Are we asking too much of Obama?

[Cyrano]

No, this isn’t flame bait, it’s a real question. This is a president who has to deal with the insane people of the Republican Party and the blue dog Democrats who are just as bad.

Personally, I’d rather see FDR in the White House right now, or JFK, or Lyndon Johnson (minus Vietnam). But Obama is the guy who’s there and I’d sure rather have him in the Oval Office than the war criminals Bush and Cheney.

There are days on which I’m as pissed off at him as anyone here on DU. And there are other days that I realize he’s not King of the United States and can’t issue royal decrees.

I have no idea why he hasn’t gone all out to stop DADT, why he hasn’t stopped Bush’s illegal spying on Americans, why he hasn’t closed Guantanamo, why he’s elevated Afghanistan, and why he hasn’t done a hundred other things that we want to see done. His lack of actions/success on these issues may or may not be in his hands alone. I really don’t know, but it still angers me.

(And, as Gary Trudeau has been pointing out in “Doonesbury” all this week, an “intervention” is needed and someone needs to take away Obama's "coolness pills.")

But here’s the bottom line. As pissed off as many of us are, he’s facing the result of 30 years of Republican rule (the worst being the Bush/Cheney years). And if we let our anger result in a Republican takeover of the House, the Senate or both this year, then we are as insane as our Republican and blue dog Dem enemies.

[Autumn]

1. No.

He assured us he knew what was going on and wanted to change it. I fully intend to hold him to it.

[area51]

2. +1 n/t

[DrDan]

3. agree

[zipplewrath]

4. Centrists, moderate and conservative independents.

"And if we let our anger result in a takeover of the House, the Senate or both this year, then we are as insane as our Republican and blue dog Dem enemies."

The only people who will "let" them take over are the moderate, centrist, and conservative independents that Obama's been sucking up to for 2 years. Hope he's happy he backed Lincoln.

But I do like how we are all preparing to blame the left for any failures.

[Luciferous]

5. No, we just want him to fulfill his promises. I don't think it's too much to ask.

[Cyrano]

8. Name one president who has ever fulfilled the bullshit in their campaign promises

[cliffordu]

6. K&R

[jgraz]

7. No, not even close.

All we're asking is that he not blow the once-in-a-century opportunity that the voters gave him.

[Greyhound]

19. Too late.

Like the exodus from the White House that is coming, the damage is done and we are that much more screwed.

Too Little, too late.

[dembotoz]

9. to act like a democrat????

[treestar]

10. Your fourth paragraph

Why do you think it is so simple? Do you know what it would really take?

Why not focus on Congress as much? They have equal power.

[bokchoy19]

11. Ummmmm

No.

[Individualist]

12. No

[rucky]

13. The answer will be "yes" until WE get organized.

Hopefully something will come of the 10/2 rally, because I don't feel we've been pulling our weight.

[lame54]

14. Did he promise too much?

[uponit7771]

15. FUCK YES!!! FDR had a 82% congress, LBJ had a 69 dem% congress, BHO has a 59% dem congress...

...and none of the previous was beholding to filibustering KKKons.


HELL FUCK YES we're asking too much of Obama if we're not willing to get him a more progressive congress.

TIA

[Autumn]

16. I'm sorry, we MUST vote for

the blue dogs or we will never have a more progressive Congress, because if we don't vote for them, the republicans will not allow anything progressive to be passed, therefore in order to ask for what we know the Democrats should believe in passing we must not ask for too much. We and Obama need a more progressive Congress, so get out there and vote for your blue dogs, Now , Obama supports and campaigned for mine :puke: so I am of course going to vote for him, since the other one is fucking crazy YAY. I think my brain hurts.:crazy:

[MadHound]

17. No,

Just asking him and the Democrats to fight for legislation that the majority of Americans are in favor of. Like the public option, repeal of DADT, repeal of the Bush tax cuts, etc.

Doesn't even have to win, but at least fight, step into the ring. Force a real, live filibuster and use the bully pulpit.

It isn't asking too much of our representatives to fight for what the people want, after all, it was the people who fought to put them there.

[polmaven]

18. Only if we ask

him to do 4 years work in 2 years time. I speak with a lot of people who seem to think that he should have had the 8 year hole filled in completely by now. it is going to take time.

[Toucano]

20. No, no we are not.

A highly vocal MINORITY - and believe you me, they're a minority - of right-wing NUTS have been driving the White House.

The President has the will of the people behind him. We are his political capital.

He needs to stop considering criticisms of the administration from the left a nuisance and let it be his "force".

[Cerridwen]

21. I want to make sure I understand what you're saying.

Did you just say that President Obama, when he was candidate Obama, was not aware of the "30 years of Republican rule" and was caught off guard by what he faced after taking office?

Are you saying that he was unaware that the previous (mis)administration left behind a shit-load of land mines?

Are you saying he raised something like $700million in campaign funds to get into an office for which he was unprepared?

Are you saying he didn't know that racism would be a huge issue in this country were he to become the President?

Are you saying that he wasn't ready to take all this on when he was elected to office?

Are you really saying he was that ignorant/naive or, pick an adjective?

Please tell me this isn't how you "defend" the President of the United States.

[Cyrano]

23. My OP was not a defense or an attack. Try reading it again.

[Cerridwen]

24. Excuse? Lowering the bar? Justification?

I put "defend" in quotes because I wasn't sure what it was you were trying to say. I also asked a series of questions which you ignored rather than respond.

[Cyrano]

26. My ignoring your questions was a clue that you evidently

didn't pick up on. Where is it written that I'm subject to your interrogation?

[Cerridwen]

27. You're not. I was trying to understand what you were saying in your OP

and why you were saying it.

It seemed extremely insulting to say the President of the US was unprepared for and ignorant of, what he would face when taking office and that we should give him a pass for his being so.

I was hoping you'd tell me that wasn't the case. Apparently, my hope was misplaced.

[Greyhound]

29. In your OP. n/t

[chaska]

22. To chase the middle is to chase the wind. So called centrists...

have no core convictions. They can be moved right or left. The party that wins is the one that stands steadfast, projecting an image of strength and surety in uncertain times.

This is what Dems need to figure out.

[FrenchieCat]

25. Personally, I'm very Glad that Barack Obama is in the White House!

But thank you for YOUR thoughts!

[alc]

28. yes with respect to legislation

He could probably apply more pressure or appeal to the people more but congress will do what they want.

But there are other things I expected from him that are not unreasonable:
* no lobbyists in the administration
* no secret meetings with lobbyists
* transparency (not fighting court orders to release WH visitor logs, not overusing "government secrets" to get court cases thrown out, 5 days public review before signing laws, etc)
* not using signing statements
* not making secret deals with pharma
* not defending bush policies in courts
* not having Helen Thomas complain about press conferences, town hall meetings, and general openness of the administration
* staying above personal attacks and blame. There are plenty of other people around to do that for him.

[Kind of Blue]

30. No, we aren't asking too much but

asking that he fix the problems in 2years with the obstacles you've laid out is.

[DirkGently]

31. No, we're not asking too much. It's our JOB to hold him to these things, as he has stated often.