2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumA Member of the "Professional Left"
On August 9, 2010, less than three months before the Democrats suffered their worst defeat in the House of Representatives in more than a century, White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs tried to blame it all on what he called the professional left. In an interview with the DC newspaper The Hill, Gibbs was quoted as follows:[br /]
I hear these people saying [that Obamas] like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested. . . . I mean, its crazy. . . . They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and weve eliminated the Pentagon. Thats not reality. . . . They wouldnt be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was [sic] President.[br /]
Not satisfied if Dennis Kucinich were President? Oh, I dont know about that.[br /]
Gibbss attack led Keith Olbermann to observe, tartly, that [strong]White House staff like Gibbs seemed to represent the amateur left.[/strong][br /]
It also led me to wonder just what Gibbs meant by the professional left. Who belongs to the professional left?[br /]
Maybe someone who, as a student, was so disturbed by the War in Iraq that he [strong]organized a teach-in against the war for 1,000 other students[/strong]. And then organized a seven-mile-long march against the war.[br /]
Ilya Sheyman did that.[br /]
Someone who got a note from one of his college professors who wrote, If you like Iraq so much, you should move there. And then kept right on organizing against the war.[br /]
Ilya Sheyman did that.[br /]
Someone who never gave a thought to using his college degree to make money, but instead went to work as a [strong]Field Director at Gov. Howard Deans Democracy for America[/strong], training progressive activists all over America.[br /]
Ilya Sheyman did that.[br /]
Someone who then went to work as [strong]National Mobilization Director at MoveOn.org[/strong], mobilizing MoveOns millions of supporters in favor of healthcare for every American.[br /]
[strong]Ilya Sheyman did that[/strong], too. And, with all due respect to Robert Gibbs, Ilya is not satisfied by any half-measures and baby-steps toward the goals of Justice, Equality and Peace.[br /]
In short, Ilya Sheyman probably is exactly the kind of person that Robert Gibbs had in mind. And that means that [strong]Ilya Sheyman would make a great Member of Congress[/strong].[br /]
Fortunately, Ilya Sheyman is running for Congress. He is running in Illinois, and he faces a tough primary election next month.[br /]
If elected, he will be the youngest Member of Congress. The first member of [strong]a new generation of progressive leaders[/strong].[br /]
Id like to see that happen. So |[strong]we should try to help[/strong].[br /]
If we are going to see [strong]better Democrats in Congress[/strong], then were going to have to do it ourselves. The billionaires and the multinational corporations are not going to do it for us.[br /]
Lets elect to Congress someone who has spent his entire life promoting progressive ideals. Im up for that.[br /]
So, if you feel the way that I do, then please [strong]click here[/strong] to help Ilya. [br /]
Its a long road from where we are now to having 218 progressive Members of the House. But every journey begins with a single step. Lets [strong]take that step[/strong] today.[br /]
Courage,[br /]
Alan Grayson[br /]
P.S. If you think that the people of Illinois would never vote for someone named Ilya Sheyman, then consider the name of another person whom they elected to Congress Barack Hussein Obama.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)-Laelth
ellisonz
(27,711 posts)Cross-post from DFA Group: http://www.democraticunderground.com/110537 (12/12/2011)
I've told you before why I'm supporting Ilya Sheyman for the 10th Congressional District in Illinois. A former Field Director at Democracy for America and then the national Mobilization Director at MoveOn, he's the proven progressive leader who will beat Republican Bob Dold.
But to win in November, he has to get through the democratic primary first. So let me tell you all you need to know about the other self-described "Democrat."
According to FEC reports, Ilya's opponent gave:
$250 to Republican Bob Bennett in Utah
$250 to Republican Mike Johanns in Nebraska
$1,000 to Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan.
And here's the big kicker: between 2002 and 2009 Ilya's opponent contributed a total of $3,300 to Republican Mark Kirk the Republican who used to represent this very same congressional district.
Ilya Sheyman needs our support to win -- and his primary is less than 100 days away. Join me in contributing $10 right now.
There are a lot of reasons why Ilya is a better candidate, a better progressive and a better Democrat to help us take back the U.S. House.
But today, I want to make one thing clear: we can't send a "Democrat" who supports Republicans to Congress and expect to get better results.
That's why I'm working to send a true progressive leader instead.
Join me in supporting Ilya Sheyman today.
Thank you for everything you do to move America forward.
-Howard
Governor Howard Dean
Founder, Democracy for America
The other candidate referenced is Brad Schneider.
P.S. Check out the DFA Group where you can get the latest from DFA and access campaign training resources.
provis99
(13,062 posts)Gibbs, Rahm Emanuel, Tim Geithner, Larry Summers, all fools and maladroits.
Liberals, led by the `professional left`have been on the right side of American history for the past 250+ years.
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)Mostly they are out and out regan democrats, people who have no idea what being a Democrat means.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)In the face of unprecedented political opposition, no less.
They must be really incompetent.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)They refused to even consider a stimulus of the proper size. Were actually against any such thing. They thought a better strategy would be to return to the congress and ask for more if it didn't perform as needed. We can see how well that worked.
The recovery is very slow, and is very tenuous. We barely are growing and between Iran and Greece, not to mention Italy, Spain, and Ireland, disaster awaits on a regular basis. We may get out, but the stimulus was poorly focused, and too small by half. And we now know it was so because Summers and others inside the White House were afraid of one as big as was needed. We also know they thought letting the bankers get their bonuses was a good idea.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)The enormity of the problem wasn't fully understood until too late, by almost everyone involved on all sides.
Except for a few voices saying otherwise.
Of course, the Republicans were by then trying to crash the economy as hard as they could, seeing political gain from doing so.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)Besides the "voices" inside the administration that were told it wasn't good for their careers to suggest the stimulus was way too small, one "large" voice was Krugman who REPEATEDLY presented analysis that outlined just how "too small" it was.
And it wasn't "politically doable" because there was no support from Summers inside the White House to even consider it. There was alot of support in congress for a larger one, but not if the White House wasn't going to stick its neck out. More importantly, there was alot of democratic support for more spending, instead of the 40% tax cut version that was ultimately passed.
They screwed up, they know it now, and they are desperately hanging onto the only stimulus action they have left, which is the payroll tax cut. They know they can't get anything else at this point. They've lost all credibility on stimulus.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)Higher GDP, lowering unemployment numbers on a quarterly basis, personal income rising...but all this could have been accomplished quicker with a smaller tax incentive and larger spending stimulus.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)We aren't finished by a long shot. And there are people who are still unemployed and have been for a very long time. Many have run out of benefits as well since there has been little to no support for the "99'ers". And with the european situation still brewing, and the Iranian situation ramping up, the "gains" are tenuous at best and could all be lost in the span of a couple of months. We're about one natural disaster away, or a terrorist attack, from losing all the gains. It is a VERY weak recovery, almost exactly what Krugman predicted.
And it is affecting long term conditions since tax receipts are down, and FICA taxes are lower than they should be. All these things affect SS and medicare in the long term. We could have been back below 6% by now. We could have won the 2010 elections. We could be avoiding all these discussion about extreme austerity. Instead we've been stuck in them for the last 3 years, and have to justify the auto bailout that actually worked.
provis99
(13,062 posts)think
(11,641 posts)ProfessionalLeftist
(4,982 posts)Who bytheway can kiss my professionally leftist ass.
Whisp
(24,096 posts)How much you get?
Anyway, it's been talked to death here that the comment was meant toward professionals like Jane Hamsher who likes to stir the pot because it gets her hits and income up. It was not referring to us regular schmucks on some forum.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)That's just stuff you are making up as you take a swipe at a DUer. It gets old....tired...
Whisp
(24,096 posts)I gave her name just an example of the PL he was talking about - professional talkers, opiners, etc., that make money for talking, opining and getting their websites hits.
geeze.
nvmd! If you want to believe that Gibbs was talking about You, well go ahead, but I can't see how you can rationalize that
Obama3_16
(157 posts)I know I should, but I just don't have the "fire in my belly". We'll see in the next couple of years.
rug
(82,333 posts)blogslut
(37,997 posts)annabanana
(52,791 posts)Dragonfli
(10,622 posts)can only write letters.
boppers
(16,588 posts)He's not professional left, as he's actually doing something.
limpyhobbler
(8,244 posts)ellisonz
(27,711 posts)I would like to encourage everyone to check out the DU Democracy for America Group, where you can get the latest from DFA and access resources including the DFA training manual.
Thank you for posting!
JNelson6563
(28,151 posts)Let's see...come on to DU, whip up irritation over something Gibbs said a long while back (Damn That Obama!!1!), and promote a candidate.
Really Congressman? You couldn't just pitch the candidate? Do you really know your audience that well, and have you really limited yourself to such a narrow spectrum? Gotta throw 'em an anti-Team Obama bone to get their support for your guy?
Is this the Newt Gingrich method? How sad to see our side attack it's own to...promote it's own. (??)
Julie
Whisp
(24,096 posts)and being a DU member, certain protections are well in place, aren't they?
DevonRex
(22,541 posts)How do we know?
Whisp
(24,096 posts)And if it's not the man himself it's a staffer
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)DevonRex
(22,541 posts)Won't get a fucking penny outa me. And how do I know you're mr Grayson anyway? Seems you knew exactly what would stir up shit here.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)DURec!
You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.
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