Obama's Nobel Prize: predict the leftwing response

[BumRushDaShow]

I tried but certainly didn't expect the outright vitriol that has been unleashed. DU is rapidly becoming no different than Freeperville.

[Lilyeye]

1. You got that right.

I knew that some of them lost it when I saw people agreeing (with some repuke jackass) that he only won because his black and not Bush.

[Toasterlad]

26. He Definitely Got It Right

Same blind loyalty to "our guy", no matter what he does. That's what the Freepers do.

[Sabriel]

2. How can he get the NP when we're still stuck in Iraqistan?

If being dissatisfied with our continuing civilian-killing makes me a Freeper, then I say, "Go right ahead and cast asparagus!"

[BumRushDaShow]

13. What about Congress?

The President is not a dictator.

Congress can defund this shit RIGHT NOW. They are a "separate branch" in our supposed "tricameral" form of government. When they had finally had enough of Viet Nam, they defunded it. When they had had enough with Raygun's Beirut nonsense that resulted in the death of hundreds of soldiers, they defunded it.

But when Obama tries to close GITMO, Congress can't seem to find the balls or money to close it. And like beheaded chickens, the run around screaming about "not in my backyard" despite the fact that dozens of hardened domestic terrorists sit in supermax prisons "in their backyards".

So many on this board refuse to hold Congress accountable.

[izzybeans]

3. Some of the responses are identical.

[janedum]

4. STOP Hate Radio

Tell Congress to reverse the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. And the unrec fairy is up and running this morning.

How sad is this?

Can one think that for those who believe we should be out of Iraq and Afghanistan (and Japan and Germany and Korea and Senegal and every in between), that this is also an impetus to move towards that direction?

The biggest world destabilizer is moving towards halting that type of practice.

[MrModerate]

6. I think a lot of people will consider it premature. That's not exactly vitriolic . . .

But it is a theme I see emerging. It's also true that we are still mired in two wars and no magic wand is going to solve them. Obama's wand hasn't yet.

OTOH, if you want solid achievement, I think you can make the case that the change in international attitudes -- fruit production notwithstanding -- is profound and a substantial power for good. So what if he did it through "mere" speeches (not true, IMO, but something that's being said)? If speeches do the trick, then let's have more.

Does anyone remember what Churchill achieved "just" with speeches?

[BumRushDaShow]

12. Obama has also cancelled the bullshit "shield"

We were trying to get the hell out the "Cold War" mentality before Chimp and Darth started attempting to FORCE some idiotic weapons systems all along the Russian border (Poland, etc). The result? Russia started rearing up (rightfully) and threatening again.

THAT crap is now DEAD thanks to President Obama.

I and many others grew up during the Cold War and the duck and cover and the "We're a few minutes from doomsday" (per the clock) and other nonsense. By preparing for the START I renewal, Obama is also trying to expand it. The date to implement comes around December 5, 2009. Any effort to reduce stocks of nukes can only make it better.

[PATRICK]

7. Insofar

as the left wants a more perfect peacemaking it is at least factually and ideally legitimate even though the award awards simple motion away from worse and progress rather than purity and total success. If, on the other hand, such sourness leads to a real parallel fringe with the destroyers of hope and purveyors of no options, then they are opting put of the reality the majority of the planet longs for.

[DainBramaged]

8. DU, if you don't ask their permission, they throw shit

What a clown party we have become.......

[HamdenRice]

9. I significant chunk of DU is indeed Freeperville of the left

[Odin2005]

36. They think this is Trotskyite Underground!

:crazy:

[stray cat]

10. The left and the right seem to come full circle and are identical in their irrational hatred

DU is often the left version of Free Republic

[YOY]

11. Define "leftwing" because most of the "FReeplike" behavior here is not from "the left"

"Moreso from so called "moderates".

[BumRushDaShow]

14. So does that make them "L-WINOs"?

(sorry, I couldn't resist the acronym and pun) :rofl:

[BlueMTexpat]

15. I believe that the prize committee's statement speaks for itself.

Yes, I was stunned too at first, only because he is so young and still relatively new to the Presidency. But from the perspective of the committee, following their reasoning, and based on the unprecedented and unparalleled enthusiasm and yes, hope, that he has inspired in citizens from around the world (I see this daily), as well as his meaningful commitments towards peace and the use of diplomacy and international institutions to resolve conflict, he is certainly a proper recipient.

This award will also, hopefully, inspire and encourage him in his Bully Pulpit as the Leader of the most powerful nation on earth ... and we are that still ... to continue to use that Bully Pulpit for peace and the advancement of humanity in general.
Yes, there are still two wars (leftovers from the FUBAR previous administration) and yes, there are war criminals for whom we still need an accounting (also leftovers) and yes, there is the real problem of closing Gitmo ... and so many other problems ... all leftovers from *Co. But even in these areas, events are generally proceeding in the right direction.

And if Obama continues to prevent what would already have been a war with Iran by now had his opponent won last November, that in itself would be worth this prize, IMO.

[crispini]

16. I'm a leftie and I'm happy.

He has done a lot internationally that is great!

[HamdenRice]

17. Democracy Now is trashing his win right now nt

[Kaylee]

18. Fucking crazy....

:wtf:

[BumRushDaShow]

19. That's a bit unexpected.

I hope these folks take some time to analyze the rationale for this.

[get the red out]

29. Knee-jerk discontents

I am tired of people that expect miracles instead of work from this administration.

[Fumesucker]

20. When did the Freeps criticize bushie?

:shrug:

I don't remember that at all..

[BumRushDaShow]

21. During the election

when they were drooling over Caribou Barbie.

[Fumesucker]

27. So you are saying...

When they found someone even more ignorant, extreme and stupid..

Then they found something to criticize?

It only took 'em eight years.

[BumRushDaShow]

28. That is how they are

Shrub always had the gold spoon in his mouth. Poppy had the silver spoon. Bible Spice had... well what just came to mind to write is just crude. :rofl:

[NewJeffCT]

52. He was criticized for not being conservative enough

and, for being too willing to compromise with Democrats.

I am not kidding, either.

[Fumesucker]

54. Eight months into his reign?

I don't remember that.

[NewJeffCT]

58. Until 9/11

Bush's poll numbers were sinking quite rapidly...

But, the post I was responding to didn't qualify their response by limiting it to only 8 months into Bush's 1st term.

[AllentownJake]

22. I don't understand why he got the award

but I'm not angry or anything.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. It was for his work BEFORE February 1

as I understand. The year that he ran for election. I just read that the nominations had to be in before Feb 1, 2009.

I mean, people could ask, what did Mother Theresa or MLK or even Al Gore "do" if the litmus test according to DU is supposedly "ending a war"? NONE of them had any "power" to do such yet they were universally admired for their efforts to bring about peace in whatever manner that they could.

[AllentownJake]

25. Yea....

But Mother Theresa, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter all had a lifetime of doing things. Like I said, I'm not angry about it I'm just confused as to what he did to deserve such an award, and I'm a big fan of his foreign policy.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. So because Obama's "lifetime"

where as a young adult, he spent time as a "community organizer" and state legislator and Constitutional law teacher - giving up a lucrative law practice as Editor of the Harvard Review for example to do these things - isn't as long a "lifetime" as others, than this somehow disqualifies him?

When the racist fucks were hurling Jeremiah Wright at him 24/7 - he took time from the trail to spell out a vision for this nation a couple blocks from Independence Hall.

From the scores of leadership training courses that I've taken over the past 3 decades, "leaders" were essentially defined as "visionaries" who attempted to guide the followers towards some (hopefully) notable goal. This President has been trying to do that and started doing it from the time that he "woke up" as a young adult some 2 decades ago.

[AllentownJake]

31. Sorry not buying that argument

and I worked on the campaign from February 2008 to November 4 2008.

The speech on Race was a campaign necessity. I know I was there, in the trenches fighting. He needed to do that speech out of political necessity. It was a great speech and it communicated a great message but we were getting killed out there.

Jimmy Carter and Al Gore both have similar backgrounds of service and leadership. Same thing can be said about Bill Clinton.

I think his change in US Foreign policy has been a good thing, that being said, I don't know after 1 month in office he deserved the consideration for the Peace Prize.

[BumRushDaShow]

33. And what about Martin Luther King?

Based on the critiques here on DU, MLK should NEVER have received any Nobel prize.

MLK "made speeches" and marched in marches. He was assassinated at what age? 39! He never made it to Obama's age and when he got the Nobel he was 35 years old. A man who was almost universally VILIFIED in this country - both from the right and the left. I remember having an assembly in school with a memorial service after he died and they used a print of him that my mother had recently bought and donated since no one had anything to use to commemorate him at the school.

Obama has more power than MLK had or ever could have had, to actually "make it so".

I think we forget how powerful this country is when it comes to impacting - both negative and positive - the world. We are waning in that impact but we still pack a punch and IMHO, for the world's sake since we are in a world-wide depression and teetering on yet another world war, that this is the "carrot" to encourage him and this country to do more to end the destabilization.

I think this is so sad that we are so blinded by our narrow-mindedness and litmus tests that we miss the forest for the trees.

[AllentownJake]

37. MLK went to jail a few times

Marched with people as dogs and fire hoses were being released on them. President Obama is a political leader, MLK is something else. When he got the award, he had been doing his work for 10 years?

I'm fine with him getting the award, I just think it is premature to give any US President an award for peace 9 months into their Presidency. If he had ended both wars in 9 months, yeah that is amazing he deserves the award. However, like I said, I'm not angry and I don't really care, I just think it is totally premature.

[BumRushDaShow]

38. So being arrested is another criteria?

(and as a side note, I am not attacking you)

Obama spent just as much time organizing churches on the South Side of Chicago, going to law school, and coming BACK to the community to practice Civil Rights law for the benefit of those same people. In essence, he combines the public persona of a King with the private and legal persona of a Thurgood Marshall - all for the same goal. And now having the bully pulpit and the power of the office, he can do so much more than any previous. Plus having the background that he does, including having lived overseas, he has the empathy "for people" that is present throughout past winners.

[AllentownJake]

40. I know his biography

I campaigned for him for 9 months on a daily basis.

My argument isn't that President Obama will never deserve a peace prize if he continues to do what he's doing internationally. I just think it is premature. It's an opinion and no amount of telling me what he's done in his life (because being a leader of the volunteers during his campaign I know) is going to convince me this was earned after 9 months of leadership.

[BumRushDaShow]

43. But it wasn't based on his "9 months of leadership"

It was based on what he did the YEAR BEFORE (2008) he was elected.

[AllentownJake]

44. Well that makes it even dumber

[BumRushDaShow]

53. That's what was done with MLK

What had he really done before the 1963 march on Washington & the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"? He won the prize in 1964.

Most of his influence came AFTERWARDS with the Selma march, boycotts, and his gradual shift towards anti-Viet Nam and planning the march for poor people. It basically pushed him to do more.

[AllentownJake]

57. We can argue about this all day

MLK began his national exposure in 1955. In addition MLK is a social change leader, he was not a political leader (I.E someone running for office) I still think it is very premature, and my guess knowing what I know from people who worked for the President on the campaign. President Obama probably thinks this is premature as well.

[BumRushDaShow]

65. You are right we can argue

and agree to disagree.

If you don't think that Obama's campaign and then win as the President of the U.S. isn't enough of a criteria to be considered a "social change leader" - which he is by the way, among so many dispossessed in the Black community and even many in poor communities (given his mother's background as a teen mother) then that is sad. We in the Black community see him completely differently.

And of course ANY recipient of such would consider the award as "premature" - unless the award is given posthumously.

[TxRider]

39. It says more about who else was in the running to me

Not a lot of big peacemakers out there this year...

But come on, even Arafat won a peace prize. It's not like it means much these days.


Obama has done a lot of work on nuclear proliferation.

[BumRushDaShow]

41. Apparently there were a record number of nominations

which may be why they looked towards the one who has the most "power" to bring about peace and at least has the empathy that has been missing from so many in this country.

[Mimosa]

45. Too soon

We do not know what Obama will accomplish. Giving him this prize before he has really accomplished anything is ridiculous and it will not HELP OBAMA. I bet he knows it.

[AllentownJake]

47. If I were him I'd not be happy about this

I'd want to get the award later in my Presidency for the work I had done.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

48. I doubt his is. There has been no comment from the WH and I think this is why.

[AllentownJake]

49. I disagree with some of his policies

but I know people who worked for him and he is a good guy. This type of thing is not something from what I've heard about his character that he would like.

[WeDidIt]

51. MLK won in '64

before much of his agenda had a real effect in this nation and not much of his agenda at all had any effect outside this nation.

[AllentownJake]

59. You can't compare a civil rights leader

to a political leader. Martin Luther King had no power to enact the change he was looking for.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

42. That's where I stand. I'm just...confused.

[BlooInBloo]

23. Guaranteed: DUers' whine about it will compete with FR, LGF, or anywhere else.

[shadowknows69]

32. The left wing used to be the backbone of this site during the Bush years

Some of just haven't sold out to total party obedience, sorry. That's the Republican way.

[Orsino]

63. And it was easy to find unity then. Bush gave us plenty that we could all oppose.

I find it beautiful, to an extent, that all this change gives us the luxury of more (and more vigorous) disagreement.

[davidpdx]

34. I think this pretty much sums up half of the shit you hear on here

Obama=Bush or Obama=warmonger

So it leads be to believe those who are still here and don't like him are pretty unhappy he won.

[Odin2005]

35. Crazies are crazies not matter what side they are on.

last summer I took a peek at some Communist and Anarchist sites and the anti-Obama vitriol was just bizarre and disgusting, people calling him a "house slave" and similar things.

[shadowknows69]

46. This is just flamebait. So the left wing isn't allowed under the big tent anymore?

[YOY]

50. Just not us crazies who want crazy commie shit like single-payer medicine and equal rights for all.

Apparently, we are demoted to the status of the hooting jack holes of the right who have no real ground to stand on as they hurl their crazy-ass racist and igorant insults.

Cause for wanting those thing....wow...we're just the extremest of extremes!

[BumRushDaShow]

56. This was an identical but "reverse" titled thread to an earlier one

that used the term "rightwing". This was in reaction to the sad hatefest.

Not sure where that other thread is...

[AllentownJake]

60. I really don't see a sad hatefest

The announcement of his winning has 303 recommendations.

[BumRushDaShow]

66. That's on LBN though

if I'm not mistaken. Things are a bit different in GD. :crazy:

[AllentownJake]

68. My response

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6735154&mesg_id=6735154

[redqueen]

55. I'm thinking some people have reading comprehension problems.

"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"

It's glaringly fucking obvious that it's not for his success in ending wars, or whatever the fuck other stuff the tiresome complainers are using as an excuse to complain, yet again.

[shadowknows69]

62. It's not the point. Lipstick on a pig is lipstick on a pig.

There are thousands of people every day through their actions, not fancy speeches, try "to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". By that criterion shouldn't the honor go to Secretary of State Clinton? She is our top diplomat after all.

[redqueen]

64. The "fancy speeches" inspire hope in more people.

More people in more countries with a more positive outlook seems to be a big deal to some folks.

Real sorry that that bothers you, but there it is.

[fishwax]

61. lol -- equally as funny as people using the NPP to bash Obama is people using it to bash the left

:rofl:

On edit: I'm on the left, and I'm happy for the guy. :shrug:

[BumRushDaShow]

67. I am glad that you and many on the left are happy

:hug:

But there seems to be others around here who call themselves "left" but have no empathy at all.