Should Obama do something to reach out to progressives at inauguration?

[yurbud]

Poll question: Should Obama do something to reach out to progressives at inauguration?

Since his election, Obama has been extraordinarily conciliatory toward his opponent, the corporate wing of the Democratic Party, and now the religious right with the pick of Rick Warren to give the invocation at inauguration. I can think of some very conservative theologically but progressive politically evangelicals he could have tapped instead.

But he has forgotten to dance with the one that brung him, progressives.

Is there one high profile progressive in the cabinet? No.

Instead, he rounded up the usual suspects of corporatists lite who differ from Republicans only in not saying Jesus told them to steal and that labor unions are terrorist organizations.

He seems to be taking the entire progressive wing of the party for granted the way Democrats took blacks for granted for decades

Should he do something to signal we won't be treated like the deformed kid locked in the basement?

If so, what?

[MineralMan]

1. I expect that Obama's speech will be where you hear

progressive ideas. Nobody else gives a speech. Some sing. Some play musical instruments. Some read a poem. A couple of them pray. President Obama will give a speech. If you want to look for progressive ideas, that's the place to look for them.

It will be interesting to hear what he says, after actually having the position of President of The United States. That's really the only part of the Inauguration I'm interested in. The rest is just ceremony.

Listen to his speech. See what he says.

[Creideiki]

9. The prayers are speeches

[Johonny]

2. I have no memory of any inauguration

that occurred in my lifetime. Just saying as things that happen in a presidency go... I imagine I will not remember this one either.

[MineralMan]

3. I do. I remember the inaugural speeches given by every President

From JFK forward. Those inaugural speeches are the only thing worth paying attention to. I do remember poor old Robert Frost, though, not being able to read the poem he had written and reciting one he did remember.

I remember machine guns below the podium for Nixon's inauguration. Anyone else remember that? Real, belt-fed machine guns.

I'm going to time this one so I hear Obama's speech. The rest I don't care much about.

[yurbud]

4. this too shall pass like any kick in the nuts--but it would be nice not to be kicked by guy

you voted for.

That's what republicans are for.

[scarletwoman]

5. Other. I quit. No more electoral politics for me except for strictly local offices.

It's not so bad, my expectations for Obama were pretty low to begin with. Unfortunately, he has mostly gone even lower than my expectations.

Obviously, I wasn't cynical enough -- which comes as something of a shock.

I'm almost 60 years old -- being a leftist in this country is an unrelenting exercise in disappointment and betrayal. I'm used to it, and I don't believe for one moment that Obama has any intention of ever giving us a "signal" -- anymore than any other Dem has ever done.

sw

[Hardrada]

8. I am mid-60's agewise. I share your view of this and find myself

rather more disappointed than I had cynically imagined. I despair but so far I've stuck around out of morbid curiousity to see what the corporatists will try next. I'm still trying to figure out how that Bernie chap managed to blow 50 billion dollars as a private citizen. If he had been in government and blown that much on defense contracts no one would flicker an eyelash.

[Ms. Toad]

6. Other: Rescind the invitation to Warren.

It would take a real recognition by Obama of the pain that invitation caused. I really don't think he gets it, and can't imagine anything short of rescinding the invitation will convince me he does.

[Critters2]

7. Ditto. And I don't believe he can't do it. He stood up for Wright

until the pressure became too great. We need to keep the pressure on.

[tom_paine]

10. Sure he should, and I hate to be cynical here, but he most likely won't.

I don't want to believe this, and I am reserving judgement at least until I have seen how the man governs.

But honestly, so far, I see not much difference in the kowtowing to the Bushie False Reality Bubble, by nearly ALL Democtrats, before Obama's Election and after it.

Look at the auto bailout. The toady Nancy Pelosis ran to the right, as they were told by their understanding of reality, which is to say the Bush-Generated False Reality Bubble which IS their reality.

It would be humorously pathetic if it wasn't our future being flushed down the toilet. Even "Nancy Pelosi"-level toadying is not enough. The Congressional Democrats were once again embarassed. The Legislative Branch is stymied and once again, Der Fuhrer decides what to do.

Notice a pattern here? And GIVEN that the Bushies didn't even HAVE to filibuster, only threaten one as usual, shows Nancy Pelosi Reid cares as little about the people he serves as the rest of the Nancy Pelosi Wing of the Democratic Party, which as far as I can tell is somwhere around a grotesque 80% of serving Congressional Democrats.

And look at Obama, who even though I will not judge him, is showing hideous and unequivocal signs that he might (note I said MIGHT) be as dazed and confused and befuddled and detatched from reality as any other of our Nancy Pelosis.

He seems so conciliatory to those who hate him, The New Jews, and liberty. Ad the OP correctly said, he is so very close with the various liberty-hating and American-people-hating groups, the fundies, the Bushies, all the America-haters...but NOT the ones who really love what the Founduing Fathers stood for, "New Jews", the Liberals.

Why would any New Good German, even a German Social Democrat who unseated New Hitler (amazing that was even permitted to happen, but permitted it was), wish to ally himself with the New Jews, other than to use them like everyone else?

After all, in spite of the fact that we New Jews have been right about virtually everything these past 8 years and the New Nazi-Bushies wrong about virtually everything, not to mention practicers of Third-World Corruption, the OP is correct that Obama is distancing himself from the hated New Jews in order to placate the Nazi-Bushies and Good Germans.

I don't want to believe it, and there is more than a small chance that Obama is strategizing smartly here, and setting the table to make bold progressive moves of change by first conciliating.

Maybe. I hope. Because the way things are shaping up, that chance, while not small, is growing smaller every day.