President Obama urges Democrats to not get discouraged

[cal04]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obama

(snip)
With the congressional elections fast approaching, President Barack Obama acknowledged Saturday that the hope and energy he stirred during his presidential campaign may have faded in the face of a grinding economic crisis.

"We're doing the grinding, sometimes frustrating work of actually delivering change. I know it can be discouraging," Obama told a crowd of 10,000 at an energetic rally at Boston's Hynes Convention Center.

(snip)
"They figured they could ride people's anger and frustration all the way to the ballot box," said Obama, dressed more casually for the weekend rally, in a sport coat but no tie.

(snip)
"The worst thing we could do is go back to a philosophy that nearly destroyed our economy," Obama said.

[emulatorloo]

1. "Obama told a crowd of 10,000 at an energetic rally "

E-N-E-R-G-E-T-I-C !

HA HA, surprised the AP editors let a word like that slip though!

[Historic NY]

2. Its not doing any good here, people think we should have a Republican majority.

[emulatorloo]

6. worth remembering DU is a bit of a bubble.

[Kdillard]

14. Tell me about it.

[Pab Sungenis]

3. Mr. President, if you don't want us to get discouraged

then give us a reason to be ENcouraged. Where's the jobs bill? The climate bill? Repeal of DADT and DOMA?

Give us a reason to put the Democrats back in control.

[CakeGrrl]

23. In other words, you don't see a real downside to laying back and letting Repubs have another go?

:wtf:

Either Dems are running things or Republicans with Teabaggers to appease will be at the helm.

Maybe you think of that as being threatened into support, but I think of it as a simple FACT.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

31. The jobs bill and climate bills have been held up in the Senate for nearly a year!

The Republicans are blocking these two pieces of legislation. The House has already done its work. It has already passed these bills. The repeat of DADT was also held up in the Senate with Republicans blocking and killing the defense reauthorization act.

Don't you know this? And don't you know from Civics 101 that the president is not in charge of passing legislation? The Congress is!!!!

Why aren't you holding the Republicans who blocked these bills accountable?

Why are you blaming those who are not responsible?

This boggles my mind!!

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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

[gateley]

5. I know it's discouraging for him, too. What a mess he walked into. nt

[ibegurpard]

7. yeah, the recent screed on how much he thinks he can work with Republicans

was VERY encouraging

[Kdillard]

16. Umm do you have a wand where you can make 60 or more votes

magically appear for him. If the polls are correct he will have to work with Republicans to get anything done. I really don't get your point unless you want to be deliberately rude. Neither party has the power to get anything done without cross over support be it by a large number or small number.

[Whisp]

8. I never tire of his 'car in the ditch' story.

so there he and others are pushing their guts out trying to get the car out of the ditch that the pugs swirved into. And up on the road, drinking their slurpies are the Repuglicans watching them work.
So the car finally gets pushed up on the road, dents and damage here and there, but it's on the road at least. Then the repuglicans ask for the keys back...

lol. good stuff.

[applegrove]

17. I like that story too. It reminds me of Jean Chretien the past Prime Minister of Canada.

He used to tell stories like that.... very simple, yet very true.

[Whisp]

19. hey, that's my Jean.

one of the best I remember from him was around the start up of the Bush Iraq war. Some government official in Canada called Bush a moron and got caught on it and it made the papers. big bruhaha.

so Cretien was asked if he thought Bush really was a moron... to which Jean replied: Well, he plays a good game of golf!

:rofl:

[applegrove]

20. Yup. Jean Chretien was one smart cookie for someone who mangled language.

[elocs]

9. I don't get it. Why should we be discouraged?

:shrug:

And why on earth is it being brought up now?

[Mass]

10. 10,000. Boston Globe says 15,000, including the overflow crowd.

[rug]

11. What he doesn't get is that millions of people were in fact ready to support real changes.

It's not the economy, it's the accommodations.

[KoKo]

12. I watched it...MSNBC had most of it. I felt he was chiding us Dems...

Lecturing to us. But, he was hoarse and maybe has a cold. When I get a cold I'm not in a very good mood to deal with anyone. He had to go out there and give a speech to whip up voters. Not an easy thing when you aren't feeling so good.

Sadly, he relied on campaign speeches I'd heard him give in the past...nothing new there. But, when you are not feeling well it's good to go back into one's "comfort zone" and maybe it will work for him.

[CakeGrrl]

24. Perhaps some quarters thinking he hasn't done a damn thing worthwhile

is somewhat annoying to him.

Who could fault him for lecturing?

For all the people who just love sitting back behind their keyboards and telling him to "man up", it's ironic that they have conniption fits if someone even remotely suggests that maybe they do the same with the Republican/Teabagger barbarians at the gate.

[rateyes]

13. Too late.

[cilla4progress]

15. Sorry, but, I think he just doesn't get it.

We're goin' down these midterms either way. Better to go down with our pride intact, fighting for what we believe in, putting it all out there...than like this: a little tail between our legs; having sold out our soul on several fronts; making deals with devil with not much of any glee to show for it. Its what I'm sayin'.

[JI7]

22. he does get it, he understands what politics is while some seem to think it's about pride or some

other stupid shit

[CakeGrrl]

25. "Go down with our pride intact"...by letting Republicans out-vote us?

What sense does that make?

So, does fighting for what you believe in mean you vote 3rd party instead of casting a vote for what you think is a sell-out Dem, while Republicans stick with Republicans to get them back in office?

You don't see Republicans staying home because they're discouraged that they aren't in power now. They want it back, and all they need to do to get it back is show up to vote, because that's more than Democrats can be bothered to do. That's how elections are won and lost. Where is the pride in that?

[cilla4progress]

26. Hey - I'm not only voting,

I'm GOTV-ing, so you missed my point. On several fronts (you know the drill: public option, DADT, even - now - prosecuting mj federal law) I believe the Obama administration could have been stronger in its PR supporting what he said he supported in the '08 campaign. Yes, his final action / compromise might have been necessary, but I think his lack of a stronger voice on these make him look like a sellout. Sorry, but...I'm not the only one who's disappointed about this. Doesn't mean we are throwing in the towel! Hopefully he will move leftward - in the progressive direction he knows is right, in his heart, over the next 2 years. I think he's been on a learning curve as to his good intentions to "work across the aisle," with immature power-sucking a-holes who never had any intention of working with him...who would cut off their noses to spite their faces, all in the name of power and control.

[CakeGrrl]

27. I know not everyone has thrown in the towel, but

Read around these parts and it sounds like some of the DU population has. The tone around here has been "outrage of the day" for some time.

Of course, some will freely admit that they never wanted him there in the first place.

Now, I beg to differ that he simply cannot understand that Republicans are assholes. I simply do not believe he doesn't get that and am willing to give him more credit.

What is unsure is that for whatever reason people hold him in contempt, do they themselves "get" what lies in wait behind these Republicans knocking at the door? I'm not confident they do.

And there is NO positive outcome in putting Democrats out of office at this juncture. Maybe those who perceive themselves to be "punched hippies" will reap some emotional satisfaction, and I think there are more out there who are willing to cut of their proverbial noses than there ought to be.

[cilla4progress]

30. I totally agree and

couldn't imagine sitting out the election... It's maddening.

I just read Peter Baker's article /interview in the NYT magazine, called "Education of a President". Fabulously interesting and intimate interview that illuminates the "getting it" issue, the policy v. politics/communication divide, Obama's image with the public. Why anyone would want to be US President completely eludes me. Absolutely no-win thankless job!

This article gave me some peace, largely because it helped me to see that Obama is not in fact "tone deaf," just struggling with a crisis of mammoth proportions on a multitude of axes. I am at peace with the idea that John Boehner may be our next Speaker of the House :puke:, and realize now that Obama himself has accepted that perhaps his presidency will not be the transformational event to the degree we all initially thought, and hoped, it would be.

[JoePhilly]

18. The reality is that Democrats SUCK at politics.

We suck at it.

Politics is a PROCESS. It does not move fast.

In fact, our founders were AGAINST fast change. That is why the separated the powers. And the Senate, was, and continues to be the BREAK PEDAL.

But, honestly, many democrats are like children. "Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet??!!??"

No ... we ARE NOT there yet. This is going to be a LONG TRIP. Not 18 months, not 2 years, not 4 years, and probably, thanks to Bush not even 8 years.

The conservative movement in this country has been a FOCUSED MOVEMENT for about 30 years.

Have they overturned Roe V Wade, no. Ended Social Security, no. Killed Medicare, no. And does the right wing base QUIT? ... Hell no.

We on the left have the attention span of a fruit fly. We have a near terminal case of ADD.

[OhioBlue]

21. +1

I agree completely - the conservative movement has been focused for 30+ years and their base never quits. Look at '06 to today. They destroyed the economy, lied us into a war... got their asses handed to them in the '06 and '08 elections and what did they do? Faked outrage at Obama over their wrecked economy, turned the conversation completely around and yelled, screamed and kicked about everything from pulling the plug on Grandma to secret concentration camps. They're loud, obnoxious and unfortunately much better at propaganda and messaging. They don't care about the truth. They don't care about Grandma. They don't care about people losing their homes, jobs, safety net or anything else as evidenced with their complete obstructionism from '08 - today. They only care about power and continuing their agenda. And like the Terminator... they never quit.

[oswaldactedalone]

28. Beautifully said

GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, and contribute to our groups who are supporting that effort.

[LWolf]

29. Without acknowledging that he is responsible for

much of the discouragement by adopting and pushing republican-friendly neoliberal policies.

[joe black]

32. Kick me in the nuts..

then tell me shit like that. Take a hike Obama.

[Skittles]

33. a little late for that

[jeanpalmer]

34. It's not the Teabaggers or the evil Republicans

They're largely ineffective. It's that many people who voted for change in 2008 have been turned off by what has happened since. It's up to Obama to figure out why. I like how he always like to blame the "grinding economy," but never mentions the war. Why is that? To me, he's living in denial, and knows better. It strikes me as excuse making as opposed to an honest assessment. If he can blame the economy, then he doesn't have to look at what he has and has not done.

[CakeGrrl]

35. Then you chose not to listen to him during the campaign

He SAID Afghanistan would have to escalate while they drew down Iraq. If anyone gives a rip, Osama Bin Laden is still at large because Bush proclaimed him not to be a priority even though there's that pesky little matter of being responsible for 9/11.

Of course, the MSM said "How high?" when Dubya said "Jump!", but NOW it's time to hold a President accountable. Shocker.

As to Teabaggers and Republicans being ineffective, all of you complaining about a watered-down Healthcare bill must forget that it has to get votes. And unlike Democrats, Republicans know how to stick together to achieve something, including derailing an agenda.

Ask yourself why several Teabaggers are closer to sitting in the Senate than Russ Feingold.

[jeanpalmer]

36. I really don't care what he said

People say the dumbest things. I can give him a one-time pass for saying something stupid, but when he actually follows up on it and shows he's serious about it, my support is gone. Principled Democrats will tolerate some things, but not immoral war. When is he going to wake up and smell the roses and realize he is turning off Democrats, not Republicans? Holy shit. How long is the self delusion going to last? Why would he change when the feedback he's getting from the middle is "keep doing it, you're only doing what you said you would do"?

It's foolish to support someone who insists on spending us into oblivion chasing a handful of people in Afghanistan. And then on top of it bombs innocent people with drones operated by remote controllers in Vegas (how appropriate, rolling the dice on whether there are terrorists down below). And then there's his 3500 person assassination squad. He doesn't understand how real Democrats, and independents with a conscience, could find that intolerable? Of course he does. He's just putting us on when he acts like he doesn't understand, when he tries to blame his falling support on the "grinding" economy. His repeated failure to mention his war escalation as an alienating factor shows he understands it well. He's afraid to mention it. Because he knows he's driving us crazy and driving us away with his right wing war policies.