I'd like to thank the Obama voters who stayed home last November.

[onehandle]

Hope that afternoon of hacky sack, two for ones at Starbucks, new t-shirt day at Urban Outfitters or whatever you were doing was worth it.

[msongs]

1. they appreciate your thanks but are not responsible for choices made by obama nt

[onehandle]

6. The only thing between the events of then and now was the House standing in the way.

The best we can look forward to is regaining the House and shutting down the insanity.

[mzmolly]

9. They are partly responsible for the fact that Obama has to negotiate with an

insane house.

[LaydeeBug]

15. Not so! When we had all three, he wanted super majorities. This is what he wants

plain and simple. He is NOT liberal. He never pretended to be.

[mzmolly]

16. He didn't "want" super-majorities, he needed them.

Lieberman is not a Democrat and it only takes one senator to filibuster, remember?

[mitchtv]

42. they could have changed the filibuster rule

back when, but they didn't, wimps

[Tx4obama]

17. There is a reason we HAVE TO HAVE a super-majority in the Senate.

Fact: Senator Franken was not sworn in until July 2009, and Senator Kennedy died August 2009.
That means the that democrats had 60 democrats in the Senate for a TOTAL OF 49 DAYS in the Senate since the day Obama was sworn in. The majority of those days Senator Kennedy was unable to come to the Senate floor due to the fact he was at home on his death bed.

It takes 60 votes to invoke cloture on all the bills in the Senate that the GOP is obstructing.

So, when you say we 'had all three', you left out the fact that we had filibuster-proof Senate for ONLY a total of 49 DAYS.

[mzmolly]

18. Not to mention

Joe Lieberman.

Nice summary. Thanks :hi:

[Hippo_Tron]

27. Senator Kennedy was replaced by a democrat betweeen August 2009 and January 2010

When Scott Brown was sworn in. But yes I agree that in general the Senate is a fucking ridiculous institution and it's impossible to govern when you have a required supermajority to get anything done.

[LaydeeBug]

40. FACT: George W Bush only needed 50 + Darth Cheney. Obama? Not so much. nt

[roguevalley]

19. what the hell? Who stayed home? I love these sort of threads where

people wing shit out there without linked proof just to kick people in the teeth. Nice.

[Cali_Democrat]

This actually goes back to the Bush tax cut extension deal between Obama and the Republicans.

That's when credit rating agencies were warning about potential future downgrades because of the lack of tax revenue.

When the recent debt deal contained no provisions for revenue, the downgrade became inevitable.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x564076

BTW, the tax cut deal happened before the Teabagger House was sworn in.

[Empowerer]

12. Why didn't the House Dems do something about the tax cuts before the election?

Hell, they wouldn't even RUN on the issue. They stayed as far away from it as they could and then jumped all over the President when he cut a deal in the lame duck session because he knew it would be even worse once the Republican House was sworn in.

I really don't understand why the House and Senate Democrats are getting a free pass around here while so much hate and blame are being heaped on the President.

[Tx4obama]

20. See comment #17.

We didn't have the 60 votes needed in the Senate to overcome a GOP filibuster.

[Empowerer]

28. I agree with you - so why is the President getting slammed for not doing what the Senate Dems

couldn't do?

[Cali_Democrat]

24. All Obama had to do was nothing

and he couldn't even do that.

[Empowerer]

29. And had he done nothing, workers would not have gotten their unemployment benefits extended

But at least he would have made his point, eh?

[Cali_Democrat]

31. Republicans would have eventually caved on unemployment benefits

Just like they would have caved on a clean debt ceiling increase.

The problem is that Obama is a poor negotiator and he ends up giving them everything they want while he gets crumbs.

Then they pin the economic problems on Obama even though they are Republican policies. The problem is that Obama goes along with the madness.

[Stardust]

46. Everyone conveniently forgets that. So frustrating...nt

[muffin1]

2. Thank Obama and the Blue Dogs, primarily.

Then go on to thank the AA vote, as well as the youth vote.

[craigmatic]

5. The AA voters turned out. I saw it happen.

[mzmolly]

10. I'd rather be dealing with blue dogs than

just plain, dogs.

[primavera]

35. Oh, that would be a mistake

Plain dogs are extremely loyal creatures.

[jenmito]

3. Yup-starting with Ed Schultz. n/t

[BadGimp]

4. i could not agree more

bunch of low information whinny dummbasses with an entirely too high level of self importance

Thanks you fucking AssClowns!!!

sorry I needed to vent..

[jefferson_dem]

7. And the serial whiners who recommend voters stay at home ... or waste their support

on some loser third party candidate ... next November. You officially suck.

[onehandle]

8. +1 nt

[CakeGrrl]

11. Courtesy of Ed Schultz. Nice going, Ed!

I have a mind of my own. I vote because it's a privilege to do so.

[polichick]

13. While I understand their frustration, not voting isn't the answer...

imo voting is a responsibility, so I drag my ass to the polls no matter what.

I hope people turn out in 2012 - especially since Republicans are trying to suppress the vote in a big way.

[CakeGrrl]

14. Let's not forget PUMAs and 3rd-pary voters. No reason to pin it all on "Obama voters".

[Bluenorthwest]

21. Some States had record breaking turnout, as we did in Oregon

So, you know, while you all bicker over how to properly bow to leadership, some of us just got the job done. Of course you can not win while on your knees.

[graywarrior]

22. No shit!

[Safetykitten]

23. I would like to thank our behind the curve President that inspired so many with his...

whatever you may want to call it, thus making people SOOOOOO excited about the election you say is our fault.

[FrenchieCat]

25. If the President has to excite you to vote for your own protection

that means some folks are missing a brain!

He's not a boyfriend, daddy, messiah, Rock Star or miracle worker....

[Safetykitten]

26. Apparently he cannot excite his base now either if he was all those.

[mitchtv]

44. nor does he give a shit

we have nowhere to go, is the constant refrain.He wasted his time running from his base to some who will never vote for him.

[jefferson_dem]

30. What do you want...

The President to throw a "get out the vote" party just for you ... so that you will actually feel appreicated and understand what's at stake?

[Dad Infinitum]

36. It's the compromises

Independents do not like a weak president. Compromise when bold action is needed sends independents headed for the hills.

[last_texas_dem]

32. 70 House seats and a half-dozen Senate seats throughout the country

would have swung the other way if some elusive army of hipster stereotypes who-turned-out-in-2008-but-didn't-in-2010-just-to-spite-Obama just would have shown up?

What a profoundly ignorant post.

[donna123]

33. why is the south so toxic

From the civil war to the civil rights movement to now. They are such a drag on this country. Isn't it true that southern states contribute less to the federal govt and yet these states get more money in return. WHY? Most of them hate govt, right? So why should they get my money since I dont' live in the south? Why does any Repub/tea partier work for either the federal or state or country or city govt? They shouldn't, if they are as principled and ideological as they say. Any repub/tea partier that gets a pension or social security or medicare should refuse it since that's socialism. This is ridiculous. A truly dem controlled congress should move all the govt projects in the south to other states in the NE and west and see if the south can survive without govt help. Freakin hypocrites and nutjobs.

[Dad Infinitum]

34. Obama voters didn't stay home last November

BUT independents did. Independents don't particularly like a weak president, one who compromises everything away rather than taking bold action.

[rury]

37. Yep...thanks for staying home in the name of juvenile,

unrealistic "purity" and enabling the f$%^ing Tea Party!
You cut President Obama's legs out from under him and then bitch and moan when he has to compromise with irrational bigots!

[krispos42]

38. You can if you want to

I would tend to want to thank the elected Democrats that, as a group, capitulated to the wealthy interests, then ran away from their achievements last summer before the election.

Can they really expect the Democratic voters to turn out in huge numbers when the elected Dems ran away from things like the health-care reform they passed?



Citizens United had something to do with it, as well.

[mitchtv]

45. but it's easier to blame liberals

you know, those that brought him to the dance,

[great white snark]

39. If there were any in Wisconsin they should be stripped of their Dem creds.

What hath ye wrought?

[ellie]

41. They sure showed 'em!

Bunch of idiots.

[MrsCorleone]

43. Yes, a big thanks to those that stayed home in protest & to the woefully naive (or sold out) Left

in the media (the "Professional Left") for discouraging voters, taking away President Obama's ability to get progressive bills through Congress.

Thanks for giving all the House committees back to the Republicans. Americans are suffering as the Republicans refuse to allow Progressive bills to advance to the floor now.

Hope the childish temper tantrums were worthwhile.

[mitchtv]

47. we won in Calif`

blame the independents , not the libs who voted, besides the dems need to stand for something, not waffle on everything. Time to take responsiblity for a cowardly , humiliating performance

[Dawson Leery]

48. Foolishly taking their anger/disappointment with Obama out on

people such as Russ Feingold was and still is unacceptable.