Obama's promise of a new beginning now hollow.

[Karmadillo]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/70384.html?storylink=MI_emailed

Obama's promise of a new beginning now hollow
By Joseph L. Galloway | McClatchy Newspapers

Who stole our change?

Who hijacked a popular uprising that was going to put a stop to business as usual in Washington, D.C.?

What happened to Barack Obama on his way to the White House?

The Republicans have been so busy trying to paint President Obama as a socialist, as a radical, as a Marxist, as a Muslim, as the Devil, that they haven't even noticed that he has become one of them.

<edit>

Oh, he can still talk the talk and he does that incessantly. But he seemingly can't walk the walk. He may still sound like a revolutionary but more and more he looks and acts like George W. Bush, albeit a George W. Bush who can speak a complete sentence in the English language.

<edit>

And bit-by-bit the possibility of change disappeared; bit-by-bit the hope of a renewed and reinvigorated American democracy and way of government faded away. Those who had held a dream in their hand closed their hand and crushed it.

more...

[GoesTo11]

1. Rec if you're getting tired of Bush's third term.

[ChiciB1]

41. I'll Rec GLADLY!!! I've Also Decided NOT To Apologize For Saying What

I really feel anymore. Generally I say I'm sorry I have to say this, but that has to go by the wayside! I'm NOT sorry because I'll repeat what I said several days ago.

I VOTED for this man, BUT THIS MAN isn't who I VOTED for! The CHANGE I see is in HIM!! And yes, I KNOW, how well I KNOW... but, but, but he's only been in office for FIVE months! So what??? Do tell, what will the NEXT FIVE months look like at this rate???

I have always put bumper stickers on my car in a BIG way, showing who and what I support, and keeping them on way past the time when most people remove them. I had some on from 2004 that have finally faded so much you can't read them. But last week, I took my Obama stickers off my car! that's a RECORD by a very VERY long shot!!

Just how it is for me these days! Bill Maher's last NEW RULES were superb and he hit the nail on the head! Democrats are the NEW Repukes and the Repukes are the Religious Freaks! Not a direct quote, but something like that! ONE Party is all we have and most of those in THE PARTY are bought and paid for many times over!!!

[BigBearJohn]

46. I VOTED for this man, BUT THIS MAN isn't who I VOTED for! The CHANGE I see is in HIM!!

Wow! Wish I said that! Great quote.

[ChiciB1]

49. It Works For Me... Just Something That Popped Into My Head The Other Day... n/t

[BigBearJohn]

48. .

[ChiciB1]

50. Are YOU Baiting Me Too?? n/t

[BigBearJohn]

52. Not at all. problem with server. posted twice. I just sent your quote to my whole address book

[ChiciB1]

57. Okay, Then Thank You Very Much! n/t

[Mugu]

112.

[FLAprogressive]

58. Great post! I agree.....

[ChiciB1]

63. Thank You... Nice From Someone In My Necks Of The Woods!! n/t

[ChiciB1]

64. Make That "Neck." I Can't Stand It When I Re-Read Things Sometime n/t

[gorfle]

147. I agree with you, but...

I agree with you, but the good news is I still think President Obama's heart is in the right place. When you hear him talk, I don't know how to describe it, but you can hear that he still wants to do the right thing.

Now I don't want to be an apologist, because I'm unhappy with the lack of social progress also. But I think Obama is up against two serious issues:

1) There are still a lot of people in positions of power in Washington that do not share Obama's agenda that Obama has to work with if he wants to get anything done.

2) There are a lot of moderate Republicans in the electorate who voted for Obama because Bush jumped the Republican party's shark. If Obama alienates these voters it could, at best, make for a much closer election the next time around.

I believe these two issues are what are holding President Obama in check this term.

[SammyWinstonJack]

169. Talk is cheap or maybe not, in this case. Obama seems to love Wall St. but not so much Main St.

[AlbertCat]

154. I've Also Decided NOT To Apologize

Generally I say I'm sorry I have to say this...

**************

Wow....you're as wishy washy as you THINK Obama is!

Obama has never been anything but a moderate....even during the campaign.

If this were "Bush's 3rd term" we'd already be at war with Iran.

This is ridiculous!

I'm sorry everything isn't working out like your fantasy.

[MissDeeds]

179. You nailed it, friend

Ditto on all counts.

[Karmadillo]

181. Excellent post. We need to make the Democratic Party our party or

start one where the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party can control the agenda.

[urgk]

43. You mean as a label or as a reality?

Because the tendency to throw it around in lieu of real thought on a given subject is really wearing me thin.

[ChiciB1]

45. I Get My First Slap!! My Skin Is Thick & MY Thought May Not Be Your Thought...

but TO ME, it's REALITY!!!

[Butch350]

87. I rec an "FU"

[Mugu]

113.

[Citizen Worker]

91. Rather than Bush's third term, consider this...

It's actually Reagan's eighth term!!!

[bvar22]

93. +1

...for Reagan's 8th term.

[RoccoR5955]

95. DING DING DING DING DING DING! We have a winnah!

Yeah.
Ronnie Rat Raygun's 8th term. Another DINO, like Clinton, Obama may still be one of the best Republican presidents we have had.

He's no liberal, but he's not middle of the road either. Another right wing bass turd.

[glitch]

148. Excellent point and welcome to DU! nt

[Danascot]

162. Obama, like Reagan, has Teflon

"The strongest material in politics is Teflon. This was a law of political physics established by Ronald Reagan: No matter how dubious his policies were or proved to be, he himself remained hugely popular—a popularity that helped carry the day for his dubious policies.

The two polls that were released this week, by the Times and the Journal, establish, in Barack Obama, a new strength for Teflon. The nation is widely suspicious about how the Obama administration is proceeding on its two biggest challenges—fixing the economy and implementing health care reform—and yet remains just about as staunchly enthralled with Obama himself as it is possible for an electorate to be."

http://www.newser.com/off-the-grid/post/177/how-obama-makes-an-omelet.html

The difference is that Reagan's supporters were clueless and continued to support him no matter what he did. Obama's supporters think for themselves and, as demonstrated here on DU, will abandon him if he strays too far from his promises.

[Juche]

111. This is not Bush's third term

I am perfectly comfortable with criticisms of Obama. However calling Obama Bush's third term is a stretch.

Obama's unwillingness to force real healthcare reform via budget reconciliation, his attempts to cover up Bush's crimes, his backing off of GLBT rights are all highly disappointing. I have low hopes for EFCA too, which is sad. I was really looking forward to UHC with a public option and EFCA. I know all about 'call your congressman'. I have done that.

For me the increasing hollowness of his speeches is starting to bother me. Saying things like we have to do whats right, not whats popular then turning around and covering up Bush/Cheneys crimes because it would be unpopular to investigate them is a joke. MLK jr talked the talk, but he also walked the walk. He took risks.

[slay]

117. K&R

sooooooo not the change i voted for.. sigh.. :(

[MissDeeds]

178. I am

And I'll K&R. I had huge misgivings, but voted for Obama gladly when I saw the McCain/Palin alternative. I've hoped and prayed that he was the real deal, but had a nagging feeling he was all talk and no walk. Sadly, the latter is true.

But hey! What about "date night" and that adorable dog! And don't forget Michelle has really toned arms. Please. I want a Democratic president who champions the causes of the left wing of the Democratic Party.

[question everything]

190. You don't know anything about "Bush's third term."

Do you really think that we would have even heard anything about affordable healthcare to everyone? Do you really think that McCain and others would have cared about the unemployed? The state of the economy?

No, they would just assume that everyone should pull oneself by the boot straps and if they cannot, than they do not deserve anything.

Let me guess: you don't have to worry about being unemployed, losing your home, or no access to health care. No, you are just so secure in clicking on your keyboard, without a care in the world.

[CJCRANE]

2. Skip it

[FLAprogressive]

3. "that they haven't even noticed that he has become one of them."

Right on the money.

[noise]

9. Yeah right

This is how the propaganda works. This is how the establishment keeps the Democratic base from getting overly upset--"Obama must be doing something right if Limbaugh/Hannity/etc. are calling him a socialist."

[FLAprogressive]

11. hmm good point.

[Raksha]

108. You noticed that too, huh?

This is how the establishment keeps the Democratic base from getting overly upset--"Obama must be doing something right if Limbaugh/Hannity/etc. are calling him a socialist."

It's all just a big game, and both parties are in on it. "Socialist" doesn't actually mean anything except "the Democratic frontrunner." They did the same thing with Bill Clinton. They kept calling him a "socialist" or "far leftie" when he wasn't even CLOSE to being a liberal!

[tridim]

4. He's worse than a pile of petrified Hitler shit.

[Mugu]

114. But less than a bunch of barf.

[NeedleCast]

5. Laughably wrong

[Turbineguy]

6. Yeah

I wish McCain or Ron Paul had won too. Too bad the repubs dropped the ball on stealing the election.

[FLAprogressive]

8. B3.

[cali]

7. hyperbole of the first order.

yeah, Obama is just like Inhofe, Grahm, McConnell, etc. John McCain and a repuke Congress would have signed made sure the Lily Ledbetter legislation was signed into law. They would have acted in precisely the same way vis a vis Iran. They would have signed on to dealing with climate change.

It may not be as much change as swiftly as I'd like, but to claim that Obama is just like the repuke establisment is so moronic a claim it deserves nothing but contempt.

Galloway is an utter ass to write this trite tripe.

[Deja Q]

16. I agree! And as important,

what do the, forgive me, abject whiners want and do? Do they know the system? Do they not realize he is a family man and has to worry about his daughters' future along with America's? He seems damn sincere...

Especially on one or two very specific issues, for which I refuse to give free press toward by stating what they are, I'm just sick of the naysayers. Frigging sick. (Oh, and accidentally turning into just the wrong radio program today when driving home, until I noted the cadence was that of anus-face Rush Limbaugh, it became clear how Obama's detractors are fueling the right wing. Not to mention Rush's whinings about Obama doing things without congressional approval or anything (uh, like how unkie Bush had, eh Rush? Fuck off, Rush, now you know how it feels so shut the fuck up you overpaid bastard whose body fat could fuel New York City for 6 months straight!))

[Hannah Bell]

19. bush had to worry about his kids' futures too...so does prince charles...

[cali]

26. uh, so what? that has zip all to do with my post.

And I doubt bushy or charles has ever spent a nano second worrying about the future of their respective progeny.

[Hannah Bell]

40. i didn't write it in response to your post.

[JDPriestly]

44. Obama knew he had children when he ran for office.

Obama has to find the courage to prosecute those who authorized torture. It is the only way to clean up the cesspool in our various intelligence services. Who is in charge here? We elected Obama to be the president and to bring integrity and the rule of law back to our country. Instead he flies off to fight yet another war, fails to set a firm date for bringing our troops -- all of them -- home from Iraq and reuses to establish the rule of law.

The other day I met a very depressed young man probably in his late 20s who explained that he could not vote and cannot get a job because he is a felon. I did not ask him what for. I guessed: it most likely had to do with drugs.

I told him that I understand how he feels. I said that the real criminals are those that brought down the economy in our country -- the fat cats on Wall Street who made their millions off people's misery. My advice to him was to volunteer somewhere, try to get good recommendations for his volunteer work and make sure he stays in NA or AA. He said he would stay in AA. I wish I could help more.

Whatever this young man did, if he is already out at his age, it was not as serious as torture. I don't think he would be out of prison if he had killed someone or even assaulted someone with intent to kill them -- so the crime for which he as convicted was probably not as violent or serious as torture.

And yet, those who violated international law by committing torture, who violated international law by starting an illegal war and who conspired in causing the deaths of unknown numbers of innocent people and possibly prisoners who had been given no opportunity to defend themselves in a court of law and all that in our names are out there enjoying Father's Day and making speeches about freedom. Where is Obama on this? Does Obama condone this criminal behavior? Is it less criminal because it was in the past?

Obama needs to just come out and tell us the truth if he is afraid to carry out the rule of law because of his children. We don't ask our president to be perfect, but we do ask him to be honest with us. Is Obama incapable of just being honest?

[burrfoot]

68. ok hang on....

I can understand frustration with how Obama has had to "moderate" the CHANGE that we all thought was coming. But I really think it's important to give the guy a chance. We posters here don't need to deal with any political realities when we call for drastic changes, but he does. Should he? No. It should be a perfect world. But it isn't.

Also- I get that some people are put in jail for stupid things, and I think our "war on drugs" has taken us WAY off course in terms of making things better in America. But please, please, please do not let yourself become an apologist for that poor felon in his 20's who you *think* was in for a drug offense. The reasoning that if he's already out at is age = it must not be that bad is, I'm sorry, quite seriously flawed.

Be pissed at Obama. That's cool, that's American, and that's both allowed and encouraged. But we shouldn't let it color how we look at other things.

[Bluenorthwest]

133. Explain yourself. When you say Obama 'had to moderate'

what are you claiming compelled him to do so. If he 'had to', what is the force that made him have to?
This declaration that he 'had to' without any reason given is just an argument beneath any thinking person.
He had to why? For what reason did he 'have to'? Why did he have no other choice?
Explain.

[Laelth]

146. Welcome to DU.

Personally, I think felons ought to have the right to vote. I don't condone crime, but felons have an investment in this society too (or, at least, we want them too). Taking away the right to vote takes away the investment we want them to have.

:dem:

-Laelth

[JDPriestly]

212. I'm not apologizing for the felon. I'm wondering why President Obama is not

enforcing the law against the felons who used to be president and vice-president. I think there are a lot of people who have committed some pretty serious crimes -- at the summit of the business world as well as Bush and Cheney who have committed serious crimes and are not being required to answer for their wrongs.

[backscatter712]

18. Damned straight.

We're not going to get all we want, but to suggest that Obama is serving Bush's third term is just utter hysterical fucktardery.

By all means participate and call Obama and all the other politicians out when they behave badly, but have some damned perspective.

[roody]

70. 106 gazillion for more war? Sounds like Bush.

Oh yeah, and some for that incredibly successful war on drugs in Mexico.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

118. GOTTA FEED THE MILITARY CONTRACTORS

[sisters6]

188. and all of a sudden we have Pay GO for decent health care. !!

[goose4739]

74. Thanks for voices of reason!

All this constant slamming of Obama and insisting he's part of the Washington "machine" only serves to empower the right-wing lunatics who can't wait for us to "eat our own" so they can laugh at us.

Another post here recently listed an incredible list of accomplishments Mr. Obama has achieved in his scant six months in office. Remember, remember, remember...Bushco had eight years of virtually free reign to destroy this country. It's going to take some time to patch it up!

[wuvuj]

124. Just the facts ma'am?

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/

[The Wielding Truth]

89. ditto! We knew Obama was not Bush and he was not Kucinich.

[MarjorieG]

139. Even Kucinch isn't Kucinch, and doesn't have to prove he is.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

36. Binary thinking is very popular. It's either "He's perfect" or "He's Bush III".

[bvar22]

37. The same binary thinking:

He is not as bad as Bush, so he must be good!

[glitch]

150. Here's another: if you're not happy with Obama you must prefer McCain.

Couldn't get more binary.

[Fire1]

156. You left out, "a pile of hitler shit." n/t

[liberalmuse]

10. Riiiight.

Sweet mother of fuck, 'The Democratic Party' needs to change it's name to, 'The Veruca Salt' party. "I want change and I want it NOOOOooooooooooow!" Yeah, that's why we don't stay in power for long. And that's why we can't change shit because we let asshats like the Republicans get power over and over again while we're too busy eating our own, and they fuck things up so badly it takes years to clean up their colossal pile of fecal matter. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[Dogmudgeon]

22. The Veruca Salt Party

:thumbsup:

But there are lots of Democrats who are NOT screaming for Revolution Now! from their armchairs. How 'bout "The Veruca Salt Progressive Coalition" -- ? I had been thinking of using "Magic Pony Progressives", but the "Magic Pony" thing has turned into a horrifying cliche recently.

--d!

[kenfrequed]

140. Irony

I find it curious that it is the wealthy, greedy, malignant corporate system of bribery (campaign donations) that creates the sort of DLC/blue dog democrats that block more reform preemptly from even getting to the floor.

And oddly the economic liberals, the poor single payer healthcare people, and the people wanting basic human rights are "veruca salt"? Color me amused.

[liberation]

166. Well... some people seem to equate requesting accountability to want a pony.

So I am not surprised.

[kenfrequed]

182. Yeah

I want...

Equal rights for all citizens
access to healthcare for all
protection for the most vulnerable amongst us
an end to the occupation of Iraq
An end to secret unconstitutional prisons and a restoration of our rights
and quality lifetime education access to all Americans.

= "I wan't a pony"

I mean I really don't get this crap. How does this work? Is this some kind of upper middle class entitlement thing? I lost a good friend of mine to chronic illness who would not have been helped by the sham of healthcare reform that is being approved by the insurance lobby.

And I get "Veruca Salt" and "I want a pony"

But you are right. I shouldn't be surprised. And these same people that say these stupid things wonder why people voted for Nader.

[QC]

189. "Is this some kind of upper middle class entitlement thing?"

Yes.

That is exactly what it is. People who are genuinely hurting are not inclined to treat politicians like celebrity fantasy dates.

Only the very comfortable can do that.

[liberation]

165. It is not about the amount, it is about the direction...

... although it is counter productive to compare Obama to Bush, among many things because it leaves open the door to the Obama perma-apologist to dismiss any valid criticism. It is also time for the same perma-apologists to use actual valid points, not just utter condescendence and ad hominems as their main MO of reply.


I voted and worked to get Obama elected. I had no illusions that he was anything other than a moderate conservative on the best of his days. And as such, under his real context, I am not surprised at all by his policies and actions. I am disappointed though, as a liberal... I would like to see liberal policies and interests being defended by the Dems. Now that we dodged the bullet that would have been a Palin/McCain presidency, it is time for liberals and Dems to part ways, the typical "it is not you, it is me" is very apropos. We helped Obama get elected, now it is time for liberals to work on a viable alternative. Nothing personal against the Dem establishment, they are clearly not interested in liberal policies, nothing wrong with that... you know for tastes there are colors. It is just that people like me who happen to be liberals, and we would like to actually vote for a liberal, not just for someone who is not a republican... it seems the Dem party is not going to provide people like me with an actual value proposition in the foreseeable future. So rather than bitch and moan, I suggest other fellow liberals organize and make sure next election cycle the Dems don't get to simply assume our votes.

In the same sense that it is silly to compare Obama with Bush. Some Obama sycophants need to understand that a lot of our grievances with his policies and actions are not about their magnitude and amount of work done, but rather their direction. Think of it as a bunch of sailors setting sail from Europe towards America complaining that we're never going to reach their intended location, not because we haven't sailed long enough... but simply because we're facing East not West.

[katandmoon]

12. K&R as Obama Admin. adopts more and more Bush Admin. positions

[Deja Q]

17. Feel better? What are your solutions to the problem, since you think there is one?

[katandmoon]

69. No, I don't feel better. I voted for a fraud.

[AlbertCat]

160. I voted for a fraud.

What were you expecting? I don't remember Obama ever saying he was gonna be a dictator who just told Congress....the body that makes laws, not the Prez....told Congress what to do. That seems to be what you want.

Like I've said before...
It's been so long since we had any GOVERNING going on, now that we do, no one recognizes it.

[spag68]

77. solutions

How about getting out of Iraq and Japan and Germany? How about spending as much on social issues as on guns and bombs for the Generals? How about keeping his campaign promises, or at least trying to be a progressive? I've been a democrat since I could read , and this man that I voted for has turned on us in a big way. Why should we give him any more slack? I knew it was over when he kissed and made up with the triter Lieberman.

[CANDO]

78. Let me jump in here and offer one major solution.

And that is for Democrats to be god damned DEMOCRATS! Don't bend me over and fuck me once again while promising EFCA. Don't bend me over and fuck me again while offering National Health care. Don't bend me over and fuck me again while pumping $600 Billion down the rat hole for the Military Ind. Complex. Don't bend me over while handing billions to the very people responsible for putting us in this mess. Don't bend me over while cowering like rat bastard cowards on restoring the rule of law. I can't even fathom why the fuck I should care anymore! BTW, I'll be boarding a bus for DC this Thursday to attend the National Rally for Health care. Will it even fucking matter to these spineless motherfuckers who call themselves Democrats? Can you tell I'm just a little pissed off? How far we've come from the days of those lunatic bastards on the right, only to watch in HORROR to these lowdown cowardly motherfucking spineless Democrats. Just blowing some steam. Can't believe there are people out there urging patience and caution when I see spinelessness and cowardice on the part of those I elected to do the right thing.

[SammyWinstonJack]

172. +1

:thumbsup: :applause:

[notesdev]

200. +1

[lamp_shade]

13. I wonder what Galloway's problem is this time. A horseshoe up his ass maybe?

[MineralMan]

14. Oh, noes! Galloway didn't get his pony yet.

Waaaaaa!

As I remember, it took a while for the first daughters to get their puppy, too.

Now, for throwing a tantrum, Galloway's going to have to wait even longer for his fucking pony. Will the lesson be learned?

[Mojambo]

15. "Things are too screwed up for us to try new approaches"

I actually had an Obama partisan make this argument to me the other day.

[FLAprogressive]

20. I can believe that. nt

[Dragonfli]

29. He is arguing for insanity - LITERALLY if you accept Einstein's take on it

The authoritarian follower types really do not even bother thinking do they?
I think after reading the argument one of them provided to you I will re-read John Deans books.

To put it simply, Dean makes the case that many conservatives of today need an authoritarian figure to guide them and they willingly do whatever it takes to please that figure.

As an experiment I will read the books with a view that many Democrats share this disease and have now found an Alpha to follow blindly without reason or question. (They Are Known By Their Apologetics - an example being when they defend the absurd idea that it is best if some are above the law - people like torturers)

I expect this little experiment to help me understand the people behind the Pom Poms, this understanding may then enable me to reach them and explain to them that if a policy or position was unconstitutional or just plain wrong when Bush did it - it remains just as unconstitutional or just plain wrong when Obama does it (or simply continues it).

I wonder, do you think it will be possible to get through to them even if I understand them better?
I never had much luck with the far right Dito-Heads perhaps the authoritarian followers in my party will be better able to see reason, perhaps not.

[noise]

30. People criticize Obama for different reasons

1) The GOP criticizes him not being sufficiently fascist.

2) People on the left criticize him for failing to uphold his campaign rhetoric.

People who adopt position 2 aren't helping the GOP at all as their criticism hopefully pressures Obama to honor his campaign promises.

[Dragonfli]

32. I agree with you but still fail to see how this is an answer to my post.

My post had to do with those on the left that refuse to criticize him because of some chronic need to follow an authority figure blindly and WITHOUT QUESTION. Dean warned of such follower types within his party and I simply wanted to point out we may be developing a similar problem within our own.

I believe that in order to awaken the "sleeper followers" one must first understand them, if they truly believe in the fundamental principles of the Democratic party then we need to awaken them to join in constructive criticism of the dangers of corporate collusion as well as a weakened concept of rule of law that considers some to be above the law.

If we fail to remain Democrats in principle we are simply more of the same in a "good cop" jersey emblazoned with a large D.

We must not be followers of men but rather followers of the principles that made our party the champion of civil rights, rule of law and the economic fairness that brought us a middle class.

Did you mean to answer another post perhaps?

[noise]

33. I didn't make it clear

I basically agree with your post. It seems some people conflate criticism of Obama in order to suggest that all criticism of Obama=support for the GOP. Galloway's column isn't intended to bolster the GOP at all. I guess some people are upset with him because he dares to hold Obama to his campaign rhetoric.

[Dragonfli]

34. gotcha - do you think we can wake them up or is the need to follow too strong?

I worry because the need to follow among the right-wing variation has proven to be a wall I could never crack. I was hoping it was because I was not republican and had little in common with them ideologically.

I am hoping that being from the same party may make the difference (eventualy) in this instance.

You seem to understand there is a problem what is your take?

[backtoblue]

141. To follow blindly

suggests that the followers have a huge amount of "faith" in their leader. They truly believe that whatever he/she does must be for the greater good, so they are not inclined to question his/her authority. Politics is much like religion, if not a religion in itself. No one wants to believe that their leader isn't who they think he/she is - and if they don't question, they won't listen to answers.

[Dragonfli]

196. I came to that conclusion as well but was hoping someone would come up

with something else, some way to use reason to appeal to the higher brain functions.

After reading your post which clearly states the obvious, I find it rather silly to keep "hoping" past my original, nearly identical assessment.

I will study more on faith followers, perhaps there are some methods of injecting some small bits of reason into the religion of faith politics.

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[sendero]

21. Hyperbolic?

Yes. Essentially true? Yes also.

Is Obama as bad as Bush? No.

Is he even close to what he promised?

Not at all.

[otohara]

23. Violin Music Is In Order

I like Galloway, but Gawd this is one big whine fest.

Which is is Joe, is he "becoming one of them" or "looking and acting like Bush"? (hey Galloway, BO could never look like Bush)

What happened on the way to the White House has everything to do with Barack Obama and nothing to do with a number of other factoids. Including a congress comprised of do nothing Republican's and a handful of chicken-shit Democrats.

[patrice]

24. Straw Man, Falsely Dichotomous, Zero Sum, in a word . . . Simplistic.

I don't trust President Obama, because of the system that produced him, much more than many others, but I

DO

have some Hope with, in, and for

The People

.

[geckosfeet]

25. Don't rec if you are tired of people whinning that they have not been instantly gratfied.

[Life Long Dem]

27. So another puke is pissed.

Big fucking deal.

[subcomhd]

28. What kind of drugs must one take

to lose one's grip on reality so?
Anyone who thinks Obama is no better than Bush has severe cognitive disabilities.

[progressivebydesign]

83. amen. n/t

[mwb970]

128. I don't even read the Obama-hating threads any more.

I wandered into this one solely to see if there were any voices of sanity among the din (there were a few, including your post).

These must be the people who thought Obama was a Magic God who could work miracles in Washington and change the whole place around in a matter of months. The miracle hasn't happened, so they feel let down and now Obama is Satan, or worse yet, bush. Disappointment is so often the result of mistaken expectations.

I also am very tired of the wingnutty idea that if you trust Obama, if you believe that he has access to information, advice, and insights that we do not, then you are guilty of "blindly following a false Messiah". Isn't this exactly what Hannity says?

OK, I'm done with this thread now. I'm due back on Planet Earth.

[niceypoo]

134. Your making a straw man arguement

Nobody is arguing what you say. Perhaps you should pull your head out of the sand, then you will have a clue as to what people are talking about.

Obama is intentionally continuing the Bush policies on things like military tribunals, extraordinary rendition of 'terror' suspects, bushes 'state secrets' order that nixes lawsuits from abused former detainees, and a lot of other things. Obama has a 'Republicans first' policy on appointing people to key positions in his administration and seems unwilling to do anything without 'republican support' even though they automatically block everything that he attempts to do. Many people find these things disturbing.

I will wait at least a year before I make a final judgement on what direction Obama is headed but what I see thus far has me somewhat shaken.

[Greyhound]

31. Personally, I think Bill Hicks had it right. K&R. n/t

[tom_paine]

39. As do I. Something like that, anyway, which achieves the same results.

Like so many other things in our puzzling Inverted Totalitarianism, WHY an action happens is less important than the action itself.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

138. There is zero chance that some form of coercion is not applied.

Zero.

[Greyhound]

211. The picture that people have in their minds of the people at this level is interesting

to me. It seems to be some kind of amalgam of Colonel Potter, the Monopoly man, and George Bailey, when in fact if they actually met these people in there own element with no cameras around, they'd literally shit their pants.

This is a great aspect of the American Naiveté that is so stereotypical around the world.

[glitch]

152. Especially after seeing his acceptance speech. nt

[Mari333]

35. knr

[bvar22]

38. K&R

I don't feel that Galloway was entirely fair to Obama, but pretty much sums up my feelings.

Obama should get some credit for a few things.
Obama DID do the Stem Cell Thing, and a small part of the Stimulus Package may actually help Working Americans...so he should get some credit.
I also believe that Obama has been a wonderful success in instantly repairing our International Image, though if he keeps the WARS going, and keeps "Black Torture Prisons" and "Renditions" operative that will change quickly as more and more civilians are racked up in the collateral damage.

My biggest disappointment is his lack of will in using the Bully Pulpit to rein in the Conservative Democrats in Congress.

Can you imagine how LBJ would have dealt with the traitorous Blue Dog coalition?
Can you imagine Joe Lieberman standing up and blocking LBJ's agenda?
or Harry Reid?
or Evan Bayh?
:rofl:
They would have been dog meat before sundown.

Obama needs to find his inner LBJ.
He has everything he needs.
Overwhelming Public Support,
Big Majorities in the Senate and House
Plenty of Political Capital

He just seems to be lacking the WILL to use it.

[JDPriestly]

47. How right you are bvar22. Obama needs to rein the right-wing Democrats

in. He should not be selling out to them. They need what he's got, not the other way around.

And Obama needs to enforce the rule of law blindly -- that means he needs to prosecute crimes regardless of who committed them or how powerful they are.

[DFW]

153. Obama was not Senate majority leader like LBJ

If he had been, he would know the ins and out of how to rein in an unruly group of his own party.

The trouble is, he came in as the new kid on the block, and although he beat them at their own
game the first time around (he IS, after all, in the Oval Office), he hasn't risen through the
ranks and garnered the respect of his Democratic Senate peers along the way. He has few (if any)
IOUs to call in.

This may go over well with the electorate, but less so with his former Senate colleagues who
are acting like so many officers who feel passed over for promotion to general in favor of some
smooth-talking, frustratingly popular PFC.

For the record, it is my opinion that Obama has good intentions and is trying (too hard) to not
stumble along the way. I wish he and his closest advisers would take note of the fact that the
fastest guy in the race has usually stumbled a few times in his career, and the one who was so
cautious that he never stumbled at all has also never won a race.

[ChiciB1]

56. I Can Go Along With All You Say... I Wish Obama Proves To Be A Super

Success, but as of right now I'm not seeing him on that path! People keep asking "would the alternative McCain/Palin have been better" but that's not what it's about as I see it.

I went to THREE of Obama's rallies and heard him say and promise certain things at each one of them. I NEVER expected him to be able to fulfill all of them, campaigning is campaigning, but even though he's made some changes he seems to be "caving" on some VERY BIG ISSUES!

Is this Change or just Changing Your Mind?

[rpannier]

125. But as many people from that period have pointed out

LBJ knew more about everyone in DC than J Edgar Hoover did and he'd leak it out in a drip to get people back in line

[Political Tiger]

42. Yes, Obama is such a failure.....

* Created a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners.
* Established a credit card "bill of rights".
* Expanded loan programs for small businesses.
* Extended and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch.
* Expanded eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP).
* Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners.
* Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq.
* Allowing Caskets to be photographed when the return from Iraq with family approval.
* Gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration.
* Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba.
* Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program.
* Released presidential records.
* Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
* Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors.
* Created a White House Office on Urban Policy.
* Increased funding for the NEA.
* Appointed an assistant to the president for science and technology policy.
* Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps.
* Overturned Ledbetter vs. Goodyear.
* Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees.
* Investment in all types of alternative energy.
* Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars.
* Support for high-speed rail.
* Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes.
* Extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits.
* Reversed restrictions on stem cell research.
* Appointed more than 60 openly LGBT persons to positions in the executive branch.

[bc3000]

55. thank you

good post.

[ProSense]

65. You know what that list means?

As it gets longer, the criticisms will ring hollow.

[AtomicKitten]

66. the hyperbole around this place is deafening n/t

[Divine Discontent]

73. good post! I still think there's PLENTY to do, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, and things

take time, but there are plenty of issues that are bigger than many of the issues you posted, where he has done exactly what * did before him.

[FLAprogressive]

88. "Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq."

:rofl:

How laughable.

All of the "accomplishments" listed he either half-assed on (Iraq, etc.) or are completely meaningless (appointed LGBT staff....while still defending DOMA).

[bvar22]

98. I also found the list to be embarrassingly LIGHT...

for "The CHANGE President.

...like he has rearranged some of the items on the condiment counter, and True believers are waving this embarrassing cut & paste from a Campaign Brochure like a flag of victory.

[FLAprogressive]

99. exactly....they have a list of meaningless (and some untrue) "accomplishments" to lord over the

"naysayers"

[xiamiam]

104. just for starters..the foreclosure program is NOT working..nt

[shellgame26]

121. now listen for the chirping crickets

Stop messing with their negative high man!

[jgraz]

132. nibble, nibble, nibble

That's an embarrassingly weak list for someone who ran as the "change candidate".

[sharp_stick]

151. No shit

I mean he's had five fucking months and he still hasn't solved Global Climate Change or given free health care to everyone in America. This doesn't even mention the fact that even though he's had five whole fucking months we are still in a recession and are not driving our government mandated fully electric cars on streets made of hammered gold.

Fucking pathetic that he hasn't done everything that we want while we sit here, many of us at work, and bitch and whine about it on the computer.

[jgraz]

164. Look to the left.

Now look to the right. See those people with the pompons in their hands?

They're the only ones still buying your bullshit.

[liberation]

167. Even though some stuff is perfectly valid, and represent welcome developments...

... don't you think that naming "giving a speech" as an accomplishments looks like an attempt at padding his list of accomplishments?

Also, please update the list, since he reversed his decision on releasing presidential records. Just as he reversed on his campaign promise of increasing transparency by publishing legislative records via website (now they can only be accessed via FOIA requests)

[Political Tiger]

176. You asked, you got it. Updated list:

* Signed executive orders to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year, ban torture and end the CIA’s secret overseas prisons and define treatment of Detainees.
* Reversed restrictions on stem cell research.
* Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Reducing discrimination based on gender, age, religion, or race.
* Signed an executive order reversing the ban that prohibits funding to international family planning groups that provide abortions. Gag rule revoked (Mexico City policy).
* Creates the White House Council on Women and Girls "to provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and to ensure that all
Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families."
* Signed a Presidental Memorandum extending federal benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers and announced support for the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009.
* Reverses U.S. position on LGBT Issues at the UN: At the "Durban Review Conference," U.S. supports language condemning “all forms of discrimination and all other human rights violations based on sexual orientation.”
* Signed executive order requiring federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change.
* Reversed a Bush order requiring federal contractors to post notice that workers can limit financial support of unions serving as their exclusive bargaining representatives.
* Signed executive order preventing federal contractors from being reimbursed for expenses meant to influence workers deciding whether to form a union and engage in collective bargaining.
* Created a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners.
* Established a credit card "bill of rights".
* Expanded loan programs for small businesses.
* Extended and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch.
* Expanded eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP).
* Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners.
* Created a new White House task force on the problems of middle-class Americans, and installed Vice President Joe Biden as its chairman.
* Appoints Vice President Joe Biden to Oversee Stimulus Plan Payouts.
* Granted a reprieve to Liberian immigrants facing imminent expulsion.
* Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq.
* Allowing Caskets to be photographed when the return from Iraq with family approval.
* Released nine previously secret internal Justice Department memos and opinions defining the legal limits of government power in combating terrorism.
* On Arab TV Network, Obama Urges Dialogue.
* Gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration.
* Bars independent contractors from conducting interrogations of terror suspects.
* Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba.
* Ordered the release of nearly a quarter of a million pages of records from the Reagan White House that were kept from the public during a lengthy review by President George W. Bush.
* Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program.
* Released presidential records.
* Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
* Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors.
* Invites gay families to the Easter Egg Roll as part of the Obama administration's outreach to diverse communities.
* Created a White House Office on Urban Policy.
* Increased funding for the NEA.
* Appointed an assistant to the president for science and technology policy.
* Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps.
* Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees.
* Investment in all types of alternative energy.
* Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars.
* Support for high-speed rail.
* Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes.
* Extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits.
* Stop raids on medical marijuana dispensers.
* Nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States. If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic to ever serve on the Supreme Court.
* Appointed more than 60 openly LGBT persons to positions in the executive branch.
* Issues Presidential Proclamation for Pride, proclaiming June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.
* Signed a mercury reduction pact with 140 other nations.
* Signed the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act to curb wasteful spending by the Pentagon. Intended to price contracts and budgets lower; may potentially save billions of dollars in defense.
* Signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, which serves to protect two million acres of land and creates a new system of land conservation for the Bureau of Land Management.
* Phase out government payments to crop producers making more than $500,000 a year and eliminates subsidies for cotton storage to help trim the U.S. budget deficit.
* Cut funding for a proposed U.S. nuclear storage facility at Yucca Mountain.
* Restored Endangered Species Act Provision requiring U.S. agencies consult with independent federal experts to determine if their actions might harm threatened and endangered species.
* Orders The Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration "to protect and restore the health, heritage, natural resources, and social and economic value of the Nation's largest estuarine ecosystem and the natural sustainability of its watershed."
* Signed the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act designating two million additional acres of public wilderness areas the highest level of government protection from logging and other forms of commercial use and development.
* Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act which will expedite the search for cures and treatments for millions of Americans living with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury, stroke, MS, Parkinson's and many other diseases and disorders.
* Established The Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record, a new system for updating medical records of servicemen and women both during and after their military careers.
* Established the White House Office of Health Reform

------------

As for your "giving a speech" complaint, it wasn't just a run-of-the-mill speech, but a speech to the Muslim and Arab world that many people hearld as the beginning of a new and open dialog with a billion people who we have basically ignored or spit on throughout our history and certainly in the past 8 years.

[liberation]

192. I asked you to revise the list, not to add more padding to it.

"On Arab TV Network, Obama Urges Dialogue." Are you serious? How is that any sort of achievement, I understand it is a positive development... but to label that as an "achievement" it is a bit of a stretch. It makes the rest of your list highly suspicious.

BTW, you are still listing "Released presidential records" Which i already pointed out he had reversed on that.

So, no... you did not even do anything remotely close to what I politely requested, you did the opposite actually. Although I am not surprised that since you used such a intellectually dishonest header to your reply as "you asked, you got it" that the rest of your post followed suit (in the intellectually dishonest meme that is).

In the same sense that some of the vitriol of the Obama detractors does not do them any favors... the quasi-kool aid content of some of Obama's sycophants don't help them either.

[Political Tiger]

197. Cherry picking one or two of all the things listed while ignoring the rest

is a game some like to play, but not me. The list stands on its own merits even if you find one or two things to argue about.

Dismiss the speech in Cairo if you like, but many people think it was very important step in the right direction.

As for the "released presidential records" complaint, frankly, I don't know of what you are talking about. There has been no reversal and the Executive Order on Presidential Records can be found here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/ExecutiveOrderPresidentialRecords/

If you wish to provide some facts that prove your assertion that "he had reversed on that," I'd be interested in seeing it.

Until then, I think the "intellectually dishonest" label you are trying to pin on me might belong on you.

[Peacetrain]

51. I totally disagree with the assessment of the article

Not one bit of it.

[quickesst]

53. Ha ha...

In other words a lot of progressives were easily hoodwinked. Only way to see it from their perspective. I didn't support him in the primaries, but so far he's not been far off the president I always expected him to be. If the fantasy has has gone up in flames, it's not his fault. Thanks.
quickesst

[ooglymoogly]

54. We voted for change...what we got was a changeling

playing 3 card Monty with the constitution.

[ChiciB1]

59. What A Time For THAT Movie To Be Popular, Huh?? I've Seen It Used

a lot here lately! Good movie too, which is OFF TOPIC and not what you meant! I agree with you though.

[ooglymoogly]

61. Thanx, but I haven't seen the movie and I was not referring to it.

I was referring to someone who says one thing and does another. Or claims to be something and is something quite different. I guess I'll have to see the movie now.

[ChiciB1]

62. Oh, I Understood What You Were Saying... The Movie Is A Good One Though!

I just saw bought it about 2 weeks ago and it's making the family rounds!

But, the fact that Obama used CHANGE so much during the campaign adds flavor to the word "changeling."

[JanMichael]

60. agreed. nt

[solstice]

67. K&R. Yep, the repugs should be LOVING Obama. He's covering their asses and protecting big business.

I'll never be taken in by his soaring rhetoric again. Just empty, hollow words, not matched by his actions.

[swilton]

71. Another manufactured president

Instead of someone who you'd like to have a beer with this one comes as an educated African American who symbolizes that by virtue of his election, America is redeeming itself from its racist past.

WE HAVE TO GET OVER THE HERO WORSHIP AND THE IDEA OF AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM AND GET OUT IN THE STREETS AND DEMAND THE DEMOCRACY THAT WE DESERVE

[RowdyRacer]

72. It's all a GAME, and we are the losers.

This isn't complicated, folks...the role of the Democratic party is to play Washington Generals to the GOP's Harlem Globetrotters. The Dems put up a phony fight, pretending to be on the side of the people, only to predictably fail. They blame filibuster threats, and lack of 60 votes as the only thing holding them back from changing things for the better.
The Dem's money comes from the same corporations as the GOP, and they simply play "good cop", with no intentions of ever offending the source of their $$$.

[RufusTFirefly]

101. +1 (and welcome to DU, RowdyRacer! Spot on!) n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

177. +

:thumbsup:

[G_j]

75. yes, and he blew the most precious of chances, for all of us,

a window, if you will, of good will and enthusiasm for real change. That window is closing, I'm afraid.
Very foolish,
if you really believe in change to begin with.
:shrug:

I'm sorry but, Obama appears incredibly disingenuous at this point.
and all that high~falutin' hope stuff...
:think:

[Name removed]

82. Deleted sub-thread

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

[Sarah Ibarruri]

76. Wow. Some people thought Obama was God.

They clearly only want to see what he can't do, and dismiss what he did and what he is doing as if it were trash. After 30 years of right wingerism in this country, some people sit back refreshing themselves with an icy drink and criticize, while they do nothing at all.

I wonder if people who think like this:

1) Thought the French Revolution had just taken place when Obama was elected.
2) Did they forget what country they were living in, and that this country's foundations had been switched to right wing ones over the period of 30 years?
3) Did they think that Obama was going to change the U.S. government?
4) How did they figure Obama was going to change everything in 4 months, and what planet are these people from?

[Amonester]

79. What will it take?

Will it take another disaster?

Will it take another 8 years of republican-made disasters?

What will it take?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

208. 1) support, alone he can do nothing, and, 2) he can't change EVERYTHING nt

[Butch350]

80. Why don't get up off your asses

and take to the streets and protest like our brothers in IRAN or STFU!

[progressivebydesign]

81. Alas Dear DU, how I knew thee well.....

WTF folks???

I step away from DU for a few months and I find either a Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, or John McCain, fan club meeting.

Yeah.. Obama what a jerk. :eyes: He's blatantly one of them. Where the fuck is our free 420? What about closing down all of the corporations and renaming the Dept of Defense the Dept of Pretty Flowers and Nice People?? Ralph Nader was soooo right! There's absolutely NO difference between him and Bush. :sarcasm:

Seriously... Can I have the REAL DU back? The one I joined in 2001? Who ARE you people and what have you done with the progresives???

[Jennicut]

130. Those of us who are not Naderites, Green party lovers, etc.

are clearly not welcome here like we used to be.
I always considered myself in between Dennis K. and Bill Clinton. Somewhere in there...a moderate liberal Dem. But people like us are clearly traitors or something. Who knows? I came back after a weeks vacation and maybe it was the best thing. I talked to many many people outside of DU who really like Obama.

[Laurab]

193. I step away every few weeks for awhile, too.

Usually when I come back, there's an anti-Obama post at the top of the "Greatest" page. I also found out that I'm blinded, expected a pony, follow in lock-step, etc., etc. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground here anymore - it's basically an anti-Obama website, IMO, and I think it's time the name was changed to far left underground or something like that.

I don't like every decision Obama has made - I find a couple of them quite troubling, really. I contact the White House when I disagree with something, but take no pleasure in coming on here and reading the bashing (which started even before he took office), over and over. I understand that this is the first time DU has existed under a Democratic administration, but my understanding was that it was a place for people who support democrats and democratic candidates, but that's something I don't find on here.

I also understand that I'm not going to agree with everything Obama does or says, but the bush-like bashing is way too much for me. I'd almost bet that even Free Republic is kinder to Obama than this website is.

I've patiently waited for the "Real DU" to come back, but I don't think that's going to happen. I can still get information on here, and ignore the bashing threads, but aside from that, I find the site pretty useless these days. I appreciate how it helped get me through the bush years, and never dreamed people would turn against our first Democratic President so quickly, and apparently be encouraged to do it.

For the first time in 4+ years, I see no reason to donate, or even frequent this website anymore. I can find this hatred so many other places....

I really do hope they're considering a name change, because this is definitely NOT "democratic underground". It's much too difficult to find posts that support democrats or democratic candidates, and God forbid you disagree with the bashing.

Good luck to "having the old DU back" - I gave up on that a while ago.

[Generator]

206. See it's how you see it

You see DU as an anti-Obama web site. I see it as a (mostly) hopeless fan site. (and let's not forget the very premise of the site is to get Democrats elected. Period. A Democrat could come out as ending roe-v.wade or ending gay rights-oh oops they already have and WE are still expected to vote for them and can't advocate against them no matter what they do as long as they have the magic "D"-that's why this site is fucked, it's premise is no principals at all only party loyalty-that is literally it's reason for existence-not actually telling anyone the truth of our lives)

Of course you choose to click on this post. You choose it. There are hundreds of threads daily in Gd/P about Obama being handsome, courageous, brilliant, wonderful family etc. And lots of pics too. But you chose the most inflammatory anti-one and call that the "new DU.." No unfortunately the new DU HAS to accept everything Obama does in the end because that is the PURPOSE of this site. So your post kills me with irony.

Most of the dreaded far left you hate have left-long ago. And I mostly can't stomach this stie for the exact opposite reasons as you. I see people that would defend anything Obama does because they love him. So you just need to click on the love threads.

I could see your point if it was minor-if it was pointles bitching. But war, human rights, and presidential powers are the top things for many of us. And on those he has shown himself to be questionable. It's not minor.

[Alcibiades]

84. He's governing as what I thought he would be

A moderate, electable Democrat. Given the alternative, I'm willing to settle for that.

Having said that, who would have predicted at this point in Bush II's first term that he would have been as horrible as he actually turned out to be? At this point, he simply looked incompetent.

What progressives should be doing now is keeping the pressure up on Congress and the White House to get national health care. If folks simply despair that the president is not receptive to our agenda, without DOING anything about it, we surely won't get the change Mr. Galloway claims he wants.

I might add that, as a regular McClatchy reader, it is all well and good for Mr. Galloway to criticize the President, but he should also look to his own organization, especially the Washington bureau. Back in the Bush administration, they used to run what looked like unedited press releases from Karl Rove. "Truth to power" (R), indeed!

[jgraz]

135. "A moderate, electable Democrat" "Moderate" == weak; "electable" == corporate

And I honestly don't know what the hell "Democrat" means any more. :(

[Alcibiades]

185. Some folks mistake pragmatism for weakness

That's a mistake.

[jgraz]

186. And some folks mistake caving in to corporate interests for "pragmatism"

That's a much bigger mistake.

[Alcibiades]

204. Which corporate interests are you in favor of not caving in to?

Caving in to corporate interests absolutely is pragmatism. If I had my druthers, we'd nationalize the lot of them. Most folks don't favor that, though, so we do, in fact, have to settle for less than we would like. The objective is to get the outcome that improves the lot of the greatest number of people.

[jgraz]

205. All of them.

I thought we were electing someone who was a skilled leader. Someone who, for once, could push through some real change instead of just nibbling around the edges.

Tell me, when 85% of the American people want a public health care option, and 60+ percent favor single-payer, how in hell is it *pragmatic* to bend over backwards for the insurance industry?

[Alcibiades]

209. I absolutely agree with you on that one

Though the folks who are acting like DINOs on that particular issue are not in the Obam a administration, but the Senate.

[jgraz]

210. Are you sure of that?

We have Rahm Emanuel, DINO-in-chief, running the Obama White House. We need to make sure that Obama knows that we will not tolerate Repuke-lite from his administration.

[Alcibiades]

213. He's running it

Not so sure that the role of the Chief of Staff is to set policy.

[femrap]

85. It's to the point that I want a Third

Party. Someone who represents the working people instead of the Corporations.

I'm glad I saw that Obama was a 'wall street dude' long ago. So I'm not experiencing the feelings of betrayal.

My feelings were crushed after the '06 Election and NO IMPEACHMENT followed. I realized then that our Democracy was over.

We just have Fascism now.

My only relief is knowing that Mother Nature will have the last word....and TPTB can't fight her.

[Alcibiades]

86. He's governing as what I thought he would be

A moderate, electable Democrat. Given the alternative, I'm willing to settle for that.

Having said that, who would have predicted at this point in Bush II's first term that he would have been as horrible as he actually turned out to be? At this point, he simply looked incompetent.

What progressives should be doing now is keeping the pressure up on Congress and the White House to get national health care. If folks simply despair that the president is not receptive to our agenda, without DOING anything about it, we surely won't get the change Mr. Galloway claims he wants.

I might add that, as a regular McClatchy reader, it is all well and good for Mr. Galloway to criticize the President, but he should also look to his own organization, especially the Washington bureau. Back in the Bush administration, they used to run what looked like unedited press releases from Karl Rove. "Truth to power" (R), indeed!

[KakistocracyHater]

90. there are those who see the tips of iceburgs & don't comprehend

just what it is they're looking at, there are others who see the same sight & can extrapolate & understand-they can think ahead (pardon my tata) yet people tell them to stop jumping to conclusions. Then there are those who just project their own selves & call that ahead, as about to happen. Milestones.....some can see them & orient themselves on a map & some can't.

[Political Heretic]

92. The number of us who are dicontented and not afraid to say so is growing.

While the blindly cheer leading crowd is dwindling.

I'm flat out disgusted with this administration so far. Its not that I was confused about the fact that Obama was a moderate - I wasn't.

It's that there are even moderates who wouldn't do some of the things that this administration has done.

At every turn it has cozyed up to powerful business interests,

it has protected capital criminal traitors from every being held accountable for their crimes,

it has legitimized torture by defending the institutions of torture in court (such as extraordinary rendition and secret cia black-houses around the globe)

it has completely capitulated on health care,

thrown gays under the bus,

substituted real economic reform for wall-street approved theatrics aimed almost solely at pacifying an angry public rather than serious changing the corrupt way business is done in this country,

Extended and ESCALATED wars overseas

Went completely silent on EFCA and allowed it to die after promising to strongly fight for it

....and on.....and on.....and on.....


None of the things I listed, with perhaps the exception of serious financial sector reform, are particularly "radical." Many of the things I listed were things Obama promised to honor on the campaign trail. People can apologize as much as they like - the bottom line is Obama as president looks nothing like the Obama he led people to believe he was while campaigning.

[emilyg]

97. +1

[leftofthedial]

94. I knew we were in for a right load of bullshit

the moment he chose Geithner et al for his economic team.

[QC]

102. Goolsbee running the economic side of his campaign was an earlier tip off.

The man is the DLC's chief economist, for heaven's sake, but there were picture threads here talking about how sexy he was and anyone who pointed out that he was a Friedmanite was accused of being a bitter PUMA.

All the signs were there early in the game that were were about to elect a photogenic Joe Lieberman, but people just wouldn't pay attention.

[Mark Twain Girl]

155. Oh heck yes, the Goolsbee thing was an early sign of things to come.

I never got the trashing of DLC types that let Goolsbee off the hook. That kind of thing was a red flag early on for me.

[QC]

157. And then there was the guy who says that Wal-Mart is a progressive success story--Jason Furman.

That should have been a tip off, too, but everyone was so caught up in those pretty speechsermons that they didn't seem to notice such details.

[Larry Ogg]

163. I knew we would be in for a right wing load of bullshit if Kucinich was not elected as President

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3463182&mesg_id=3465448

[leftofthedial]

214. it was pretty obvious that the corporate fix was in

when GE-NBC decided which candidates got to run

[scheming daemons]

96. Meh.

Trash.

[DefenseLawyer]

100. Pie-in-the-Sky Green Party Loons

Bless you hearts.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

105. NADER '12

THIS TIME WE COULD GET 4% IN FLORIDA!!!

:sarcasm:

[Ikonoklast]

144. IF WE TAKE MORE REPUBLICAN MONEY!!!!

THIS TIME WE JUST MIGHT BEAT MICKEY MOUSE AS A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE!!!!!!1111!!1

[leftstreet]

103. IT'S ONLY A FOUR YEAR ADMINISTRATION!!!

C'mon people, lighten up

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

106. Yeah, if I had known he would suck this bad.....

....I'd have voted for McCain/Palin. Gramps would have nuked Iran (or North Korea, or Russia, or Belgium, what year is it?) by now to touch off WW3, but I bet Sarah would have stripped to her unmentionables on live TV as a nice parting gift to us all.

:sarcasm:

[Vickers]

107. My taint salutes you!

:patriot:

[Raksha]

109. K & R

[Autonomy]

110. I like Obama

and would vote for him again. Twice.

[Name removed]

115. Deleted message

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

[Skittles]

119. heaven forbid the truth be told

[jotsy]

116. Such questions don't have easy answers

I wasn't surprised when the new president initiated his role as leader of all, not just there to do his supporters bidding, so I tried not to read too much into it. A number of decisions that have been made sense however are starting to stack up to what amounts to be serious doubt as to his ability or willingness to usher in the many changes true progress will require.

A clever DU member recently wrote that "we, not he, is the change we have been waiting for,". Don't wait.

We have to do more than make a decision once every four years to facilitate those changes. Buy local and be vocal. The bickering banter I've read as responses to this post speak to how far we have to go.

It's said nobody's perfect, I say perfection was never the intention, but harmony, the likely objective.

[Grinchie]

120. The US Government is like the Maddoff scheme...

If you question what they are doing, they tell you to Love it or Leave it. They will gladly show you to the door instead of actually answering the questions you may have about a sham economy, and a tax system that is so complicated, Bernia Maddoff himselfs couldn't have obscured it better than if he tried.

The Government is now so complex that nobody understand what the fuck is going on, and god forbid anybody would assume any responibility for the mess of 10 million laws that are on the books, but are only used when necessary to quash information and discontent.

It is truly amazing how Brazen Corporate America has become, and the people are growing tired of it.

I'm not going to bash Obama, because he has little to do with it. We are witnessing unchecked powers, and the mentality that people are to stupid to notice that the air they breathe is polluted, the water they drink also is used to take their excretions away somewhere, and is somehow treated before being discharged into the water sysytem for the neighbors downstream to drink, many times with pollutants still present.

People are too stupid to notice that animals won't touch GMO feed, but somehow believe that animals force fed GMO feed grant the same nutrition as a naturally grown animal. People are so stupid that they believe that just because an Apple looks good, it is the same as any other apple, when it is only skin deep, and is lacking the important nutrients that have been depleted from the soil 40 years ago.

We are ghosts of Humanity. Starved of Conscience, Conciousness and Nutrition.

My 85 year old mother related the story of how her new Ducklings wouldn't eat the GMO feed she bought by accident. Today, for the first time in her life, she declared Boycott on all this fake food we are inundated with, and has gone back to farming.

I'm with here, and I'm proud to see more an more people seeing that this illusion of goods and services is nothing more than an illusion.

The movement to self sufficiency has started, and the unraveling of the complex fraud that is the US Government is now underway. If nobody cooperates with the Government, the Govermnet loses its power, utterly and completely.

While people may call me a cop out, but the reality is that when you see a corrupt media system abused by either party, then we really don't have any freedom of speech. It's all manipulated for the benefit of the current control system. It is simply perfect in its power to shape opinion and steer masses of stupid people in a certain direction, but deep down, the people feel something is a bit off, and it loses its luster.

[CadenBlaker]

122. Well, IMHO..

I personally think all presidents regardless of ideology will be controlled by special interests. If not for any reason other than the lobbying they can do for their cause, as the AMA and others do, big oil, and other interests. Money and greed rule the US regardless of who's in charge.

What a god damned shame.

[tomm2thumbs]

123. but he is awake, so at least it isn't sleepy hollow

maybe we need to be talking to Biden - he might have some time to work on these issues. Hell, Cheney ran the country for 8 years.

[Jeep789]

126. Good Friggen Grief

We are at least talking about recovery and health care. If McCain had won, we'd be listening to Faux news talking about how soup lines were socialistic.

I don't find this kind of post the least bit helpful.

[struggle4progress]

127. The Meaning of Community Organizing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NElvLp4Oyr0&feature=related

[Dinger]

129. I'm Speechless (nt)

[bos1]

131. Bashing Obama is naive; I was naive once too (reposted)

Back in the day, I was excited when Bill Clinton was elected, relieved to see the Reagan/Bush era end, to have GHW Bush lose after one term, after living through the Iran-Contra and S&L scandals, the US waging illegal wars and supporting death squads in the Americas... generally, the incredible rise in militarism during that time.

When Clinton sent missiles into Iraq in his very first year in office, ostensibly over an assassination plot against GHW Bush that sounded as laughably bogus as it turned out to be, I pretty much threw in the towel on supporting Clinton. I felt that he was just another pro-military puppet.

Later, I came to understand that I had been naive. I learned more about what is possible in politics, and came to appreciate what the very imperfect Clinton achieved, such as an economic miracle in balancing the budget and reversing the first Bush deficits, some reductions in military spending, a general PR victory against the right wing lunacy that has so much power in the US. I saw that my "everything or nothing" view had been impulsive and immature. The installation into the White House by judicial fiat of GW Bush, and his vivid example of true warmongering and maliciousness, helped cement this view.

Nowadays, I appreciate the radical voices that want change right away, that want justice immediately, that can't stand compromise in the face of the evils concocted by US military corporate control of the system, by throwing soft drug users into prisons, by the appalling lack of national healthcare, by an administration that legitimized torture and waged a war that was one big war crime going unpunished -- another long list I don't need to go into.

But I also understand that Obama has already done incredibly good things after only a couple months in office. I understand he is up against a right wing PR onslaught that is more extreme than anything seen in four decades, at least. I really see him as very promising so far (stopping Gitmo trials, opening relations with Cuba, taking strong stands against torture, reversing the US image abroad in one fell swoop -- that list is long, too), and is in some ways a positive force just by being in office at this time, I will support him even through the decisions I don't appreciate, for the time being. At this point he's batting about 700, I'd say, which is great.

Don't be so quick to reject Obama if he fails our idealistic expectations on one or two issues or instances. Appreciate what we have, while fighting for what's right. That's all.

(reposted today)

[McCamy Taylor]

136. He became president. Everyone moves to the center (and he was the most centrist Dem candidate).

I find the Obama presidency to be exactly what was promised.

[snappyturtle]

137. K&R I find, almost daily, the changes I hoped to see obliterated.

I am 'upset' with the escalation into Afghanistan; the slowness of our withdrawal from Iraq and Guantanomo; the stagnant stench that is still hovering over don't ask, don't tell and FISA and habeas corpus; the bailout of the rich in the financial sector; ad infinitum. To pretend that I still have the raucous enthusiasm I had on inaugration day would be deceitful. My 'hope' has quickly diminished to a whisper.

This morning, mr.snappy said that if the President loses this battle for healthcare, meaning acquiring a policy at least close to single payer, he will never vote for a Democrat again. Can't say I disagree. The American taxpayers have footed the bills for corporate America whether it is the financial sector, defense, or healthcare (including drug companies), to name what I regard as the biggest three. We have sacrificed. Sacrifice dennotes a willingness to give up something for the better. Now, I look at past sacrifices as thefts and I no longer am willing to 'sacrifice' to those who hold the power and wealth anyway. This family no longer has the means or time to protest because we're scrambling to keep our heads above water. Now, it's OUR turn. Sorry to feel this way.

[redqueen]

142. 135 recs... *roffle*

Those who had held a dream in their hand closed their hand and crushed it.

Oh, the drama!

[jmowreader]

143. A thought from when I was still advocating for Hillary

Okay, think back to the primaries. I voted, in the primary election, for Hillary Clinton. There was no button for Brian Schweitzer, who at this juncture is still the best Democratic politician in America, so I chose Hillary. And I did it for one reason: Hillary has proven she won't take no shit.

I had the choice of Barack Obama but decided against him for one reason: I think he's too damn nice to be president. I had this weird feeling that all the Repuke bullshit was going to wear on him, and he would change to quiet it down. Unfortunately, he changed but it didn't quiet them down--if anything they've gotten worse.

[proReality]

145. K&R n/t

[sandyj999]

149. I may come across as jaded but I lowered my expectations a long time ago.

Politicians make promises and they are always stopped for one reason or another. It all sounded good but I'm not surprised at all.

[RBInMaine]

158. You are crying wolf after just six months. This is a silly and juvenile whine of a post.

[kestrel91316]

159. I note with some humor that none of the posts attacking Obama

in this thread appear to be names I recognize from the campaign, lol.

Didn't support him before......don't support him now. I'm so shocked.

[SOS]

161. We need FDR, we got Clinton.

and so it goes.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

168. Not as bad does not equal good.

[Echo In Light]

171. American politics = Wishful thinking

We're talking big time fantasy land here!

[zulchzulu]

170. I sent a Magic Wand to Obama that I bought from Amazon two months ago!

He must not have gotten it yet. Presto! Wave the wand! All the problems are gone! Woo hooooo!





:sarcasm:

[zulchzulu]

173. Galloway was trashing Obama BEFORE he was President, so q'uelle surprise!

http://www.caglepost.com/column/Joe+Galloway/101919/Its+Time+For+The+Change+We+Were+Promised.html

The guy is a fucking Repig stooge. I'm so glad so many DUers agree with this knucklehead.

:puke:

[Karmadillo]

180. Repig stooge? What happened to post-partisanship? And Galloway did say this about Bush:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/galloway/story/30234.html

<edit>

The next time that we Americans start thinking about maybe electing someone with no known talent, limited useful experience and an IQ that's barely equal to his body temperature, what say we just leave the presidency vacant and the White House shuttered for eight years or so?

more...

[Name removed]

174. Deleted message

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

[bighart]

175. I realized long ago

that a politician is a politician regardless of which side of the aisle they are from. By politician I mean those who say what sounds good and brings in the votes regardless of what they actually do, and sadly that is what most of those who represent us do. We need leaders, not politicians. I want a leader who leads on principal and not polls or political expediency. Short term pain in the polls and loss of political capitol should be an obstacle a true leader is willing to take on for a long term strategy that sets the nation on the best course for future prosperity, international good will and internal social justice.

[Starry Messenger]

183. It's funny.

This post is generating call-outs like crazy but I don't see any of those people in here refuting the premise. How...brave?

[Cal33]

184. I think we should be a little more patient. 5 months is a short

amount of time to deal with the mountains mess left behind by Bush, and also
work on his own asgenda at the same time. He is working hard. Nobody can
say that he is lazy. Wouldn't you agree?

It's also possible that Obama's approach is to gather as large a percentage as
possible of the people behind him. Don't forget, as a black man, the possiblity
of his being assassinated is considerably higher than if he were white. When
the numbers of his supporters become massive enough, would-be assassins would have
to think more than twice about doing it.

[MissDeeds]

194. Someone here recently posted

that "it's not the speed, it's the direction". That is what is worrying to many.

BTW - Welcome to DU

[question everything]

187. Who? A supposedly Democratic Congress

where individual members think more about headlines in their local papers and, of course, the next election that about the good of the country.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

191. ...and on Obama's watch

:wtf: is all I can say.

What a disappointment.

I wonder what Joe feels...

[SlingBlade]

195. Democrats must not be able to take us for granted

If for WHATEVER reason a Public Health Care Option such as single payer doesn't get passed

Democrats as a whole should pay the price
Where to go after that ?
If they have proved that they are nothing but Republican Lite Corporate whores then the
only option is for Progressives. Liberals and others to support a third party.

To do nothing and reward them for their treason makes us no better than the wild eyed
wing nuts who have watched their party leaders dangle abortion, gay rights and gun control
before their eye's to keep them in line.

Let the Democratic Leadership know that to sit on a public health care single payer plan is the
death sentence for their party. This and only this will get them to listen.

I will not waste another single vote on a Democrats if this does not come to reality

[nini]

198. IMPEACH HIS ASS NOW!

Why are we putting up with this asshole? The whole fucking world should be nirvana after 5 months!



















:sarcasm:

[Jester Messiah]

199. Such a load of frikin' BS

Sickening. Obama's got the freepers firing on him from the right and a faction of DU'ers firing on him from the left. This is how the GOP gets back into power.

grammatical edit

[JuniperLea]

201. Yep... this is their wedge...

They have been looking for it, and it was right under their nose. It is US!

[dionysus]

202. you almost get the feeling DU is jumping the shark with all the people who rec'ed that pile of dog

shit article
:(

[winyanstaz]

203. I voted for Obama with high hope for a change for the better for the people...

But by the time he got done appointing all the Bush and Clinton people I started to feel we were screwed already.
But I kept on hoping.
I don't see any change, I see more of Bush's policies and we are still marching toward a New World Order and off a cliff.
No this is not the Change we hoped for and it doesn't look like it's coming soon.
With the new laws about mandatory flu shots if there is an emergency declared and no move to tear down the camps and Blackwater still running around on American streets, it has gotten to the point I am worried for our citizens now.
By the way, since Blackwater worked for Cheney and Bush, are they still working for them or Obama now?

[BzaDem]

207. Some people won't be truly happy unless Cheney becomes president.

Such as everyone who recommended this thread.

At that point, the statements they make will actually be legitimate.