NY Times: Obama's Rightward Tilt: .. Farther to the Right Than the.... Fiscal (Catfood) Commission

[amborin]

Rightward Tilt Leaves Obama With Party Rift


.......Mr. Obama, seeking to appeal to the broad swath of independent voters, has adopted the Republicans’ language and in some cases their policies, while signaling a willingness to break with liberals on some issues.

snip

....Mr. Obama, in his failed effort for greater deficit reduction, has put on the table far more in reductions for future years’ spending, including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, than he did in new revenue from the wealthy and corporations. He proposed fewer cuts in military spending and more in health care than a bipartisan Senate group that includes one of the chamber’s most conservative Republicans.

......despite unemployment lingering at its highest level in decades, Mr. Obama has not fought this year for a big jobs program with billions of dollars for public-works projects, which liberals in his party have clamored for. Instead, he wants to extend a temporary payroll tax cut for everyone, since Republicans will support tax cuts, despite studies showing that spending programs are generally the more effective stimulus.

snip

......Mr. Obama tentatively agreed to a plan that was farther to the right than that of the majority of the fiscal commission and a bipartisan group of senators, the so-called Gang of Six..........“The president’s proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare has the potential to sap the energy of the Democratic base — among older voters because of Medicare and Medicaid and younger voters because of the lack of jobs,” said Damon A. Silvers, policy director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. “And second, all these fiscal austerity proposals on the table will make the economy worse.”

snip

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/us/politics/31dems.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

[socialshockwave]

1. You need a solid President

Not one that folds like a house of cards.

A true progressive president.

Primary Obama 2012

[adhd_what_huh]

5. that worked so well in 2000

[asthmaticeog]

10. Damn that Bill Bradley.

HE ruined everything.

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[frazzled]

3. You'd better use the Times's headline if your post is a quote from them

That's the rules here, and I didn't see catfood in the headline in my Sunday paper this morning.

[amborin]

6. they said "fiscal" commission in the article text; that is colloquially the "catfood" commission

[robdogbucky]

14. I think that strictly applies only to LBN posts, no? n/t

[Occulus]

18. This is not LBN, no need to use the actual headline

That rule does not apply to GD.

[SidDithers]

22. That's only in LBN. In GD, you can embellish and add whatever spin you want...nt

Sid

[shireen]

4. if they want a class war for 2012,

they just got it. :mad:

[Jim Lane]

26. You can't have a war if only one side is fighting.

Who's the general on our side?

The "war" in 2012 will be over whether to screw the bottom 90% quickly or slowly. That's a tactical dispute among the conservatives.

I expect to vote for Obama because he'll continue to have some effectiveness at slowing the screw job. Don't tease me with talk of a genuine class war, though.

[Union Thug]

7. Obama: The Trojan Horse Presidency

How the great orator for change became a poster child for the right. I guess his campaign had one thing right; with Obama, hope is all you get. The rest is just corporate give-aways and right-wing policy. But keep on hoping. Keep on pretending that he's "playing chess."

[socialshockwave]

8. Both the Democratic party and the Republicrat Party

are both owned by corporate interests. it's just the individual members who are not.

[amborin]

9. his major campaign donors were a big clue: Goldman Sachs and healthcare corporations

another article in today's NY Times Week in Review discussed how more and more voters are shifting allegiance to the rethugs; one major reason is their disgust at empty rhetoric and actions that contradict campaign promises

[ej510]

12. Yep, I said this weeks ago. I called Andrew Cuomo a trojan horse to.

[readmoreoften]

15. It was a con job. Not just your usual politician bit an orchestrated con job.

[grahamhgreen]

17. Thank you!

It's almost like he's a Trojan _____________(insert party mascot here)

[Middle finga]

11. The left is in a catch 22 here.

The left should punish Obama for his actions but if he loses in 12 and we get a crazy from the right we're fucked. But if he wins in 12 he will have set an example that ignoring the left works and our voices and demand will be irrelevant. Obama has followed Clinton's example and future Dem presidential hopefuls will follow Obama's example.

[NorthCarolina]

13. Bernie Sanders will be my write-in vote.

Oh, and I don't want to hear that my write in is simply handing the presidency to the GOP. The way I see it, we're fucked if we vote for Obama, and we're fucked if we vote for the GOP, so it is my intention to simply vote my conscience.

[grahamhgreen]

19. Yes, we will continue to lose if we continue to play that game.

[Middle finga]

20. The left should start using primaries to make our voices heard

We should welcome primaries, let's have that battle of ideas. Which ever candidate wins, we should put aside our difference and support the parties nomination. If Obama knew he may have to face democratic primary voters, he would not be so quick to move to the right. The T-Baggers were very effective at using primaries to send a message to the GOP.

[Imajika]

21. Yup, I've been saying that very thing..

"The T-Baggers were very effective at using primaries to send a message to the GOP."

And yet we make fun of them for it. What they are doing is WORKING. It's absolutely necessary to criticize our political enemies, but if they are doing something strategically sound we need to do the same. That's what armies do in battle. If your opponent is doing something effective, learn from it.

The remaining establishment parts of the Republican party fear and tremble at teabagger primary challenges - even the threat of one. When exactly is the last time the establishment Democratic party had even the slightest worry about organized progressive primary challenges?

[grahamhgreen]

23. To be fair, i think most of us thought Obama was to the left of Hillary.

[Middle finga]

24. I agree, I hate everything the baggers stand for

but it seems like they are kicking our ass at every level. From Wisconsin to DC the baggers are on the offense while democrats have basically retreated to their bunkers, just trying to survive the T-Bagger Blitzkrieg. The left had better learn the Art of War and change strategies quick.

[grahamhgreen]

16. I'm sure President Pariah Obama did the best he could...

to make it look like he was on our side.

[Vinca]

25. He might be wooing Indies, but he's losing lefties.

His only hope for 2012 is the baggers staying home when Romney is the nominee. Note: I am NOT advocating not voting or not voting Democratic. We especially need supermajorities in the House and Senate. I'm beginning to see that the House and Senate are more important than the White House.

[JoeyT]

27. Yeah, remember when the Catfood Comission was formed?

And everyone had a fit because they just knew they were going to recommend cuts to Social Security and Medicare? Then we were repeatedly told "Stop being drama queens! He'll NEVER do any of the stuff they recommend! Six dimensional chess! You never loved him anyway! Poutrage!"

Looks like this is turning out exactly like every other time. No, he doesn't do what the center right wanted, he stakes out a position between the center right and the far right and does that instead. Triangulation: You're doing it wrong.