If you want to "take no prisoners", be prepared to be disappointed by an Obama administration

[Bread and Circus]

I just want to put it out there that Obama, despite being liberal and progressive in many ways, is still the kind of guy to take a lot of different viewpoints into account. Furthermore, he doesn't seem to keen on carrying out grudges and vindictive behavior. If anything, I expect him to reach out in many different directions, including "across the isle". Now is not the time for "payback".

This might create a lot of disaffection here on DU. It shouldn't. Obama has got our backs and will try to carry through on his campaign promises, filibuster proof senate or not. However, he will govern by consensus, and this will involve a degree of compromise. And though there will be much gnashing of teeth over this it will be a good thing because this will be the key to moving the ball forward and consolidating a center left politics power structure in this country.

No one needs to look any further than Bush to see how it shouldn't be done, and it was his lack of being President "of all the people" that ultimately did him in. His unilateral, brash, and vindictive politics created the climate of division and cronyism. This created the crisis of incompetence from the top down. And when that house of cards fell, having no good will to fall back on, the entire Party and "brand" fell apart.

Nothing will maintain Obama's brand and the brand of the Democratic Party like success, real success. We will need to be better off in 4 years, or else. Not only that, there will need to be a new spirit in America of inclusiveness and unity. The latter will not come without an approach to politics that does not include respect and fairness to the opposition.

But if we move to the left with both success and a renewed political spirit, it will bode well for a long term future that might just bring us universal single payer care, some semblance of energy independence, better trade balances, better jobs, less poverty, better educational opportunities, and a reduced budget deficit/national debt.

[bullimiami]

1. despite how the pukes have spun it, he is neither very liberal or progressive. he is centrist.

i expect he will occupy the middle which has been totally abandoned by the republicans.

im hoping he doesnt make the sort of mistakes clinton made. ie welfare 'reform', nafta ...

not my ideal but hopefully reasonable and fair.

[Alter Ego]

5. The "middle" has been pushed WAAAAAAY left in the last eight years.

[bullimiami]

13. way right? the repubs have been trying to redefine the middle as

somewhere between reagan and mussolini.

[skooooo]

2. Obama will piss everyone off...sooner or later.

Yes, he will piss you off in some way, no matter where you think you fall on the liberal-conservative scale. So get ready!

[dmallind]

3. This is true

Being less to the left than much of DU I doubt I will have a problem personally - although I'm sure theer will be decisions and moves which I disagree with Obama on. But for people expecting a sudden sea change to even moderately left positions, I can only advise them to be realistic.

We're not getting troops pulled out of Iraq in less than a year, let alone right away.

We're not going straight to single payer UHC (although I wish we would - this is an area where I am in 100% agreement with the pure progressives even if not for the same reasons perhaps)

We're not going to upper income taxes above those of the Clinton era.

There's no New New Deal on poverty on the horizon.

But we'll get troops out faster, we'll get health care more available, we'll almost certainly get ERA level tax rates on high earners, and we'll get better funding and plans for poverty.

Improvement is good. Perfection is a dream.

[SoonerPride]

9. If SOFA ain't re-upped, the troops may be out by January.

Maybe

[Alter Ego]

4. I have no illusions of us taking vengeance on Republicans.

And to tell you the truth I don't want to. We need to unfuck the things they've fucked--there's really no time for revenge.

And I have no problem with a center-left President.

[stray cat]

6. One reason I like Obama

[Arctic Dave]

7. I don't expect Obama to get "payback".

That is what Congress is for. It is not payback if crimes were commited. I do expect them to fully investigate any type of wrong doing. No exceptions.

[SoonerPride]

8. In order to retain power we will re-take the middle ground and hold it

K & R

[ben_meyers]

10. We will need to be better off in 4 years?

4 Years? You are addressing people that thought that Pelosi would order the troops home from Iraq and impeach Bush the day after she took control of congress.

4 years? There are some who expect Obama to fix the world the day after he is elected! The media will start Obamas first 100 days early and start sniping within seconds of the inauguration.

4 years? I expect if the "Dawning of the Age of Aquarius" hasn't occurred by mid-term that a 1994 like house cleaning of congress will happen.

4 years? Obama could very well end up a one term president, much like Carter and Bush 1, due to the economy.

I hope Obama is up to the task, but he is only human.

[dflprincess]

11. Hopefully, he won't take as long as Pelosi to get something meaningful done.

I'm still waiting for that to happend.

[grantcart]

12. just as long as I don't have to change --- he cannot be serious !!

[AZBlue]

14. "Payback" is stupid and it only brings about impasse & standstill.

It's the antithesis of changing and improving the future.

[seaglass]

15. It's why I didn't support him in the primary and why he only gets my

vote and nothing else. Republicans not held to account for the last 8 years of torture they have inflicted on this country is not right IN ANY WAY.

And P.S. I DO NOT CARE what a majority of Amerians think, at one point a majority were behind Bush. at one point a majority supported the Iraq War. Being in the MAJORITY has NOTHING to do with being in the RIGHT.

[Bread and Circus]

16. I think the point is the righteousness often leads one to their own demise

when has it ever not?

[seaglass]

17. Is that the whole point of this exercise, just winning? n/t

[Bread and Circus]

18. Not at all, the point is governing w/ consensus in mind and respect for all Americans.

[IsItJustMe]

19. I think you are right on the money.