Which Dem leader will shout the loudest to his peers - stop being such damn wimps!!!

[RiverStone]

Listening to a replay of Friday's Norman Goldman's show outta liberal talk radio A.M.620 from Portland this morning, he and his callers were lamenting the wimp factor of our current Dem leadership and sadly, a greater degree of capitulation than anticipated from our elected Prez Obama.

He echoed what Randi, Tom, Ed, and other progressive talk radio hosts have been saying for a while: that for a party with majorities in the House and Senate and control of the Presidency --- we are letting the Rethugs control way too much of the mandate than we should. It was complacency and arrogance that lost Massachusetts, add that to losing recent Governor's races in Virgina and New Jersey.

Barack Obama has extended the olive branch to the rethugs for his first year in office, and it should be obvious to all by now that the rethugs have no inclination to cooperate whatsoever. In fact, they get off on being obstructionists.

After 8 years of a backwards and criminal regime, run by the idiot from TX, we won the presidency with a mandate for CHANGE. The wimp factor from many Dem leaders this past year has frankly been an embarrassment, and if we don't start playing smash-mouth politics immediately - we could lose lots more in 2010. I can't fathom how short the American political memory is, but the rise of the Independent vote in Mass should tell us that disgust against the pukes for electing GW carries little weight any more; or at least not enough to bank on.

I'd rather lose fighting like hell, then by capitulating. If this means knowing how to drive a proverbial pick up or who Curt Schilling pitches for - then do your damn research. Or more importantly, push back hard at the rightie Supreme Court's decision to turn the body politic back over to corporate money and draft legislation to fix it - immediately! The Dems better get back in touch with a voice which resonate with the We The People! They better get mad and weld the POWER which we gave them or we will certainly lose worse in November.

The good news is there is still time for a game change, but the Dems better start today!

Who will carry the fight for us? In a Russ Feingold or Dennis Kucinich kind of way. Name your favorites...

[babylonsister]

1. Did you pay ANY attention to the meeting between the House rethugs

and Obama on Friday? According to your diatribe here, I guess not. You, and the rest of the people you mentioned, need to bone up.

[Skittles]

3. pay attention to RESULTS, not just WORDS

was that a changing point? IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

[babylonsister]

5. We've discussed results, Skittles, and you don't want to hear it. So

I think you just enjoy being enraged. See ya!

[Skittles]

19. you're not completely there

but you're getting DAMN close

[RiverStone]

4. Show me the Dem legislative victories to back up the talk

Yea I heard about it, but lets see talk translated into legislation and victories for the Dem party. In perspective, we are still far better off weak (and in power) then the alternative; but people need to "bone up" on the fact that without some very obvious tough walk (not just talk) we will continue to lose ground.

He can't do it alone, and I sorely wish we had someone other than sorry Sen Reid to watch his back.

And my "diatribe" is born out of legitimate frustration, IMO. A frustration which Dem leaders should capitalize on.

USE IT OR LOSE IT!


babylonsister --- do you not think this frustration is warranted?

[babylonsister]

6. I think praise for this is warranted:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4251020
Gibbs: Cost of Obama's jobs push in range of $100B

and find it odd that this isn't celebrated more. I'm frustrated when some good news comes out, the naysayers ignore it.

[RiverStone]

10. Actually --- we can do both!

There is lots to praise President Obama for - examples include major effort to reverse disastrous Shrub policies in the areas of:

-Endorsing gay rights (per the military - don't ask policy)
-Lifted the ban on stem cell research
-Lifting Shrub's gag rule on promoting safe family planning (contraception)
-Working to enhance the endangered species act
-Working to expand designated wilderness areas by 2 million acres
-Working to allow states to set fuel efficiency standards
-Working to withdraw oil and gas leases

But when you look at the balance of POWER - for which we DEMS have the lion's share, we have done too little.

I can still be thrilled we have a brilliant and articulate leader in Obama, but be critical of what I consider a relatively lackluster performance by the combined effort of Dem leaders on The Hill and on Penn Ave.

Simply put, they need to challenge the obstructionist rethugs to participate in being part of the solution, or get the fuck off the boat - cause we are going to do the work of the people regardless.

[babylonsister]

14. IMO, that is what Obama did by going to the meeting with the

rethugs and showing his stuff. He challenged them and beat them at their own game. He did encourage them to be part of the solution, too.

Rarely has his administration done such a good job of bluntly underscoring the differences between what Obama wants to do and what Republicans would prefer if they had power. The president was funny and disarming, but he defended his policies fiercely, and he tiptoed up to the line of calling Republicans liars to their faces.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x161378

[RiverStone]

18. OK - we agree there! But....

Unfortunately sister, as talented a performance (or verbal ass kicking) that Prez Obama handed the rethugs in The House, the critical question is this:

How can the Obama administration communicate the TRUTH in what you and others "in the know" witnessed, and GET THE MESSAGE across to John Q. Public so they see it too?

You pay attention, but most people in America watch reality TV and believe it!!!

Looking at the recent Dem losses in MASS, VA, and NJ --- we are losing the message. Sure, even a few rethug handlers admitted publicly that Obama did a great job at the meeting you reference, but the people we need to impress are the voters.

They are seeing a weak Dem party that has lost some initiative since our BIG win.

Maybe Obama needs more savvy handlers or media folks, or maybe we need to kick legislative ass in such obvious fashion that the MSM has to cover it? We have to do something, cause so far anyway - people are just not paying attention to the stuff we care about.

[babylonsister]

20. You haven't been paying attention. From 2 days ago...

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/1/29/831802/-OReilly-viewers-give-Obama-94-approval

O'Reilly viewers give Obama 94% approval


From CSPAN yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x163125

C-span republican line very positive on Obama

[babylonsister]

22. Come on, RiverStone, you brought it up, so you can take it back!

:fistbump:

[RiverStone]

24. I'll take responsibility for my grumpy mood

But alas sister, I won't take back my critical concern - but as ya noted up thread, I can accentuate the positive Prez Obama has done too. Shit, I worked like hell to get him elected! Glad your have so many references of the other accomplishments close at hand.

Polls aside, the only vote that really matters are the ones that elect people, and we have faired poorly in the last 3 semi-big elections. Tho here in the Pacific NW, we did get some good news last Tuesday when these measures passed: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/01/oregon_measure_66_measure_67_e.html

So at least some folks get it!

I'll leave our productive volley with an observation - we DEMS don't march in lockstep like the rethugs and there is room in our big blue tent for disagreement. Your a great person to have on the front lines sister, and I know President Obama would appreciate focal opposition and even criticism - if he ultimately felt it would move the Dem agenda forward to success. That's all I'm trying to do...

November 2010 is not that far away!

peace out~ :pals:

[babylonsister]

25. Right back at you!

:pals:

[depakid]

2. It really is impressive.

Message: We can and should work with Republicans, because they have some worthwhile ideas and can be reasonable if we keep giving them a chance.

Repeat over and over in actions and in words.

Result of message: We have a LOT more Republicans to work with come November- maybe even Committee Chairmen and a House Speaker.

[babylonsister]

9. You just don't get it...

from Melissa Harris-Lacewell:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=433&topic_id=162791

snip//

I keep hearing from Democrats who say the President lacks courage, who ask why he bothers to speak to Republicans, and who cry out for him to wield his majority as a weapon against the GOP. Apparently he should march to Capital Hill, armed with tens of thousands of progressive blogs and tweets and demand a single payer health care system.

President Obama is modeling a different kind of democratic engagement. It is a model he adhered to during the election and he continues to follow it now. President Obama refuses to believe that we can have a functioning democracy if the majority refuses to speak to the minority. He takes seriously his responsibility to govern in the interest of both his supporters and his opponents. He remains committed to the possibility that he and his Party may not always be in sole possession of good ideas.

Over the past year it has been frustrating to watch this model of governance meet with such obstinate opposition. But the opposition is not a reason to abandon the tactic. It is a reason to redouble the efforts to change the course of our democratic discourse.

[depakid]

13. It's not "new" and I totally get it

It's FAILED strategy and "philosophy" that anyone over 30 has watched the Dems use and lose with countless times before.

It's been a loser this time around, too (having already lost Massachusetts, one would have thought that would be clear by now).

At any rate, the President seems resolute in his conflict aversion and unwillingness to make (or recognize) enemies, so I guess folks had better get used to the idea of dealing with a lot of Republicans in power again- as they were after 1994.

And maybe that would be for the best, as they can now be reassociated with the banskters, health insurers and other "popular' corporate interests that the Dems rather publicly managed to coopt.

[babylonsister]

16. Bite me, you're going to be ignored because your negativeness

has no merit in my life. I hope someone alerts me when you get a clue.

[depakid]

23. Sadly, this is the same sort of thing we all heard the other go rounds as well

Fact is that every time over the past two decades that Democrats have enabled and legitimized Republican policies and narratives, they've suffered political defeats. Sometimes rather astonishing ones.

Unless things change- and rather abruptly, this year won't be any different.

Why people think that it's somehow "different" this time, when all indications (and the research from cognitive and political scientists) are that repeating this course of action leads to a thumping, is beyond me.

[SlingBlade]

7. Bernie Sanders ! ..... Oh Wait !

[muntrv]

8. Alan Grayson of Florida.

[mitchtv]

11. Dr. Howard Dean

[RiverStone]

12. 50 State Strategy - we need that kind of genius!!!

:hi:

[depakid]

15. Dean understood the importance of branding-

Something this administration apparently doesn't consider to be important at all- or at least not enough to do on a regular basis.

They'd rather make friends with and appease the recalcitrant opposition and associate themselves the very entities that a large majority of Americans (in both parties) believe to be the source of their problems.

[tblue37]

17. Grayson. nt

[MindandSoul]

21. Grayson!