Dear Obama - the past year many of us worked our asses off to help get you re-elected....

[LynneSin]

So please do us a favor.

This is your last term, you don't have to run again. So please stop catering to the GOP in DC. Use this time to make the changes you promised us back in 2008.

We believe in you and know you can do it!

Sincerely

Your supporters!

[jollyreaper2112]

1. Agreed

Feet to the fire time. Concession and surrender is not a legacy. Welcome their hatred as you eat their lunch.

[ohiosmith]

2. Bravo!

[Snotcicles]

3. +1

[groundloop]

4. Of course we all need to realize the limitations of the Presidency

President Obama realistically has a limited number of ways he can implement policy without a cooperative House and Senate. I'd love to see him kick some ass etc., but with the repubs still controlling the House, getting any far reaching laws passed is going to be impossible.

Our job is to take back the House in 2 years while expanding our margin in the Senate.

[BlueStreak]

6. Most of the power was unused in the first term

Last edited Wed Nov 7, 2012, 10:21 PM - Edit history (1)

He always had his eye on how it would affect his reelection. Time to make it clear the new game is hardball.

Republicans want a lot of things and Obama must force them to come to the table.

For example, Obama has the upper hand on the Bush Tax thing. Everybody's taxes go up in January if there is no deal. He is in a position to at least partially curtail the free ride the 0.1% have been getting. We must put cap gains back to the 20% where it was before Bush. And we also need to end the carried interest provision that allows millionaires to use cap gains unfairly. There should also be an alternate minimum tax that offsets some of the money being stashed in offshore havens.

Obama can put the "grand bargain" back on the table because the GOP doesn't want cuts in the Pentagon. The bargain can include a new round of stimulus -- no more tax cuts please.

The leverage is all in Obama's hands. If there is no deal, then ALL the tax cuts expire and the military budget is hit according to the sequester deal. The bully pulpit means that Obama can go in front of the public daily explaining the bargain he has offered a recalcitrant Congress -- and that they are refusing to take that deal because they want to give more tax breaks to billionaires. That is a winning hand and the GOP knows it. They will make a deal.

And it is vital that this deal be structured in such a way that it is clear that the GOP is breaking away from the ridiculous Grover Norquist pledge. Obama can give them a little cover by setting this deal up to happen on January 1, so that it technically does not violate the Norquist pledge. But the key thing is that we have to break Republicans away from that Norquist crap because there will be other things that come up in the next 4 years that require some give and take on taxes.

[bvar22]

18. Excellent analysis.

[font color=firebrick size=3][center]"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone[/font][/center]
[center][/font]
[font size=1]photo by bvar22
Shortly before Sen Wellstone was killed[/center][/font]

[font size=5 color=firebrick]Solidarity![/font]

[okieinpain]

59. I agree it will look great

When all of those union workers that work for military contractors are laid off too. I think that is the correct tone to set on his first 100 days

[HiPointDem]

62. you're right, the president is powerless. the democrats have the presidency & the senate, but

they can't do anything except cede to the republicans what the republicans want.

[BlueStreak]

73. Unions understand the need to act on principle for hte long term good

The President needs to learn this and not be such a coward when dealing with Boehner.

The President holds all the cards. He has been palling around with Bill Clinton. Maybe Bill will explain to him how you turn the tables on those bastards. For a modest consulting fee, I bet we could even get Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton to go the the Oval Office and do a reenactment of Newts two disastrous government shutdowns if that would help Obama understand how this works.

[hfojvt]

5. shoulda worked a little bit harder to give him a Congress

You know he can get a Republican House to act sane?

And those Republicans will do this why? Both their constituents and their corporate benefactors have rewarded their past intrasigence. They have absolutely no incentive to change.

He does have one option though, which I doubt very much he will take.

It is - play hardball with the Bush tax cuts. Be willing to let them all expire and to veto House and Senate traitors attempts to renew them. Because I feel quite certain the Republican House will pass renewal and that enough DINOs can be found in the Senate for both cloture and passage of said renewal. But hopefully not enough to over-ride a veto.

But I will be shocked if he plays hardball. It would be unprecedented for him to do so.

[vaberella]

9. THANK YOU!!! uGH...the OP's post annoys me. n/t

[sabrina 1]

19. Republicans lost seats in Congress. They are in no position to call the shots. We have

more progressive Dems in Congress now and we control the Senate and the WH. It's time to stop the excuses, they LOST. Why is it that we are always making excuses? When they lost the WH, Congress and the Senate they STILL managed to push THEIR agenda. Don't you get tired of these excuses? We not only won, we have the majority of the people on our side regarding issues.

It is defeatist to always see the glass half empty. It's time to use our victories and stop trying to negotiate with those who lost.

[laundry_queen]

20. Exactly. nt

[krawhitham]

42. The bat shit crazy wing (tea baggers) do not care, PERIOD

You act like we are dealing with rational people

And the others are afraid they will face a tea bagger in a primary if they help Obama


Plus they get all kinds of out side money to vote the way they do

[sabrina 1]

45. The worst of them just got thrown out of Congress.

You think these kinds of nut cases just appeared on the scene? They didn't, they've always been there. But we USED to marginalize them, NOT cater to them or try to be bi-partisan with them.

They just got their heads handed to them anyhow.

So there goes that excuse.

[llmart]

72. Ummm....

the teabaggers were tossed out (most of them), so their clout has dwindled to almost nothing.

[Art_from_Ark]

90. The Republicans still have a commanding majority in the House

And there are still DINOs who will side with them.

[sabrina 1]

91. Well Dinos can be dealt with by the Party Leadership. They were not in the past because

the Party was able to blame them when they wanted legislation to pass they knew their bass was against.

That tactic backfired in 2010 when people took them seriously and refused to put many of the Blue Dogs back in Congress. That was a direct result of the constant claims that Democrats could not do anything about anything because Blue Dogs were not willing to vote with them. So we solved the Blue Dog problem, we have now solved most of the Tea Party problem and have gained approx 8 seats in the House, 3 in the Senate and we have the WH.

That means we are in control. First the Party Leadership has to make it clear to all members of the Party what is expected of them when it comes to Issues that are important to the American people who elected them. No more tolerance for anyone voting with Republicans.

Next, Boehner needs to be sat down and told that his Party lost and he needs to be told why in case he didn't get the message.

He then needs to be told that because Dems won, they are going to put up with no obstructionism and will be changing how they handle it if it happens. They will expose it on the air 24 hours a day if necessary ensuring that by the next election, Republicans won't have a chance in hell of winning anything including dog catcher.

They need to take a lesson from Republicans and declare that they have a mandate, that they will be pushing Progressive legislation that is good for all Americans and there will be no compromising, bi-partisanizing or any other kind of izing and it would be best for Boehner to get his party in line to start working for the American people.

And if all else fails, there is the power of the WH to threaten and to carry out when necessary, Executive Orders.

You only win these battles if you fight them. For four years there was very little fight and a lot of 'compromise', on OUR side. I saw zero compromise from the other side.

[Art_from_Ark]

92. I hear what you're saying, Sabrina

I just don't think it's going to happen like that. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by seeing some spine being devoted to fighting for real progressive causes, but I won't hold my breath.

And the party in the White House generally loses House seats in the mid-terms, so that is a concern as well.

[Glitterati]

7. I can't agree more

Well written post!

[vaberella]

8. What are you talking about? The house is ruled by the GOP.

Obama cannot pass anything without the GOP support. He is not catering..but if he wants to pass anything he has to deal with them. I hate when people post such obtuse posts. NOthing moves in DC unless they make it pass the House and the Senate. The Senate cant have one bill and shove it through. The house has to give the Okay too.

[LynneSin]

11. Trust me there are ways to make this happen

And I've had enough politics 101 to know that.

[krawhitham]

43. Yeah you have to give something to get something

politics 101 in a nutshell

[vaberella]

56. Yeah, give and take...which means compromising. End of story. n/t

[Junkdrawer]

12. And the House was firmly Democratic when Reagan claimed his Mandate...

Tip O'Neill gave Reagan most of his agenda.

[vaberella]

58. Yeah...but the problem with this is that Dems are well known to compromise.

We are more leaning to get things done in Congress and to work with the President than Republicans have in the past. And I won't go as far as Roosevelt since the fear of the Great Depression continuing moved them into action. These Republicans don't give a shit though. They do not compromise---they want to overrule and they will go to any means necessary to do that. They were not ashamed to say they want Obama to fail and they will continue to practice that intention. So it's a strawman to even compare the two situations.

[HiPointDem]

63. being "well known to compromise" doesn't mean you *have to* compromise, it just means you do.

maybe they should stop compromising, like the republicans.

it's a strawman to say democrats must compromise because they are known to compromise.

[vaberella]

85. And then we enter a circular conversation.

We don't compromise they don't compromise--no one compromises--why the fuck were they hired then?! Why the fuck to we bother... I also NEVER made an argument that "dems must compromise because they are known to compromise" that is totally a fabrication. I did say that Dems are known to be compromisers coming to the table because they want to get things done and they think about the bloody nation. Unlike Republicans who will allow the nation to go to shit if they don't get what they want---which is not even what's in the bill but, it's actually, them wanting Obama to fail.

[HiPointDem]

86. "getting things done" is not always a virtue.

[Junkdrawer]

10. The case of the unwanted Mandate.....

Seriously, I think Team Obama is more comfortable reacting to the GOP's agenda than setting up one of their own.

[JoePhilly]

14. The Republican agenda is to do absolutely nothing.

When they are IN POWER, the gut government, and the only legislation that passes is to help corporations.

When they are OUT OF POWER ... GRIDLOCK or a government shutdown is a VICTORY for them.

[rudycantfail]

55. Exactly. It's awkward trying to convince the country

of all the things you can't do when they've just handed you a powerful mandate for progressive change. I could feel their discomfort throughout the health insurance episode.

[nobodyspecial]

13. And please tell me how he can just ignore the House

which is in GOP hands? Exactly how does that work?

[arthritisR_US]

15. Didn't Clinton have the same problem? If so

what about taking a page from his play book?

[bvar22]

16. No, not THAT playbook.

Clinton used "triangulation",
and it works by adopting REPUBLICAN policies,
passing them as your own,
then claiming VICTORY.
Unfortunately, President Obama already knows how to do that.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

17. In his second term...

PBO holds all the cards....

[Honeycombe8]

21. He needs the GOP House to approve bills. Remember? Except for some exec. order things

he can do.

[sabrina 1]

22. When will our winning actually mean something? Why do we work so hard to win when

every time we do, we are told we still have no power? That doesn't seem to apply to Republicans who even when they lose everything, we are told they are blocking us. These excuses are getting really, really old frankly.

[Honeycombe8]

23. We have MORE power now than last 4 yrs. But it's not our fault that the House gets a vote.

It's not Obama's fault. That's like blaming Obama for not being able to take off in Air Force One because there's a storm.

But a lot can be done. And the Repubs may be more in the mood to compromise, after this loss. And Obama doesn't have to worry about re-election.

And it's important what ISN'T going to be done because Romney wasn't elected.

[sabrina 1]

24. Oh please, this is getting really tired. The president has enormous power. I can assure you if

Romney had won even if we held the Senate and Congress, Republicans would use that power to get their way.

It's time to stop making excuses. People's lives and livelihoods are at stake. We don't have the luxury of catering to Republicans. They have been repudiated once again in this election and still we hear the same old excuses. If winning leaves us so powerless, then why bother? If a Democratic President has less power than a Republican President, then it's time to change that.

The power of the Senate and the WH and the loss of some of the most extreme Republicans in Congress and the election of some great Progressives in their place, gives us all the power we need to stop the Republican agenda, and if I believed otherwise, I would join the millions of American who no longer participate in the system. No wonder so many do not, if this is what they are being told.

It isn't about Obama or any one person, it is about millions of people, both here and in other parts of the world. We won, let's use that power and stop always being so negative about what we CAN'T do, rather than positive about what we CAN do.

[Honeycombe8]

25. No. The Senate/Harry Reid stopped PLENTY of bills from passing these past 4 years.

Numerous abortion and other social bills. The GOP House couldn't do anything about it.

You need both houses to pass a bill. Didn't you ever watch PBS' "How Mr. Bill Gets Passed"?

How you pass a bill in the opposing party's house, when they don't want to pass it, is you make a deal. If you're suggesting he NOT compromise and magically get it passed, that's a rejection of reality on your part.

If you have a secret way to get the House GOP to agree to something they're against, please share it. No excuses, now. Tell us, and the Prez, how.

[Tarheel_Dem]

26. Well, your plea might be valid if we had an imperial presidency. You do know....

the constitution calls for 2 other "co-equal" branches of government, right? And at this point, it is still a divided government, right? And that calls for the nasty "C" word. You're not going to get everything you want, not even in a case where this president doesn't have to run for reelection.

I really wish we had taken the president's conciliatory acceptance speech to heart. There's a time for partisan rancor, but John Boehner's house still controls the purse strings.

[treestar]

27. +1

Now we need to work on getting a D Congress in 2014. For now, at least we know Obamacare cannot be repealed and Obama can veto their crap bills from the House. Instead of complaining about Obama "caving" for the next two years, maybe people can learn from 2010 not to do that but rather to work on Congress.

People think the Presidency is the be all and end all and it's getting tired. Schools or the media fail to teach or recognize our separation of powers, which is all to the good.

[Tarheel_Dem]

32. Exactly. Whatever happened to lobbying Congress? Congress is "The People's House".

This is why I think Occupy was such an utter failure. They, symbolically, occupied Wall St., when the real problem was and is, the US Congress. Talk about empty rhetoric, but we're used to that at DU.

By the way, has our education system completely abandoned Civics? It was required back in the Dark Ages, when I was in junior high school.

[MFrohike]

44. Um, what?

That's an interesting analysis. Too bad it's not true. If Obama had to run on the pre-Occupy narrative of the OMGWTF federal debt is crushing us and evil socialist Obamacare, he'd be on his way back to Chicago. They picked the right spot and, initially, the right topic: income inequality. That change of topic allowed a president with horrendous approval ratings, in the 40s I believe, to find an open lane and run.

Civics classes never talk about the people who actually made change happen. Presidents sign laws and pass out pens after thousands have had their asses kicked in the streets. The most basic lesson of our democracy is very simple: if you don't hound the living hell out of your elected representatives, somebody with money will.

[Tarheel_Dem]

46. Jill, is that you?

[MFrohike]

51. A protip for you, good sir (or madam)

If you walk into a room and don't see the sucker, it's you. Have a lovely day.

[sabrina 1]

47. Excellent post, thank you! n/t

[treestar]

67. The voters do, not OWS

Every voter is not part of OWS, and the candidates know that. Giving them that much credit is like giving Wikileaks credit for the Arab Spring. The rest of us count too and we "hound" representatives in different ways. And you hijacked the issue of the many passive apathetic voters who don't seem recall that Congress has equal power to the Presidency and probably don't know about OWS either.

[treestar]

66. I think we had a half year in civics

Seems it should be a heavier requirement - and adults need to lead by example more. One forgets high school studies (you realize it when you help high school kids with their homework!).

The media spends time dissecting something like the Libya situation to a ridiculous degree and people hear about that but know next to nothing about what their governor or county council is doing, yet those politicians may have far greater effect. People think they are picking a President who "runs the country" and don't know who their representative in Congress even is or even seem aware they are having an effect. And that is even so basic! You find people who can't name their state's two Senators.

[woo me with science]

29. How predictable.

[Tarheel_Dem]

30. And how many votes did that liberal lioness, Jill Stein, get?

[woo me with science]

35. Such nastiness, during what should be a time of joy.

Such a poison the Third Way brings to DU.

[Tarheel_Dem]

40. The "poison" was already here, long before I arrived. And you still didn't answer the question.

And for me, this is one helluva "time of joy". The Green nuts have been sidelined, and the GOP has become a regional party. They couldn't even win with an assist from Jill Green and her "supporters". I couldn't be happier.

[Bonobo]

52. How many do you expect when she is shut out of the media, debates, etc.?

Do you have cognitive issues?

[Tarheel_Dem]

57. I heard her on NPR, and soon learned why she was "shut out". No cognitive problems here.

[Bonobo]

60. I guess all 3rd party candidates have valid reasons for being shut out, huh? nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

74. I'm a Democrat. I could give a fuck about 3rd parties.

[Bonobo]

75. You ducked the question because you lost the argument.

You are really a waste of time to talk to. I'll try to remember that. Meanwhile I want my 30 seconds back.

Bye, "Tarheel"

[Tarheel_Dem]

78. Your "question" was nonsensical as is this entire exchange. I just followed your lead.

Bye bye now!

[treestar]

68. There were 14 people running for President

They don't have enough supporters to be of interest in the debates. Maybe they need to build up a significant number of supporters, the old fashioned way.

[LynneSin]

34. You can't get things passed if you don't put it out there and TRY!

I'll understand if things fail, but I think what many of us are hoping is that he goes full charge ahead and get the ideas out there and force the vote. If anything it could help us win back the house in 2014

[Tarheel_Dem]

39. We're all hoping he can get things done. However, he still faces the same Congressional

makeup he faced before the election. We still don't have a filibuster proof Senate, unless Harry Reid follows through with rules changes. Boehner still has a 40 seat advantage in the House = divided government.

While I understand your passion, your suggested approach for the president seems to be that of confrontation, which basically boils down to theatrics. You've obviously fallen victim to the fictional "Caver-In-Chief" narrative set up by some on the further reaches of the political left. I get so frustrated with those of you who fail to recognize the breadth of good legislation this president got done before the GOP takeover of the House. Of course, if it's a style over substance thing, I'm not sure you'll be any happier after the next four years.

If you get a chance, Rachel Maddow has encapsulated some of those successes in a 15 min. video clip that's probably posted over in Video section. I suggest you check it out.

[MessiahRp]

61. Well then here's a thought...

Go for super populist things immediately, LET the GOP shut them down as I fully expect they will. Your new mandate? Go from there to campaign against every GOP House Member possible. If there's one thing this President hasn't done enough of, that would be campaigning for other Democrats. He doesn't have to campaign for himself anymore so start fucking doing it and solidify wins in 2014.

So do this:
Go after a major populist goal. (People will debate over which one but pick one and go... I say the JOBS Bill because that's what people want most.)
Use the Bully Pulpit and use the SOTU as well as evening press conferences to argue in favor of what you want (Bushco used evening media cut ins whenever they wanted to do something big).
When the GOP pushes back, get every available Dem out there in front of it attacking on your behalf.
When they vote against it, take the fight to the people by campaigning for their opponents in their home districts and send out the Big Dawg and Biden and anyone else you can to make it work.

Also, Citizens United is in play, let's start using interest groups to hammer them as well.

We need to fight them hard this time and make their gerrymandered redistricted seats not so safe this time around. If we can pry even a small majority of the House away, we can do enough things to really put a stamp on the country and have something serious to run on in 2016.

[treestar]

70. Good plan

And it would help with that gerrymandering if voters would realize their states have governments, and quit passively letting the Rs have the lower level government. People need to realize that states have powers too and quit thinking the President of the US "runs" them - as that is sometimes how a lot of voters seem to think.

[sabrina 1]

50. Exactly. And that is what we are here for. And we will be doing what it is our duty to do

pushing this party to the Left.

I am really encouraged to see all the organizations who are forming coalitions because they have learned that we cannot just sit back and let politicians think we only show up at election time.

The unions, community groups, liberal activist groups, SS advocacy groups are all joining forces, and have been planning this for months, together with people like Bernie Sanders, to start pushing this Party hard and to let them know they can no longer take our support for granted and then forget about it once the election is over.

I remember after the last election people were stunned when they were basically told to shut up and sit down. That will never happen again. All the whining here for some reason trying to stop the people from participating in their democracy, is pretty stunning actually, but it will have zero effect on anyone.

Politicians are just people. I think some people lose sight of that fact.

[treestar]

69. The whole idea is that representatives cannot be forced to vote

They shouldn't be forced to vote a way they don't want to. There would be something wrong then.

[CakeGrrl]

28. A less RW congress might help

understanding that's how government works.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

31. Well said!

[woo me with science]

33. The Third Way is predictable as mud, aren't they?

Last edited Thu Nov 8, 2012, 02:27 AM - Edit history (1)

This thread would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetically sad that DU has come to this. Even now, hours after a victory, the Third Way Brigade will not relent. They need to spew vitriol. They need to shoot down and mock any hope of real liberalism and spew the lie that more middle-class sucking, right-wing policy is the only option we face.

The same, familiar names. The same, tired, arguments. The same nasty right-wing rhetoric, naysaying, and mocking of those who dare to seek representation.

Give this ugly, corporate script exactly the attention it deserves. Now is the time for Democrats to raise our voices together and let Washington know that we expect representation.

No Grand Bargain, ever again.

[JI7]

36. i don't think he ever catered to Republicans because of re-election, he came out in support of same

sex marriage. he does what he can on his own like he did on immigration, getting bin laden, iraq etc.

republicans control the house so he has to work with them to try to get things passed in some other cases.

[FieryLocks]

37. AND PLEASE...

DON'T approve the Keystone XL Pipeline!

[quinnox]

38. It would be wonderful if Obama listened to his liberal base

and started acting on and pushing progressive policies. But I'm not optimistic this will happen. I expect we will get more centrist stuff, and it might even get to the point of outrageous betrayal, with deals to cut social programs in the cause of "pragmatism" and "moving the country forward". I hope not, but it would not be a surprise to me to see this. What a bitter and ironic pill to swallow, if so. A Democratic president would be the one who starts dismantling the very programs that made the Democrats the party of the people in the first place. Fingers crossed it won't happen.

[krawhitham]

41. BS, sorry it is

He needs 5 GOP votes in the senate and 24 GOP votes in the house in order to do ANYTHING

How does he get them? If you want someone's vote you have to give them something for it, sad but true You have to give them something that will out weigh the shit storm the other GOP will give them

Unless you can get blackmail on 5 & 24 voters you will have to give up something to get something


The President does not have a magic wand he can wave and pass legislation without those votes.

Plus you can not deal with a tea bagger on anything and the ones that are not bat shit crazy are afraid they will be primaried by a tea bagger and will not give you their vote.

Getting anything done will still be hard unless we vote them out in 2014



BTW if Reid does change the filibuster rules you still need 24 votes in the house

[DemocratsForProgress]

54. Great response

Thank you

[coalition_unwilling]

65. Oh, please. The obverse also holds true. The President now holds almost

absolute veto power (with a Senate that willl almost certainly not overturn any of his vetoes). So if Rape-publicans want something done, they will also have to compromise. These Rape-publican sociopaths don't understand the meaning of the term. So let them twist in the wind until 2014.

[woo me with science]

48. Hear hear for the post and the sentiment therein:

Yet the Third Way Brigade has already arrived to shit on it. As we could all have predicted.


It is a tactic, of course. Corporate tentacles run deep, and the one thing that the Third Way/DLC/corporate status quo does NOT want is liberals thinking that merely winning an election means that they should have any hope for actual liberal change in Washington.

The hard truth is that we will not have real change unless we stand up for it, loudly and persistently, with letters, phone calls, protests, and our feet and faces in Washington.

The good news is that the messages of hopelessness we hear from the predictable corporate shills are all lies. We have been told for years that liberal policies are just too fringe and unpopular even to be considered in Washington. But look at what just happened. Look what ALWAYS happens. We just had an election, and BOTH candidates pivoted LEFTWARD in their rhetoric in order to try to attract voters.

We have more power than we think. We just have to use it. It is time to be loud and clear and let Washington know in no uncertain terms what we demand and expect.

Tell the naysayers and the propagandists what they can do with their propaganda. It is familiar and old and tiresome by now, and we all know the purpose of it:


How to co-opt a party into Third Way, corporate loyalty
http://sync.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1489598


Washington will not change without our pressure. It's time to exert some really loud pressure. No Grand Bargain, ever again.

[kentuck]

49. That is why this "fiscal cliff" issue is so important.

For the second time in his presidency, he can control what happens with the Bush taxcuts. I think it would be a mistake if he tried to barter them away for some type of "deal".

The President is in the driver's seat. The Republicans are not calling the shots. The President has the power to get them to react, rather than throwing sand into the gears of government.

But it will take a little courage. He has shown in the past that he has courage.

He can call for the extension of the taxcuts for everyone making less than $250,000 per year. The ball is then in the Republicans court. They pitch the ball back into Obama's court and say they will not cut taxes for anyone if everyone does not get the tax cut. Then the President has no option except to let the taxcuts expire. It then becomes a PR battle with each blaming the other for the expiration of the tax cuts.

So the President then asks the Republican Congress to pass a new tax cut. The Republicans try to slip in the taxcut for the billionaires and the President vetoes it. Our country simply cannot afford such a continued drain on revenues and still be able to get the deficit under control.

The President then takes the issue to the people and requests that they change the do-nothing-but-block Congress in the next election. He should spend as much time as needed running against the Republican Congress in 2014. Once they are defeated and a Democratic Congress is in place, then he can propose legislation in his last two years and hope he can get it passed?

[CheapShotArtist]

53. I don't want him to have to give in again to the GOP either, but...

keep in mind that since they still hold the House, liberals are not going to get everything we want. Even Al Sharpton said earlier on his show that in order to get things done and avoid gridlock, Obama will more than likely need to give a little to the other side. Until Americans vote out the RW political terrorists in the House and replace them with a Dem majority, there's no way to get around that.

[yurbud]

79. The trick is to try some proposals so popular, GOP will shoot themselves in foot if they oppose

Nixon started the EPA and a lot of other very progressive things not because he liked them but because they were so damn popular, he couldn't NOT do it.

Likewise, Obama either hasn't said it clearly enough or the media hasn't reported him saying he could do a lot more with fewer Republicans in Congress.

The bipartisan schtick blames both parties equally as if he is an umpire not an elected advocate for one side.

[NYC Liberal]

64. I hope he continues doing what he's been doing.

[Beowulf]

71. Make the grand bargain with the GOP

And watch 2014 be a repeat of 2010.

[Autumn]

76. Obama has the capitol, the backing of the people and the ability

to push forward on the changes we need. If he chooses not to do so it will create a split in the Democratic party. This is going to be a very interesting 4 years.

[michigandem58]

77. You realize the repugs control the House

and can filibuster in the Senate. PBO will have to cater to the extent he has to work with them.

[LynneSin]

80. OMG Really???!!!!

30+ times these past 2 years the House put to vote a bill that would rescind Obamacare. It failed every single time.

Point is this - at least they voted on it.

There are issues important to all of us that we need to get out there and we need to have our congress vote on it. Of course I expect many of these votes to fail but I think for many of us we'd like for the democrats to at least try. Let the country see just how bad the GOP is obstructing getting the job done. If the voters are pissed then perhaps we can get more democrats elected in 2014

[argiel1234]

83. "PBO will have to cater"

Please stop apologizing for republicans. you are embarrassing yourself

[argiel1234]

81. its pretty disgusting

to see the comments in this thread continuously apologizing for republican and saying we need to compromise with them.


Why do people apologize for republicans over and over?

[LynneSin]

82. Or assume that I don't know how a bill is passed

Point is this - I want our congress to vote on these issues. I know some will fail and some might even require a bit of compromise to make happen. But there is no way we can make this happen if we don't try!

[woo me with science]

84. Kick

[LynneSin]

87. To those of you who have shot down what I've said please read

First and foremost I've been following politics for 30 some years and yes, I know how bills are passed. I know what filibusters are and I recognize that many times we have to jump thru hoops in order to make things happen. When DU celebrated '60 senators' in the US Senate back in 2009 I was the one that reminded people that the 60 included several democratic senators notorious for siding with the republicans. Please don't be silly and insult my knowledge of politics.

Here's what I do know - when the Democrats cater towards the middle and act like republicans we lose elections. It's not that democrats choose to switch parties and vote for the GOP but the fact that the democratic party in general loses enthusiasm and voter turnout is lower than normal. When Democrats remember they are progressives and liberals we get excited and voter turnout increases.

I know that many of the things we'd like to see pass might never see the light of day. But as my softball coach use to tell us - 'You can't get a hit if you don't step up to the plate'

We as a party needs to step up to the plate. We need to put these progressive ideas out for a vote and we need to stop giving in to the republicans. Sure the republicans control the house and have the power to filibuster but Obama has the heart of the voters who came out in droves yet again to give Obama his second term. All we're asking is for him and the democrats to step up to the plate and at least try to hit the ball because the more we try to more we're going to get hits and be successful. And if the bills we are passing are popular with the people yet obstructed by the republicans then that'll get our asses out there in 2014 and help elected more democrats to help get things done.

I remember a few months back when Student Loan rates were set to double and the republicans were once again screaming about how 'we can't afford this' and were willing to let the rates double thus putting millions of college graduates in precarious financial situations. The vote looked doomed due to lack of republican support. But instead of catering to the republicans Obama too it to the people and got the people rallying around him demanding of their senators and representatives to do something about this. In the end Obama GOT what he wanted.

So for those of you poo-pawing me about my lack of 'knowledge' of how bills are passed, all I can ask is start thinking outside of the box. We can get the bills passed but only if Obama and the democrats step up to that plate and at least try to hit the ball. If Obama shows us he's there for us then we'll have his back and help him put the pressure on those who are creating obstruction.

[HiPointDem]

89. kr. as far as i'm concerned, the folks saying it's impossible because of the bad bad

republicans either don't understand politics, or are trying to pull the wool over people's eyes.

[progressivebydesign]

88. Dear PRESIDENT Obama,

Thank you for the past four years. I've been very happy with the work you've done so far, and the positive changes you've made in millions of lives. I'm a proud supporter.

I'm grateful that you'll have a second term to finish some of the work that you started. I fully trust in your judgment, and that YOU know better than a bunch of people on the internet, as to how to get things done in that environment.

Sincerely,

A realistic and grateful supporter.