I don't want Bernie Sanders to run for Prez -- But I do wish....

[Armstead]

....he could sit down and talk some sense into President Obama and teach him how to get some damn backbone.

And also convince him that liberalism and progressive populism can be centrist in the true meaning of that word.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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

[treestar]

2. How can he when he's never been President?

Very easy for someone in Bernie's position to have "backbone." Bernie is a Senator, not responsible for an entire branch alone.

It's not a lack of "backbone" it's just that this is government, not a military battle. Just saying things does not mean you will get the votes you need to get a measure passed. Being tough with Boner would constitute what, telling him he's a jerk? And that will get Boner to vote on a progressive bill.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Bill Clinton has been President and he says use the 14th

amendment, which would take backbone. So since according to you the only folks who 'know' are W, HW, Bill and Jimmy, I assume the Democratic former President's opinions count to you?
He should be strongly advocating his own position, with clear parameters. It is not about calling others names, it is about naming one's own objectives and standing true to them.

[Armstead]

5. Another defense post using the "President Obama is impotent" meme

If the Presidency is as weak and powerless and at the mercy of those big bad Congressmen as you say, then at least the President ought to use the "bully pulpit" to sell liberal values and policies and work for a larger shift in public opinion.

But personally I don't agree that the Presidency is as inherently weak and meaningless as you seem to think it is.....And President Obama claimed to agree when he said "yes we can."

[Gunny1]

25. He has excecutive experiance as a former Mayor

Let's give the guy a change. At least HE's never betrayed us!

[jenmito]

3. He needs to talk some sense into the Dems. in the Senate who voted AGAINST

raising taxes ONLY on millionaires (after the vote failed for extending tax cuts for "only" the lower 98% of Americans). If HE were president, he'd have to deal with the same Conservadems that Obama is dealing with.

[Armstead]

6. I agree with that

[jenmito]

7. I'm glad. Maybe you should realize that the lack-of-spine lies with the

Conservadems-not Obama. They're also the reason Obama couldn't close Gitmo.

[Armstead]

8. I disagree with that -- I see it as a mutual fault

It's not simple I realize, but I have to keep wondering why President Obama always puts the pressure on to whip recalcitrant Liberal/Progressive Democratic Congresspeople into line --and on occasion cutting their legs out from under them (see the complete embarrassment he subjected Sen. Tom Harkin to during the HCR process for example).

But he seems reluctant to do the same to ConservaDems, and instead goes out of his way to kowtow to them.

[jenmito]

9. Obama gets things done. If he was spineless, he wouldn't have gotten anything

accomplished. He tried for months before the vote on extending the tax cuts to get Congress to let the ones for the top 2% to expire. He gave speeches throughout the country at every town hall meeting he had in favor of getting rid of those tax cuts.

[Armstead]

10. The question is What gets done... and the result

Just getting things donew for the sake of getting them done, is not helpful when the results are half-assed. For example, we got "health Reform" but sort of a bastardized form that still leaves millions of average Americans and employers at the mercy of Big Insurance. And the poisonous process made it almost politically mpossible to get real meaningful relief for the foreseeable future.

Or, IMO Obama should have sat down with the Congressional Democratic leadership very early in his presidency and pressured them to put the tax thing on the agenda -- with the cuts allowed to expire for the wealthy, with extensions guaranteed for everyone else.

Thus, if the GOP had blocked it, they would have been tarred with tangible proof as the party of the rich and the party that refused tax relief for the majority...The Democrats would have been seen more as the party that gave tax relief to the majority while raising revenue from those can afford a bit of a hike.

Neither Obama or Congress chose to do that, and instead waited two years for the GOP to push the Dems' backs to the wall.

Things like that are why I see it as mutual fault. Obama has failed to actually be a coach. Instead he just wants to be the impartial referee between D and R.

[jenmito]

16. He got a lot of things done that he promised to get done. n/t

[Hand_With_Eyes]

12. All he had to do was let the law expire as designed

No congressional input needed.

[jenmito]

15. Yeah...

then the tax cuts for 98% of us would've expired, too, and Congress wouldn't have passed new tax cuts just for us.

[Hand_With_Eyes]

19. Tax cuts caused this

They wont cure this

[Hand_With_Eyes]

11. Obama could have closed Gitmo on his own

The same way Bush opened it, by presidential order.

[JTFrog]

13. You mean like

the executive order Obama signed to close GITMO on his first day in office?

:wtf:

You are really on a roll today aren't you?

[jenmito]

14. He signed anExecutive Order to close Gitmo on Jan. 22nd, 2009:

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-22/politics/guantanamo.order_1_detention-guantanamo-bay-torture?_s=PM:POLITICS

[Tx4obama]

21. Read the article on the link below regarding GITMO, then let's talk

http://www.politicususa.com/en/don%E2%80%99t-blame-obama-only-6-democratic-senators-voted-to-fund-closing-gitmo

[Phlem]

17. And he's going to start

listening to Bernie now because......

-p

[Armstead]

20. I said "I wish".....I realize Obama will listen to Wall St. and Republicans while...

.....Giving lectures and scolding progressives.

[Middle finga]

18. Obama is who he is...Period

He worked as a community organizer on the south side of Chicago. If working around poor people and witnessing their struggles did not convince him to be a progressive, I don't think Bernie can convince him now.

[Armstead]

24. You may be right -- But nothing wrong with the old college try

[polichick]

22. Obama only listens to Republicans - I'd love to vote for Sanders.

[NorthCarolina]

23. Talk sense in to Obama? Screw that, zero chance of helping...Run Bernie Run! n/t