If Brown Does(god forbid)win tonight, here's what Obama has to do to fight back for the party

[Ken Burch]

1)Kick Geithner AND Summers AND Rahm out the door. Tommorrow morning.

2)Get in there and go LBJ on the Senate to get the public option back into the HCR(or, if they won't back it, HANG IT ON THE GOP in the fall);

3)Push the DSCC HARD to make all Democratic Senate candidates promise to back the leadership on all procedural motions, and to commit to abolishing the filibuster.

4)Introduce a REAL campaign finance reform bill in Congress and make it an issue in the FALL campaign.

5)Take Social Security "reform" off the table-forever. The "reforms" are all right-wing and only benefit people who hate this party and the workers and the poor. It's never right for a Democratic president to put the rich before the people, and that's what "entitlement reform" has always been about. Raise the SSN withholding limit instead. No one who backs our party would object to that and neither will the independents.

6)Tell Wall Street to FUCK OFF! They're not on our side and this last year proves they can never be reasoned with.

7)Issue the executive order ending DADT TOMORROW! Lift the ban on gays in the military TOMORROW! No one who opposes gays in the service will ever vote Democratic anyway so there's no cost in either choice. There IS no middle ground on justice!

That's the only hope we have of avoiding a blowout this fall. The president progressives elected has to work, NOW to re-earn our support and to re-energize the coalition that elected him.

We know now that every compromise he's made on everything has been a mistake and that every move towards the center has only weakened him.

It's time for our president to walk the walk!

[rfranklin]

1. that would be a nice start...

I have little hope that we will see any of those things happen.

Not to be a party pooper but I've been watching the "political process" for a lot of years.

[Me.]

2. DADT

[Ken Burch]

3. You're right.

I've added it.

[ieoeja]

23. Except that he can not repeal a law with an executive order. (nt)

[Ken Burch]

24. That's what Clinton was going to do in '93.

n/t.

[ieoeja]

27. DADT did not exist in '93.

Then it was only a military policy. Since the passage/signing of DADT, this bigotry has been a law.

[DrToast]

29. He can announce he's going to stop enforcing it pending review.*

[Ken Burch]

33. He can also bar any more DoD funds being used to process DADT discharges

n/t.

[DJ13]

4. I wish

Obama seems to have this self image in his head of a great compromiser, which precludes him from having the balls to be confrontational enough to take on the entrenched corruption within our party in DC.

During the campaign in 08 I thought Obama displayed a few flashes of a temper, but I doubt he would ever let that happen now that he has the job he wanted.

[gateley]

7. I've seen flashes of irritation and anger since he's taken office -

and it always gives me hope.

[T Wolf]

5. If only.... But it'll never happen because the policy goals underlying your suggestions

are NOT the goals of the party, and certainly not those of this administration.

It really appears that Obama is more interested in being popular (particularly among the pukes) than in bringing about liberal policies.

[JackintheGreen]

6. Wonderful list

of things that will never happen.

What? Stand up for the party. Pshaw!

:cry:

[TheKentuckian]

8. Start small. #1 plus #7. Too big to fail is a national security issue, imo.

[Ken Burch]

9. Well, our party's whole problem since the inaugural has been "starting small"

We're the only party that compromises AT THE BEGINNING. The other party never gives ground on anything. It's time to admit that compromise equals defeat for us and always will.

[TheKentuckian]

26. Its a pretty huge lift that I'm proposing that will require a lot of focus

and continuous rallying of the public.

I'm talking about taking them to the wall on this regulatory reform, not any middling compromise.

[Cali_Democrat]

10. If Obama does all of this because of one lost Senate seat, he will look panicked

It will look like Obama has absolutely no direction. That could cost him big time. Slow and steady would be a much better approach IMO.

[Ken Burch]

12. There's only ten months 'til the midterms.

We don't have time for stately and slow anymore. Stately and slow have been the road to failure so far. If stateliness hasn't worked yet, it CAN'T work.

[Cali_Democrat]

13. Doing all the things you mentioned immediately after losing a Senate seat is kinda dumb

His approach should be methodical and not rushed and that will definitely take longer than 10 months.

[Ken Burch]

15. Which, of course, has to mean placidly accepting massive losses this fall

Since tonight will prove that stateliness means defeat in every important race.

And that has to mean permanent failure because Clinton proved Democratic presidents can't ever get Congress back after losing it during their terms.

[Cali_Democrat]

16. Tonight may only prove that Coakley is a terrible candidate.

If Coakley loses, it doesn't necessarily mean that stateliness means defeat for Dems in the fall. I think that's a bit of a stretch.

[Ken Burch]

20. How, after the disaster of the first year that was caused by stateliness and gradualisn

can you still defend the "stay the course" position?

Do you even WANT our party to avoid a blowout loss this fall?

We can't win on a "wait for it" strategy.

[OHdem10]

11. Guys, this of utmost importance. It is likely the Media will start their

little strategy--this means Bipartisanship and try to push
Obama to kowtow to Republicans just as they did Clinton.

Obama bent over backwards almost to his peril try to
get the GOP to work with him . Baucus spent or wasted
the summer squiming around trying to appease Republicans.
All the Committee Dems wasted all that time with Snowe.
Trying to please Snowe they wrote a Moderate Republican
RW HCIR Bill.

[Ken Burch]

14. And the "change nothing because losing is better than changing" crowd is unrec'ing away

Proving once again that it's the "moderates" who are "Anti-Democratic" and "Anti-Obama".

If we lose today, it will prove that blandness doesn't work. It will prove that niceness and deference to the other side doesn't work.

Why don't you "moderates" get that?

Do you guys WANT us reduced to the post-1994 Clinton years AGAIN?

That's what centrism dooms us to, campers. You have to admit that.

Only a progressive fightback strategy can save us.

Corporate money isn't worth what corporate Dems are doing to us.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

17. Green Jobs!

Get the country working again! Let people know that corporate greed is not the only way to be prosperous. You can be well-off without being filthy rich and destroying our only home.

:hi:

[Nuclear Unicorn]

18. rec'ed

...and got the thread out of negative rec territory.

Really people. If you have a problem with this agenda maybe you're at the wrong forum.

[Ken Burch]

19. A lot of people want this to be Blue Dog Underground

Thanks for the support.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

25. Blue dog? Blue Ball more like

They're probably frexually sustrated.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

21. Totally agree, Ken. K&R!

It's a wonderful list. I'd demand the same had Hillary won.

[Ken Burch]

22. Thanks. And I'm glad to hear you say that.

n/t.

[Jack Rabbit]

28. I would posecute war criminals, starting with Cheney

However, the issue is health care reform. He needs to commit to a version of the bill more like the House version. If this means scrapping the bloody thing going through reconciliation, then do it. Let's get this straight: the Senate bill is a bad bill and I don't give a flying leap whether it passes or not. Either way, if the Senate bill becomes law or no bill is passed, we will be revisiting the issue of health care reform sooner rather than later.

I would also add that the financial team should be made up of Joseph Steiglitz, Robert Reich and, if she is willing, Elizabeth Warren.

I see my rec got this back to even.

[taught_me_patience]

30. I think he should take a more populist stance

and agree with much of what you said.

Fire Geitner and Summers
Fight harder for the house version of HCR
Wind down war in Iraq quicker

[Sebastian Doyle]

31. Obama should actually do all of those things regardless of the MA outcome

Because it's what any Democratic President worthy of that name would do. Stop using Clinton & Reagan as role models, go with FDR. And LBJ - but only regarding the Senate, NOT when it comes to Afghanistan!

[Ken Burch]

32. I also think that

It's just that a defeat might be the only thing that MAKES him do it.

Perhaps a close win would also have the same effect.

But I do WANT Coakley to win.

[glitch]

34. Even if Coakley wins the fact that this race was so close against such an offensive loser like Brown

should wake someone up somewhere.

[Ken Burch]

37. In a sane world, it would

The fact that this was so soon after Teddy's death should have made a victory automatic for us.

[ChiciB1]

35. Now This OP Is Something I CAN Vote For!!! K&R & Rec!

But I DON'T have my fingers crossed! I'm already hearing far too much about how it's ALL Martha Coakley's fault! She may not have run the best campaign, but IMO there's just so much more to this whole thing!

For a POTUS who wanted bi-partisanship and Independents walking in lock step, he sure over shot when he decided "the base" would carry the day! We don't like hearing how we'll roll over and beg, and then have someone tell us they can IGNORE US!!

Not nice, not nice at all!

[David Zephyr]

36. Unfortunately, Ken, they will take just the opposite message should we lose.

And they will move further to the right.

[quantass]

39. +1000

Less reform
Less regulation

Democrats are in for a slaughter this year if they read these tea leaves wrong and move right.

[AspenRose]

38. And stop playing nice with the "loyal" opposition

There's nothing "loyal" about those assholes. They need a figurative ass-kicking. He needs to stop being so nice in the name of bipartisanship. They. Are. Not. Interested.

[Jamastiene]

40. And most importantly...

Instead of saying, "Don't worry about the left,"

...worry about the left. Quit demonizing and demoralizing the left.

Without the left, the Democratic Party cannot win. Those precious independents and Republicans the Democratic Party has been courting...

...will.NOT.EVER.Vote.Democratic.

Watch the Democratic Party leaders move right, again, instead of getting the message.