President Obama Is Neither WEAK Nor STUPID... Nor A PROGRESSIVE

[Segami]

:smoke:



"...President Obama would not be where he is today if he was weak or timid. He has had to overcome a host of personal and structural hurdles, and to dare even to try to become this nation's first black president takes a level of courage and determination almost beyond comprehension. Every president takes risks, but President Obama challenged and defeated presumptions that even many of his strongest supporters had taken for granted. He prevailed because he is smart. He prevailed because he is tough. He prevailed because he is almost fearless.


-...So, why would a person of such intelligence make what seems to be so many foolish political decisions? Why does he appear not to come to understand the nature of his opposition? Why does he seem to get rolled on so many issues on so many occasions? Call it The Obama Paradox. Or realize that the answer may lie in the nature of the questions.


The Obama Paradox presumes that the president is a liberal or a progressive, and that he is ceding his principles based on faulty strategies or a disinclination to face confrontation. Many of the president's more ardent supporters also buy into this presumption, but rather than accept that the buck stops in the Oval Office, they concoct a series of ever more ridiculous rationalizations. It's always someone else's fault, and the blame usually falls on Congress, particularly the Republicans, the Conservadems, and the Blue Dogs. But it's time to consider the possibility that the problem lies with the presumption underlying all these questions and explanations. It's time to consider that the president accepts centrist and conservative policies because he himself is a centrist or conservative.


This does not mean that President Obama is a Republican, or anything close to a Republican. The Republican Party is not conservative, it is extremist. But as the Republican Party has drifted farther and farther to the fringe, much of the establishment Democratic Party has intrepidly moved into the ideological space the Republican Party abandoned. The Republicans lead this movement to the right, and the Democrats follow, taking the political center with them and leaving the traditional left ever more disenfranchised, disenchanted, and politically alienated. The problem with Barack Obama isn't that he is worse than establishment Village Democrats, the problem is that he is one of them. He didn't change Washington, but he is changing what some who consider themselves liberal or progressive are willing to tolerate, accept, and even support.


Nobody forced President Obama to escalate the war in Afghanistan.

Nobody forced him to expand oil drilling in the Arctic rather than make the case that we need an emergency effort to end our addiction to all fossil fuels.

Nobody forced him to have his Department of Justice ignore the Bush administration's criminality.

Nobody forced him to continue secret renditions or a policy of denying suspected terrorists the human right of due process.

Nobody forced him to order his DOJ to appeal court rulings that would have ended Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Nobody forced him to open a discussion about the deficit which even puts Social Security and Medicare on the table when the economy desperately needed and needs more Keynesian stimulus.

Nobody forced him to keep on Bush's Defense Secretary.

Nobody forced him to hire a neoliberal economic team and ignore the traditional liberal economists who had been almost alone in predicting the economic collapse.

None of these moves was forced on him by the Republicans or the Conservadems or the Blue Dogs.


It's conventional wisdom to believe that the president gave away the public option for which he had campaigned, while accepting the mandate he campaigned against, and again the arguments are largely about what he might have gotten had he tried. Or the optics of trying. But again the presumption is that he wanted to try.




cont'

<http://laurence-lewis.dailykos.com/>


.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. So who was that man who campaigned for President using the name of Barack Obama??

Where did he go?
Why did so many voters appear to misunderstand all that he said during that campaign, and expect something very different than what we have gotten? Comparing the campaign rhetoric to the actions after the elections it might appear that there were two different men.

[XemaSab]

4. Word

If someone, like, say, Dukakis had won, and had governed like Obama has been governing, it wouldn't be the biggest shock. (Nothing against Dukakis, he just wasn't a very passionate campaigner.)

But IIRC, back during the campaign EVERYONE thought that Obama was the most gifted politician in a generation. What happened? Where did that go?

[Kaleva]

15. Odd then that President Obama's biggest loss of support is in the middle.

His support from liberal Democrats continues to remain very high.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Don't believe anything you read, and only half of what you see..

..Benjamin Franklin

[Kaleva]

18. I don't put much stock into campaign promises

I prefer to look at their actual record.

Back in late 2003 and very early 2004, I couldn't understand the left's infatuation with Howard Dean. His record as governor showed he was a moderate/centrist.

[Bluebear]

17. He was a packaged and sold commodity. nt

[WCGreen]

2. I think he did all of that because it was easier than fighting over...

I also think he figured if he showed that he was "above" partisan ship his health care plan would garner enough republican votes to pass quickly.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. There's an infinite number of things he isn't.

And a near infinite number of things he is.


Trippy

[jody]

5. Like all presidents since the late 20th century, Obama quickly learned that presidents are basically

impotent and corporatists actually control the reins of power.

Presidents are not jockeys riding a thoroughbred but asses doing their corporatist masters bidding.

[davidwparker]

14. This is true only if Obama went along with it. Compare

conditions now to when the Roosevelt's took office. He could have, as FDR did, welcome their hatred.

It is simple: Obama did what he had to do get the gig. Then, the real Reagan-admiring Obama entered the White House.

Basically, he suckered the party.

[Fumesucker]

6. Does the term "Eleven dimensional chess" have meaning for you?

Obama is smart, we know his heart is pure so of course he has a progressive ulterior motive for every seeming error, political judo if you will.

He is ten steps ahead of all of us.

[Skittles]

7. this is sarcasm, right?

surely

[benlurkin]

8. I'm sure he was sincere with his lofty campaign promises

But knew that he couldn't keep them. He didn't get where he is by himself. Nor was he ever a policy expert so when looking at him, you can't ignore the entrenched machine that drives him. These operatives have been in DC for decades and they are the real power. I think he learned that before he took the oath of office.


But the final decisions are structured to look as if they are his and his alone.

I'm a little frustrated tonight and not liking his decisions as of late. It all looks like a big cluster f*ck.

[bluestateguy]

9. He has the ability to play hardball, but it is rarely used

I think back to his forcing BP to set up the $20 billion compensation fund or firing Gen. McCrystal as rare examples of Obama having a spine and using it. It can be done if he has the will.

[OHdem10]

10. As DeLay and Bush pushed the Republicans to the far right

the DLC Centrists Blue Dogs drifted into the Right of Center
Space. Right of Center is the space occupied by Moderate
Republicans. (who have been purged from the Republican Party).

Added: The DLC Centrists etc. should occupy center. Center is
neither Right nor left. It is right down the center between
the Left and Right. Instead, they drifted Center Right.

Right------Center-------Left

Right is further divided into Right CenterRight Far Right

Likewise, Left is divided Left, CenterLeft and Far Left.


What has the country so angry and confused is the confusion
of our Leaders. Do they realize they are operating on the Right.

[frazzled]

11. We should be neither weak nor stupid, and act progressively

You may have received this email today from the President's grass-roots activist organization, OFA (go to http://mybarackobama.com to find the place and time for your location). You can go phone bank for the DREAM Act and repeal of DADT, as the PRESIDENT WANTS ... or you can sit around and continue to type screeds about him on your corporate-made computer:


(Name removed) --

This is the last month the current Congress will be in session, but there is still important work to be done before lawmakers go home for the holidays. With one big push, we could accomplish two major items on the President's agenda: repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) and passing the DREAM act.

The DREAM Act provides a crucial shot at the American dream for thousands, and repealing DADT is an important step for better securing our country.

And both are currently up for debate in the Senate, with votes expected very soon.

So this Wednesday, December 8th, OFA supporters across the country will be phone banking in support of these two priorities. We'll contact fellow supporters in key states and ask them to call their senators before these votes.

There's a phone bank in Chicago -- can you make it?

Here are the details:

What: OFA phone bank

Where: Downtown OFA Office
29 S LaSalle
Chicago, IL 60603

When: Wednesday, December 8th
1:00 pm EST




The DREAM Act would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented youth who work toward a college degree or serve in the military -- helping those folks who make this country better through their service and hard work.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" does nothing but discriminate against thousands of patriotic men and women who want to serve their country. That's why President Obama pledged to repeal it: It weakens our national security, diminishes our military's readiness, and violates the fundamental American principles of fairness and equality.

Please help the President pass these two important items on his agenda. Join the phone bank in Chicago on Wednesday:

http://IL.barackobama.com/December8thDayofAction

Thanks,

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
Deputy Director
Organizing for America

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cutlassmama]

13. Lobby $$$ into Congresscritters accounts has a lot to do with what is going on.