Senator Sanders tells Obama: Don’t let Republicans blackmail you again

[kpete]

Run time: 07:24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4axvr3n-ABU   Posted on YouTube: June 27, 2011 By YouTube Member: SenatorSanders Views on YouTube: 302   Posted on DU: June 28, 2011 By DU Member: kpete Views on DU: 6206

 
Senator Sanders tells Obama: Don’t let Republicans blackmail you again
Posted on 06.27.11
By Eric W. Dolan

“At a time when the richest people and the largest corporations in our country are doing phenomenally well, and, in many cases, have never had it so good, while the middle class is disappearing and poverty is increasing, it is absolutely imperative that a deficit reduction package not include the disastrous cuts in programs for working families, the elderly, the sick, the children and the poor that the Republicans in Congress, dominated by the extreme right wing, are demanding,” Sanders said on the Senate floor Monday.

“Instead of yielding to the incessant, extreme Republican demands, as the President did during last December’s tax cut agreement and this year’s spending negotiations, the President has got to get out of the beltway and rally the American people who already believe that deficit reduction must be about shared sacrifice.”

“Republicans in Washington have never believed in Medicare, Medicaid, federal assistance in education, or providing any direct government assistance to those in need,” he added. “They have always believed that tax breaks for the wealthy and the powerful would somehow miraculously trickle down to every American, despite all history and evidence to the contrary. So, in that sense, it is not strange at all that they would use the deficit crisis we are now in as an opportunity to balance the budget on the backs of working families, the elderly, the sick, the children and the poor, and work to dismantle every single successful government program that was ever created.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/06/senator-sanders-tells-obama-dont-let-republicans-blackmail-you-again/

[sasha031]

1. k/r rec. thanks

[Weird Liberal Head]

2. DON'T WORRY:

He will.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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

[RoccoR5955]

3. I really wish that Obama was more like Bernie.

We need someone with Bernie's kind of personality in the White House!
Saunders for President in 2012!

[RBInMaine]

10. It's Sanders, and while I like him too, hell would freeze before a guy like this could win the White

House. Have you no sense of the American political landscape? Don't waste your time pipedreaming.

[JDPriestly]

19. That's what they used to say about Obama.

Sanders is who we thought we were electing when we voted for Obama.

[Enthusiast]

21. Your posts are always correct.

The American people did not vote overwhelmingly for Obama while imagining him to be Bush-Lite or a right leaning corporatist.

The American electorate thought they were voting for real New Deal/Great Society type candidate.

This is why Obama enjoyed such incredible support. This also explains why there is now such a lack of Obama enthusiasm.

[JTFrog]

27. There is no such lack of Obama enthusiasm.

Except amongst the fringe of the fringe left and the right wing.

81-90% of Democrats have approved of Obama's job performance from the day one to now.

This little echo chamber where the same subset recycles any and everything negative really has no effect on the thinking of the overwhelming majority of Democrats. Obama's overall approval ratings remain higher than Clinton or Reagan's during their second year and they both went on to win second terms.

Thank goodness for reality.

[Enthusiast]

29. After Obama agrees to

cuts in medicare do you think the 81-90% figure will hold up?

I stand by my post. I cannot explain the poll numbers you cite but I feel certain they are not truly representative.

[JTFrog]

30. Gallup cites those numbers.

I guess we should all go with your gut instead.

:eyes:

[Enthusiast]

32. "I guess we should all go with your gut instead."

Why, we should, yes. That way the nation could be moved in the direction these people have expressed favor for in this poll.

[bvar22]

51. Every time I respond to a public poll,

I give Obama the highest marks possible.
I guess it is a pride thing,
because IRL, I wouldn't help him jump start his car.

I don't think I'm alone in feeling scammed by "Hope & Change",
but still giving him high marks in public polls.
That support is not very deep,
but keep using those numbers if it helps you feel safe while whistling past the graveyard.

[bullpit]

36. Agreed, I think most supporters, while not disliking him

have cooled considerably and wish he had made different decisions regarding our wars. A little more back bone would be nice also, but we have who we have, with no viable alternatives. It will once again come down to voting for the lessor of two evils and that's a no brainer here. That he hasn't lived up to his own hype is obvious. That should come as no surprise though...he's a politician.

[JDPriestly]

39. Obama won swing states in 2008 -- quite a number of them.

He won't win them in 2012. He is just not that respected.

Above all, many of the voters who were most enthusiastic about his candidacy and who worked the hardest to get the vote out in 2008 (me among them) will not be out there in 2012.

Obama just has not made that much of a difference on most of the issues that matter to the kinds of people who get out the vote.

His human rights record is not really much better than Bush's.

He has accepted Citizens United without a meaningful campaign to get a clear amendment to the Constitution that clarifies that corporations do not have human rights. That would have been such a simple idea to sell. Where in the world is he?

Oh, that's right. He is busy putting his Cat Food Commission together and increasing TSA security at the airports.

He talks a lot about a green economy and green jobs, but hasn't really done anything about them.

He had a majority in Congress but couldn't seem to manage the Democrats in order to get meaningful votes on issues dear to Democratic activists.

If by some miracle he is re-elected in 2012, it will be a close contest, very close. He needs to be courting his activists now. But he isn't. He is hold up with John Boehner acting like a fool.

Time to stop talking to Boehner. Time for Obama to spend a week in Boehner's congressional district talking to the voters there. That will do more to get the cap lifted than playing golf with Boehner,

[qwlauren35]

54. Obama's folks are already reaching out.

It's happening via the Internet. His campaign staff is holding camps to train grass-roots organizers. There are already call centers talking to his base. There are planning meetings happening across the country. I think he is training a new generation of activists, and not counting on those who have been active for decades. But a good indicator will be his fundraising numbers on July 1st. It will be very interesting to see how they come out.

[JDPriestly]

56. His fundraising is not so relevant because there is no way

that he will come near to matching the corporate funding and under-the-table support pursuant to Citizens United that the Republicans will receive. He can forget even trying to compete on that basis.

So he is going to rely on volunteers with no political experience. Good luck with that.

I have done a lot of campaigning -- tabling, walking precincts -- the one-on-one contact that really works.

To be at all effective, a campaigner has to know issues backwards and forwards, be patient and tactful and really believe in the candidate.

You don't learn that in a few weekends. Those are skills you develop over the course of a lifetime. I worked with beginners. They may like a candidate, but they can't respond to voters' questions on specific issues. And voters commonly ask those questions.

You have to read a lot, a lot, a lot including history to be able to talk persuasively with voters about politics.

[Dawgs]

37. The point is that support is NOT AS STRONG as it was in 2008.

Caving in to Republicans by cutting SS or Medicare may tip the scales.

Based on your desperate attempts to convince others here that he has the greatest support of all time makes me think that you already know this.

[JDPriestly]

38. Yes there is.

Obama was elected because of the enthusiasm of young voters. That is gone. He is going to have a tough time in the next election. At best, his margin will be small -- and it will mostly be because the Republicans at this time are so extreme.

Obama is better liked than the Republican alternatives but not well liked. Are you planning to walk your precinct for Obama? That is what matters. How many people are willing to get out the vote for a candidate, not how many say they like him in a poll. And that is where Obama has serious problems.

Obama carried several swing states in 2008. Without at least a couple of those states, the popularity polls will not mean a thing.

And those states went decidedly Republican last year.

So, Obama is caught between a rock and a hard place come the 2012 election.

Obama's big problem is that he secretly plans to cut Social Security. He is going to lose a lot of voters on that one.

How come I know the secret, you ask? I have watched who he appointed to his Cat Food Commission and now discovered that Timothy Geithner is a Pete Peterson protege. Timothy Geithner was selected by Pete Peterson, outspoken foe of Social Security, to be the head of the New York Fed. Of all people on earth, Obama chose Geithner for Sec. of Commerce. That shows me whose side Obama is really on.

I will campaign for other Democrats, but not for Obama. I hope that somehow a white knight who supports Social Security and disapproves of the privatization and Wall Street bail-outs and the torture and violations of human rights will finally step into the presidential race. I know my hopes are unlikely to be fulfilled, but I am still hoping.

Obama is a sell-out.

[dflprincess]

41. 81-90% of those who still self identify as Democrats

I'd like to see the numbers among those who got involved for the first time in 2008 and thought they were working for change. Those are the people who stayed home in 2010 and, the way things are going, will probably do so again.

[digidigido]

44. 81-90% would vote for him again HOWEVER

The degree of support the President enjoys is not well measured by these surveys. People would vote for him because of who would be the alternative.
But in terms of people actively campaigning for him, his support is much less then is was 4 years ago.

[ooglymoogly]

52. False reading; I would and have said I support the president in several phone pols..

I also have said I would vote for this president over any of the pug idiots.

What no one dares ask in a pole is "In the primary, who would you vote for Obama or Sanders, or any of the other progressives that are popular among many progressives.

[ooglymoogly]

50. Try reading the comments on youtube on many of the same

clips and ones like them; with sometimes several hundred thousand viewings.

It is tag team posts like this that live on the fringe and have lost touch with reality with died in the wool, my guy right or wrong mentality.

If by ubiquitous comments enjoining us to believe we are on the fringe by this well defined tag team, it is to be believed that any headway is being made, I'd suggest looking into the mirror for that fringe so easily and so falsely identified

[wordpix]

45. +1000 I would vote for Sanders in a heartbeat before voting for O again.

Wish Sanders would run but he'd be viewed as too old and not good looking enough. It's the American way.

[ooglymoogly]

49. +1

[sellitman]

57. Not in my wildest dream

Obama was never close to what Sanders is. His campaign lies where not even close to what Sanders is.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

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

[timefortherevolution]

6. Please, let's spark this. I'm fed up and ready for a REAL

hope and change...for ALL of us.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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

[hulka38]

12. You're way over the top here

and making a mockery of your own position.

[dflprincess]

14. According to party rules, there is no official candidate until the convention is held in 2012

and a candidate is chosen. Until then anyone can declare themselves a candidate and run in the primaries and caucuses. The party machinery is suppose to be neutral until a final delegate count is made at the convention.

[JTFrog]

28. Ted Kennedy is not coming back from the dead.

There will be no real challenger.

[dflprincess]

42. I was responding to a post (since deleted)

that stated we cannot criticize the party's candidate for president. My point was, per party rules, there is not an officially nominated candidate even though the president is currently the only candidate - until he has been renominated the contest is open and we don't have to take any loyalty oaths.

[msongs]

7. it's not blackmail if you were going to do it anyway is it? nt

[Enthusiast]

22. Good point.......nt

[democracy1st]

9. K & R

[MrMickeysMom]

11. K&R... Sign the petition here!

Here: http://sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=c1fd7f9b-abd8-4e7a-a370-1867881259d8

senatorsanders Today, nearly 44 million Americans are living below the poverty line, the largest number on record. #SharedSacrifice

(edit: for the link!)
THANKS!

[bluetexas]

15. Signed, and thanks! n/t

[Ganja Ninja]

20. Done.

Now where's the petition to ask Bernie to run for POTUS in 2012?

[Enthusiast]

23. Did it yesterday. nt

[midnight]

43. When I signed it said:45873 had signed...

[spedtr90]

13. Raise the debt ceiling by the almost 2 TRILLION republicans voted for

I posted earlier about the Republicans voting to raise the debt ceiling and the Democrats and Obama ignoring that fact. I kept looking for anything about it and tonight found a good Washington Post article from APRIL. Only makes me sadder...Democrats/Obama do not know how to fight or just don't give a damn.

If only this advice was taken.....

"If I were Barack Obama, my mantra on this week’s debt tour and in the months ahead would be that we should lift the debt limit only by as much debt as is needed to accommodate Paul Ryan’s budget. The president and his team should say this every time they’re asked about the debt limit until people can’t stand hearing it any more."

If only others (God bless Benrine Sanders) said things like this....(Anthony Weiner would)

"The classic definition of chutzpah was a kid who kills his parents and then asks for the mercy of the court because he’s an orphan. The new definition of chutzpah is Republicans who vote for the Ryan plan that adds trillions in debt and who then say the debt limit goes up only over their dead bodies!"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-shining--national-debt-edition/2011/04/20/AFnfSICE_story.html

[Anakin Skywalker]

16. Yeah! Listen to the man!

[theaocp]

17. Except for one thing.

The Republicans have NEVER believed tax breaks for the wealthy and powerful would trickle down to anyone else. They say differently, but are lying.

[Enthusiast]

24. They are lying again. nt

[JDPriestly]

18. K&R

[dotymed]

25. This is a true leader.

Is there a petition asking Bernie to run as our President? I have been following him (in the media) for over a decade. He IS who we need as our POTUS, only if we truly want to save America. I posted this as a response to my Representatives (R- Marsha Blackburn) insane proposal to "balance the budget" of course, no tax increases.

[JTFrog]

26. Bernie will be supporting President Obama in 2012. n/t

[julian09]

48. Let's hope Obama will be more aggressive in second term

he won't have to worry about reelection,I hope Gov Cuomo gets in 2016. People who stayed home in 2010 are responsible for Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, Michigan they are crying now.

[NorthCarolina]

31. K&R

[jimmydwight]

33. Why do the Re-pubs always set the agenda?

Why are we talking about Deficit Reduction? Because the Re-pub party set the agenda again. Why can't we talk about job creation, Education, Economic growth, Health-care, or any of our favorite topics? The Dem's are in control and they should set the topic and ignore the re-pubs if they won't cooperate.

[Stuart G]

34. K and R nt

[defendandprotect]

35. There's that word .... "AGAIN" ... left off some of the articles ... !!

[FreeBillClinton]

40. Sign his petition!

http://sanders.senate.gov/

[wordpix]

47. done---over 50,000 signed now

unfortunately, it doesn't seem to matter much now, with the Repugs in charge of the House

[hay rick]

53. signed.

[wordpix]

46. what Sanders says in that article does not include the word "blackmail"

When you blackmail someone, you've got something "on" that person such as knowing he committed a crime or sexual indiscretion. The R's have nothing of the sort on Obama.

[knixphan]

55. Kick!