don't expect to get everything I want, but I DO expect some respect for my FDR values, and a VOICE in the Party that is asking for my money and support.


"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone

[ibegurpard]

49. well said

[speppin]

50. I still have vivid memories of Paul on the campaign stump and

also of the days following the crash. And of Mondale stepping up. Its a lose that I do not think will ever be replaced---in my lifetime that is.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

40. No need to worry about that. Liberals are going to vote.

If they don't, they ain't liberal.

[dflprincess]

41. They're not all that concerned with the left

they're just setting us up for the blame if things go badly.

[Umbral]

47. That's it, in a nutshell. The Liberals will show up and vote, just as they've always done.

If anyone is interested in finding who is really switching sides - look to the mushy middle.

[noise]

48. It wouldn't be fair to blame the Democratic party for anything

Only the left is to blame. As it should be.

:sarcasm:

[spanone]

43. what energy are we missing? has someone been listening to the media?

[craigmatic]

45. The problem is that in order to get liberals back congress will have to do things that'll

put the blue dogs at risk. This includes repealing DADT and promoting HCR as a big achievement rather than running from it. I'm not sure we can win this thing if it's nationalized. It might just be better to fight this on a district by district basis.