Like Zombie Nazis,Progressives are evil. Ask Beck-or a Democrat
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I expected it from Beck. Anything which the govt does which helps people – especially the poor and working classes – would clash with his agenda. As would cracking down on the banks and Wall St, sentinels of the out of control crony capitalism which has ravaged our economy.Beck prefers to target ACORN or Tides, groups which help the poor and aren’t strong enough to defend themselves.
I was less prepared for attacks from Democrats, ranging from the supercilious to the ad hominem, from Obama and Gibbs and Kos and many others. The reason it took me by surprise is that I’d always thought Democrats were different from Republicans. I thought Democrats were the party of the people. I thought wrong.
Progressives are on the side of the angels here. Affordable health care for everyone. Reform and regulation of Wall St. Close Guantanamo. End the wars.
Let’s be real – with Obama, we got none of those things. I can play stupid and pretend Obamacare is a good piece of legislation, but it isn’t. It’s full of loopholes with little in the way of enforcement, cements health care into the private sector and will cost 100 billion a year. We got no systemic or regulatory financial reform. We continue our military occupation and control of Iraq and the president blames the Iraqis rather than himself and Bush and all the rest who supported and funded that war. He’s expanded the war in Afghanistan.
Yet instead of criticizing his performance, Democrats cheer it and castigate those of us who believe the president should act in the interests of the American people rather than the M-I Complex and the bankers.
What do you call someone who supports war and who believes political campaign contributors should be rewarded by legislation favoring them? One name I’d call that person would be a Republican. The party of war and big business. Another name would be a Democrat. Also the party of war and big business.
Obama has pursued the Republican course, from supporting TARP to buying off Big Pharma, from working against Merkley-Levin and the Volcker Rule to marginalizing Romer and Warren while following the guidance of Geithner and Summers.
In short, he has delivered a woefully inadequate performance, apparently intent only on his legacy and re-election.
In spite of lofty rhetoric Obama has pursued and effectively delivered Republican policy. But do Democrats call him out on this? Do they demand he work in the public interest? No, they shoot the messenger. The only anger they feel is at those who direct a microscope at the rot within the administration. Prostrate ourselves before their god, be grateful for any crumbs which fall our way, blame everything on the Republicans and like smokers congregating outside a public building they’re your best friend. Speak truth to power, and you’re an asshole.
Progressives oppose war, Obama does not – yet WE are the bad guys.
Progressives wanted affordable healthcare, Obama bailed out health insurers – WE are the bad guys.
Progressives wanted financial reform, Obama (fat cat speech aside) opposed it-WE are the bad guys.
Progressives favor Main St, Obama favors Wall St. If we point this out, we’re the bad guys.
I don’t get it. I DO NOT understand. War is wrong.Profiting from death by denying health care is wrong. Crony capitalist bailouts of insolvent banksters because they contributed millions to your parties election campaigns are wrong. All of this has been his policy, all of this is opposed by progressives – yet instead of directing your vitriol at the guilty party you instead direct it at the people who call him on it.
Why not direct your anger at the president who has continued Bush’s policies? Why not direct your derision and sarcasm at Obama? We progressives are the good guys. We’re on the side of the angels here. We want a better world for everyone, not just for the lobbyists and the wealthy.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the same.
The Republican Party delivers a small govt tax cut message favoring only its wealthy base while the teabaggers screw themselves by voting Republican.
The Democratic Party tells their old base what it wants to hear while delivering the legislation their new wealthy base paid for. Like the teabaggers they claim to hate so much, the partisan Democrat knee-jerk votes guarantee their party will continue to wipe its shoes on their prostrate backs.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the same.
I know, I know. “Why do you hate him so much?” Sigh.
Take off the I Love Obama glasses. Got ’em off ? Read the healthcare act. Look at the language lawyers use to routinely deny healthcare actually written into the act. Do the same with the Dodd-Frank Bill, then read about what was cut from it. When you understand you’ve been lied to, read his crowing about the sweeping changes he’s made. The president is just another politician. Period. You think he would have made it this far if he wasn’t ? He’s just a guy with ambition and good speaking skills and an eye on the history books. Obama IS different from George Bush, no question. He’s taller, and a far better public speaker. And darker. That’s about it. Neither is a nice guy, although the supporters of each become apoplectic if you point this out.
Maybe you could look over pictures of families killed in Pakistan by drone attacks. Or don’t. Doesn’t matter, really. The bodies will continue to pile up whether or not you’re looking. The Obama dick-sucking marathon by the Democrats will continue.
Didn’t used to hate him. Didn’t used to hate Bush either. I hate them both now. Maybe my tolerance for human misery is lower than yours is.
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Progressive actions take time, and this is an imperfect beginning that is about to get slower when Republicans take back Congress. Americans love divided govt…again and again and again. Obama will become a stronger and more progressive leader, and we will end our operation in Afghanistan within two years. If not Democrats, then who? Keep fighting.
I’ve had a method to choose that I’ve used since my first vote for Jimmy Carter… I read something the candidate has written… not any kind of fluff piece, something as significant as I can find. This time I read “The Audacity of Hope” … it’s one of the best books’ I’ve ever read. So much for that method….
I’m not so sure what a ‘progressive’ is. I know who I am. I have always been, since I could express myself, a lefty bleeding heart liberal. LIBERAL. I don’t hold that we should ‘give up the ghost’ because the man we put into the White House is a failure on the merits of Hope and Change. And that he is, a failure. We have to search out new leadership and do the best we can to stay in the process w/o voting for this fellow again. I absolutely agree with Oso’s observations. And David’s thought strikes true, people do need to feel loyalty from a President…. just as they lent theirs’ to him.
A necessary commentary Oso. Well said.
Strategy vs Principals. Can Mad Mike and Oso both post something which seems opposite but they both could be right?
The fact is, Obama campaigned on several key issues and to list a few….. Public Option on Health Care, Financial Reform, ending the wars, closing GitMO, DADT
These issues were a lot of the reasons for the first timers, young voters, and the disenchanted vote to get out there and make it happen. And it did happen.
He DIDN’T deliver on those very issues and in some cases, went the opposite way or impeded people that WERE trying to do those things.
So are the group of people that got him in office wrong now to speak their mind? Hell NO! That is the political process.
If the POTUS doesn’t like what he is hearing on the progressive side, instead of belittling them why doesn’t he try to make their voice stand for something?
Now if he doesn’t vote for those issues the way they want, who’s fault is it for him losing political power in the next election.
People feel they need the person in office to be the same one that they voted for. Is that wrong?
I agree almost 100% with you on this, Oso. One thing puzzles me, though: What are you thinking of when you include Michael Moore among the attacking people?
Gore Vidal has always been correct in observing that the Dems and Repubs are like one party, just the conservative and reactionary wings, or something like that. And mainstream discussion of public policy (on TV, e.g.) is always constrained to limits of acceptable perspectives – from liberal to conservative, with no room for people who question the basic morality or ground rules of the political economy. At least, the spectrum of acceptable viewpoints was originally from lib to con; now it’s from centrist to reactionary because Tea Party reactionaries are somehow deemed mainstream.
A bit off topic: Is anyone else appalled that Bill Maher has Andrew Breitbart as a guest this week on Real Time?
Stimpson,
I stand corrected.kos had a link to something headlined “michael moore-get off the presidents back”, which I’d skimmed. Went back and it was not what I’d thought.
Thanks for pointing this out man!
I think the progressives, possibly led by that loud mouthed Ed Schultz, might as well be a part of the Tea Baggers. Their constant bashing of the President serves the Right and hurts the Left. Mad Mike likes to refer to the president, in the view of the progressives, as Harry Potter whose wand didn’t work quite the way they wanted it to. Geez!!! Save me from these people.
Janiecakes,
Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment. I wish we had an unbiased media as well as an exclusion of corporate donations so us working pople could take a larger role.the Repub push to view corporations as individuals sure didn’t help us.
It’s hard to keep the hope up. Jess you’re doing the right thing using your conscience.hard not to be cynical these days.
It’s a coincidence Mike and I wrote on similar topics today,when I wrote “you” it’s meant as “you Dems”.
Ugggh, when did this whole progressive thing take hold? Not that it’s a bad thing or anything, but since the pubbies have sullied liberal, everyone goes for the kinder gentler word. As far as PO being my boyfriend and me having to hold my tongue when things go wrong, nope I’ll criticize and hold his feet to the fire, he said he would need the help, I’m happy to do that. There have been lots of things done, certainly they have, but some of them are watered down, like drinks in a juice bar, to keep you spending your money on the show. My donations this cycle are going directly to candidates, the DNC is on their own since liberals are the punching bag for a bit.
I mean come on now, the dems said , we need a majority to get things done, ok we gave you a majority in 2006 because you(powers that be) said we’ll end the wars, we’ll get to working on closing Gitmo. Ok, so that didn’t happen because of the pubbies and the slim majority people, we need a bigger majority. 2008, we gave them a HUGE majority, but Ben Nelson, Max Baucus were put in charge of healthcare for 300 million citizens. One woman, Snowe, had to be courted, and romanced, for months JUST to end debate of healthcare which oh by the way did not start from a negotiation of strength. Healthcare for 300 million people was held up by 6 people that there states don’t even have 30 million people. COME ON, what is that about? I’ll ALWAYS vote for the dem, ALWAYS but it’s getting to the point now, where I’m starting to have to hold my nose as far as the choices, I’m given. Man, I say this other places, I’m way too young to be so cynical about politics.
When I registered to vote at 18, I did some research (using League of Women Voters pamphlets) because I’d wanted to be an Independent, but my Dad told me there would hardly ever be any chance of getting to vote in the Primaries. This was still back in the day when there were pro-choice Republicans.
The Democratic candidates had the same platforms, and only distinguished themselves by the type of scandal they involved themselves in. I registered as a Republican, because all things being essentially equal, I could at least vote for the Republican choice candidate. After those became extinct, I registered Democrat.
I hope the progressives can find a decent candidate (that wins!) in my lifetime. If the tea party idiots can win primaries, why can’t a progressive?
If the tea party idiots can win primaries, why can’t a progressive?
Because the media portrays the Tea Party as patriots who care about the Constitution and the American way and any progressive as a wacko/commie/socialist, it never fails. The progressive wing of American politics can never get hold of the national argument for longer than five minutes before they are shouted down.