Our country's future lurch to the right, or how an opening to go left was wasted.

[Safetykitten]

Here we are again. Fighting the republicans. You remember them, don't you? They were the political walking dead after the Presidential election. Here we are again. Staring these shitfucks down in the foreground over the shoulder of a President that keeps looking to somewhere else in space. We all have our theories; he's a tool of Wall Street, he's GS best buddies, he's a chess player, a master thinker, he's a Lincoln devotee, he above it, he's below it, he gets it, he's clueless.

It does not matter now. Barring a miracle, our country will now be taking a detour to the far, uneducated, superstitous, no book lerning, right. The reason? One good thing. HCR could of been that one good thing; all would of prospered, all would of seen the effects. It would of put us as Democrats in a much easier place with a President that would rather be more, well...leisurely pragmatic.

This was all wasted. This once in a generation chance wasted. Our future is now set, and no matter what the outcome of this deficit battle, the republicans will take the narrative and be successful in making it their own vision.

The re-election of the President is not going to happen. When the full bore of the republicans is on us in 2012, the facts don't matter, because there is nothing to show a populace why they should be more open to new things, they have never experienced it.

HCR could of been that experience.

[Raine]

1. Very good post, such a wasted opportunity

sadly you are exactly on point.

[Tx4obama]

2. Considering the Democrats had a true majority for only 49 days ....

President Obama has done one hell of a job getting done the things that he has gotten done so far.

Do you realize that we only had a 'true' majority in the Senate for only 49 days since the day that Obama took the oath of office?

Senator Franken wasn't sworn in until July 2009 and Senator Kennedy died in August 2009.

With all the GOP obstruction in the Senate it takes the Senate Democrats 60 votes to invoke cloture on all the bills and appointments that the GOP has been blocking.

If you think that HCR is the only issue that matters, then I would suggest that you take a step back and look at the WHOLE picture.

And btw, why are you promoting the idea that the Republicans are going to win in 2012?

And what facts do you have to back up what you said when you said quote:
"And guess what? It's a certainty now. A republican will win in 2012."
Citation link to your quote: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1561836#1561870

[Fumesucker]

3. Because they are discouraged and feeling despondent?

A lot of things go into making up someone's political views, not everyone has the same perspective and perspective makes a huge difference in how we perceive things.

Allow people their own emotions, often they have very good reasons for feeling the way they do.

ETA: It's part of the curse of following politics in this often nearly dysfunctional nation, sometimes the sheer repetitious inanity of it can really get to you.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. Make your cheap ass excuses.

The fact is we HAD a majority in the both the house and senate, and the opportunity to do great things - but we compromised away our advantage before even starting to talk, signalling the other side that we were the limp wristed sissys they think we are, and they've been beating up on us ever since.

Fuck that.

We THREW IT AWAY for no purpose.

[Tx4obama]

6. I guess you missed the part about needing 60 votes in the Senate

in order to get anything done.

Please do explain to us how the Democrats were supposed to get everything we wanted without having enough votes to do so.

We are all ears.

p.s. I did not 'make a cheap ass excuse' (to use your words), I stated the FACTS.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. It's a cheap ass excuse.

The FACT is, if you have GOOD legislation that has enough carrots for all sides, it WILL get passed. There was a lot of good legislation that came out of the House that was stopped in the Senate NOT by Republicans but by our own side - and our so-called majority leader was incapable (or unwilling) to ger DEMOCRATS to back DEMOCRATIC legislation.

We regularly saw the Repbulcans from Maine voting for things that failed because of the Fucking Blue Dogs.

So the "60 votes" is nothing but a GODDAMMED EXCUSE.

Weak assed Dem 'leadership' in both the Senate and the White House has handed the Republicans 2012.

[Tx4obama]

10. Sorry you are wrong. The Republicans will NOT win in 2012.

I am hoping you are on OUR side and not theirs, I am having a hard time figuring out which side you are on due to your comment.

I am not questioning your motives, I am just a bit confused to why you think that the party that wants to ruin American has any chance of winning in 2012.

[canoeist52]

12. You haven't said WHY a republican won't win in 2012.

Inquiring minds want to know

[mdmc]

19. i can answer that my friend

as long as corporate money backs obama, he will win.
the gop aint through being punished for the poor performance of idiot son.
as long as Obama can get a billion corporate dollars, he will win and do the bidding of the CEOs.

[DonCoquixote]

13. carrots

The FACT is, if you have GOOD legislation that has enough carrots for all sides,

And there is where the idea falls, because the GOP would not ask for carrots, they want the whole farm, and unlike Dems, they are unfied enough to get it.

[MissDeeds]

21. +1

[loyalsister]

24. I think congress represents a country that leans farther right than we think

The blue dogs are there because only conservative Democrats could win in those districts\states. Some blue dogs are socially liberal and represent people who don't want their professional lives\economic success to be disrupted.
Others are the opposite. Socially conservative and supported by working class. Some unions (agricultural and construction especially) are very socially conservative in Missouri. (Reagan Democrats).
Public opinion echoes the media that is dominated by conservatives. I have many conversations with people whose opinions seem to have come straight from fox. The opinions of real voters are shaped by 24 hr. infotainment. The fact that it happens is despicable, but I don't think it is necessarily fair to uniformly disregard the legitimacy of conclusions drawn. We think things through differently and infotainment pushes buttons. At this point, numbers are on the side of republicans because of their divide and conquer strategy. I think we may be seeing it finally backfire right now. They have been voting for people and sacrificing one for another. Voting against their economic interests (like SS\Medicare and medicaide. Bush ran on privatizing SS) in the name of god, guns, gays, and the "preborn." Likewise, wealthy people will sacrifice their social opinions. BUT, I think it's possible that the tea party is doing us the favor of dismantling the success of that strategy by dividing the republicans in congress. Sound familiar?

I think the way to make our voices heard is from the ground up with a more dignified inclusive approach than the tea party. Participating\infiltrating established mainstream organizations, boards and commissions, and especially elected office is a start of opening the pipeline to our ideas.

Unfortunately, it is to the credit of blue dogs who are willing to actually represent their districts as advertised. I don't like the results, but that is how our democracy works. We just have to make it so that our elected officials represent our voices AND those of other voters. There are people who we will never agree with and there are also times when someone will say "hmm I never thought of it like that before." Civil conversations with people we disagree with has value IF we will listen and let opposing opinions stand as legitimate.

[Armstead]

7. Heck I would have settled for some mediocre things...But Democrats can't even tread wa treadcwater.

[Tx4obama]

9. That is a bunch of bull.

There have been many good things that were passed by Congress and that President Obama signed.
Unless that is you don't consider bills the protect women's right and LGBT rights, and ordinary American's rights, etc.

Do a little bit of homework and then get back to me and we can talk ;)

Legislation signed by President Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/signed-legislation

List with citation links: http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009.html

138 Campaign Promises Kept: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/rulings/promise-kept/

[Armstead]

23. I've seen these laundry lists many times...Yes some good things have been done

But in the larger big picture, and other smaller picture things, they are helping to push the country to the right.

If they cave into the GOP demands to gut the government, all of their good things will go away because there will be no money.

Social issues have always been the saving grace of the Democrats, and have blinded people over the years to the fact that (long before Obama) the corporate Democrats have been equally culpable for the mess we are in regarding distributions of money and power. They have reinforced the corporate messages every time, and failed to stand up in any meaningful way against the latest GOP onslaughts.

Compare the obfuscation and waffling of President Obama and other conservative "centrist" Democrats to the plain, clear and straightforward and TRUE message of people like Bernie Sanders, Tom Harkin, Sherrod Brown, Mnarci Kaptur and others. Unfortunately it is like night and day.

[Poll_Blind]

14. +1

PB

[bvar22]

26. In 2008, The American People gave the Democratic Party:

*The White House

*A HUGE MAJORITY in The House

*A filibuster-proof MAJORITY in The Senate

*A Republican gasping on its Death Bed

*And MOST importantly,
a HUGE MANDATE for "CHANGE",
and an ARMY Standing in the Streets.

It took some serious HARD WORK to Fuck ALL that up.

The Democratic Party Leadership has FAILED so MISERABLY,
that it requires Deep Faith Based dedication to believe
that it was an ALL just an unfortunate accident.


"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone

photo by bvar22
shortly before Paul was killed

[Armstead]

4. Unfortunately I agree....And people actually wanted a decent health reform plan

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory yet again

[B Calm]

11. One thing for certain, HCR couldn't have been any worse than Obama!

[quaker bill]

15. The "opening" never really existed.

You cannot "waste" something you never "had".

[localroger]

16. You missed one: he's a poker player

Politics isn't chess, it's poker, and in such bluffing games you often cannot prevail by bluntly stating your position and demanding what you want. Obama has gotten an amazing amount of good stuff done considering the opposition he has faced. That he hasn't been able to get more is down to the Republicans, whose entire strategy has been to block him at every turn and make the whole country fail so Obama would be blamed. Part of Obama's strategy has been to expose that strategy, which he has done brilliantly over the last couple of weeks.

In what way do the Republicans take the narrative now that they are split down the middle, in complete disarray, exposed as liars and petulant children, and having ticked off their most important financial backers? This "opportunity" you think has been "blown" hasn't existed -- yet. Much of what Obama has been doing has been trying to create such a position, though.

Obama will be re-elected because the only people capable of passing the Republican primary process are fools and whack jobs, and I don't think we will have enough citizens voting in the general who are quite stupid enough to vote for someone like Palin or Bachmann when a relatively sane alternative is available.

BTW, it's "could have," not "could of." For future reference.

[WingDinger]

17. Wrong, we are fighting the Teafreaks. The Repubs claim that their hands are tied.

It's the teaparty that is making them do it.

[mdmc]

18. HCR result showed how worthless the dlc (circle d) is

We had a supermajority that included a bunch of circle D'ers. They wanted private health insurance for the working class. Obama couldn't get what he (claimed) he wanted cause the dlc + gop = private for profit health "insurance".

[Horse with no Name]

20. He is a disciple of Reagan.

Some of us tried to point that out during the primaries and were crucified for saying that.

His record was clear...he was NOT a progressive or a liberal. On some spectrums, he wouldn't even be considered a Democrat. He does not have ONE left-leaning tendency.

I truly feel he would have served this country better running as an Indy. I would expect everything he does as an Independent...but absolutely abhor what he does under the guise of being a Democrat.

[treestar]

22. Why is that our fault?

Talking to Republicans is frustrating. They see things in black and white and believe their crap with a true faith. They vote Republicans because they hate gays or think Christianity should be the state religion. Yet you are blaming us for not convincing them to vote for progressives.

Quit blaming us and start finding reasonable independents to convince.

[Odin2005]

25. The 2 major parties are simply 2 factions of the Elite. They do not represent us.

Dems = Finance and High-Tech

Pukes = Fossil Fuels, mining, and heavy industry.