Well it's official...*sigh*

[FLAprogressive]

per the Rachel Maddow Show:

Barack Obama, to the New Democrat Coalition (aka DLC): "I am a New Democrat."

Hopefully he was just BSing them......

[Captain Hilts]

1. Everything old is new again....nt

[FLAprogressive]

2. I don't know if we were punked or just didn't look hard enough....

[rurallib]

3. He is doing basically what he said he would do

which is why he was #5 on my list pre-caucus here in Iowa.

[Captain Hilts]

4. I still get misty-eyed at Feingold or Clark. Though I don't know if the latter...

would have been that much more progressive.

[Enrique]

5. didn't look hard enough, imo

Obama as the DLC-slayer was a fantasy, Obama never claimed it.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

7. I certainly feel punked.

So much for ever thinking we could push through some truly progressive legislation.

[Maru Kitteh]

31. Stem-cell research, abortion education abroad, Guantanamo, Lilly Ledbetter,

Pell grant expansion, reengaging the world, setting aside money for a national healthcare plan, etc, etc, etc, - THE EVIL BASTARD.

[cliffordu]

39. yeah, he completely screwed us all....

[Radical Activist]

40. Biggest investment in renewable energy and green infrastructure

this country has ever made times 100. Stopping Bush's last minute environmental rule changes and reversing the decision to stop the California car emissions waiver. He clearly hates the planet and betrayed us all.

[Maru Kitteh]

44. That's what I'm thinkin'

[acmavm]

46. IRAQ, AFGANISTAN, WAR CRIMES, TREASONOUS GOV OFFICIALS,

TELECOM SPYING, SIGNING STATEMENTS.

Pfffffffffft!

[readmoreoften]

15. Heck, his speeches to the Council on Foreign Relations were on his website.

Frightening interventionist policies with a "compassionate" face. It's not just about conquering nations, it's about helping them feed their children (but, uh, it is about conquering them.) I thought the neoconservatives were misrepresenting his speeches when they were chuckling about how much they liked Obama. Then I saw the speeches on his site and said "well okay then." Same as the old boss.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

26. You know..."same as the old boss" really diminishes how bad the old boss really was.

Obama's made plenty of mistakes and he'll make plenty more, but he's *STILL* light years ahead of Bush.
I've seen that phrase a lot. It makes me realize how Bush won two terms. Two months and it seems we've all forgotten how the Bush presidency really was.

[readmoreoften]

29. No. It's not about mistakes. I'm not concerned about mistakes.

Mistakes are trying to do the right thing and having it not pan out the way you planned. I assert that his very goals are similar to Bush's goals: to continue the war to support US 'interests' (corporations) and to move it into Afghanistan and Pakistan. I assert that his goal is to reconcile corporate America with its workers to the point where workers won't rise up in utter rage. He does want to create infrastructure for the American people, because it is in the interest of Wall St. Wall Street funded Obama's campaign. Health insurers funded Clinton's. (Not that the Street or the Health Lobby forgot to pay off one or the other...)

Obama has only righted a few things: stem cells, funding for abortion overseas. McCain's position on Gitmo differed little from Obama's and while Obama was denouncing black sites he was signing off on loopholes to allow them to continue. He has only released a tiny amount of Bush's email. These are his wars now. These are his policies now. I will not go along with them.

[Radical Activist]

37. Yes, you were punked

by this misleading story. Look at the policy. Its progressive.

[firedupdem]

6. So Rachel is going with the Politico story about unnamed sources?

I'll believe it when he says it or shows it. Right now he's doing what he promised which is fine by me.

[Captain Hilts]

9. That's my instinct too. Huffington Post is throwing a lot of unverified stuff around. nt

[Uzybone]

8. So says Politico

and the usual folks gobble it up like chicken feed.

[NavyDavy]

12. aint that the truth....pumas everywhere!

[Jennicut]

17. Obviously. I look at his actions especially regarding the budget and he is plenty progressive

to me. Obama is a new kind of a Dem but putting a label on him is very hard to do.

[stillcool]

10. Obama addressed the DLC?

[FLAprogressive]

11. according to Rachel he addressed the New Dem Coalition, which is the congressional arm of the DLC

[stillcool]

13. ah...found the article..

I thought by the head-line there was some other meaning.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1236762013240200.xml&coll=1

[Stinky The Clown]

21. That seems an accurate article

[firedupdem]

24. Nothing there about him being a New Democrat....that article

talked about meetings he's had with a lot of people and high speed rail. :shrug:

[Radical Activist]

34. sounds like the OP is wrong.

Obama met with Republicans too. That doesn't mean he switched parties. Why do some people want to badly so believe that Obama isn't liberal? He's more of a liberal than Howard Dean ever pretended to be.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

27. He also addressed the Blue Dogs and the Congressional Black Caucus.

[readmoreoften]

14. He acts like one whether he admitted it or not.

Doesn't have to come out and claim and allegiance. A wink-wink is fine. Or even doing-their-bidding quietly.

[FrenchieCat]

20. What has he done that is their bidding?

[vaberella]

16. What did Pres. Obama say about bloggers again?! What did the First Lady say about bloggers?

How soon DUers forget. *sigh*

[BlooInBloo]

18. Um... the ihateobama forum is the other way.

[FrenchieCat]

19. And here I thought he was a Socialist/Communist!

So he a new kind of Democrat.

He didn't say he was DLC. The Adjective "New" is not owned by them!

[firedupdem]

22. Politico had unnamed sources...wonder if they found some real

people to tell us what he said and what he meant?

[Radical Activist]

35. Politico is a troll.

They're always pulling this shit, putting out headlines to piss off the left, and it pretty much always turns out to be bullshit. I wonder how much longer people are going to keep falling for it.

[upi402]

23. I thought we knew this already n/t

[Lorien]

25. Our corporate masters won't allow "old Democrats" to run for the office

of the Presidency. If you don't play their game you won't get a shot.

[Individualist]

28. That's a fact!

[Radical Activist]

36. You mean old New Deal/Great Society Democrats

who might do things like...umm...the stimulus package that just passed and universal healthcare? Jesuseffingchrist. We elected one of our own and he's delivering. Give the guy a little credit.

[anonymous171]

38. If he is a new democrat, he sure is a liberal one. nt

[Lorien]

42. Born after Reagan?

or do you just live in a horrifically red state?

Obama is not a liberal. He would reject that label himself.

[Lorien]

41. He's giving us Universal Health care?

Wow! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Oh wait, I don't see THAT on the greatest page...

Damn.



I didn't say that Obama has no merit-I worked for the guy for fuck's sake. But he sure as hell is no liberal and NEVER CLAIMED TO BE. Most DUers are far to the left of Obama politically. Saying otherwise is being horribly disingenuous.

[Radical Activist]

43. He's only been talking about it for two years.

But I guess Obama must be a conservative because he didn't do everything on the first day?

I would expect a lot of DUers haven't spent the time in the progressive movement Obama has as a community organizer, civil rights attorney, working with left wing groups like Project Vote and ACORN, and compiling a liberal voting record over his career. It's easy to pick apart weak areas of a proposal or a few votes you don't like. Looking at his career as a whole and claiming he isn't a liberal is horribly disingenuous.

[rvablue]

30. I don't really give a shit what he calls himself. I'm damn happy he's in the White House! n/t

[Maru Kitteh]

32. As am I. :-)

[Ohio Joe]

45. Agreed

Overall, I'm very happy with his performance so far as well.

[anonymous171]

33. :( Oh well. At least he's a liberal new democrat. He supports Unions after all. nt