Some advice for President Elect Obama: Fuck the Republicans

[Cyrano]

Dear President Elect Obama: Do you really think that Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Richard Shelby, James Inhofe, and the rest of the wingnut senators, intend to clasp your outreached hand?

Let me say this as plainly as possible: Reach out to them and you will pull back a stump. And let me also say this as plainly as possible: I don't think you are naive enough to really believe that these miserable pricks are ready to "play nice."

So how about cutting through the bullshit, telling the American people that these bastards intend to obstruct everything you want to accomplish, and that they are the very people who helped Bush put us into the bottomless pit of despair we currently occupy.

Perhaps you have some "greater plan" that we who support you don't see. So, I believe the majority of us are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and wait and see.

I, personally, have great faith in you. Perhaps I'm engaging in wishful thinking, but I believe you have it within you to be one of our greatest presidents. There is much damage to be repaired after almost four decades of Republican barbarism.

And having said all this, I go back to my original statement. Fuck the Republicans. They are your/our enemies. Perhaps you can pick off one or two Thug senator's votes on some issues, but don't hold your breath on major ones such as universal health care.

In any case, good luck to all of us. The vast majority of us are with you, we are counting on you and we will back you. At present, your positive ratings are high enough that you can pull off just about anything you want to. Please, please, don't squander the opportunity.

[mod mom]

1. rec'd. Have they ever attempted to work with Dems? It's time to work for the people!

[Occam Bandage]

2. And now, with ellipses.

"Fuck the Republicans...Mitch McConnell and John Boehner intend to clasp your outreached...prick. ...You have it within you to...fuck the Republicans. ...We will back you. You're...high enough that you can pull...anything you want to. Please."

[Fire1]

32. If only he believed and I don't think he does.

:-(

[Critters2]

3. He's not going to listen to this. The Warren decision is not just symbolic.

It's a message to progressives and conservatives. When there's a choice to be made between these two groups, Obama will "reach out" to conservatives. He's been clear about this since his victory speech after Iowa. You should've been listening then. Now we'll get what we voted for, a centrist, who's going to be reaching across the aisle, with his back turned on progressives.

Get used to it.

[Cyrano]

4. We'll see.

[Prophet 451]

11. Still better than McCain

I have made myself a promise that every time Obama pisses me off over the next four years, I will remind myself that it could have been McCain/Palin.

[sampsonblk]

38. I agree, but I think you missed something about Warren

Rick Warren, despite the recent hype, has been a widely accepted preacher, preaching the widely accepted version of the gospel. I haven't heard anything he's said that's outside the mainstream of christian theology. Preachers get run out of town all the time for preaching outside the bible. Rick Warren isn't getting run out of anywhere, he is getting invited everywhere.

I honestly think that Obama believes what Warren believes, and accepts the same interpretation of scripture that Warren provides. They obviously differ greatly on what should (and shouldn't) be done.

If that's true, and I could be wrong, then it makes sense for Obama to pick Warren, considering he is so popular all over the country.

Aside from Warren, I agree with everything you said. Especially your analysis of what we can expect from President Obama.

[Critters2]

40. Obama, until recently, claimed to be UCC. The UCC DOES accept

a different interpretation of scripture than Warren does. MUCH different. I know this because I'm an ordained minister in the UCC. It would've been nice if Obama had chosen a UCC minister to give the invocation. But the UCC challenges the culture, whereas Warren and the Southern Baptist Church, of which he's a member, endorse the dominant culture.

Obama should be ashamed of this pick. The job of a preacher is NOT to be popular.

[polichick]

5. Barack doesn't seem to see Republicans as the enemy...

I hope he doesn't long to be accepted by the bullies on the playground ~ hopefully he's way more strategic than that and not nearly as naive as he sometimes sounds.

[T Wolf]

6. But he does seem to see progressives as, if not enemies, bothersome pests who need to be ignored

so that his buddies on the right do not get upset.

It will be interesting to see how people here feel about the Obama administration a year from now. Will there still be "hope for change" or will most have seen that not much will actually change? Since no one will admit to owning a time machine, we will just have to wait. And speculate.

[polichick]

7. I'm not sure how he sees progressives yet, though there have been...

...quite a few red flags. I get the feeling he has some progressive initiatives on his agenda but he wants them to be seen as mainstream. This actually annoys me about him ~ I don't like the dismissive remarks he's made about the issues of the 60s ~ but it's possible that he thinks he can get more done without drawing too much attention to the history of an idea (such as green energy).

[Cyrano]

8. At present, our only hope is progressivism.

Were Obama to continue current policies, or even a modified version of them, the United States as we've known it, is over.

Pull up Paul Krugman's Monday NY Times column. He actually used the word "depression."

Obama is perhaps among the smartest people to occupy the Office of the Presidency. Do you really believe he's going to continue policies that put us all in a sewer?

I'm going to put this post into my journal. Why don't you do the same? A year from now will be the time to have an intelligent discussion on this topic. Right now, it's too soon.

[democrattotheend]

9. Well sometimes we act like bothersome little pests

When we get all worked up about issues that don't matter that much, such as who gives a 2-minute prayer at his inauguration or whether Joe Lieberman keeps the chairmanship of a committee most Americans have never even heard of. If we want to be a real force for holding him accountable we ought to pick our battles wisely and save them for substantial policy fights.

[Cyrano]

12. Damn it, democrattotheend, how dare you come up with a reasonable statement?

It's obvious that you've stuck a stick into the hive of "bothersome little pests" who will now proceed to bludgeon you (if this thread has legs).

And this doesn't even cover the rest of your post. Given the current atmosphere here on DU, your reasonable statements will be viewed as those of a heretic.

Well, as Joan of Arc said, "I love the smell of ashes in the morning."

Nonetheless, I only hope there are enough sane people left on DU who own fire hoses.

[democrattotheend]

13. I'm glad you see it as reasonable

I figured I'd get flamed for what I said, but I don't care. I am frustrated with the inability on the part of some bloggers and activists to think strategically and keep their eye on the big picture.

[Critters2]

20. So, your marriage is legal, then? nt

[democrattotheend]

21. I'm not married. But your example helps make my point

If we are going to press Obama on gay rights we ought to press him on issues such as repealing DOMA, which would actually impact whose marriage was legal, rather than on something symbolic like who gives the prayer at inauguration. However offensive you might find Warren, no marriages will be nullified as a result of him giving the prayer.

[Critters2]

24. 18,000 marriages are likely to be nullified because of his advocacy.

That may mean nothing to you, but, as I say, your marriage isn't one of 'em.

[democrattotheend]

25. Fine. So let's focus on pushing Obama to repeal DOMA

Since more marriages are actually affected by that law. Regardless of how offensive Warren is, there are no policy implications resulting from him giving the prayer.

[Critters2]

26. Obama opposes marriage equality. He's always said so. nt

[democrattotheend]

28. But I believe he supports repealing DOMA

Am I wrong about that?

[Critters2]

30. He said so during the primary campaign, but has said little about it since.

He seems to be waffling.


If you search "DOMA" on change.gov, nothing comes up.

[Cyrano]

33. Why not put this issue on hold for six months and then see what Obama has

done or hasn't done?

[backscatter712]

10. I think it's strategy.

Since he's getting a lion's share of political power when he takes office, I think his goal is to look magnanimous. He's not dumb - he knows that assclowns like McConnell will slap his hand back when he offers them an olive branch.

I think his strategy is to make the Repubs choose between playing ball with him or looking like assholes. Judging by how he was able to cause McCain's and Clinton's attacks to boomerang during election season, I think he's got a similar plan here.

[snowbear]

27. Best response yet !!

.
.

In my opinion.

[JayMusgrove]

14. I think the election of Obama by the people of the USA actually

was the worst most embarrassing fuck the Republicans got. Then, over and over again, since then, Obama has, in his pre-inauguration work, done an excellent job of making sure people in the Republican Party who supported Bush and his unconstitutional actions will feel generally all fucked over for the next four or eight years.

Obama is not going to put up with the Republican's bull crap. Every time they get out there and make stupid arguments to protect the rich and screw the worker, Obama will hold them up to public ridicule for taking such an ill-conceived position, shaming them into reluctant agreement.

Obama has this, don't worry, and he has more support now than he had on election day... so Republicans, wherever you are, don't act stupid, just go along with what needs to happen, and share the credit when it's over.

[Enrique]

15. Obama naive? come on

if he reaches out to republicans it's because he thinks it will help him achieve his agenda, not because he is under any illusions about them.

That agenda, by the way, is not going to be as ideological as many want it to be. Obama's a pragmatist.

[Cyrano]

16. I agree that he has no illusions about the Republicans

However, we are far past the point where any ideology can fix what's broken. Bush rammed the ship of state into an iceberg. And I believe that Obama will literally do whatever it takes to keep us from sinking. I think he's smart enough to make it up as he goes along, do whatever is necessary to keep us afloat, and courageous enough to ignore the naysayers.

[Enrique]

17. yep

I see Obama the same way you do. I'm glad he's the president at this time.

[uponit7771]

18. It should be OBVIOUS by now there are VERY VERY few if NO moderates in the GOP

[Cyrano]

19. I couldn't agree more. What shocks me is how many DUers

are shredding a Democratic president before he's even taken office.

And yes, I understand your frustrations, your disappointments, and the lack of "victory" for your cause.

So I'll tell you what. Hook up with Jeb Bush. I'm sure that come 2016, he'll fulfill all your dreams.

Okay, that was sarcastic. But goddamn it to hell, can we all just give Obama a shot at pulling us out of George W. Bush's Hell before we burn him at the stake?

[cooolandrew]

22. I think Obama has the diplomacy to make them co-operative.

[Still Sensible]

23. A lot of progress can be made

with approval ratings in the 70s or 80s.

[Fire1]

29. Remember, Obama 'takes the high road.'

[AtomicKitten]

31. -----> www.change.gov

[davidpdx]

34. Actually I did fuck a Republican once

and in all truthfulness, she was pretty good in bed.

[ErinBerin84]

35. I was

listening to a recording last night of a Wilco (big Obama supporters of course) concert I saw at a college in 2004, right before the election. Jeff Tweety said to us "Kids....don't trust Republicans. Especially of the neo-con variety. These type of Republicans make Pat Buchanan seems like Jesus Christ. It didn't always used to be like this, believe us, we're older than you are."

I was hoping that Obama had learned a little something from Rick Warren/Cone of Silence gate, but he still feels the need to "reach out" to him...I also hope that Obama remembers how McCain tried to punk him and "suspended his campaign", when they had previously talked only about putting out a "joint statements". That being said, Obama is much smarter than me politically, and I just hope that he knows that while we need to get Republicans on board for the stimulus, they are assholes and will always be setting him up for a fall.

[Kahuna]

36. Yeah? A lot of republicans voted for Obama. Maybe if he appears to

reach out to the republican leadership, he can get EVEN MORE republican voters to cross over in future elections. Especially if their leadership appear to be playing the same old obstructionist games. But nahhhhhhh. We don't want that! We're purists, right? So, fuck them.. :sarcasm:

[BeyondGeography]

37. He's doing it with a smile

Next.

[fadedrose]

39. How about Bob Dole? Working on health care? Daschle?

And nobody's told me yet what company/companies/interests that Daschle's wife lobbies for? Anybody know?

[jenmito]

41. I disagree. That would go against everything he ran on during the last two years...

"Post partisanship." "There is no red America. There is no blue America. There is the United States of America."