If The Democrats in Congress Lose Big, Then It's Their Own Damn Fault. Not Obama's.

[Yavin4]

Dems took complete control of the Congress in 2007, and immediately, they let the Bush administration off the hook for lying us into the war in Iraq. They immediately took impeachment off the table.

Doing this, allowed Bush and his cronies to go unpunished for Iraq, and the Dems lost a ton of political capital by not holding hearings into the Iraq fiasco.

In 2008, the Dems went along with the TARP bailout without any strings attached to it. No immediate regulations. No immediate investigations. No nothing. They literally sat by as billions of tax payer money flowed freely to Wall Street.

After the elections of 2008, then President-Elect Obama gave the congress the opportunity to craft a stimulus package, and what they crafted lacked any real punch and creativity. Instead of funding massive R&D projects into new renewable energy sources and new transportation ideas, they went with a hodge podge of projects that failed to excite the public's attention.

The public is always skeptical of government spending, but if you make a compelling argument like the money will be spent on energy research or rebuilding our public schools or something else that's tangible and can be defended, then the public will get behind you.

Finally, Congress, not Obama, failed to deliver on the Public Option in the health care debate. If Congress truly wanted to have it, it would be there, end of story. They didn't. So, it's not there.

Now, because they have squandered massive political opportunities to reach out to the American people, to define who they are and what they stand for, to right the wrongs of the past, now, they will be paying a steep price for their half measures.

Sure, they will always blame the base or say that Obama went too far to the left, but that's bullshit. They are failures at politics, and like all failures, they always want to blame someone else.

What we, as the base, need to do is a thorough house cleaning of the party. I know several people here want to make this all about Obama, but he aint the problem. The problem lies with the Dem party itself.

At best Obama is only going to be around for one more election, but the Dem party will be around for a lot longer.

We need to re-take the party from the failures.

[derby378]

1. Someone already unrec'ed this...

...but this message needs to be heard. It's pretty much what I've been saying for the past 3-4 years, if not longer.

[LaurenG]

2. They won't (lose big) nt

edit - typo

[Yavin4]

6. Polls Disagree with You

And they've been pretty consistent.

[LaurenG]

7. I know and I disagree with them

I've been wrong before though.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Plus those D voters who stay home because 30 years of Reaganism didn't just go poof

When the other side outvotes you, you're the loser.

[katandmoon]

4. So if Dems lose big, it's not Obama's fault - how about if they don't lose big?

That means Obama doesn't get any credit for it, either, right?

[Yavin4]

5. Dems Had The Majorities in Congress Two Years Before Obama Took Office

What major political accomplishment can they show for those two years? TARP?

The stimulus bill was THEIR bill. It was THEIR chance to define exactly who they are to the American people.

The HCR bill was THEIR bill. Obama gave them the ability to draft it, unlike what Hillary did in 1993.

DADT is under THEIR ability to amend, not Obama's.

CONGRESS is now up before the people, not Obama.

This is THEIR election, not his.

[katandmoon]

8. So he doesn't get any credit if they don't lose big, right?

[CakeGrrl]

32. Well, we know who definitely WON'T give him any, don't we?

Being as despised as he is in some corners and all that.

:eyes:

[zipplewrath]

14. He's part of it.

The stimulus bill was THEIR bill. It was THEIR chance to define exactly who they are to the American people.

It was the White House that declared that a larger stimulus "couldn't pass". They may have gotten that information from Pelosi, but publicly they were the one selling that.

"The HCR bill was THEIR bill. Obama gave them the ability to draft it, unlike what Hillary did in 1993."

The White House was negotiating the bill will Big Pharma well before the congress was involved. They didn't even tell congress everything that they agreed until well into the process. The also were acting as mediator bewteen the two branches, indicating which features they preferred. Their hands were all over it.

"DADT is under THEIR ability to amend, not Obama's."

He has asked them repeatedly NOT to take action yet. They have force his hand on this, and still he asked them to write it in a way that would allow the military to finish their work.


It is sad that the congress has evolved to the point where they look to the other end of Pennsylvania avenue for direction. The system wasn't really intended to work that way. But none the less, Obama chose to make HCR a signature issue, not congress, they would have preferred the economy and jobs. They would prefer he get out of Afghanistan, but he won't. The would prefer he get out of Iraq, but he won't. The presidents actions influence heavily the congressional elections. Katrina and Bush had as much to do with the 2007 shift as other factors did. Obama doesn't get off the hook just because he isn't the only factor.

[Yavin4]

21. Why Couldn't A Larger Stimulus Pass -- Congress

<<The White House was negotiating the bill will Big Pharma well before the congress was involved. They didn't even tell congress everything that they agreed until well into the process. The also were acting as mediator bewteen the two branches, indicating which features they preferred. Their hands were all over it.>>

So what. Congress has the authority to write legislation. They could have told the WH to pound sand.

<<He has asked them repeatedly NOT to take action yet. They have force his hand on this, and still he asked them to write it in a way that would allow the military to finish their work.>>

Again, so what. Congress could have passed a law and told the WH to pound sand.

Why do you, and so many others here, seem to believe that the Congress works for the White House. Congress can pretty much do whatever the hell they want to do. The president can veto it or the SCOTUS can overrule it, but congress can pass any law they want to pass.

<<It is sad that the congress has evolved to the point where they look to the other end of Pennsylvania avenue for direction. The system wasn't really intended to work that way. But none the less, Obama chose to make HCR a signature issue, not congress, they would have preferred the economy and jobs. They would prefer he get out of Afghanistan, but he won't. The would prefer he get out of Iraq, but he won't. >>

Bullshit. They can do whatever the fuck they want to do.

[zipplewrath]

23. Political consequences

The congress suffers political consequences when it openly "fights" with the White House. The White House knows this and uses it to its own advantage. The only thing harder to do than break a fillibuster is to over ride a veto. The president, therefore, has the powerful ability to act as "mediator" over legislation. To a great extent this is true even with the opposing party in power.

Basically, in the end, the reality is that they are both cupable, and "in this together".

[Enrique]

9. not the House's fault

the House has passed good progressive legislation, and Obama and the Senate kept it from getting enacted.

[Yavin4]

10. Impeachment Starts in the House

Pelosi took it right off the table in 2007 without a fight.

A huge political opportunity was lost right there.

Clinton got impeached for lying about a blow job, but Bush doesn't get impeached for lying us into a war?

[Enrique]

12. why do you support Obama?

I don't get it, why do you hold Pelosi accountable and make excuses for Obama?

[Yavin4]

15. This Election Is Not Obama's Election. It's The Congress' Election.

It's up to them to demonstrate what THEY'VE done for America.

And quite frankly, I am getting tired of the rank ignorance around here about how our government works. Congress is the body that writes legislation, and Obama let Congress do just that.

The vote in November is a referendum on that.

[Enrique]

16. yeah, and everyone's defending Obama

he's not even up until 2012, and everyone's preoccupied with Obama's image and Obama's poll numbers and whether Obama gets blamed for any losses in November.

Why does no one at DU have a Nancy Pelosi avatar, why isn't there a cadre of DUers vigilant against anti-pelosisms?

[Yavin4]

20. In 2006, Pelosi Took Impeachment of Bush and Cheney Off The Table

How is that related to Obama?

[AndyA]

11. I agree for the most part.

The House has done a pretty good job at passing progressive legislation, the problem has been the Senate can't seem to get anything done, and Obama hasn't pushed as hard as he could have for some of the things he promised.

Anyone know how many bills are currently sitting in the Senate, waiting?

[Enrique]

13. the energy bill, for one

the massive climate-change law that Pelosi had to fight to barely get passed, and which will probably cost some democrats their seats.

[nevergiveup]

17. Is the election over?

People need to stop obsessing and get to work. This is not a personal attack on anyone. I just think we need to stop worrying about who is to blame for something that has not happened yet.

[brentspeak]

18. Candidate Obama was Democratic Cheerleader #1 for Bush's TARP program

He practically was waving pom-poms for the passage of the program.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/obama-urges-bai.html

[Yavin4]

19. My Post Is About The Congress, NOT OBAMA

The TARP was passed by the Congress BEFORE Obama was even elected. Impeachment was taken off the table BEFORE Obama was elected.

[slipslidingaway]

27. Obama was the Democratic nominee, did he call for investigations...

or regulations before giving his support? I do remember he called the auto execs to come before Congress, not so much the Wall St. guys.

Guess the Democratic presidential nominee had no power to sway those in his party.

:shrug:

"...In 2008, the Dems went along with the TARP bailout without any strings attached to it. No immediate regulations. No immediate investigations. No nothing. They literally sat by as billions of tax payer money flowed freely to Wall Street..."

[slipslidingaway]

26. I remember it well! n/t

[TheKentuckian]

22. Obama is certainly not the only problem but he is a big part of it and certainly enables it.

The reality is the garden is chock full of weeds to the point that there is precious little else left.

All you have to do is look at this cabinet and the inside track advisers and it is clear what the agenda is. I trusted Obama to manage these crooks and direct them to show where the bodies are buried but the reality is they just know the prime spots to ditch the new stiffs and keep a nice supply of lime handy.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

24. Not Nancy Pelosi's. She's been the true leader. Blame Harry and spineless Dems in the Senate!

[kentuck]

25. Don't worry. Repubs will pay them back as soon as they get in...

They will start hearings against Barack Obama and possible impeachment. Payback to the chicken shits.

[bvar22]

28. Obama IS the Leader of the Democratic Party.

"Strong and successful presidents (meaning those who get what they want - whether that happens to be good for the country or not) do not accept "the best deal on the table". They take out their carpentry tools and the build the goddam piece of furniture themselves. Strong and successful presidents do not get dictated to by the political environment. They reshape the environment into one that is conducive to their political aspirations."

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/07/17

"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone

[ibegurpard]

30. He sure was willing to strong-arm to get health insurance corp protection act passed

[cornermouse]

29. Obama is the man in theh White House.

The buck for most of what you listed stops on his desk.

[CakeGrrl]

31. It's not the President's responsibility to get people off their lazy asses

to vote for their state representatives.

If people remain ignorant of how the U.S. government functions and don't want to exercise their right to vote, that's their problem.

And this "Give me a reason to go to the polls" argument? Bullcrap. One's choice to piss away one's vote is that just that. Their choice.

[cornermouse]

33. He has a democratic majority.

He should be able to get what he wants now.

[CakeGrrl]

34. Blue Dogs, Conservadems, filibuster threat. n/t

[cornermouse]

37. Bottom line. Democratic majority.

Anything else is making excuses.

[golfguru]

35. Touche n/t

[craigmatic]

36. It'll be Obama's fault too becuse this white house is terrible at message control and

going out and selling their achievements. All we see on the air is repubs but we never see anything positive come from the administration. We need more hope and optimism Obama.

[CakeGrrl]

41. Tell that to the Corporate-owned media outlets

You DO realize who owns the media, and that having Republicans in power is most beneficial those owners?

[NorthCarolina]

38. Obama is as responsible as the rest of the Dems. You want change?

Then work to vote the DLC New Dems OUT of the party. Until that happens, the ONLY interests that will be represented in DC are those of the highest bidder.

[depakid]

39. There's certainly blame to go around

though the administration bears as more of it than progressive members of Congress- who they've often times opposed.

[dflprincess]

40. The public rightly perceives Obama as the leader of the Democrats

if the Congressional Dems lose big it's as much a vote on the job he's doing as on Congress.