Thank You All.

[berni_mccoy]

I've seen several DUers, many who I've gone toe-to-toe with on these forums, come out proclaim they won't stand with the likes of Norquist and the Teabaggers. This restores my confidence in DU that we are really on the same side and though we might disagree on some issues and criticisms of the Obama administration, at least we can stand together. Thank you all. It is truly a great feeling to be part of the same community with you.

[rudy23]

1. I wish Obama worried as much about enabling Lieberman & Snowe as Rahmbots did about Norquist.

I'm not defending Norquist, but saying I wish Obama's defenders were equally disturbed by HIS pattern of enabling teabaggers and obstructionists from across the aisle.

It makes me think that Hamsher was onto something when she figured out that if Obama is going to use bipartisanship to hurt us, we can use it to strengthen OUR hand, too.

[Donnachaidh]

2. ahh here we go again -- black is white, up is down

You know, eventually you WILL have to wash the martyr shirt. Congratulations on passing the Rovian attack courses.

:eyes:

[Cary]

6. There's nothing inflammatory in Berni's post and yet you insist on. . .

finding it anyway.

Nor is Berni looking to be a martyr.

Instead of telling you the way you told Berni, I'll have the courtesy to ask you instead. What is it exactly that you're looking to be? Because for the life of me I don't understand what it might be.

[berni_mccoy]

12. This response makes me sad.

[Goldstein1984]

3. There's a difference between...

holding President Obama's feet to the fire and working against him.

One keeps him accountable; the other hurts us all.

Yes, that can be a fine line, and people on DU obviously disagree on where that line is.

Democracy is funny like that.

[derby378]

5. My sentiments exactly

Obama's a good man, and I hope his Presidency will be a success. But more than that, I want the average American to succeed.

[Goldstein1984]

8. There are really only four areas where I disagree with him.

And they overlap in the empire/human rights areas:

1) The war in Afghanistan/Pakistan (especially civilian casualties)

2) Human rights (especially his failure to break with Bush/Cheney policies)

3) Foreign policy related to Honduras/Columbia/Venezuela and Latin America in general

I was hoping for an end to empire and the doctrine of American Exceptionalism

[StarfarerBill]

10. Agreed, Goldstein; though I'd add: Entirely too much surrendering to the corporate/wealthy elite.

As for Norquist, he can go hang; I'll give up caring at all before I'd make common cause with the likes of him.

[bobbolink]

16. I was hoping that some "progressive" somewhere would include homelessness on one of these priority

lists.

I guess that is waaaay too much to "hope" for.

[monmouth]

4. And thank you berni for some of the best posts of the year on DU...n/t

[Bobbie Jo]

7. K&R

A Bridge Too Far....indeed.

[leftstreet]

9. You didn't mind embracing 'Teabaggers' when they voted for Obama

:eyes:

What's with the simplistic divisive bullshit?

Don't forget, Obama won over Republican and Independent voters to give him a fairly sweeping mandate for Hope and Change. If some people are disappointed, deal with it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. You didn't mind embracing the Germans when they bombed Pearl Harbor.

:crazy:

[berni_mccoy]

13. By definition, Teabaggers didn't vote for Obama.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

14. The people that call Obama a "lying African" and a secret Muslim voted for Obama?

That's news to me.

[That Is Quite Enough]

15. Truckin' a! Right on. K/R

[TheKentuckian]

17. Yeah bro, I'm light years away from dealing with garbage like Norquist

and have no desire to bring down the President. I'm just not going to sit silent for horrible policy, further integration of the corporations into (or over) our government, or setting up the nation for failure.

Wrong is wrong whether it is our guys or the Confederates but I'm not going anywhere, I intend to do whatever I can to make our lot as a people better and still figure the sane wing of the corporate party has better odds of getting its head on straight than the batshit/theocrat wing.

[PufPuf23]

18. Obama is closer in policy to Norquist than I

Case in point is the HCR to date. Mandates to purchase from for profit corporations enforced by the IRS is blatantly fascist.

I am a life time anti-war for Empire or Ideology and pro-New Deal/Great Society /Civil Rights Democrat.

I was an undergrad at Cal under Reagan as Guv and quit a federal professional career after 16 years when Reagan was POTUS.

I am not a neo-liberal that differ little from neo-cons in terms policies on foreign relations, economics, or civil rights.

These similar ideologies are why we are losing and/or having disproportionate application of the rule of law that maintains civilization within our country and in the world.

I will vote for Obama in 2012 unless he is primaried or has the character to step aside.

I was the most excited about Obama's election than any polititian in my lifetime so don't give me shit.