Cenk Uygur: What Obama Is Missing ("I know everyone is goint to yell at me for writing this now...)

[Hissyspit]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/what-obama-is-missing_b_775777.html

What Obama Is Missing

Cenk Uygur
Host of The Young Turks
Posted: October 29, 2010 03:34 AM

I know everyone is going to yell at me for writing this now. I can hear it now, "We're trying to win an election! You're not helping! Criticizing Democrats now is akin to getting into bed with Karl Rove!" Ok, I hope not the last one, that sounds creepy, but you get the point. The reality is while a lot of people are talking, we're actually doing something...

- snip -

Stewart got him to address real, substantive criticism of his record for the first time. Almost everyone else that has interviewed him has either wildly misstated the case or challenged him from the right. Stewart asked all of the right questions. And the answers were very informative. This is what I learned.

Unfortunately, Obama doesn't get it. He's not alone; almost the entire Washington media doesn't understand what the hell we're talking about when we say change. Obama said that he got 90% of what we wanted in health care reform and that people are complaining we didn't get the other 10%. I totally disagree with him on the percentages (I think it was closer to 40%), but that misses the whole point.

- snip -

The real issue isn't whether you changed some provisions and didn't change others; it's whether you changed the system or not. That's the change we were looking for.

So, in the case of health care, as long as there was some effort to break the health insurance monopoly we would have all jumped in. We didn't need single payer, we didn't need Medicare buy-in for everyone, we didn't even need the public option for everyone (all of those would have been great, but we were nowhere near them in this political cimate). We just needed something, something to start changing the broken system.

We would have settled for Medicare buy-in starting at age 55. We would have settled for the public option that only applied for 5% of the country, the last proposal. There were no wild demands, no mythical inflexible progressives demanding 100%. We just didn't want the core of the system to be exactly as it was before. And unfortunately it is.

MORE

[Kolesar]

1. Change away from fear-mongering has been appreciated

I appreciate the scrutiny applies to federal food inspectors. I am glad that science is again in vogue.

[ixion]

2. kicked and recommended... for REAL change

:applause:

[Stinky The Clown]

3. This young man gets it.

[tavalon]

70. Yeah, he might well have held it until Wednesday

but Cenk, young as he is, is going to have an MSNBC show of his own by the end of 2011, mark my words. Many of us will be saying, I knew him when.......

What he said here is straight shooting from a straight shooter. He's not going to deter a single voter one way or the other at this point and it is as valid today as it will be on Wednesday.

[EFerrari]

94. The material would have been cold by Wednesday. n/t

[tavalon]

100. True that

I really don't have a big problem with Cenk discussing truth, no matter the date.

[qazplm]

4. and the purpose of writing this now

instead of 7 days from now is because Cenk is looking for attention, not looking to actually affect anything.

[chimpymustgo]

9. He's writing now because Obama just proved on Jon Stewart HE DOES NOT GET IT.

Cenk makes incisive points.

We must still vote for Democrats Tuesday...but we MUST not lie to ourselves about what's gone down here.

[xiamiam]

44. i think that is it..and that is exactly what i will do but not with blinders on

i will do it this time because i must..and that is the reason i have each time in my life..BUT..and there is a big but right now,..I know that not much of the change i hoped for is anywhere near occurring..a little less hope and belief as I head to the polls

[tavalon]

71. Yes, exactly

[ihavenobias]

15. "Along with PCCC and DFA, we are participating in TurkOutTheVote.com..."

From the OP:

"Along with PCCC and DFA, we are participating in http://turkoutthevote.com. That is part of their larger effort at CallOutTheVote.com to get people who care to volunteer and make calls to turn out the vote for strong progressives. Please help in that effort if you have any free time. Some of the elections are very close and talking to real voters helps tremendously."

[sabrina 1]

48. What utter nonsense. There's always a reason not to talk about

certain things. There is no bad time to tell the truth. Didn't we on the left used top believe that?

I blame people who constantly make excuses for what politicians do for the state of this country today. They are the enablers, counted on by each party to cover for them. And as such, they are a hindrance to progress.

Obama doesn't get it because he doesn't share the same goals we do. The truth is he believes in Reaganomics. He trusts the wealthy with money and as he pointed out clearly today with his statement about the 'underserving' getting anything for free, he seems to have that elitest attitude that the rich are deserving while the poor are not.

We need different representation, fewer Ivy League lawyers in Congress and more carpenters and firemen and nurses, teachers. Our Congress does not represent us at all. They cannot even relate to the average American. We are whistling in the wind trying to help them 'get it'. They are royalty now, rich beyond belief most of them, and we are just an irritant with our little 'pet issues' like wanting healthcare, how dare we!

Democracies don't last long and this one appears to need a restart at this point, unless we like having a ruling class and go back to the way it was before the Revolution.

[bertman]

75. Hooray for Cenk. Hooray for sabrina 1

[jgraz]

66. Ari Fleischer, is that you?

:shrug:

[Enthusiast]

97. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Cenk is commenting because we have never seen President Obama challenged on these issues before. And these are the issues we care about. Those of us complaining about the HCR bill are not complaining about not getting 100%. We are complaining that the main issue, that the monopoly by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries were not challenged in any significant way. Yet you don't feel this is worth Cenk's time?

[democrank]

5. President Obama knows Progressives

are all a bunch of whiners. Whining about homeless children, whining about invasions of countries, whining about boarded-up factories, whining because 1/3 of the houses in their neighborhoods are under foreclosure, whining about the cost of medicine. They should just stop it right now and be grateful he`s willing to reach out his hands to our friends across the aisle.

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. +1

:evilgrin:

[timefortherevolution]

29. You nailed it. And so did Cenk, as usual.

[ProudDad]

36. +1000

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[earth mom]

40. + 1000!

:thumbsup:

[Bette Noir]

57. Add me to the chorus.

[bertman]

76. Nice one, democrank!! You nailed it.

[Kurovski]

79. "Whiners" AND "cranks"...

:thumbsup: :)

[dennis4868]

6. Cenk and many others here on DU....

need to be reminded that Obama is not a king and cannot pass the extact legislation he wants. He has to work with an opposing party that wants to destroy him and DINOs who simply ask their repub masters how they should vote on legislation. ONE MAN CANNOT CHANGE THE SYSTEM.....repeat after me.....ONE MAN CANNOT CHANGE THE SYSTEM!!!!!!

[Occulus]

8. "Obama is not a king"

I didn't think this would come in handy so quickly:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9402070&mesg_id=9402393

[HughMoran]

17. Well, welll well

Anybody who likes/quotes that poster goes onto my ignore list. :hi:

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

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

[tomp]

53. he says as he puts his head in the sand. nt

[jgraz]

63. Really? Well, if I had known it was that easy...

Memo to Obama: you declared that you had the RIGHT to kill an American citizen
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9402070&mesg_id=9402393


Look more like a poor choice of analogy than any dishonesty on Obama's part
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=492589&mesg_id=492799


As far as I can tell, he's shown no aptitude for math & science
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=491098&mesg_id=491139


Rockefeller Republicans from the Senate do stick together
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=491082&mesg_id=491207


Hi, depakid! We love you!! :hi: :yourock:

[ProudDad]

37. One man who is actually Progressive

And can command the bully pulpit any time he wants...

And can veto any bill he wishes...

And could stop the wars with the stroke of a pen...

He could SURE AS HELL "change the system"...

However, "Obama is NOT a Progressive...he's not even a 'Liberal'"...repeat after me..."Obama is NOT a Progressive...he's not even a 'Liberal'"...

He's the latest in a long line of spokesmodels for the Corporate States of America...

[bertman]

77. Proud to applaud what ProudDad said.

[Poboy]

7. Cenk speaks for me. -nt

[HipChick]

10. He doesn't speak for me..n/t

[Skidmore]

12. Nor me.

[jgraz]

22. Cenk speaks for all of us

Whether you realize it or not.

[JamesA1102]

46. Speak for yourself

[jgraz]

49. I speak for all of us

[JamesA1102]

54. Not for me

Speak for yourself and no one else.

[CherylK]

55. He speaks for me!

To each his own.

:hi:

[JamesA1102]

73. Fine if you want someone else speaking for you.

I don't. I'm not a sheep. I'd rather speak for myself.

[jgraz]

61. Sorry, you missed the meeting. I speak for everyone.

[JamesA1102]

74. Meetings in your imagination don't count nt

[jgraz]

78. You're just pissed because you forgot to show up.

We waited, like, 20 minutes, dude.

[JamesA1102]

88. I was at the other meeting where we voted that you don't speak for us nt

[jgraz]

90. Sorry, I went down two meeting levels to the meeting within a meeting

You're now in meeting limbo

[JamesA1102]

101. But I went to the meeting that

voted to set up a bogus meeting to divert you while the real meeting was held where we voted to have a big meeting where everyone agreed that you only speak for yourself.

[SidDithers]

24. That's too bad...

you should speak for yourself.

Sid

[Poboy]

27. It is a figure of speech.

Too bad when you cannot deny what is presented, you become intentionally obtuse and issue an inane comment.

[BuelahWitch]

80. He speaks for me too!

[xchrom]

11. recommend

[fascisthunter]

13. some reality... thank you

now vote on Tuesady folks but don't be blinded by a frickin interview... actions, not words.

[Radical Activist]

16. Cenk still doesn't get it.

I don't think he has very good listening skills.

[JamesA1102]

47. Agreed nt

[Skittles]

82. yes, he DOES get it

he gets it the way ALL THINKING PEOPLE DO

[Radical Activist]

87. He's repeating his same old argumetns that Obama directly responded to.

Either,
1) He has problems listening and/or comprehending nuances, or
2) He's one of these people who will hold their opinions even after being given factual information that contradicts it.

I saw him do the same thing during his Axelrod interview. Axelrod responded directly to Cenk's question and presented facts that refuted his false assumptions. Later in the interview Cenk repeated the false statement as if he never heard a thing Axelrod said. It seems to be an ongoing problem with Cenk. He's just determined to be a frustrated, hand-wringing hyperventilater.

[Skittles]

89. I did not see the interview to which you refer

but here, Cenk is CORRECT - except he's actually assuming the Obama administration ever intended on making real, fundamental changes

[Radical Activist]

92. I'm not sure Cenk really heard this conversation.

Obama: “If the point, Jon, is that overnight we did not transform the health care system, that point is true.”
Stewart: “When you put it that way, it sounds so petty.”

[Better Believe It]

18. The insurance industry and big Pharma got 90% of what they wanted in health care "reform".

Now that's the truth!

[ProSense]

19. In terms of the election, it's Cenk who doesn't get it

"The real issue isn't whether you changed some provisions and didn't change others; it's whether you changed the system or not."

Not a single person voting for Republicans or willing to allow Republicans to win gives two shits about changing the system for the better, or else: a) they wouldn't be voting Republican and b) they wouldn't be allowing Republicans to win.

[Mimosa]

20. Cenk got it.

I'm amazed somebody younger than me understands the health insurance issue so well. Obama clearly doesn't understand what people like myself and my partner are going through. Not poor enough for Medicaid, can no longer afford extortion level premiums, and have been turned down for health insurance.

From the OP:

"
Unfortunately, Obama doesn't get it. He's not alone; almost the entire Washington media doesn't understand what the hell we're talking about when we say change. Obama said that he got 90% of what we wanted in health care reform and that people are complaining we didn't get the other 10%. I totally disagree with him on the percentages (I think it was closer to 40%), but that misses the whole point.

- snip -

The real issue isn't whether you changed some provisions and didn't change others; it's whether you changed the system or not. That's the change we were looking for.

So, in the case of health care, as long as there was some effort to break the health insurance monopoly we would have all jumped in. We didn't need single payer, we didn't need Medicare buy-in for everyone, we didn't even need the public option for everyone (all of those would have been great, but we were nowhere near them in this political cimate). We just needed something, something to start changing the broken system.

We would have settled for Medicare buy-in starting at age 55. We would have settled for the public option that only applied for 5% of the country, the last proposal. There were no wild demands, no mythical inflexible progressives demanding 100%. We just didn't want the core of the system to be exactly as it was before. And unfortunately it is."

[pokercat999]

32. Hell Obama didn't even FIGHT to change the system. I

could forgive him for losing the hard fight, hell I'd admire him for the effort. But to give in before it even got started smacks of, cowardice, stupidity, or being bought off. Regardless of which it is I will be supporting a challenger in the Democratic primary of 2012, unless there is a 180 degree turn by President Obama.

Power actual or simply claimed is the ONLY thing his rethug opponents respect, understand and fear. It's past time to scare the shit out of them.

[jgraz]

72. Yep, an actual fight -- even an inept one -- would have been better than what we got.

Which was pretty close to nothing.

[Edweird]

21. Yeppers.

[CherylK]

23. K & R!!!

:kick:

[20score]

25. K&R!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. The new boss met the real bosses and decided to cave. K&R

[lark]

33. That's what I've been thinking for some time now

[Uncle Joe]

28. I believe this is the true mantra for the American People's most heart felt wants and needs,

"It's the systems stupid!"

Whether it's the dysfunctional; technically insane systems destroying the environment, our health, education, the economy and even our freedom and privacy.

We must get off this privatize everything with profit; being the be all of our existence.

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.

[treestar]

30. No, he would not change the system

What does that take? Constitutional Amendments? No, it's these idiots who "don't get it."

What did they think they were getting, a Messiah of the Left? Never once did Obama have anything but respect for our system.

I never interpreted Hope and Change as anything but a return to our way of doing things, rather than continuing down the path of war, terror and fear that the republicans sold us 2001-2006.

[lark]

38. What war has Obama ended? What traitorous Repugs

from the BFEE have been prosecuted? Has rendition been ended and I didn't see the announcement? Yes, granted he's not the BFEE, but he's continuing way too many of their bad policies.

[truedelphi]

41. Then there is the small matter of Daniel Ellsberg mentioning that Obama is behind the scenes

Seeing to it that the same harsh penalties be applied to Mr Assange (Should the dude ever visit the Continental United States) with what he'd face were the British laws on leaking secrets to be applied.

And not only that, anyone who even downloaded the Wikileaks files would also be subject to those provisions.

A lot more of us just became enemy combatants, and under the Obama administration, no less.

[ProudDad]

39. Damn right, he "respects the system"

The "system" in the Corporate States of America...

IS continuing down the path of war, terror and fear...

And corporate domination of the Earth and her Resources and Creatures...

For short-term profit (nicknamed "the economy")

That Obama has seamlessly continued...

[EFerrari]

93. treestar is innocent of American history, apparently. nt

[JamesA1102]

45. Well said nt

[northernlights]

31. I'm not convinced Cenk gets it

Obama got exactly the change Obama intended.

Obama is flummoxed all right...that his PR no longer works.

The sickness in our gut tells us were betrayed. We were lied to, scammed, and we fell for it hook, line and sinker. We know it.

All his faux "but I brought you roses, even though they're not the color you wanted" turn our stomachs instead of our heads. Because we were lied to and betrayed, and all the plastic roses in the world won't change the fact that we have been royally fucked. That is all.

[Poboy]

34. Well, there's that too. Yes sir. -nt

[laughingliberal]

35. "We just didn't want the core of the system to be exactly as it was "

Exactly! Cenk nailed it.

[theaocp]

42. Cenk brings the truth

and the haters do what they do best ... hate. I will be voting to keep the pukes at bay, but I will continue to do what Obama wanted, to keep his feet to the fire. I'm sure the haters will tell me I just don't get it. Quel que.

[creon]

43. Not easy

Who told people that it is going to be easy?

It is not. never has been, never will be.

If people want progressive legislation, progressives will have to be elected. Start at the local district level. Fnd candidates, money and supporters. Win the primary and the general election. You need 218+ members of the House. Then, there is the Senate.

Then, you can work on the legislation that you want passed.

[Divine Discontent]

50. WORD! 55 medicare would have been great for starters!!! C'mon Obama PRESS that Congress

not tell them to take things off the table!

[laughingliberal]

58. +1 nt

[Divine Discontent]

59. hey LL! I was so disappointed when I saw that the president had instructed Congressional Dems to

move forward without anything we truly wanted in the HCB. It was a sad day. We really needed the Public Option if we were just daydreaming about Univ. HC, and we would've loved a Medicare Buy-In at least!

take care

[jgraz]

103. .

dup

[jgraz]

104. That can't possibly be true

As we all know, the President has no power whatsoever over Congress. He can't instruct them to do anything. I know, I read it in the Konstatooshun!!




(:sarcasm: for anyone who's still unclear)

[scheming daemons]

51. Cenk doesn't get it... everything he's disappointed about will be 10X worse on January 3rd....

...no thanks to his not-insubstantial aiding of the GOP.

[jgraz]

60. Wait... it's Cenk's fault that the Democrats' political strategy failed?

How exactly does that work? :shrug:

[treestar]

102. This is a participatory democracy

Anyone can have some influence. This guy's actions may have helped the right. Let him take responsibility for that.

You talk as if the Democratic leaders are the only ones who have to do anything. that's now how it works. Ultimately we choose who we vote for, and it ought not to be just who did the best snow job.

[Divine Discontent]

62. "thanks to his not-insubstantial aiding of the GOP"... really?

I thought those who disliked Cenk thought he was insignificant and had a play TV station?

President Obama could have pushed the Democratic Congress to filibuster to get a Medicare Buy-in at 55, or even the public option when it was still greatly being pushed by it's many senatorial supporters, but he told them he wanted a bill instead. There are plenty of good things in there, but MOST people think it's a joke and that the forced insurance buy is anti-American. Again, I want liberal policies, and I happily voted for him, but to say he has taken advantage of the situation to its utmost would be exaggerating.

[jgraz]

64. You heard it. One blogger took down the entire Democratic agenda.

:eyes:

[Divine Discontent]

67. My world is shattered. I am SO angry at Cenk....

That bastard... that inconsiderate bastard!


:eyes:

[jgraz]

68. If only he had kept quiet. The Dems would OWN Congress right now.

We'd have 120 Senators and 8 Brazilian House Members. And that's BEFORE the election!

[Divine Discontent]

69. oh....

:rofl: I got my 2nd good laugh of the night! 1st the Palin Facebook slam with the use of clever avatars, and now our banter about how it's apparently Cenk's fault to some folks that the Democratic agenda hasn't been successful.

[Skittles]

84. is it funny or fucking sad, DD?

it's hysterical but......OMG, this from so-called PROGRESSIVES :o

[Divine Discontent]

86. I truly understand what others mean when they say it's laugh or cry!

Cenk is to blame for allowing the teabaggers to run rampant on the Democratic agenda, and allowing them to make actual threat after threat! Yep... sure he's the one to blame! Painful, ain't it! :mad:

[Skittles]

83. LOLOLOLOLOL

:rofl:

you are so WAY over the top

[Bette Noir]

56. Cenk gets it.

The "health care reform" package we were handed cements the insurance companies' hold over us, the opposite of the desired effect.

I'm moving to a state that has a public plan. I hope I qualify for it.

[jgraz]

65. Cenk releases yet another Kraken.

"we need you to understand what we meant by change"

Perfect. Exactly perfect.

[nashville_brook]

85. "heckuva job Larry" -- that was quite a self-released Kraken

if you ask me, which no one has, but it was one amazing moment. if my boss said "heckuva job" to me like that, i'd be looking for a new job...and a new identity. yikes.

[Skittles]

81. oh, they GET IT

it's simply that they have NO INTENTION OF CHANGING THE SYSTEM

[EFerrari]

91. Cenk is saying the same thing economists like Reich and Wolff

and Stiglitz are saying about papering over a dysfunctional system.

[BzaDem]

95. Being a delirious optimist about structural change is still being delirious

and is generally not productive.

Our government (unlike many others) have significant constitutional impediments to the kind of change Cenk is talking about. For example, as long as the Supreme Court has an absolutist view of free speech that allows corporations to take over democracy, the change he is talking about is not very feasible by any President. Similarly, as long as Idaho and Utah have the same power in the Senate as California and New York, what Cenk's talking about is really not going to happen in the short or medium term (and possibly long term). It is possible to make incremental progress that might in the long run lead to significant progress, but it is generally not possible to get significant progress without first making incremental progress.

Obama had a choice. He could either spend all his time talking about structural change while failing to enact structural change (and not helping the cause at all in the long run), or he could have spent his time trying to get actual change through that would help tens of millions of Americans (notwithstanding the bullshit, fact-free complaints to the contrary). He chose the latter, and I am glad.

[markmyword]

96. Looking Back Change

Obama had the American people and the people from other
countries from around the world, hoping he was going to make
the right change. 
You CAN NOT take a country forward, unless you deal with the
criminal and illegal acts that occurred during the Bush/Cheney
eight year reign of terror and fear. 

The American people were looking for our new Attorney General
Eric Holder to proceed with criminal investigations into the
behavior of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and Gonzales for
starters. 
Obama would have shown true leadership, if he had asked his
Justice Department to go FORWARD with prosecutions of these
war criminals.

Unfortunately, for America, Obama missed the biggest and most
important opportunity of his life and for the future survival
of Democracy in America. He should have made prosecuting Bush
and Cheney a priority.

We the people, have seen a crime occur, we all know that the
WMD was a lie and that going to war with Iraq was illegal and
yet we have not seen the people responsible for this war held
accountable.

When a country does not enforce the rule of law, people are
going to be disenchanted and disenfranchised.
Yes people are worried about the economy, their jobs, health
care, education costs, etc., but when you see people getting
away with a crime and rewarded with book deals, professorships
at prestigious universities, sitting in on Sunday talk shows,
one sees that there's a law for the rich and a law for the
rest of us.

These are people who thumbed their noses at subpoenas, and
ignored the requests to appear before Congress. People who
REFUSED to be sworn in when they had to make depositions, and
in the Bush/Cheney case TESTIFIED TOGETHER, which was totally
unheard of!
Yes, we've been disappointed with change, because Obama has
made no attempt to change the ethical environment of
Washington.

I think Cent is right, Obama doesn't get it. He should have
held hearing on Rove, Bybee, Yoo and all the other criminals
who have helped destroy our Democracy.
The bashing of Obama(by progressives) has been brought on by
himself, he and his advisors decided to close their eyes and
not prosecute criminals, and not to stand up to the
Republicans who were the MINORITY in Congress(in both houses).


The change a lot of us wanted, was to see members of the
Bush/Cheney administration held accountable for their crimes.
No one is above the law.
 
  

[Enthusiast]

98. Not to mention TORTURE.

The bad guys torture.

[jonnyblitz]

99. k & r. nt