Obama warns Dems against 'Tea Party mentality'

[MrWendel]

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/275546-obama-warns-dems-against-tea-party-mentality

By Jordan Fabian



President Obama on Thursday warned Democrats against adopting a “Tea Party mentality” that could lead to deep divisions within the party and harm its chances of winning national elections.

Following the rise of the Tea Party and Donald Trump, Obama said infighting within the Republican Party is much worse than it is on the Democratic side.

But he urged his party’s voters to be mindful of that danger in the midst of a heated primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

“The thing Democrats have to guard against is going in the direction that the Republicans are much further along on, and that is this sense 'we are just going to get our way, and if we don’t, then we’ll cannibalize our own, kick them out and try again,' ” he said at a town-hall meeting with law students in Chicago.

In that scenario, Democrats could “stake out positions so extreme, they alienate the broad public,” Obama added. “I don’t see that being where the Democrats go, but it’s always something we have to pay attention to.”

Obama’s comments come amid a major dustup between Clinton and Sanders that has Democrats concerned about keeping their party unified.

Sanders on Wednesday accused Clinton of being not “qualified” to serve as president because of her willingness to use a super-PAC and support for the Iraq War and free trade agreements.

The president did not name Clinton or Sanders. But he offered a staunch defense of his incrementalist view of politics, which has sometimes come under fire from the Vermont senator.

"That’s how change generally happens,” he said, citing the example of his signature healthcare law.

“It’s not perfect. There is no public option, not single-payer,” he said. “If I was designing a system from scratch, it would have been more elegant. But that’s not what was possible in our democracy."

The president also sought to downplay the divisions between Clinton and Sanders.

He said the debate among Democrats is “is a little bit more about means, less about ends,” noting that both candidates broadly agree on issues like the need for universal healthcare and combating climate change.

Obama said he understood the populist sentiment that has driven Sanders’s candidacy. But he said the answer is not to abandon a compromise approach.

“The danger, whether for Democrats or Republicans, is in a closed-loop system where everybody is just listening to the people who agree with them,” he said.

“And that anybody who suggests there is another point of view ... well, then you must be a sellout or you must be corrupted or you must be on the take or what have you," he added. "That is not, I think, useful.”

Obama could be a unifying figure for Democrats in this fall's election.

His approval ratings are at 50 percent or higher in most opinion polls, making him the most popular figure in his party.

(More in link)

[DanTex]

1. I couldn't agree with him more. He's been a great president. Gonna miss him.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. I proudly stand with our great president.

[enid602]

8. agrreed

Agreed. Arrogant purists achieve nothing but momentary fame.

[CanadaexPat]

3. So now it's the Tea Party slur

Nice. How'd all the cooperation with Republicans work out?

[MrWendel]

4. Whats the fav line on this site...

"It's not a slur if it's true"?

[pat_k]

19. Tea Party Right was an effective regressive force...

Why wouldn't a Tea Party Left be an effective progressive force?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1682427

[My Good Babushka]

5. If he had put more effort into a working-class recovery

we wouldn't be having this schism. The problem is that incrementalism hasn't lifted wages, rebuilt the infrastructure, or strengthened the middle class in his eight center-moderate years, and it won't in Clinton's next four, should she win.

[ibegurpard]

10. He hasn't even been incremental

He's been regressive.

[Ferd Berfel]

22. absolutly true

do I have to say it? TPP

[Armstead]

6. If he wants to avoid that he should tell the party open up instead of shut out alternative views

[KingFlorez]

7. He is such a Clinton puppet

[ibegurpard]

9. what change is he referring to?

Taxpayer funded transfers of money to private insurance? Corporate education reform and charter schools? Expansion of the Surveillance State? Corporate slanted "free trade"? Fuck that change.

[Ferd Berfel]

11. Someone Needs to Tell Obama It's Too Late - The Tea Party on the Left already happened

When the Party was Sold to the Corporate Elite in the 80's. It's called by many names: DLC, Blue Dog, Third Way

By supporting Bernie we are attempting to take the Party away from the Corporate Elite and their stooges and return the Party to We The People.

[KPN]

12. And the beat goes on!

So now Berners are the equivalents of Tea Partiers? Hardly!

Tea Party equivalents already took over the Democratic Party in the form of the DLC in 92. Berners are just taking it back from the insurgents - finally!

Instead of warning about a Gop-tea party like split, our President maybe ought to be talking about how the party establishment needs to do everything it can to gain the trust of Berners. That dog might actually run.

[NurseJackie]

13. He's correct, you know.

[pat_k]

14. Tea Party Right was very effective in electing wrongheaded,...

...narrow-minded candidates to all levels of government. They got the "mainstrean" right wingnuts to cater to them out of fear of being voted out. And they successfully got some incredibly regressive, damaging, legislation through. (And are still at it.)

I don't know if we're incubating Tea Party Left, but if we are, I hope they are every bit as effective in electing levelheaded, fair-minided candidates to all levels of government. I hope they get mainstream Democrats to cater to them out of fear of being voted out. And I hope they are even more successful at getting some incredibly progressive, beneficial legislation through.

It seems to me the only people who might fear the rise of an effective Tea Party Left are the ones who prop up the extremely immoral status quo.

[MrWendel]

25. Who knew...

the Tea Party was so revered.

[pat_k]

32. You apparently did not read my post.

There is no reference expressed for a force that has succeeded in getting "incredibly regressive, damaging, legislation through."

I'm just describing the phenomenon. And pointing out that a similar phenomenon, coming from the left, focused on achieving very different ends, could in fact be as successful.

It is something to consider. The rise of a Tea Party Left (or however you might want to characterize the rise of passionate, noisy, and active advocates of such "radical" ideas as implementing universal health care, creating a moral economy, ensuring educational opportunity, and injecting social justice into our public policy) may be something that should not be quashed.

[MrWendel]

33. The Phenomenon...

is nothing to be admired or respected. There is no black and white so alienating a group of people because they don't pass a purity test is nothing I am interested in.

[H2O Man]

15. I have great respect

for President Obama. I believe that his messages are always worth listening to. And I hope that the current divide within the Democratic Party does not result in a fracturing of our potential unity in 2016 and beyond.

However, no matter which candidate wins our primary, it seems obvious that a significant segment of the other candidate's supporters will not vote for our nominee. That is definitely a problem in 2016. Let's hope that it isn't in the future.

Recommended.

[pat_k]

16. Consider this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1682427

[H2O Man]

21. Right.

I consider the Sanders's supporters to be representative of the true Democratic Party. The closest thing to the rabid-right's "tea party" would be the neoconservatives within our party.

[pat_k]

28. However characterized, his rise to predominance is a catalyst...

Last edited Fri Apr 8, 2016, 04:29 PM - Edit history (1)

... for something that feels like it could grow into a very powerful force for national change. Change that is currently viewed inside the beltway as "toxic" or "radical." Overcoming the forces of entrenched resistance may require a tea party-like "take over" (perhaps. as you point out, it would be better characterized as a "take back&quot .

The aspect that worries me are the number of people on social media who express the intention to essentially "pack it in" if he doesn't win. I don't know the extent to which these online themes reflect the feelings of supporters "out there." I hope it is not truly representative.

Yesterday Lodestar posted "Bernie Sanders: Then and now (1985-2015)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1678377

It ends with this speech:

The problems we face did not come down from the heavens. They are made by bad human decisions. And good human decisions can change that.

Despair. One of the things -- one of the problems that we have got to deal with right now... is all over this country there are a lot of are bright, decent people, good people. They're saying, you know what? The situation is hopeless. You can't beat the Koch brothers. You can't beat the billionaires. You can't win. I'm givin' up.

That is exactly what they want us to believe! And I beg of you, Do Not Enter That World of Despair.

If what we are witnessing is to grow into something big, we cannot give into despair. I wish I saw more of his supporters on social media encouraging each other to stick with the fight, regardless of outcome. If he wins, he'll need support from "out here" to get anything done. And if he doesn't, the fight to inject morality into public policy can't end.

Look how long Bernie's been at it! He's been a voice of sanity for decades. He serves as an example to us all. (And this from someone -- me -- who did "opt out" for too long.)

Perhaps our greatest need is to cultivate the hope and confidence necessary to overcome immobilization.

As I've been saying lately, the only was to guarantee failure is to give up the fight. (And I do this as much to buck up myself as to encourage others.)

And, BTW, I always appreciate your posts and analysis. When I returned to DU last year, I was happy to see you are still here.

[Bjorn Against]

17. Yes the Third Way needs to stop their march to the right before they go so far the become Teabaggers

[nc4bo]

18. Never a dull moment on the Bullshit Express.

POTUS needs to just let this play out democratically. This is coming from someone that campaigned for, donated money and time to his campaign and voted for him twice!

[GreatGazoo]

20. It isn't Sanders who is "alienating the public" by saying they "feel sorry for" young voters or

telling BLM to be concerned about black lives in Africa.

It isn't Sanders who is "alienating the public" by using white noise to hide whatever they say mega donors or not releasing the text of their secret speeches to Wall Street backers.

It isn't Sanders who is "alienating the public" by demanding that party unity wait until after the convention.

[randr]

23. The largest numbers of Democrats still holding onto "party" lines

will be dead in an election or two. They should not sit idly by on their hands waiting for the current crop of DNC toadies to come to their rescue. They need to organize, follow their own values, and make the world into what they desire.
Obama is wrong. There are serious differing points of view being exposed at this time. It will take a new beginning to fix the mess we are in.

[frylock]

24. Et tu, Obama?

[MrWendel]

26. Anyone...

who calls for purity tests are Tea Partyish, no matter what part of the spectrum your on.

[bkkyosemite]

27. I have a feeling he is being pressured by the elite that control our government

to say this. Someone is worried about Bernie Sander's surge and support.

What is not being understood is this is the people standing up to the Oligarchy and saying enough. It was already there before Bernie said it. And people are getting nervous..

[2pooped2pop]

29. This type of manipulation and name calling

Will only insure that he will not get his wish, I'll bet. Certainly doesn't make me feel all warm and cozy towards him or other corporate loving dems.

[Betty Karlson]

30. Well, the party could stop ignoring 99% of the needs and concerns in the USA.

The biggest division is sown by people like Clinton and DWS with their slogan "who else are they going to vote for?" and their scorched earth and bridge-burning campaign style.

[Surya Gayatri]

31. Massive K & R. Thanks for posting.

[Half-Century Man]

34. Silly analogy really.

First: The "tea party" was designed to take over political parties. It was financed by the donor class. Had all it's strategy and talking points thought up by marketing experts. Was led (at least in the beginning) by select planted operatives. It was designed by hard core Libertarians (Koch Bros conservatives) to build a very visible angry base to drive moderate republicans as far right as possible, or replace them.


What seems like a current progressive shift in the country as a whole is, in fact, a rejection of the extensive marketing done by both the republicans and the corporate Democrats for the last forty years. The ever expanding access to a free internet has allowed us to actually communicate across the borders of society (cultural, economic, education, etc), resulting in us finding out we have a lot more common goals then we thought (which is why the neutral net is under ever increasing assault).

The movement, which happens to be figureheaded by Bernie Sanders at this moment, isn't lefty nutjobs using extortion as a political block and tackle to drag the unwilling further into a morass of socialism. It is the citizens of the country realizing that all the political power resides in them even if most of the money lives with just a few abusive parents.

Of course a corporate leaning Democratic President would want the pro-corporate side of the equation to remain in power and would phrase his argument to color the ongoing realization in an unflattering way.
That too, is marketing.

[timmymoff]

35. Obama should've warned us about his center right economic stances

He left those out I guess.

[Waiting For Everyman]

36. Obama got it all wrong again, and not by accident I'm sure.

First of all, corruption is a fact not an opinion.

Second, the "extreme positions", or the revolution as we call it, ARE the "views of the broad public". It's the entrenched public officials, who yes are in fact sell outs, who are being dragged along by the broad public.

And third, you can't get a corrupt official out incrementally. The official is either in, or out.

Fourth, as to policies and programs, case in point is the $15 minimum wage. Increases every couple of years by pennies never did anything for anybody. But promoting $15, ACHIEVED something that will make a real difference and it's getting done in a rather short time, only a few years.

Obama is one of the sell outs. It's time he took his outgoing thumb off the scales. I'm sure he has a gigantic and super-fast payday coming for himself, and that should be enough for him. He doesn't need to foist any more corrupt pols on us on the way out.