I don't understand the surprise expressed by those who say DU has changed.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

Dyed in the wool Obama supporters keep repeating this refrain:
"It's sad. DU didn't used to be like this..."

...well, for obvious reasons. During the first 8 years of DU there was a Republican administration to unify against. That's no longer the case. Obama has allowed us to introduce ourselves to one-another.

Under Bush
1. Unified Democrats against BushCo

Under Obama
1. Dyed in the wool Obama supporters
2. DINOs
3. Progressives/Liberals
4. Socialist Democrats
5. Disillusioned Democrats

Hello DU
3, 4, and 5 capture me. I bought Obama's Hope and Change hook, line, and sinker. But it wasn't long before he jumped the shark with me. In fact, it occurred before his inauguration, when he signed up the Rubinites/Clintonites as his economic advisers. It's only gone from bad to worse since then for me.

[Cleita]

1. 4 and 5 capture me.

I did not buy his line. It sounded too Reaganesque for me. Same speech, different vague promises. I was not entranced.

[forestpath]

2. I am exactly like you.

[byeya]

3. #4 if that's a way of saying "Leftist"

[Benton D Struckcheon]

4. Allow me to introduce you to the Democratic Party

I say this as a liberal.
It's a centrist party.
We have a right wing party and a centrist party. There is no left wing party in the U.S. with any chance of winning anything. Otherwise Bernie Sanders wouldn't be sitting there in the Senate all by himself. There never has been and there never will be.
Once in a while you will get an actual left winger in the White House.
Lincoln, maybe Grant (not real sure about him), and FDR were as close as it gets, LBJ (despite Viet Nam) was another.
That's about it.

So, the idea is to always apply pressure. Sometimes you can pull them to the left, but you have to accept that most times you're going to be disappointed. Just the way it is.
As 2000 should have taught everyone, throwing a tantrum and voting for a third party candidate only lands you in real trouble. You have to deal with the reality of the country you live in, which will never be a left wing country. As Sanders shows, you can sometimes get it done locally/statewide, but nationwide will never happen, except by happy accident.
Obama is better than most, worse than some. Apply pressure.

[Glorfindel]

5. #4, proud Socialist Democrat here. My parents lived through the Depression

They thought FDR was the greatest ever, and so do I.

[lpbk2713]

6. There's one other segment to be considered.

The contrarians.

They have always been with us and always will be with us.

No matter how irrefutable something may be there will
always be a certain few who will jump up and disagree.