Some here say he "caved". Some say his options were extremely limited.

[CatWoman]

Some say he had to deal with the hand he was dealt. and then some say he's the Devil's concubine.

Whatever.

But what we are seeing here is that the more reasonable and conciliatory he looked, the more crazy and out of control THEY looked.

And people noticed.

[HipChick]

1. K&R before the obligatory Obama haters get here..

We have no idea what he ACTUALLY had to deal with behind closed doors..

[Fantastic Anarchist]

7. Why is criticism of Obama misconstrued as hate? n/t

[villager]

10. The rigidity of the unquestioningly faithful? As to the OP, let's hope people did notice

...and they take that notice to the ballot box next time.

The next big step will be to get Democrats to act like they're an actual alternative to the crazy corporatists. ("we're the reasonable corporatists! We forfeit your futures in a happier way!")

[CatWoman]

13. when given lemons

I make lemonade.

[Liberal Veteran]

17. Appeaser! You should make cancer curing lemon meringue pie!!!!

:P

[villager]

21. I hear ya. Then we can open lemon aid stands (selling for "barter," in this economy, of course! )

;-)

[shugah]

45. +1

what else can one do?

[StarsInHerHair]

46. what do you do when given poison?

[CatWoman]

54. start threads such as this

[Liberal Veteran]

64. Ow. That had to hurt a bit. - Great answer there, CW!!!

:yourock:

[CatWoman]

66. ....

:hi:

[Liberal Veteran]

16. There is a pretty distinct line between "criticism" and "demonizing".

A couple of people wouldn't say something nice about Obama if their lives depended on it. The best analogy would be a toxic parent who can say never bring themselves to praise their child no matter what.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

18. The opposite side of that is continuously being disappointed by that child. n/t

Edit: spelling.

[cherokeeprogressive]

57. He's a very handsome man who is more than convincing when he speaks.

Is that positive enough for you?

[Liberal Veteran]

65. Not even close.

I'd toss that into "Saying something without saying anything of substance."

[HipChick]

25. I think there is distinction between criticism and outward hate

..sometimes I think I've landed on freeperville when I've seen some of the things posted....

[CatWoman]

27. as Meatloaf so famously sang

you took the words right out of my mouth

[Liberal Veteran]

29. I can't disagree with that assessment.

+1000

[cherokeeprogressive]

60. I would greatly appreciate your giving an example of when something was posted as "criticism"

that you construed as "hate".

Example?

[TheWraith]

30. When people insist on bashing him based on factually false reasons...

Hate is really the only answer. Like the persistent belief that there are cuts to Social Security or Medicare in the deal, when there aren't.

[Fire1]

33. Lack of nutrition causes neurons to cease firing. n/t

[Liberal Veteran]

34. What I found interesting was "If he doesn't hold the line SocSec and Medicare" we should dump him.

He holds the line and signs a deal without cuts to those programs and he still got called a traitor to the party.

[TheWraith]

35. The entire Obama-bashing meme depends on moving goalposts.

One of those goalposts being to end the "imperial presidency," which was once argued by the same people who now say he should create a new presidential power to raise the debt ceiling, rewrite federal law by executive order, and do things Congress has explicitly banned.

[Creideiki]

38. Seriously. You're going to blame actual Democrats of moving goalposts?

Really?

That's the hill you want to die on?

[TheWraith]

39. Your sarcasm doesn't change the facts.

Like that despite massive opposition--opposition which as Jimmy Carter pointed out is completely unprecedented in modern political history--Obama has kept more than 147 of his campaign promises, and failed on less than a third of that number, most of which he was blocked on by Congress.

[Creideiki]

43. So Congress is forcing warrantless wiretapping?

And indefinite detention?

And extraordinary rendition?

Sure, I know Obama made good on his promise to make his bed and find a puppy for his daughters. Yippee! However, on Civil Rights and on sunshine being a disinfectant and other really important things...well, let's just say that when you move those goalposts, it's enlightening.

[Number23]

44. Exactly. And the people doing it have no shame whatsoever

I saw thread after thread after thread BLANKETING this place calling for his impeachment if SS or Medicare cuts were on the table. People saying this was the "last straw" and that they would never be able to support him again if SS or Medicare were touched.

Not only were these programs not touched, the Bush tax cuts (that so many screamed were the "Other Last Straw") will be allowed to expire and there were huge cuts to defense. And yet, the SAME PEOPLE are still wandering around this site calling him a sellout, saying that he "caved" and moving those goal posts so far they are now out of the damn stadium and half way down the damn street. How could the man, how could anyone NOT fail when the criteria for "success" changes so often and so arbitrarily?

[roamer65]

40. Sadly, I think I've found the reason I'll vote for him again.

The RW freaks hate him so damn much I want to give them 4 more years of him.

Consider it payback for the 4 extra years of the Dimwit, you RW numbskulls.

[azul]

48. We were punished, and now its their turn.

Never thought of it that way. Thanks roamer65.

[Ikonoklast]

58. Read the actual words used.

They are not terms of endearment, or is it actual criticism.

It is direct and cannot be 'misconstrued'.

The Right uses similar language in its 'criticism' of Mr. Obama.

[JuniperLea]

59. Misconstrued?

Are you saying there is zero hate here in this regard?

It appears like hate when the goalposts move and the "criticism" becomes so contrived and weak... over and over again... it's sickening.

[polmaven]

67. There is nothing misconstrued!

For a good chunk of people here there is nothing this president could do which would please them...nothing! All of the good things he has done are ignored. Those things are on the dreaded LIST, which is never to be posted. There are posts and threads which go far beyond mere criticism.

[cherokeeprogressive]

56. Neither do you know. And, I gladly unrec this post based on your subject line alone.

That's how I roll.

[Rex]

61. Same. Seems like some DUrs MUST

hang around on DU for the 'Obama haters' to show up...so they can correct them and feel better about life!

How fucking sad is that? Yeah I know, not sad...pathetic.

[MadMaddie]

2. The world noticed that too and the world is calling out the Repugs

[Richardo]

3. K&R

:patriot:

[Tennessee Gal]

4. Good point. They definitely look crazy and out of control.

To us they do and apparently to the vast majority of Americans as Congress has a historically low approval rating.

[patrice]

5. I think the whole thing is more transparent now & that's an improvement.

[Enrique]

6. so what's he going to do with the political advantage he gained?

more tax cuts? Free trade deals? Deregulation?

[chill_wind]

20. Whatever the Republicans want,

because he's not going to get any more stimulus. And maybe he never was, but it's a total certainty now.

But if symbolic victory is all we seem to be after, he could have made them look like real the bastards they are a LOT earlier in the game- before 2010 by forcing them out to the voters again on JOBS/stimulus. He decided he couldn't go back to that well a second time, but he should have, and could have used it on them big.

Now we get to wait until 2012 to throw a bunch of them them out.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1679675

[existentialist]

8. from Doonesbarie's mudline

Josh Marshall on debt ceiling crisis: “At some level it's a game of chicken…But to really get what's going on you've got to understand one key point: one of the two cars doesn't have a driver in it.”

[johnaries]

9. Excellent point! KNR

[Whisp]

11. true. but CNN and the rest are bundling Obama in with the crazies.

calling him a spoiled child basically, because it's the baggers and Pugs are stomping their feet.

but that's their job, to lie, twist and fabricate.

[CatWoman]

15. let's see what other media does

[L0oniX]

12. His hands weren't tied for 2 years ...what did he do then?

[CatWoman]

14. I can only deal with the here and now

[Liberal Veteran]

23. He certainly attempted a few great things and was met with disdain from his own side.

Off the top of my head, we spent about a year on health care reform and the blue dogs in our own party threw a tantrum. Same with trying to close Guantanamo Bay.

[CatWoman]

26. facts have a liberal bias

did you know that?

[azul]

49. Facts is facts. Science. Physical universe.

The truth is where we get to go a little wobbly, and a bias may be discovered.

[StarsInHerHair]

47. & when Congress failed to close it he should have gone on tv & gave the orders

to stand down all operations, there &Abu Ghraib, etc. There's more than 1 way to get things done

[LetTimmySmoke]

19. And he has now boxed himself in and invited more of the same.

That would be fine if he were to magically stand up to the next one, but I highly doubt that. When the GOP holds the FAA, a government shutdown, and unemployment benefits hostage, he'll cave then too. That's why S&P reversed its assumption on the bush tax cuts.

[CatWoman]

24. I saw that crazy ass thread of yours

I hear you knocking, but you can't come in

[onehandle]

22. I hope so. 2012 will tell us for sure.

He'd better have coattails for the House. Or we will be seeing 5+ more years of this.

[blkmusclmachine]

28. This isn't more of that "11-Dimensional Chess," is it?

Or "rope-a-dope" whatever. All spectacular FAIL.

[CatWoman]

31. yes

to counter 12th dimensional stupidity

[NYC_SKP]

37. Perfect.

Sadly, however, the latter group does pretty well by sheer number.

:thumbsup:

[creon]

32. True

I agree

[Lionessa]

36. They look out of control, he looks like a doormat. I've seen this

sort of thing with parents, calm and cool, and children out of control. I don't gain any respect for the parents because they are calm and cool as that IS NOT the proper way to handle out of control.

[Fearless]

41. Who are these "they"... the Tea Party? DUer's?

[Odin2005]

42. If a real Progressive was president he/she would be INC ITING anti-corporate activism...

...with the bully pulpit. Obama is dissing activists, instead.

[XemaSab]

50. From the NYTimes:

"Those were the shoes — that was the historic role — that Americans elected Barack Obama to fill. The president is fond of referring to “the arc of history,” paraphrasing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous statement that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” But with his deep-seated aversion to conflict and his profound failure to understand bully dynamics — in which conciliation is always the wrong course of action, because bullies perceive it as weakness and just punch harder the next time — he has broken that arc and has likely bent it backward for at least a generation."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/opinion/sunday/what-happened-to-obamas-passion.html

[MilesColtrane]

51. Yep, how did that whole government shutdown in the 90's work out for Newt Gingrich.?

Boehner will own the coming Black Monday.

[Armstead]

52. I hope you'll still love me despite the things I've said about Pres. Obama

My heart would break if another man were to come between us.


O8)

[CatWoman]

55. LOL

If you threw Obama into a deep abyss, I's STILL love you!! :loveya:

[indepat]

53. Collegiality expended on those avowed to destroy you and the country will get you nothing but

contempt and a chunk bitten out of your ass. :patriot:

[Snoutport]

62. Had he stood his ground it might have been worse

[Marr]

63. I think he's a masterful politician who was on track to get exactly what he wanted.

Why Obama's biggest fans insist that he's alternately a naive idiot or a helpless nobody is beyond me.

I think he was on track to get to exactly what he wanted in that phony crisis (which he helped sell as legitimate, along with the rest of the political establishment). The nut brigade that is the Tea Party made it impossible for the establishment GOP to accept "yes" for an answer at the last minute, that's all.