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catman
Joined: 18 Jul 2004
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 Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 6:36 pm Post subject: Leave Obama Alone!!! |
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White House Unloads Anger Over Criticism from 'Professional Left�
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The White House is simmering with anger at criticism from liberals who say President Obama is more concerned with deal-making than ideological purity.
During an interview with The Hill in his West Wing office, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs blasted liberal naysayers, whom he said would never regard anything the president did as good enough.
"I hear these people saying he's like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested," Gibbs said. "I mean, it's crazy."
The press secretary dismissed the "professional left" in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, "They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we've eliminated the Pentagon. That's not reality."
Of those who complain that Obama caved to centrists on issues such as healthcare reform, Gibbs said: "They wouldn't be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president."
The White House, constantly under fire from expected enemies on the right, has been frustrated by nightly attacks on cable news shows catering to the left, where Obama and top lieutenants like Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel have been excoriated for abandoning the public option in healthcare reform; for not moving faster to close the prison at Guant�namo Bay; and for failing, so far, to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military.
Liberals have criticized Obama and his staff for moving to the middle and bargaining on healthcare reform, as well as the financial regulatory overhaul and even the $787 billion economic stimulus package, which some liberals said should have been larger.
Just last week, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow described Obama political adviser David Axelrod as a "human pretzel" for his explanation of the administration's position on gay marriage. Axelrod had explained that Obama opposes same-sex marriage but favors equal benefits for partners in gay relationships.
Attacks from liberal political groups like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), which raises money for liberal candidates and causes, are also frustrating to the White House.
Adam Green, one of PCCC's founders, repeatedly blasted Obama for a "loser mentality" during the healthcare debate, criticizing the president and Emanuel for not trying harder to include the public option in the final healthcare legislation. The group even ran ads accusing Obama of ignoring the will of the millions who voted for him by courting the support of Republican Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe.
PCCC is now pressing Obama to nominate Elizabeth Warren, a hero to the left, as the first head of the new consumer protection office created by the Wall Street reform bill.
While visibly frustrated, Gibbs did not specifically name any of the White Houses's liberal detractors by name.
Green said in an e-mailed statement Monday afternoon, "When Republicans opposed the stimulus and when Joe Lieberman opposed the overwhelmingly popular public option, the president could have barnstormed across their states and demanded they support policies that their constituents wanted - but instead he caved without a fight," Green said.
Gibbs's tough comments reflect frustration and some bafflement from the White House, which believes it has done a lot for the left.
In just over 18 months in office, Obama has passed healthcare reform, financial regulatory reform and fair-pay legislation for women, among other bills near and dear to liberals.
Obama is also overseeing the end of the Iraq war, with the U.S. on schedule to end its combat operations by the end of this month.
He's also added diversity to the Supreme Court by nominating two female justices, including the court's first Hispanic. Yet some liberal groups have criticized his nominees for not being liberal enough.
"There's 101 things we've done," said Gibbs, who then mentioned both Iraq and healthcare.
Gibbs said the professional left is not representative of the progressives who organized, campaigned, raised money and ultimately voted for Obama.
Progressives, Gibbs said, are the liberals outside of Washington "in America," and they are grateful for what Obama has accomplished in a shattered economy with uniform Republican opposition and a short amount of time.
Obama reached out to the left - including through a private lunch with Maddow and other liberal commentators - earlier this summer.
In late July, Obama made a surprise video appearance, with an assist from Maddow, at the NetRoots Nation convention in Las Vegas, where the professional left had gathered to grouse about its disappointment in the president.
"I hope you take a moment to consider all we've accomplished so far," Obama said, telling the impatient audience, "We're not done."
The lack of appreciation or recognition for what Obama has accomplished has left Gibbs and others in furious disbelief.
Larry Berman, an expert on the presidency and a political science professor at the University of California-Davis, said he has been surprised that liberals aren't more cognizant of the pragmatism Obama has had to employ to pass landmark reforms.
"The irony, of course, is that Gibbs's frustration reflects the fact that the conservative opposition has been so effective at undermining the president's popular approval," Berman said.
"And from Gibbs's perspective, and the White House perspective, they ought to be able to catch a break from people who, in their view, should be grateful and appreciative."
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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I like the spin they put on Iraq. Instead of mentioning that Obama has totally failed to keep his promise to have all the trops out by now, they say he is planning to end the war (still!). 
And then, he has appointed two females and a Hispanic to the Supreme Court? This makes it and him "liberal"? Identity politics is so vapid.
As Malcolm X said
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| It is not about a black face in a high place. |
His words have never been truer than now. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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He's right. Democrat supporters are retards, or at least that 'professional left' part of them are. The Democratic Party has a conservative side and a progressive side, and the conservative side makes it tough to pass progressive legislation. Solution?
1) Support president for the time being, concentrate on electing more progressive members
2) Get angry at president, allow big GOP victory
Guess which one they are choosing. It's like they think they're in a five-party system with proportional representation or something. Retards. You don't live in the Netherlands. |
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Sergio Stefanuto
Joined: 14 May 2009
Location: UK
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NovaKart
Joined: 18 Nov 2009
Location: Iraq
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 3:48 am Post subject: |
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| Someone should put up a leave obama alone version of the leave britney alone video on youtube. |
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The Happy Warrior
Joined: 10 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:52 am Post subject: |
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| Its campaign season again. |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 8:16 am Post subject: |
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| mithridates wrote: |
He's right. Democrat supporters are retards, or at least that 'professional left' part of them are. The Democratic Party has a conservative side and a progressive side, and the conservative side makes it tough to pass progressive legislation. Solution?
1) Support president for the time being, concentrate on electing more progressive members
2) Get angry at president, allow big GOP victory
Guess which one they are choosing. It's like they think they're in a five-party system with proportional representation or something. Retards. You don't live in the Netherlands. |
Blame the democrat supporters all you want but Obama should look in the mirror. He seriously lacks leadership skills. He is bright and knows how to get legislation passed in Congess, but he absolutely stinks in instilling party discipline and getting across his message. |
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catman
Joined: 18 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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| mithridates wrote: |
He's right. Democrat supporters are retards, or at least that 'professional left' part of them are. The Democratic Party has a conservative side and a progressive side, and the conservative side makes it tough to pass progressive legislation. Solution?
1) Support president for the time being, concentrate on electing more progressive members
2) Get angry at president, allow big GOP victory
Guess which one they are choosing. It's like they think they're in a five-party system with proportional representation or something. Retards. You don't live in the Netherlands. |
Obama has only been marginally better than Bush. Especially with regards to foreign policy. I don't think progressive should let themselves be silenced out of fear. Obama deserves the criticism. |
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The Happy Warrior
Joined: 10 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| catman wrote: |
| mithridates wrote: |
He's right. Democrat supporters are retards, or at least that 'professional left' part of them are. The Democratic Party has a conservative side and a progressive side, and the conservative side makes it tough to pass progressive legislation. Solution?
1) Support president for the time being, concentrate on electing more progressive members
2) Get angry at president, allow big GOP victory
Guess which one they are choosing. It's like they think they're in a five-party system with proportional representation or something. Retards. You don't live in the Netherlands. |
Obama has only been marginally better than Bush. Especially with regards to foreign policy. I don't think progressive should let themselves be silenced out of fear. Obama deserves the criticism. |
Whether Obama deserves the criticism from the Left or not really is beyond the point. Rebuking the end elements of one's party is a proven election strategy (one that Rove departed from and only narrowly avoided loss). The only thing is, I'm unsure whether its a wise strategy to use in mid-terms. The progressives will ignore the slight and come out anyway to back Obama against whatever GOP candidate emerges in 2012, but will they show up to the voting booth to back incumbent Democrats in a rough economy after such a rebuke? Probably. |
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donducky
Joined: 02 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:20 am Post subject: Fascists and Fools: Obama's Base |
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Obama showed his true colors long, long ago, before assuming office, while campaigning against Hillary.
Notably, he did two things.
(1) He called for war on Pakistan, or at least pursuing "Taliban" or "terrorists" or whomever into Pakistani territory. The Bush White House condemned him for bellicose talk against a US ally!
(2) At a time when gas/petrol prices were at a record high, and oil firms' profits booming, he opposed Hillary's suggestion of raising taxes on the oil firms. Hands off private business, he boomed!
Anyone with a lick of sense might have divined the following:
(1) Obama, as president, would keep the Bush wars going and likely expand them into neighboring countries.
(2) Obama would in no way challenge big business--big oil in particular. Given, let's say, an oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, he'd stand back and let BP . . . er . . . deal (in a manner of speaking) with its own problem.
I'll be hated for this, but will assert it and not back down:
If you voted for Obama, or in any way supported the man, then or now, you are either (a) a fascist extreme far-right winger, or (b) an utter and complete fool.
Sorry, fools! You got what you voted for!
(Ooh, but's he black! Ooh, but so was Idi Amin, you fools. So is Robert Mugabe. Idiots. Or are you fascists and not fools at all?)
donducky
P.S. Good to see you back, Mith! Long, long time! |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 8:54 am Post subject: Re: Fascists and Fools: Obama's Base |
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| donducky wrote: |
Obama showed his true colors long, long ago, before assuming office, while campaigning against Hillary.
Notably, he did two things.
(1) He called for war on Pakistan, or at least pursuing "Taliban" or "terrorists" or whomever into Pakistani territory. The Bush White House condemned him for bellicose talk against a US ally!
(2) At a time when gas/petrol prices were at a record high, and oil firms' profits booming, he opposed Hillary's suggestion of raising taxes on the oil firms. Hands off private business, he boomed!
Anyone with a lick of sense might have divined the following:
(1) Obama, as president, would keep the Bush wars going and likely expand them into neighboring countries.
(2) Obama would in no way challenge big business--big oil in particular. Given, let's say, an oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, he'd stand back and let BP . . . er . . . deal (in a manner of speaking) with its own problem.
I'll be hated for this, but will assert it and not back down:
If you voted for Obama, or in any way supported the man, then or now, you are either (a) a fascist extreme far-right winger, or (b) an utter and complete fool.
Sorry, fools! You got what you voted for!
(Ooh, but's he black! Ooh, but so was Idi Amin, you fools. So is Robert Mugabe. Idiots. Or are you fascists and not fools at all?)
donducky |
Right on, don!
You'll be happy to know that over a year before he got the nomination, in fact while he was still an underdog, I posted this on the Will a Republocrat save us? thread:
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For those who believe that one of the leading Democratic or Republican candidates will get us out of the mess we are in, I have some bad news.
As Ralph Nader stated, they are two wings of the same party, both of which are financed by the same people, and peopled by the same apparatus. In 2004, the main fundraiser for Bush was the president of Citibank, and the main fundraiser for Kerry was the vice president of Citibank.
Let's go back to the collapse of the Soviet Union when we were supposed to reap a "peace dividend." What did the rulers do? Well, under Clinton there was a greater expenditure for arms than under Reagan!
In 2001, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers said, "It is very clear that Afghanistan is only a small piece of the US campaign that could last more than a lifetime." This ideology has been a barrage articulated not only by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al., it is also the litany coming from the Democratic party, e.g. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
BO said on Sept. 4, 2007: "Hit Iran where it hurts." "Americans need to come together to confront the challenge posed by Iran. The war in Iraq has strengthened Iran which poses for us the greatest strategic challenge in the Middle East in a generation. Iran supports violent groups and sectarians in Iraq. Iran fuels terror and extremism in the Middle East. Iran is making progress on a nuclear program in defiance of the international community. Iran calls for Israel to be wiped off the map." He follows this up by calling for a pre-emptive military strike on Iran.
On Aug. 3, 2007, speaking at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of the International School for Scholars, BO called for a US attack on Pakistan, more troops in Afghanistan, and unilateral attacks on Iran and Pakistan, and strengthening the US military and intelligence apparatus across the planet.
You could not fit a sliver of paper in between the ideologies of Dick Cheney and Barack Obama. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:28 am Post subject: |
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http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney08102010.html
http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2010/08/whitney-obama-is-public-relations.html
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As you know I have been trying to 'figure out' Barack Obama and his mysterious background and equally mystifying rise to power, without having done anything notable, either in business, or civil service, or even military service. Granted, he talks one hell of a game but always seems to fall short. He seems to have less substance, far less accomplishments than his fellow actor in the White House, Ronald Reagan, who had been a governor before becoming President.
Perhaps the answer is as simple as this.
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| "It's hard to believe that a two-year senator from Chicago with a background in 'community organizing' presides over this elaborate and opaque system of imperial rule. He doesn't, of course. The real leaders remain hidden behind the cloak of democratic government and all of Washington's phony institutions. Obama is merely a public relations hologram, a friendly face that conceals the machinations of a global Mafia. Other people--whoever they may be--control the levers of power moving the pieces as needed to assure the best outcome for themselves and their constituents." Mike Whitney, Kill Hugo? |
Well, unlike his predecessor, at least he has not tortured anyone that we know about. |
I think torture is still happening at Bagram, no?
A "public relations hologram" is absolutely the best description of Hope and Change I've ever read. |
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The Happy Warrior
Joined: 10 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 10:11 am Post subject: |
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Obama is a brilliant politician. But even without a few other things, he wouldn't be President:
(a) prescient and bold stance against the Iraq War (let him beat Hillary and get Ted Kennedy's support)
(b) excellent break-out performance speech at the 2004 Dem Nat'l Convention
(c) Oprah
(d) becoming the Chicago Candidate
(e) Oprah |
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Leon
Joined: 31 May 2010
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:31 pm Post subject: Re: Fascists and Fools: Obama's Base |
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| donducky wrote: |
Obama showed his true colors long, long ago, before assuming office, while campaigning against Hillary.
Notably, he did two things.
(1) He called for war on Pakistan, or at least pursuing "Taliban" or "terrorists" or whomever into Pakistani territory. The Bush White House condemned him for bellicose talk against a US ally! |
That's where they all are, so why not? We are currently doing it with out any threat of war from Pakistan because the area the terrorists are in is only marginally Pakistan controlled anyways. That is definitely not declaring war on Pakistan.
| donducky wrote: |
(2) At a time when gas/petrol prices were at a record high, and oil firms' profits booming, he opposed Hillary's suggestion of raising taxes on the oil firms. Hands off private business, he boomed!
Anyone with a lick of sense might have divined the following:
(1) Obama, as president, would keep the Bush wars going and likely expand them into neighboring countries. |
They've been winding down and it's very unlikely that they will expand unless Israel forces our hand, the same as it would be for any president.
| donducky wrote: |
| (2) Obama would in no way challenge big business--big oil in particular. Given, let's say, an oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, he'd stand back and let BP . . . er . . . deal (in a manner of speaking) with its own problem. |
That sure isn't what big business thinks. Look at what they think of him, but what would they know, right?
| donducky wrote: |
I'll be hated for this, but will assert it and not back down:
If you voted for Obama, or in any way supported the man, then or now, you are either (a) a fascist extreme far-right winger, or (b) an utter and complete fool.
Sorry, fools! You got what you voted for!
(Ooh, but's he black! Ooh, but so was Idi Amin, you fools. So is Robert Mugabe. Idiots. Or are you fascists and not fools at all?)
donducky
P.S. Good to see you back, Mith! Long, long time! |
My god man you sure throw the word fascist around like it's going out of style. The man may be many things but fascist is not one of them. Some people seem incapable of making a point without resorting to hyperbole. |
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