Anthony Weiner: Obama Is 'Not A Values Guy'

[democracy1st]

Lawmakers Urge Him To Lead On Labor Protests


WASHINGTON -- Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and a handful of other House Democrats expressed deep frustration with President Barack Obama's leadership on Wednesday, saying he needs to do more to set the direction for the progressive movement.

But Republicans, Weiner said, have nonetheless long done a better job of making their case -- "smaller government, smaller deficits, lower taxes" -- to the public and each other. The Democratic Party remains unclear as to its core policy principles, Weiner said, and part of the problem is Obama.

"On our side is this weird squishy affirmative sense of what government should do and how we're opposed to this cut and that cut, rather than saying, 'Here are the things: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, environment and education. We're not cutting those. Those are off the table. That's non-negotiable,'" said Weiner, adding, "We haven't really done that very well. That's because the president fundamentally -- he's not a values guy. He wants to try to get the best deal for the American people and that's virtuous in its own right, but it becomes very difficult to make a strategy. There's been much greater global strategy thinking on outlets, frankly, than at 1600 Pennsylvania."

"We've spent a lot of time waiting for Godot when it comes to the Obama White House, and we kind of -- to some degree -- have to internalize the idea that, you know what? That's probably not the way to go," Weiner said. "We have to start initiating some of this."

Continued Weiner: "It is now pretty clear to me -- I'm not saying this is pejorative -- the president, he doesn't animate his day by saying, 'All right, what is the thing that has me fired up today? I'm going to out and try to move the ball on it.' He kind of sees his job as to take this calamitous noise that's going on on the left with people like us and on the right on Fox News, and his path to being a successful president, in his view, is taking that cacophony and trying to make good, level-headed, smart policy out of it and moving it incrementally down the road. That's nice. That's a good thing. We need that, obviously. The problem is there's no substitute for someone really leaning into these values questions. "

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/16/anthony-weiner-obama-not-a-values-guy_n_836664.html

[Autumn]

1. I really like Rep. Weiner, he seems

to really have a grasp of things.

[Little Star]

2. Anthony Weiner is one of the good ones!

[Ikonoklast]

36. He helped keep Gitmo open! Great Guy!!

He's a political coward throwing stones from inside his glass house on this one.


If he voted the strength of his convictions over political expediency, I might listen to him.

Hypocrites...I don't listen so much.

[county worker]

3. The conservatives play Obama like a fiddle.

[jannyk]

21. best answer yet! k&r

[meow mix]

4. recommended

[wtmusic]

5. Interesting take.

I guess it is possible to be too practical.

[roguevalley]

15. knowing there was one homeless person and one hungry child in this

country would focus me like a laser. forgive me if I don't find Obama impressive. Weiner on the other hand is the bomb.

[kentuck]

6. It's a recipe for failure.

But nobody asked me.

[ProSense]

7. The President

made a great case in his press conference.

Still, when Weiner says stuff like this as the person always demanidng that President give up his values on issues involving Israel, what exactly does he mean?

<...>

Continued Weiner: "It is now pretty clear to me -- I'm not saying this is pejorative -- the president, he doesn't animate his day by saying, 'All right, what is the thing that has me fired up today? I'm going to out and try to move the ball on it.' He kind of sees his job as to take this calamitous noise that's going on on the left with people like us and on the right on Fox News, and his path to being a successful president, in his view, is taking that cacophony and trying to make good, level-headed, smart policy out of it and moving it incrementally down the road. That's nice. That's a good thing. We need that, obviously. The problem is there's no substitute for someone really leaning into these values questions.

<...>

Members of Congress always have opinions, then they vote against funding the closure of Guantanamo.

[leftstreet]

8. Obama acts like the CEO of a successful company

Not that there's anything unusual about that - all these politicians have become corporate in their thinking

The problem is the US is NOT a healthy "company." It's in big trouble.


Stripping (selling) its assets and screwing the shareholders seems....familiar

[Ramulux]

9. Weiner is way too kind

But his main point is inarguable. I dont think anyone, even the loyalists on this site, would make the case that Obama has any desire to advance the progressive movement as a whole. There is a resurgent labor movement going on right now that the president could use to help him achieve policy victories, but he seems to have no desire to even acknowledge them.

The best analogy about Obama's relationship with the labor movement would be to imagine if the tea party protests began all across this country under Bush, and Bush just ignored it.

We have a liberal, democratic, progressive movement on the rise and a supposedly liberal president who refuses to acknowledge its existence. Its fucking pathetic.

[xchrom]

10. +1

[highplainsdem]

14. +1

[stlsaxman]

16. +1

[glitch]

17. I don't think Obama would take kindly to the liberal label.

Even supposedly. He's a proud Reagan "Democrat" but otherwise yes, the situation is fucking pathetic.

[tomp]

18. this is because the democratic leadership....

...would rather lose than be progressive. progressive is not in their dna, and is not what their being paid for. fooling the people into thinking they're being "as progressive as possible" while selling out to the rich is what they're being paid for. and obama is doing a bang up job of that.

[Lorien]

19. +1,000. nt

[bobbolink]

25. Yes, he is being too generous. I hope he is right that they see they need to TAKE over the

messaging AND the strategery.

And, it would be nice if they could do that BEFORE we poor folk lose our housing, our disability, et al.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

27. +1000!

[no limit]

29. Great reply!

[marew]

31. +1

[hifiguy]

40. Blammo!

Bull's eye!

[Zorra]

11. Very gracious. Frank Zappa kind of said it more directly.

Some people's hot
Some people's cold
Some people's not very
Swift to behold
Some people do it
Some see right through it
Some wear pyjamas
If only they knew it

The pyjama people are boring me to pieces
Feel like I am wasting my time
They all got flannel up 'n down 'em
A little trap-door back aroun' 'em
An' some cozy little footies on their mind

Po-jama people!
Po-jama people, people!
They sure do make you sleepy
With the things they might say
Po-jama people!
Po-jama people, people!
Mother Mary 'n Jozuf, I wish they'd all go away!

Po-jama people!
It's a po-jama people special . . .
Take one home with you, save a dollar today
Po-jama people!
Po-jama people, people!
Wrap 'em up
Roll 'em out
Get 'em out of my way

Lyrics by Frank Zappa

[Scuba]

12. I like Anthony, but his unquestioning support for Israel bugs me. n/t

[truebrit71]

30. That is just about the only chink in his armour as far as I can see....other than that he is spot on

..and a REAL fighter for Dem issues too..

[jtown1123]

33. He gets a lot of $$ from Jewish groups, that's why.

[Scuba]

39. The "why" is understood. n/t

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[donheld]

20. Obama's very much a values guy

Ask the rich

[Bluebear]

22. That's not fair. His Wall Street values are indisputable.

[donheld]

23. There's his values

:hi: :D

[ProSense]

24. What Weiner should do

Get all his peers together and find a way to pass the President's budget.

The administration can pressure, but its members don't have a vote in Congress.

[Doctor_J]

26. Yeah, he's pretty much a Clinton rehash

doesn't really seem to have any principles he's willing to lead on. Especially liberal ones. he could have made political hay AND shown a moral core by supporting collective bargaining rights during this last debacle. remember when he took a strong position on ANYTHING and actually led the charge for it? I don't.

[bvar22]

28. Weiner nails it, but I disagree in one area.

Weiner says: Obama takes "this calamitous noise that's going on on the left with people like us and on the right on Fox News" ....

....And THEN Obama picks the exact Middle of the Road without regard to "values" as His Starting Position.
From there, he continuously moves to The Right to appease the screaming of The Republicans and his Big Money donors.

The results of this is a "leader" veering farther and farther to The Right without forcing The Right to assume ANY responsibility for disastrous policy.












Who will STAND UP and represent THIS American Majority?
Platitudes, Rhetoric, Empty Promises, and Excuses are meaningless now.

"By their WORKS you will know them,"
And by their WORKS they will be held accountable.

[jtown1123]

32. Well said Weiner. It's what I always believed. A compromise is as good as a win for Obama

and that depresses the hell out of me. A compromise between a great idea and pure insanity is still insane.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

34. But, he (or, his PR guys) know the value of making up slogans about values.

Unfortunately, for him, a lot of people want more than slogans and pretty speeches about values.

[Ishoutandscream2]

35. K and R

He nails it.

[WCGreen]

37. Well stated....

K&R

[chrysb52]

38. I think he's right

The President has his marching orders and we have ours. Obama has many great qualities, but he clearly doesn't see his role as leading any kind of revolution. He sees it, I think, more along the lines of doing his best to represent all categories of Americans. Our priorities are never going to be his. Not that he necessarily disagrees with progressive values. We may never know how he really feels about those things. But I think he's made it clear that he's never going to lead the charge toward reforms that many Americans are calling for such as worker rights, single payer health care, or cutting back substantially on foreign wars. So I think we're just going to have to let Obama be Obama and take charge of organizing for progressive causes without him. The Waiting for Godot analogy is priceless! Weiner makes a great point that the Democratic Party is sorely lacking leadership. In many ways there is no "there" there. I've been a Democrat all my life since I voted for McGovern in 1972. Now I feel as though they have abandoned me and my values. In favor of what, I don't know. There is definitely a leadership vacuum though.

[eleny]

41. Yes, Obama will never attack social issues like LBJ