We want Obama to succeed, God knows the left wants Obama to fulfill his potential.

[MadHound]

Nor are we wanting ponies, unicorns or any other unreasonable such thing. After all, the left is just as politically savvy, perhaps even more so, than the DLC wing of the party. We recognize that we're not going to get everything we want, perhaps not even a lot of what we want.

But we're getting sick of not seeing the President even put up a fight. The public option, financial reform, the list goes on and on. We would like to see the president step up and put up a fight on something, anything. Instead, what we get is a president whose negotiating style is dangerously naive. He starts with a center, center right position in the beginning, and allows himself to be negotiated to a right, hard right position.

There is no fight in the man, and the fact of the matter is that we're still wanting to fight with him. When he issued a call for us to call our Congressmen, we responded so strongly that we shut down the Congressional phone system. But then he followed up with what he always follows up with, a preemptive cave, a deal that includes few, if any positions left of center.

It is nice to see an intelligent president in the White House. It is refreshing to have a President who is gracious, intelligent and coherent. But when you are facing a bunch of bullies such as Obama is facing, being gracious and intelligent just gets your ass kicked, as we've seen. What we need in a modern day president is a fighter, somebody who is not afraid to call out the Republicans for their obstinacy, their insanity. A president who goes into the districts of these 'Pugs, and like LBJ, calls them out for going against the will of the people, their own constituents.

We recognize that the president is not a dictator, but the presidency has much more power than Obama is currently using. He is not helpless, he is not powerless, but what is doing is being nice. Lake Woebegone nice, bending over backwards nice, nice to the point that it is detrimental to the well being of this country.

Once again, Obama has a chance to rectify this. Instead of repeating his usual pattern, where he offers a center right solution and negotiates to a solid right "compromise", Obama needs to come out with a serious Keynesian jobs creation solution. He needs to state the reasons that we need such a program, and then he needs to go out and hammer the 'Pugs with it. Will he get all he wants, no. But he will get more by fighting than he does by being the great bipartisan compromiser.

We have tried it Obama's way, tried it time and again, and Obama's way has failed time and again, and we are paying the price for that. It is time for Obama to try something different, time for him to come out swinging. We can't afford his continuing inability to fight. We will back him in this fight, we will join him in this fight, but he has to step up and actually fight.

Once again, the ball is in his court. Let's hope, let's pray that he steps up and fights the good fight, does the right thing. If not, then once again we're going to be screwed. It's that simple.

[Kurmudgeon]

1. Give him a congressional majority if you want him to do Democratic things.

Obama can only sign the bills he's given. He won't have to wheel and deal if we don't present him with a unified Neo-Con front in Congress.
Go out, campaign and support your local and state Democratic candidates. Without them, Obama can only work with what he has.
Or you can do the GOP's work and bash him, and if you get Perry or Romney or who knows in the White House, you'll see just how sympathetic they'll be.
No Democratic Congress, no liberal or Democratic bills for Mr. Obama to sign, it's that basic.
We could even end up with another black mailing debt debacle like we just had before, wouldn't that be nice...NOT.

[MadHound]

4. And yet when we gave him Democratic majorities, for two years, what did he do with it.

He caved on the public option, he caved on tax cuts for the rich, issues that had the public solidly in his corner, with a Congress that had large Democratic majorities.

Obama also has a wide array of tools at his disposal, even with Democrats controlling only two thirds of government. But he has yet to fully use them. The biggest one he has at his disposal is the bully pulpit. Yet instead of getting fighting mad, instead of publicly calling out the 'Pugs for their intrasigentcy, Obama would rather retire from the field.

Obama is not powerless, despite the fact that his devotees would like to pretend that he is. We've got far too much evidence of the power of the presidency for any reasonable person to believe the "poor, powerless president" meme.

[peace frog]

9. +111111

[meegbear]

12. +1

[deutsey]

20. Yeah, I'm really tired of that old "give him a majority" tripe n/t

[Kurmudgeon]

25. Enjoy the next Republican then, and be sure to squeal while they ignore you like 2000 thru 2008.

[rhett o rick]

8. There is a whole lot of things he can do without Congress. Veto the tar sands project

for one. He can also appoint progressives instead of conservatives. He isnt trying to lead Congress he is hiding behind them.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. And what State are you lecturing from? Who did YOU elect?

I notice that the folks who like to mount the lectern to preach a sermon about electing Democrats usually do not share in their profile the State in which they vote. This is important information, because the election of Republican majority to the House in 2010 was a regional event, mostly out of the South-over 60% of 'tea congress' comes from a handful of Southern States- and the entire West Coast for example, did not send a single new Republican to Congress. We defeated them all, retained our Democrats, elected some new ones, here in Oregon our voter turn out was record breaking.
So when folks start in telling me they hold the wisdom, I need to know what their style and methods got for them in their own home districts and States.
Here in Oregon, the voters and the elected officials all speak our own minds as we see fit. We also elect Democrats. You say 'don't speak your mind' but does that get you victory, or more Republicans?
Each of us gets to vote on 2 Senators (the Senate is our majority still) and 1 House Member. Ours are all Democratic-and this is basic- the rest have to be elected by other places. We can not win that election for you. But I suggest looking to the winners for your ways and means, and I also suggest that if you are going to preach, you need to share you own track record. Advice from losing districts and States is not worth the listen. It's that basic.

[MADem]

14. I will be trying to get rid of Scott Brown posthaste.

I worked quite hard for Maaaaaaahtha, but that was not to be. Her campaign was just too dignified, unfortunately. Also, Massachusetts has a bit of a sexist slant when it comes to sending women to Congress; never understood quite why. It's the old "work twice as hard to get half the credit" thing. You'd think the Bay State would do a bit better. We apparently do have a love of Republican women as second-in-command; we've had two LTGOVs like that (one got to be "Acting" Governor for a bit, too).

I do agree that if people just sit behind a keyboard and gripe, they really need to find a new hobby. It's important to work for the representatives you want to have, from the local arena to the national one....and if people haven't done their bit, and find themselves represented by mouthbreathing nitwits, they've only themselves to blame.

You won't always be successful, but if you don't at least try/help to elect Democratic representatives, you have no room to complain.

[saras]

23. Best, most practical political advice I've EVER seen on DU

Imitate winners, not losers. Compromise on process, not on goals. Stand up for non-negotiable principles, but stay open to better ideas (not *new* ones, better ones).

[Marrah_G]

13. He had one

[n2doc]

15. Leadership. It's more than sitting back and waiting for bills to sign.

It's setting the agenda. It is using your office to persuade America that your way is the right course. It is also for leading your party to victory.

When Obama blames "congress', he also blames Democrats, his own party.

[MadHound]

22. Thank you,

Very well said.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. I must have imagined Speaker Nancy PELOSI (D) in 2008

[kentuck]

2. I think that is the origin of the anger...

The left wants this President to succeed and he keeps disappointing with his inability to put up a fight.

I don't expect him to get anything passed with this Congress. Nothing. However, there is no reason he cannot ask for a new Congress and point out the obstructionists at every opportunity. Fight to get them replaced. The time for "bi-partisanship" is long gone.

[Kurmudgeon]

3. He can only do so much when the numbers are against him.

[kentuck]

5. He wants to pass something....anything.

That is not progress. Signing on to Republican ideas is not a victory, even if it is done in a bi-partisan fashion. Better to do nothing and work his ass off to defeat this Congress. He does have the bully pulpit and is not totally helpless.

[MadHound]

And yet let's look at what Bush did when the numbers were against him.

Sorry, but the president is not employing the full toolchest that the office puts at his disposal.

[hifiguy]

19. Indeed. Chimpoleon still got 90% of what he wanted

even after '06 when the Dems controlled BOTH houses of Congress.

[deutsey]

21. Exactly. n/t

[razorman]

6. He is good at calling on others to take action on whatever issue he is talking about at the moment.

Taking action himself(i.e., producing bills, etc.); not so much.

[MADem]

11. Congress makes law. He signs it. NT

[blindpig]

7. Delusional denial.

Stop making excuses.

[GeorgeGist]

16. He has fulfilled his potential!

That's all folks.

[LondonReign2]

17. We desperately want him to succeed

That's what all those claiming that we are "right wing plants" fail to understand. We'd love him to fight for all the things Candidate Obama espoused -- and on which we based our vote in 2008.

Just fight. We don't expect a win at every turn, but we certainly didn't expect to be told to take our 2% and STFU.

[blkmusclmachine]

18. Obama's a lost cause. Work for the down-ballots.

If you can find some REAL Democrats on your down ballot, work for them. IMO, Obama is a Republican and doesn't deserve our support.