"Snap out of it, Dems." -- Eugene Robinson

[ProSense]

48. This is nonsense.

"I like Robinson but his shilling for GOP lite here is frustrating.

I don't think the Democrats should be touting the fact that their policies are a slightly more effective version of GOP policies."

I mean, do you mean policies that determine whether someone lives or dies?

Reposting two responses here because your comment is a perfect example of the point I made above.

There are those who want to only focus on the negatives. It's all about: Obama is going to do this or that. He appointed corporate tools. He criticized us. He's not looking out for us.

If you point out that something hasn't happened yet, you'll get the responses such as these: Are we supposed to wait until after the fact? He told us to hold his feet to fire. Being a good Democrat means being critical.

Does anyone not understand holding Democrats' feet to the fire? There is legitimate criticism of policies that are being considered. Focusing on preventing something negative is a good thing. Harping on it to claim that nothing is being done while ignoring the positives is disingenuous.

Also, there is little focus on fixing or strengthening policies that work because that would require two things: 1) Acknowledging the existence of these policies and 2) Focusing on GOP obstruction.

It's like a public option or single payer. The only time the naysayers bring these up is to attack Obamacare or harp on why these didn't pass.

Pushing Congress to address these issues isn't even on the radar.

For some reason, those who want to focus on the negatives above are less likely to agree with focusing on the GOP. The negatives have to all be about Democrats, who despite working to fix the mess, "don't really care about us."

Another poster responded:

Of course Obama has made some big errors in my opinion, and he's too cozy with Wall Street - pointing that out to push him further leftward is of course acceptable and even desirable.

Followup response:

I completely agree. I still think that focusing only on the negative is the wrong approach. It leaves the impression that nothing needs fixing...that the only things that matter are those worth stopping. For example, net neutrality needs fixing. The action hasn't happened yet, and supporters know the right course (http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024876742). Supporting the right action doesn't require spending every energy denouncing Democrats as sellouts (that is, unless the goal is to have people abandon the party before the elections). At some point, there needs to be action to support the right course. IOW, the net neutrality proposal doesn't mean everything this administration has done is to the detriment of average Americans.

Consider this from Elizabeth Warren:

"I've made no secret about my disagreements with the administration's policies, particularly as they relate to the largest financial institutions," Warren told HuffPost Live.


"Like I say in the book, the president chose his economic team, and when there was only so much time and so much money to go around, his economic team chose Wall Street instead of American families who were in trouble."


"But I also give full credit to the president," Warren continued. "If President Obama had not been in the White House, we would never have gotten the consumer agency through. He stood up for it, he fought for it, and he made sure that even when those on his own team might have been willing to throw that agency under the bus, that the consumer agency was something that stayed part of the financial reforms and stayed strong."

Posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024914331

The CFPB has been doing a great job, and the policies in place give regulators the tools to do their jobs.

Elizabeth Warren:

There is no question that Dodd-Frank was a strong bill—the strongest in three generations. I didn’t have a chance to vote for it because I wasn’t yet in the Senate, but if I could have, I would have voted for it twice.

http://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/AFR%20Roosevelt%20Institute%20Speech%202013-11-12.pdf

Ally Bank To Pay $98 Million For Charging Higher Interest To Non-White Borrowers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024208931

Obama's CFPB under Richard Cordray "took $800 million from Bank of America"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024802019

CFPB Sues ITT Tech For Allegedly Exploiting Students, Pushing Predatory Loans
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024570346

Sen. Warren Praises New CFPB Mortgage Rules that Make Families, Economy Safer
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024295777

Banks Ordered to Add Capital to Limit Risks
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024798328

New York Financial Regulator Uses Dodd-Frank to Sue Auto Lender
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/new-yorks-top-regulator-sues-subprime-auto-lender/

SEC Will Require Companies To Report CEO-To-Worker Pay Ratios
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023694931

Why isn't there more focus on shareholders' say on executive pay?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024877216

Executive order on federal contracting means real action on economic mobility
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024415803

CFPB, hard at work
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024877283

Regulators Finalize Stricter Volcker Rule - Reuters/HuffPo
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024158305

Senator Warren is very critical of how regulators have handled their jobs, and she is determined to hold them accountable and push for strong rules.

Brown, Warren Urge Fed To Address Risks Associated With Bank Ownership Of Physical Commodities
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024831309

That's the right approach, IMO.