The minority party has ruled and manipulated the Senate for two years: Is the public aware of this?

[brentspeak]

Do you think the Democratic leadership has done a good job getting the message out to the public that the GOP Senators have done absolutely nothing but obstruct and filibuster? Has the corporate media been complicit in not pointing out the obvious fact that the Republicans have done nothing but "do nothing"?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. the majority has allowed that for 2 years.

of that, I think they are aware.

[bigwillq]

8. Game over.

"the majority has allowed that for 2 years."
YES, they have!
:mad:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. a situation that I can simply not understand.

Since when did 41 senators become a majority?
Since when did Congress suddenly lose all spinal columns?

Ugh. Enough of this hands across the aisle shyte. It is time to take control and fix our serious problems before it is too late.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

15. "Allowed" may be going too far IMHO

Not being prepared for it and not knowing exactly what to do about it is probably more like it. Democrats don't normally "gum up the works" so completely like the Republicans have during the past two years- even with Republican Presidents. Heck, even when Clinton was President and the Democrats had Congress from 1993-1994, I'm not sure it ever got THIS bad. If we retain the majority in the Senate next year (or- heaven forbid- when we next get it back if we lose it), our leaders will have to come up with some new rules for the Senate that don't allow the minority (or even a single Senator) to obstruct things to this ridiculous degree.

[yurbud]

18. and when they were the minority, they refused to use the tactics the GOP is using now

[yurbud]

19. which makes their whining about GOP obstructionism seem like cowardice and impotence

rather than useful information.

[Radical Activist]

2. Obama is the only elected official in America resonsible for anything.

At least, that's the impression I get when it's time for people to start complaining about what hasn't become law yet.

[DirkGently]

13. No one mentioned Obama until you did.

[Radical Activist]

17. Yes, Obama has never been mentioned on DU.

:eyes:

I guess I should have made my point more plainly. Congressional leaders escape public scrutiny and criticism because most pundits and bloggers are too focused on complaining about Obama, as though no one else is in DC. That approach doesn't help advance progressive causes because the Congressional obstructionists don't feel the heat.

[DirkGently]

20. The comments above you are *about* those congressional leaders. If you can't

even take the time to respond to the thread you're actually in, it's hard to see where you're coming from. You knee-jerked here, and you ought to think about using your not inconsiderable knowledge and intelligence to illuminate, rather than contribute to the sad devolution of discussion here into a needlessly binary opposition. I mean this without a trace of sarcasm. I'd like to hear your thoughts on these things, with less of a singular focus on defending the President in every case.

[Radical Activist]

21. You're projecting.

The thread asked if the public is aware of what Congressional leaders are doing. I made an argument to explain why the public isn't aware. It was a direct response to the OP and constructive criticism for the blogosphere.

[DirkGently]

23. No, you're dissembling. Sad and pointless.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. Ruled, no, manipuplated, yes... n/t

[AtomicKitten]

4. DCCC Chair Chris Von Holland has done a good job doing exactly that on MSNBC. nt

[Life Long Dem]

5. Obama admits they are doing a good job at it as well.

[msongs]

6. weak leadership, inability to craft a strategy n stay on it, incompetence at PR. what else lol ? n

[vaberella]

7. Anyway to spin this Obama's fault.

Like the right wing owned MSM doesn't help with the noise. You post a lot of incorrect and misinformed trash from the MSM. If you have watched the campaigning Obama has been doing, he's trying to change the dialogue...but the media is definitely not helping.

[EC]

9. It's difficult to make that point when the damn

Blue Dogs vote with them...all the repubs have to say is "There were Democrats that voted with us too..."

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. The public? Hell, half of DU isn't aware of this... n/t

[krawhitham]

12. +1

[elana i am]

14. no. but i then i don't think that excuse really flies.

it doesn't work here at DU, so i don't think it would to the general public either.

i'm not sure it's accurate anyway. i personally think obama's problem is not the repugs, it's the blue dog asshats. forget the repugs, it's the tiny little minority of blue dogs + lieberschmuck who happen to hold all the power. it takes every one of them to get anything done.

obama has no leverage against his own party. none. that's why, in spite of being progressive and generally not an obama fan, i don't go around bashing him for being weak and ineffective. all it takes is one blue dog asshat to dig in their heels and there's nothing obama can do.

[phleshdef]

16. The President has talked about the obstruction time after time after time.

But the media is, per usual, giving them a free pass and thats where the problem lies.

[niceypoo]

26. The problem lies with the Democrats

...who are so wimpy as a group that they allow themselves to be bullied and controlled by a bunch of loudmouthed, drooling sociopaths.

[AlinPA]

22. No and Yes.

[treestar]

24. Maybe the public should take some responsibility for knowing how

the Senate works. Maybe it should be in the schools, etc. If people aren't paying any attention at all, that's not the Democrats' fault.

[niceypoo]

25. Of course they are

That is why they are pissed at the Dems, for allowing it to happen