The thing about President Obama that I've noticed...

[MrScorpio]

Is that he's getting hammered hard from BOTH the right AND the left (even the middle is doing some piling on here and there).

I haven't heard of anything like this since LBJ.

Jus' sayin'.

[DrDan]

1. think there might be something behind the hammering?

[MrScorpio]

That's not for me to say

Because everyone carrying a hammer has their own agenda.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. Everyone has an agenda unless they are just apathetic

That does not make all opinions equally valid and it doesn't mean that no one is right.

[MrScorpio]

9. I don't think apathy is the only option for not carrying a hammer

There is also constructive criticism.

But, I also think that too many people are falling into apoplexy in lieu of doing what it takes to mount the kind popular momentum which can influence the White House's policy decisions.

That's why it's very important to reengage the effort to move Congress to the left as much as possible.

[Cleita]

2. If he starts moving to the left and channeling some

FDR, then he'll only be pounded from the right. You'd think after a year and a half, he would have figured this out by now.

[WonderGrunion]

41. FDR was pounded by the left too

I don't ever expect them to let up on Obama.

[whathehell]

48. Yes, but what was "left" in FDR's time

was far MORE left than what is representing the spectrum now...My understanding is that there was a real threat of communism in the US then.

We're so far from that now that it's laughable.

[DJ13]

3. When you try to play the middle in the midst of extreme polarization

......this is the result.

[T Wolf]

6. Or, hugging the center line only gets you hit by vehicles moving in both directions.

It's time for him to pick a direction (constituency) he wants to go.

Though I fear he has chosen to go against the traffic (of history) and regress to that past that he does not want to look at under certain circumstances.

[LostinVA]

7. +1

[LWolf]

8. +2

[Myrina]

21. +100

n/t

[moksha]

25. You are right. It is his choice.

[lib2DaBone]

33. Mr. Obama is done.. a one-timer.. he has burned his base...

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JuniperLea]

43. Me too... I'll help you clean up...

[JuniperLea]

42. Saying it over and over again doesn't make it so...

I thought we all learned that from Faux Gnus.

:shrug:

[uponit7771]

39. true

[saracat]

5. Hey, he wanted the job. He knew he was gonna get hammered.

Considering the situation the country was in and how he campaigned on "hope and change", it was inescapable that he would be hammered. I really don't think he cares about this as much as others seem to . It goes with the job. If it bothers him, he doesn't have to run again, but I am betting he will.

[MrScorpio]

10. He definitely wants to do what he can to get this country moving again

In spite of all the forces aligned against him.

That makes him a better man than I.

[saracat]

27. I can't say for sure "what" he wants. he is a politician so the only thing certain is he is

vitally interested in himself and if that involves getting the country moving again, I believe he will try to do so. It all depends on how it effects elections. At the end of the day, for most pols, that is all that matters. We are lucky indeed when our interests and theirs coincide. And it happens occasionally.

[Larkspur]

11. The problem with being a "centrist" is that centrists are found in the same path as armadnillo's

you know the double yellow lines in the middle of a busy street.

[laughingliberal]

15. Jim Hightower told us that years ago. Too bad so few listened. nt

[kctim]

30. Yep

Having around 80% of those who voted for you approve of what you are doing is a HUGE problem.

[whathehell]

49. Precisely....You took the words right off my keyboard!

[Edweird]

12. There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road but Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos.

[zipplewrath]

13. When you average right and wrong

At best you get mediocre, at worst you get wrong dressed up like right.

When you average good and bad, mostly what you get is bad, and the good gets ruined.

The finest punch, made of the finest ingredients will be ruined if you drop one turd in it.

[laughingliberal]

14. And do we remember why LBJ was hammered from the left? nt

[JVS]

16. This could all be easily resolved if he'd stop trying to please the right.

[laughingliberal]

18. +1000 nt

[Marr]

17. Are you equating right wing anger with left wing anger?

I admit that I'm biased, but I don't see the comparison. The right has despised him from Day One, and half their complaints don't even have a tenuous relationship with reality. 'He's a terrorist, he's a Muslim, not a citizen, taking my guns', etc. are not rational complaints.

The left started out supporting him very strongly, and has slowly peeled off as time passed. The complaints found on the left are, even if you don't agree with them yourself, rooted in facts.

[laughingliberal]

19. Yes, it's the same 'moral equivalency' spin we see from the ever fair and balanced M$M. nt

[MrScorpio]

20. All I'm saying is that at this point, everyone has fallen deep into our national past time

Bitching about something.

Yes, I know that both sides have their own reasons to be angry (right or wrong), it's just remarkable to see how universal it is at this point in the game.

[JVS]

22. Things are bad, and when things are bad people have little patience for indecisive leadership.

[Angry Dragon]

24. I could not agree more

If he wants to succeed he needs to come out and lead.
He has to be in the forefront.

[metapunditedgy]

31. If only he had a mandate... and a Congressional majority... and a bully pulpit...

Unfortunately, his hands are tied.

[Yuugal]

32. Why do you hate the dry powder so?

[SammyWinstonJack]

50. +1

:thumbsup:

[RainDog]

23. More than a million people marched in protest over the invasion of Iraq

there were multiple marches.

Generals were removed from their positions b/c of the positions they took. People picketed private military contractor offices, people wrote, called and emailed their representatives and Bush.

and the mainstream media acted like this was a marginal opinion.

on the other hand, 40 white guys show up to protest Obama and it's a national movement.

[MrScorpio]

26. Exactly

The media is in the forefront of legitimizing the right wing in this country.


Frankly, too many assholes have spoiled the soup.

[kctim]

28. Seeing how President Obama has an

approval rating of around 75-80% amongst us Democrats, isn't it a little unfair to say he is being hammered by the left? The 20-25% who disapprove are hammering him because he isn't as far-left as them, despite the fact that the majority of Democrats do not wish him to be.

The thing about President Obama that I have noticed is that he is trying to represent ALL of us instead of just part of the party. And THAT is why the majority of us approve of him.

[MrScorpio]

29. That's a very valid point

The hammering is very partisan based indeed.

[FiveGoodMen]

34. "trying to represent ALL of us"

Including those who want to turn the middle east to glass.

Some monsters should NOT be represented.

[kctim]

36. Of course not

which is why President Obama makes intelligent fact-based decisions instead of irrational emotional decisions like turning the middle east to glass or withdrawing yesterday.

[Hutzpa]

35. The man is hated with a passion

and to some folks it is personal.

[treestar]

38. did the left not hammer President Clinton?

I wasn't too aware in those days. But if not, why not?

[rbrnmw]

40. I really did not notice it much but the rw try to say the left hated

him the MSM was really nasty to Big Dog Chris Matthews barely went a day without some snark directed toward him

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

44. Sure.

Back in the early days of the RW noise machine, a lot of lefties fell for it.

Looks like they're doing it again.

[Jennicut]

45. Yes. On some issues, though deservdly like Nafta.

[LooseWilly]

46. Seems to me that party apologists misconstrue criticism for hammering...

"If your only implement is a nail, then all your solutions involve a hammer" ~ give or take

If the administration's policies and behaviors are assumed to be right and above reproach, by definition, then all the rank and file of the party will, perforce, be reduced to cheerleader/spectator status.

If, on the other hand, the administration's policies were potentially flexible enough to process criticisms/complaints and put into practice modifications of policies to address those criticisms/complaints that are judged to be important to the rank and file... then the rank and file might feel that they are participating in their self-governance, which is a cornerstone of a democratic system of government.

Those who try to spin criticisms based on concrete policy decisions as 'hammering', and who, rather than addressing the policies instead try to brow-beat and guilt-trip those doing the criticism into sitting politely on the side-lines, or joining in the metaphorical cheerleading, are in fact a threat to democracy.

Why don't we all step up our game and address the validity of the 'hammered hard' points from a policy perspective, rather than pretending that we're just spectators at a sporting event?

[JoePhilly]

51. But Obama is "just like Bush' ...

That is what the OP refers to in my opinion.

Our internal debates on "concrete policy" are fine. And we should have those through every primary. But when the primary ends, time to lock arms and fight the "other side" ... in this case, an insane GOP who's policy positions are absolutely nuts.

You mention being "spectators at a sporting event" ... well ... let's imagine you are a cubs fan. You like player X. But player X is benched, or traded. Do you stop being a fan of "your team."????

I would submit that "our team" ... the Dems, will never be perfect. I may not be happy with all of the starters selected. But, when they come to the plate, I will cheer them, and hope they get on base. And then, hope they score ... which I know they may not do.

The key, is to be able to debate the key points, and yet not stop supporting the team, because the other side is COUNTING on that.

[Stinky The Clown]

47. The pragmatic middle is sparsely populated.