E.J. Dionne, Jr.: When Liberals Stop Being Wimps

[babylonsister]

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/when_liberals_stop_being_wimps_20120408/

When Liberals Stop Being Wimps

Posted on Apr 8, 2012
By E.J. Dionne, Jr.

snip//

So imagine the shock when President Obama decided last week to speak plainly about what a Supreme Court decision throwing out the health care law would mean, and then landed straight shots against the Mitt Romney-supported Paul Ryan budget as “a Trojan Horse,” “an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country,” and “thinly veiled social Darwinism.”

Obama specifically listed the programs the Ryan-Romney budget would cut back, including student loans, medical and scientific research grants, Head Start, feeding programs for the poor, and possibly even the weather service.

Romney pronounced himself appalled, accusing Obama of having “railed against arguments no one is making” and “criticized policies no one is proposing.” Yet Romney could neither defend the cuts nor deny the president’s list of particulars, based as they were on reasonable assumptions. When it came to the Ryan budget, Romney wanted to fuzz things up. But, as Obama likes to point out, math is math.

And when Obama went after the right’s willingness to use the power of the Supreme Court for ideological purposes, conservatives were aghast—and never mind that conservatives have been castigating activist judges since at least the 1968 presidential campaign.

snip//

Perhaps conservative pundits couldn’t stand the fact that Obama called them out explicitly. “I’d just remind conservative commentators,” he said, “that for years what we’ve heard is, the biggest problem on the bench was judicial activism or a lack of judicial restraint—that an unelected group of people would somehow overturn a duly constituted and passed law. Well, this is a good example.” Yes, it is.

snip//

Progressives would be wildly irresponsible if they sat by quietly while a conservative Supreme Court majority undid 80 years of jurisprudence. Roosevelt wasn’t a wimp, and Obama has decided that he won’t be one, either. Conservatives are unhappy because they prefer passive, intimidated liberals to the fighting kind.

[Zalatix]

1. We the Democratic voter base should also stop being wimps.

We should join Occupy Wall Street this spring, starting with the General Strike on May 1, and then occupy the ballot box. In 2012 and every election beyond.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Democrats need to vote

EVERY year and every election. I know too many people who either vote every 4 years or who ignore the fact that there is some election EVERY year where they live - whether federal, state, or local, and they may come out for a mayoral election but will skip the state legislative one.

The proliferation of repuke teabagger thugs as governors and state legislators is the result of Democrats sitting it out during "off year" elections.

[Buddyblazon]

16. Absolutely...

I have said, for years, that this is my main problem with the Democrats. Too damn milquetoast. Pencil neck. I come from wrench hucking, hammer swinging, motorcycle riding Democrats. And they don't take shit from righties. And neither should any other Democrat.

You want to know what bullies understand? They understand a knuckle sandwich right in the teeth. Stop letting them take your lunch money and stand up to these troglodytes.

[Zalatix]

17. That right there spoke right to my heart!

[Jester Messiah]

23. Man, that's the truth.

Too many people don't realize that words aren't always enough to solve a problem. You've got to be willing to FIGHT for what you believe in!

[tex-wyo-dem]

26. But, but, but...

We as Democrats/liberals/progressives need to take the measured approach...the high road. I mean, if we start actually standing up for what we believe in and take an aggressive approach, we are no better than the bully rethugs...plus, it's just not becoming of intelligent people (massive :sarcasm .

Bullshit! We need to take the rethugs own words and actions and stick them right up their collective asses! Expose them for the complete self-serving assholes that they are!

The one thing that has put these assholes on their heels and scared the shit out of them is OWS...that's why the police tolerance is now at absolute zero (they want to squelch it before it does anymore damage to their fucking fascist plans of putting the little guy/gal in the proverbial gutter).

Take to the streets!!! OWS!

[XanaDUer]

24. Amen nt

[gratuitous]

2. Dear E.J.

We sort of stopped being wimps in 2006, when we took back Congressional majorities. We further stood up for our beliefs in 2008. We got the back of the hand of the Democrats we'd installed, and decided in 2010 that we'd had enough of being taken for granted. In 2012, some Democrats have finally decided to act like they were voted into office by liberals and progressives.

Once we vote candidates into office, I suppose it's "wildly irresponsible" of us not to . . . well, do what, exactly? It's just possible that some Democrats have figured out at last that trying to curry favor with people who will never, under any circumstances, reciprocate in any fashion, except to demand more, is a losing game on both ends. The Republicans crow about getting 98% of what they wanted, and set about working on getting the remaining 2% while the voting base watches another depressing giveaway (whether it's artificially low tax rates, single payer giving way to public option giving way to mandatory health insurance, or something else).

Liberals have been fighting fiercely for six years or more. The popular media are still heavily stacked against us, but at least a few of our alleged leaders are beginning to say the right thing. Are tough words going to translate into action? Or are we being played for suckers again?

[tularetom]

4. Thank you

The proof will be in Obama's second term. Unencumbered by the need to please "centrist" or "moderate" voters, he will be free to take actions that are in line with the wishes of the people who are responsible for him being in office in the first place.

If he takes those actions, he'll be remembered as a courageous leader in the FDR mode. If he doesn't he'll be another Bill Clinton - remembered for what he might have done but didn't. The choice is his.

I'm hopeful but skeptical.

[nolabels]

14. Most actors act the part when put in the role

Waiting for a tiger to change its stripes turns out to be waiting for nothing. The only way that changes will occur is if Obama gets pushed to act by the people.

[NewJeffCT]

3. I'm glad Obama has been more combative lately

but, I don't exactly think he's a liberal.

Shouldn't it be when Democrats stop being wimps?

[pasto76]

7. you're right, President Obama is not a liberal, and he never claimed to be

the liberal part of our party is the part who screams the loudest, and gets the most media attention. They might think that getting that attention is power in some manner, but hamstringing your ally(or if you will the closest thing you have in government to an ally) is foolish.

from my perspective, the liberal rhetoric in the past 3 years has become just as crazy as the tea party right. They want what THEY want, and they want it NOW. Nevermind that the republican house will oppose everything and all things, nevermind that their lack of support definitely makes the white house reign it in - which only make them more crazy. I gotta tell you, it's like The President cant win for losing.

Give President Obama another term, give him a DEMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED HOUSE AND SENATE, and you will see more of what you want.

a big difference between a liberal and a democrat these days is, as a democrat, bile rises when I think of a Romney white house. I have genuine fear that the economy will further collapse, and paying my bills will go from pretty hard, to almost impossible. I also like the manner in which President Obama has done many things; first and foremost ensuring my soldiers are no longer in Iraq.

liberals wont vote for romney, and if you believe what they type, wont vote for the President. And if Romney wins this fall, they are more than happy to bitch and moan about it and everything else(again and some more) for the next 4 years.

I gotta tell you, if you arent feeling substantial financial pressure since the crash 3.5 years ago, you are better off than I am, and I submit that is coloring your world view a bit rose colored.

[JHB]

8. I think you have an exceedingly wide (and skewed) definition of "liberal" n/t

[Egalitarian Thug]

9. Thank you for so clearly demonstrating why this party can't get anywhere.

Alienate the people that you need to get into office, paint them with the brush the republicans hand you,then dismiss them. Then spend all your time until the next campaign season complaining about how those mean old republicans won't work with you.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. agreed. Both parties have been guilty of this rhetoric.

[bongbong]

10. I don't think so

You don't address the real problem, which is that the Overton Window has been moved so far right-ward that policies that were "Liberal Lite" or even middle-of-the-road are now "leftist raving", and things that were "commie" 30 years ago are now called "insane commie marxist".

[JackHughes]

13. Better Democrats

Democrats had substantial majorities in the House and Senate from 2008-2010 and completely squandered their power. Voter disgust was probably a major factor in the Dems' 2010 drubbing.

The Democrats need to remember that power is a means to an end, not an end in itself -- and start acting like a political party in more than name only.

[AndyTiedye]

25. Not Substantial Enough

Democrats had substantial majorities in the House and Senate from 2008-2010

Not substantial enough to get past the Repig filibuster. Without 60 solid votes in the Senate, we got nothing.

[just1voice]

19. So propose how to get a super majority in Congress if that's the problem

Instead you called liberals a bunch of whiners and deflect any responsibility away from the President. You do know the history of Geithner right? Read up on him if you're wondering why the economy is still so bad:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Geithner

[NewJeffCT]

21. The liberal wing of the party gets little media attention

beyond Maddow, Schultz and a few other places.

The moderate/DLC wing of the party is the one that gets on the influential Sunday talk shows - Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, etc, more often that liberals like Barbara Boxer or Sheldon Whitehouse.

It's been a proven fact over the last 30 years or so that Republican guests dominate the Sunday talk shows, and are also far more likely to be on without an opposing viewpoint.

[12AngryBorneoWildmen]

22. A liberal would graduate from Harvard Law,

go to the south side of Chicago and become a community organizer.

[mac56]

6. "We liked it better when you didn't fight back."

[dash_bannon]

11. We Have Not Yet Begun to Fight

If the Teabaggers are good for anything, it's motivating us to take action. I'm hopeful that the Occupy Movement was the beginning.

If we get organized and active and agitate, we can be more powerful than the Teabaggers or GOP imagined. We've been passive for too long. It's time for us to roll up our sleeves and make the world a better place.

The internet is our meeting place to create local organizations and then national and global ones.

[saras]

15. Who is this "we" they're talking about? The DLC?

When liberals stop being wimps, DU tears them a new asshole, with a chainsaw.

There's the "we should provoke their violence while being 'nonviolent' ourselves" crew.
There's the "petty administrative regulations outweigh conscientious exposure of massive criminality" crew.
There's the "President can't use his newly granted powers against the Right in America, only the Left" crew.

and so on...

This is what PROGRESSIVES and LIBERAL DEMOCRATS have been screaming at Obama to do FROM DAY ONE, because it WORKS, INDEPENDENT OF THE NUMBERS. THE REPUBS BACK DOWN WHEN CHALLENGED. ONLY WHEN PEOPLE GIVE IN DO THEY KEEP COMING. And by "give in" I mean "pretend that they have a legitimate political point that is worthy of debate and compromise" when they don't.

[Skittles]

27. CORRECT

[just1voice]

18. Universal health care, holding WMD liars and torturers accoutable would be great

for getting rid of the "wimp" image.

[progressoid]

20. He decides to fight for the Heritage Foundation's mandate.

How liberal of him.