Has Obama Totally Rebuffed The Left Half Of The Democratic Party?

[MannyGoldstein]

It was pretty clear to me by last February that Obama was settling into triangulation, but his recent denial that he ever campaigned on the public options seems, to me, to be a total and final "up yours" to the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party. He's telling us that we never existed in his world.

Do you think that, absent some very, very serious pressure, Obama will henceforth have utter disregard for the left-leaning half of the Party, and/or ignore all campaign promises?

[depakid]

1. Depends on the issue

[WeDidIt]

2. Not when his approval among Democrats has actually INCREASED!!

Nope, just pissing off some naive people who have never watched the sausage making that is the legislative process and some rightwingnuts who are agent provocateurs.

[housewolf]

3. No

Obama is a pragmaatist. Governing has much less to do with comapaign promises than we'd like. It has nothing to do with declaring the left "dead to him" or with his future attempts to appease us or any other interest.

[Champion Jack]

4. Why do you think you silly little poll means anything?

[AVID]

5. +1

[MannyGoldstein]

6. Why Do You Think That I Think That?

I'm just curious as to where things stand at DU.

Although, I can't help but point out that it meant enough that you felt a need to respond (though unpleasantly).

[gleaner]

7. I chose yes ...

he basically has gone back on every promise he has made to us to get elected, refused our input on health care and other issues and told us to be "good soldiers" or just plain to be quiet when we try to give an opposing perspective. He has actively courted the Republicans and more or less pursued their course, which to me is idiotic seeing as how disaffection with the Republicans got him elected in the first place.

He has already shown utter disregard for progressives and has ignored the promises he made during the campaign. He wanted us to campaign for him and give him his bona fides, now he doesn't need us anymore so he sold us out. The lie about the public option was gratuitous and stupid. He knows about new fangled modern inventions like video tape and how it shows what you say for as long as it exists and he must have known he would get caught. Bush always got caught that way too, but went right on lying. He simply does not care about us or what we think and constantly underestimates us. That is one reason I will never support him again. His policies are the other reasons I will never support him again. Even if he shows dramatic outward change, he did this once and I can't trust him not to do it again.

[ima_sinnic]

40. +++1 great summary--& I'd add: lied about torture and restoring habeas corpus

a total deal-breaker for me. The man has absolutely no principles and apparently has been corrupted or bought out early--or faked his way through constitutional law class. The Nobel Peace Prize war president (apparently wanting to set the record for number of new wars started within a first term--within the first year!) and private deal-maker with pharmaceutical companies to screw over the public is no supporter of democratic values, let alone progressive values.

[gleaner]

51. Thank You ...

You said it well.

[Jamastiene]

45. +1

[impik]

8. Stupid, whiny poll

[spiritual_gunfighter]

16. Stupid whiny poll

where most people agree he has deserted the base of his party.

[bigwillq]

17. I voted Yes

I like to see heads spin. :rofl:

[HughMoran]

27. uh-huh

the game is becoming more and more apparent as time goes on...

[boppers]

9. The Leninists, Trotskyists, and Marxists aren't the Democratic Wing of the Democratic party.

There's left, far left, and then there's the revolutionary extremists.

The revolutionary extremists are the ones being rebuffed.

[shadesofgray]

11. People who want PO are revolutionary extremists? ROFL.

[boppers]

14. Obama wanted a PO.

People who refuse to accept any kind of reform that doesn't have a PO or state care are not the same thing as people who want a PO.

[treestar]

47. With the PO, the insurance companies and corporations would still exist

And the Trotskyites would still be furious. DU would look no different. It would not have been enough.

[IndianaGreen]

12. Why don't you kick Bernie Sanders out of the Democratic caucus

and continue to kiss Joe Lieberman's ass?

[boppers]

15. Bernie's willing to compromise.

Unlike Joe, and others of stark, uncompromising, ideology.

[IndianaGreen]

19. When is the DLC going to compromise about anything?

Progressives are the ones always being forced to give ground, while the corporate wing of the Democratic Party never cedes an inch.

[boppers]

23. The corporate wing let Bernie bump the NHSC budgets...

...and regulate the profits of health insurance companies.

Not as much as I'd like, but it's more than nothing, or the status quo.

[mikehiggins]

10. overly simplistic choices IMHO

After all these years of the President as King, it is hard to adjust to a President who wants to act like an elected official, especially when we wanted our own King who would then smite the evildoers who supported their King.

It ain't playing out that way.

I'll decide in 2012 if what I see done is acceptable to me overall. I have no problem with compromise in politics. That is sort of the coin of the realm. A blatant sellout, however, is beyond the pale. If there is no difference between the Kings, there's no reason for any of us to come out and vote, or walk the precincts, or write checks.

We supported O on a promise. If he reneges, there is no reason to stay.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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[Sebastian Doyle]

18. The true sociopaths

are the ones who want to reward corporations for killing poor people.

[KittyWampus]

20. Like Grover Norquist?

[IndianaGreen]

21. Like Norquist and Al From. They are both alike

in their support for the corrupt political system that we have.

[elocs]

22. The "Left Half" of the Democratic Party? How did you determine that "half" of the Democratic Party

is left and left of what? Obama may certainly have rebuffed somebody, but I don't think it is as much as "half" of the Democratic Party.

[boppers]

25. "half" = "me".

People who are upset often think that others would agree with them. It's a means of self-rationalization, that they're not the only primate who is raging over an issue.

Which is why voting exists.

[elocs]

38. I thought the implication was that half of the Democratic Party was left,

meaning Liberal, within the context of the Democratic Party and I don't think as much as half of Democrats are Liberal or Progressive. Most probably possess some Liberal or Progressive attitudes and philosophies, but I'm not sure that as many as half would classify themselves as being Liberals or Progressives.

As far as people being upset that often think that others would agree with them, well I'm upset that everybody does not agree with me and I cannot understand why they all don't. ;-)

[burning rain]

24. Yes.

The administration and a decisive number of Senate Democrats have shown themselves willing to compromise legislation in a crony capitalist direction, even at the expense of the legislation's support among the public, abandoning the public option and opposing drug reimportation, for instance. Recall that public support for health care reform went underwater right after the public option was dropped.

[Kaleva]

26. Maybe the left 1/10th of the Party. Obama's support from Dems is still very high.

[IndianaGreen]

28. Obama's support among independents has tanked!

Neither the GOP nor the Democrats can win elections without substantial independent support.

[Kaleva]

29. However, support from his base ( Democrats) remains solid.

[IndianaGreen]

30. Neither the GOP nor Democrats can win without independents

[Kaleva]

32. True but Obama has almost three years before worrying about securing the independents.

[IndianaGreen]

33. Obama won't get them back, all thanks to his taxing of health benefits

HCR will sink Obama, together with his endless wars and broken promises.

[Kaleva]

34. No one can predict with certainty what three years will bring.

[IndianaGreen]

35. We can predict more dead and wounded out of Obama's many wars

That is a certainty!

[boppers]

37. The rich will be pissed about their health benefits being taxed.

What will be interesting is who realizes that they're part of the rich.

[IndianaGreen]

42. Senate version of HCR will tax union-won health benefits

and union households will vote against those that imposed this onerous tax on them.

[polmaven]

48. Union households will NOT

likely vote Republican, however, because they realize how much worse that would make things.

[IndianaGreen]

53. A third of union households are what we call Reagan Democrats

I posted an interesting article from AFL-CIO about that. All union households will vote against those that will tax their health benefits, regardless of what party they are.

[ChiciB1]

55. I'm A UNION Household... I Will NEVER Vote Repuke!! But I Will Say This...

Depending on what I see, and IF it continues as it has, I don't think my conscience will let me just fall in line. I will have to weigh the options, and may very well vote "alternative!"

Time will tell! I don't like what he's done so far with many, many issues!

[boppers]

54. Senate version of HCR will tax healthcare plans that are better than most americans can afford.

Some get the benefits because they're CEO's, others get it because of hard union bargaining.

It's still privileged health care, reserved for the few, the rich, while the rest of us are screwed.

Think union work benefits are bad?

Try non-union work.

[ShortnFiery]

36. I don't think so ... not by a long shot.

:(

[Arkana]

31. No. Next question.

[Fruittree]

39. No

[RepublicanElephant]

41. no.

hell no.

[LWolf]

43. Yes, and he did so during the primaries. nt

[TheKentuckian]

44. No, he just isn't worried about and may well be okay with corporate power and influence

He is pretty friendly with the status quo believing all will be well and right with minor readjustments.

The real issue is he just doesn't believe as many of us might. He probably thinks he is doing right or is at least in the ballpark.

[treestar]

46. He has rebuffed the leftmost 5%

[EFerrari]

57. Is that how you read this poll from RCP?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval_among_democrats-1046.html

I myself think Obama is a work in progress and am not drawing conclusions at this point. But I don't know how you get the leftmost 5%.

[Monk06]

49. Other

:cry:

[flpoljunkie]

50. Obama has and continues to have a very pragmatic streak, but he'll reach his objective.

Just like in the campaign.

[Jennicut]

52. You mean the 2.7% that voted for Nader in 2000? I doubt anyone could not

rebuff them. They want perfection and obviously thought they were getting a Kucinich type President. I thought we were getting a Bill Clinton that was maybe more to the left.

[EFerrari]

58. So how do those 2.7 turn up as 14.6 in the polls?

That New Age stuff must really work. :)

[Hawkowl]

56. Not left half...the left 3/4's

Obama has told far more than the left "half" of the democratic party to fuck off and shut up. I believe it is more like the left three quarters of the democratic base. He is making a fatal mistake, similar to Jimmy Carter that the party faithful, i.e; the left, will come home because they have nowhere else to go. Ask Jimmy Carter how that turned out.

He is taking the exact opposite strategy of Rethuglicans. With them it is always, always cater to the base. Obama thinks he can alienate the base and cater to moderate rethugs and earn their loyalty. Paraphrasing Harry Truman, "when confronted by the choice between a democrat posing as a republican and a real republican, the republican will win every time."

[LostInAnomie]

59. No

Yawn

[Hekate]

60. Gallup Poll 12-21 to 27: Democrats-86% approval, Independents-48%, Repub-18%

http://www.gallup.com/poll/121199/Obama-Weekly-Job-Approval-Demographic-Groups.aspx

Gallup Poll for December 21-27

Approval for Obama under the category of Party ID and Ideology together: Liberal Dems are at 87% approval, Moderate Dems-83%, Conservative Dems-73%, Pure Independents-47%, Liberal/Moderate Repubs-35%, Conservative Repubs-13%.

Got that? For all categories of Democrats, his approval rating is sky-high. Everywhere but here. What are you missing?

Liberal Dems -- 87% approval
Moderate Dems -- 83%
Conservative Dems -- 73%

Republicans and *some* DUers are bitterly unhappy with Obama. What is wrong with this picture?

You are certainly entitled to your low opinion of him, but to say that he has lost half the party flies in the face of the facts.

Hekate