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One of the more darkly amusing things over the past year has been how, whenever President Obama and Congressional Dems shiv the Democratic base on something, a loud and strangely organized chorus erupts from Obama’s habitual defenders to the effect that it’s not their fault as the poor man and the Dems are just too powerless to influence those big old mean Republicans controlling Congress with a 40- or 41-seat minority.
However, as Jane has documented copiously with health care reform and Bmaz and EW with legal issues, and Glenn Greenwald seconding them both, Obama has profound influence over both parties in Congress, and plenty of power on his own, and isn’t afraid to use it to get what he wants — such as the murder without trial of American citizens.
So let’s sit back here and create a list of the things for which Obama and the Democrats in Congress have really and truly fought for — and against. Time to nip this “Oh, he’s so pitifully powerless!” myth in the bud.
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Let’s begin with Dawn Johnsen. What a joke. Obama wouldn’t fight for her and now she’s gone. I’m glad she withdrew her name – she had been made to look a fool and for this Obama should never be forgiven. I don’t know why he nominated her if he didn’t want her. Just one of the mysteries of the O man…..and there are many.
Thanks, PW, for giving us a chance to vent.
Yeah, I don’t think I’ve there’s been a less powerful President in my lifetime /s
Uh oh. This is gonna put me in a foul mood.
Let’s start with FISA. That was the first incident.
Are we creating a list of things they really fought for, or things they didn’t fight for but we are being sarcastic about? It is easier for me to follow Twain’s lead, but what are you looking for?
I think a better question would be: How do we keep getting stuck with DLC types as the Democratic nominee for President? Where are the New Deal Democrats? Not the Bob Rubin loving neo-liberals.
What did they fight for?
O said that he would fight for fisa before he fought against fisa. That was the first incident where O showed his true colors.
The fight for financial reform will be telling. Does he make the republiclowns side with Wall Street against the American people of does he join in the weasel-fest? This is a winner to energize the base. The fight over Justice Steven’s replacement would be a distraction from this.
I get the creeping feeling that much of the University of Chicago mindset that I associated with the neocons of the previous administration remains. It’s almost insidious.
I live in Chicago and have been aware of Barak Obama since 1994. I recall an March 2003 anti-war rally in Daley Plaza, just prior to the start of the 2nd Iraq war. Studs Terkel spoke, followed by State Senator Barack Obama. This was at a time when most Democratic politicians (at least on the national level) were going all War Hawk, as that was the perceived political winds.
I believed that he was super prescient and an immensely skilled leader. But I now believe that he put on the costume of a liberal, community organizing, justice oriented black scholar. Much like George W. Bush convinced a good number of people that he was a disciplined, moral, businessman and leader. His Texas accent was so fake, that I could tell it up here in Chicago. (ever notice how neither his parents or his younger siblings have Texas accents). The Crawford ranch and 100 degree brush clearing were second tier stage sets. He is just a Dallas pretty boy now.
I look at Obama with the same doubting eye.
I think it’s important that the President be permitted to listen in on our phone conversations so that he will be able to determine who among us is has a problem with his illegal wars of aggression. How else will the President know who should live and who should be murdered?
Well, Obama did fight to reappoint Ben Bernanke as chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Bernanke was the Chairman of President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. On February 1, 2006, President Bush appointed Bernanke to a fourteen-year term as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and to a four-year term as Chairman.
That’s our Obama, fighting to keep the Bushies who destroyed our economy in place.
Affordable Accessible Health Care For My Children – NOT
You left out the Decider’s fake religiosity.
To Continue To Place In Harms Way Our Sons And Daughters – YES
To Erode Our Civil Liberties Thru FISA – YES
I think you are confused. He fights for what he wants anad he does not want real financial reform, so he will not get it. He did not want real health care reform and he got just what he alwaus wanted. How many times can you be fooled?
To Further Erode Our Civil Liberties Thru Expansion of Executive Power Usage via the Patriot Act – YES
Hmmm. If I was making a spreadsheet, I would have three columns; Fought, Flipped, and Blew Off.
FISA – Flip
Womens’ Repro Rights – Flip
DADT – Blew Off
Public Option – Fought
Mandate – Flip
Sotomayor – Fought
EFCA – Blew Off
Gitmo – Flip
And so forth.
“Where are the New Deal Democrats?”
You mean like Cynthia McKinney, who was Rahmmed out of the Dems? They’re in the Green Party now.
(ducks and runs…)
To Continue The Unleashing Of Our Incredible Military Might and Resolve Against Afghan Women and Children – YES
Way off topic but why do liberal sites even link to Bob Somerby anymore? He’s turned into a neocon crank.
That’s a really important one.
How about Guantanamo Bay still being open?
him, not so much blowing … maybe it’s a personal issue
Yes- thanks. I was just working on that one
It’s Kelly’s fault, she diverted my attention for a moment
Anyone outside of the “establishment” recognizes that Obama is nothing more than another corporatist tool selected to prop up a crumbling system. For most Americans, however, they are told of his “brilliance” which his oratorical skills do lend credence to and aside from Faux News the lazy corporate media is enraptured.
Okay, if people like Glenn Greenwald acknowledge the Dems suck so bad why do they continue to support and vote for them? It’s insane. Start a new party! Jeebus.
It maybe that the curtain is getting pulled back …
I love me an Obama speech, which is part of my problem. I am a sucker for pretty words.
EFCA
financial system reform
health care reform
health insurance reform
ENDA
Iraq and Afghanistan
DADT
what else has he backtracked on?
Have we mentioned oil drilling yet?
For one thing, it isn’t easy to start a new party.
The best ones start at the bottom and grow up, so there’s a whole structure in place.
Uh Kelly? He didn’t fight FOR the public option at all. He paid lip service to it but when it came time to fight, he blew it off faster than he blew off EFCA and repealing DADT.
She wasn’t exactly an ally, more like a loose cannon.
He fights for John Barrow, Arlen Specter, Blanche Lincoln and what’s his face in Colorado.
Is Fought for or against?
Maybe so–but if the true left had gotten to work 10 years ago when Nader pointed out the obvious (the corrupt nature of the 2 party system), we’d be well on our way to building a third party.
You gotta start somewhere. Why not today?
Pointing out the obvious and providing the solution are entirely different things. I see occasional references to the Green Party as an alternative, but if my state is typical, the Greens are effectively moribund. They, whoever of them are still identified as such, are not politically viable.
Confused me at first too but I think Kelly intended “fought” in the context of having opposed the PO.
The other thing I must point out is….running so-called progressives in primaries against right wing Dems makes no sense at all. First off, if elected they get co-opted (a la Kucinich). Secondly, lots of right wingers masquerading as lefties (ie Marcus Kos and Atrios) also support these primary runs (Ned Lamont)–so how “left” are these candidates really??? It dilutes the movement.
There’s my favorite. What a slimy POS.
What is going on in PA? Why is he even electable?
mr magic friggin bullet
and his mentor in the Senate, Holy Joe Liarman.
Then what is the alternative? Supporting right wing Dems till the cows come home?
doesn’t matter. voting for a party and a president that has no problem with extrajudicial executions is not morally viable.
The most obvious, maybe the only thing Obama has fought openly for is passage of the Senate HCR package which I believe in all it’s sordid crapulance was exactly what he wanted from the start, i.e. a perfect bill, in his corporatist eyes.
yah, he gets my cackles up, but this fricken Specter
Ever since I read about Specters’ penning of his ‘Theories’ that were provided as fact in the Warren Commission, I have so SERIOUSLY disliked that man
sorry, off thread
thanks ratfood, sums him up nicely
Let’s be perfectly honest. The only thing he has really fought for is the only principle that really matters to him, his own election.
Sorry, he’s really not so pretty, IMO
that’s when we see his passion
Don’t forget they all fought hard for Joe Lieberman after Dem voters said they wanted to Ned Lamont.
Obama even donated $$$ to Joe’s campaign, strongly endorsed him and campaigned for him.
It was as if Tiger Woods had not just cheated, but laughed at Erin “Later, bitch – I gotta go fuck my mistress.”
Slight modification.
Except that Obama DID fight for Sotomayor which is why I think Kelly is saying he fought for the PO (which he in fact did not do)
Obama is a Gen Xer. Ispo facto a libertarian neoliberal. Seriously, it explains him to a T. Why? Gen Xers are so far from the New Deal reforms. They think the corporatists never do wrong.
Also…Obama is the perfect exemplar of postmodern emptiness.
Full disclosure: I’m a GenXer
The “they’re so powerless to change anything” is actually more proof that projection is happening in every moment – those saying that are projecting their own powerlessness and unwillingness to change on the D’s.
LOL – exactly – Thanks for the correction !
oh but the veils are being removed, and only 15 months in
Good point. Hopefully Kelly will show up to clarify.
Had to be a gaffe, I know Kelly doesn’t believe O fought for the public option.
Good Thread P.W. – rolled up quick
Question is, who do we support and work for this summer/fall?
The one good thing that he’s really actually busted his hump to achieve has been nuclear arms control — and I have my doubts as to whether he’ll work as hard to get that through Congress as he worked to get the Heritage Foundation’s HCR Bill through.
I was reading that as Hillary’s effort. Am I incorrect in my assessment?
I was slowly, reluctantly being drawn in. His speech on race got to me. But FISA was like a fire alarm. I knew then he was not on my side.
His Philadelphia speech was one for the ages — where did that man go?
He’ll be resurrected in time for the 2012 campaign.
2% insurance mandate.
It seems to me that Obama’s modus operandi is always the same. He claims to favor (or oppose) something: Dawn Johnsen, the Public Option, single-payer, the defeat of telecom immunity, etc. But then behind the scenes and/or suddenly at the last minute, he makes sure that the opposite happens, and then he either
1) pleads powerlessness or
2) babbles some cockamaimie non-sequitur, like “I want to look forward.”
Given that his M.O. always one of those two, I suspect that about half of Hugh’s list of 148 Obama scandals will fall into the “poor, poor, pitiful me” category.
We’re horrified that Obama is a corporate stooge? He’s done what he said he’d do. If you voted for him, you basically voted for the DLC again.
In addition, until Bush [Edited by Moderator. No need for violent wishes.] at Nuremberg, I see little reason for us to obey any laws we find inconvenient.
Obama will have countless sins of omission. Gun control, for example. The Brady campaign gave him an F on gun control. He makes the DLC seem like Marxists.
That was before the election.
Robert Scheer: “Who are you and what have you done with the community organizer we elected president?”
Ah, the 2012 campaign — the bullsh!@ter-corporatist vs. the neanderthal rightwing extremist. I know I’m an outlier here on this, but I believe there needs to be an independent progressive candidate to run against them both. I know I for one will not be able to vote for either, and I believe there are enough disgusted voters in this country to garner a great deal of support for an independent challenger, given the right candidate.
I’m looking at you, Jane Hamsher. Really, I’m serious.
I wonder if Obama will run on his “record?” It will only take him a couple of minutes to list the things he has accomplished.
Yeah, I mean he FOUGHT the PO. They had to fight to keep it OUT.
I think you’ll have a hard time selling Jane on the idea but she’d have my vote.
I guessed it was the Cheetos in the keyboard. :-)
A. FISA – flip
B. Stimulus Package – watered down
C. Bank Bailout – continued without accountability of the banks to the taxpayers which BAILED THEM OUT. Placed highest economic/treasury positions in his administration with people who were in the center of the “collapse”.
D. Torture accountability – wants to “look forward, not backward” (should we let all criminals free then because the President wants to look forward not backward?).
E. Escalation of Wars. He kept Gates as Secretary of Defense among most other Bush appointees in the Pentagon. Read Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com if you want further examples of attacks on OUR civil liberties.
F. Backed off campaign promise to reinstate a ban on assault weapons.
G. In May of 2009, the Obama administration expected to raise $86.5 billion through 2019 by ending a strategy that lets U.S.- based multinational companies effectively hide the role their foreign subsidiaries play in shifting profits into low-tax jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands (ie. tax havens). Turned out to be rhetoric…they backed off this idea.
H. To the dismay of environmentalists, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar refused to rescind a Bush administration rule that says actions that threaten the polar bear’s survival cannot be considered when safeguarding the iconic mammal if they occur outside the bear’s Arctic home.
I. Health “insurance” reform. The President did his usual “I believe or I think” comments followed by the BUT…. In the end, citizens get a bill written by AHIP and the HERITAGE foundation. Health “insurance” bill is regressive for woman’s reproductive rights, age rating and gender rating, in addition to PRIVATE insurance mandates.
J. Where are all the so called “liberals” or “progressives” in this administration?
K. From InvestigativeProject.org: On May 29 – just five days before President Obama made his first state visit to Saudi Arabia – Solicitor General Elena Kagan filed a brief arguing that it would be “unwarranted” for the Supreme Court to hear cases brought by the families against five of Saudi King Abdullah’s closest relatives for financing the attacks. The group, named the 9/11 Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism, charges that “five Saudi princes knowingly and intentionally provided financial support to al Qaeda waging war on America.” “By urging the high court to not review lower court decisions dismissing these these cases, the Obama Administration took the side of the Saudi princes over thousands of family members and survivors of the 9/ll attacks seeking justice and accountability in U.S. courts,” the families said in a statement issued May 29. (Note: the same Elena Kagan about to be considered for the Supreme Court position).
That would be his ACTUAL record. In 2012 we’ll be reminded that Obama is responsible for the biggest improvement in health care delivery since Jesus.
Interesting case in front of the supremes this summer. Directly affects Chicago, and then the rest of the Nation.
Folks at Brady may need to think about an amendment change
sorry, I’m OT again
I only trust people who wouldn’t want to run. We have a dumbed-down electorate, a celebrity-drive, horserace-obsessed media, gazillions of corporate dollars to slime anyone respectable who wants to run, and a thankless, physically dangerous job for whoever ends up getting elected. Plus the progressive gets to be tarred as a spoiler, the person who would be single-handedley responsible if the corporatist hack Obama’s loss, if fed-up Americans vote him out and he has to blame someone besides himself for it.
Yup, plenty of reasons to not want to do it. It would be a soul-killer.
*grinning* I still have half a bag left.
I’m trying to decide if I should finish it, and get it out with the trash, or leave it as is and confess when Mr. B gets home this afternoon.
Tough call. If you’re already living with the guilt you might as well do it right and finish the bag.
Public Option fought? Really? No , that was a clear flip. He never wanted it.
Lets not forget he ‘fought against’ re-importation of drugs (after Durbin had lined up the necessary votes;part of his deal with pHarma) and negotiation of Medicare drug prices (also part of his deal with pHarma).
As I’ve said before, he is top bitch to the corporate pimps.
L. “I think we have to be very careful about sending any protectionist signals out there,” Obama said. He aligned himself with global free-trade and anti-regulation policies that are unpopular.
M. 7/16/09: This week, the Obama administration approved the sale of timber in a roadless national forest in Alaska. The Tongass National Forest is a 17 million acre temperate rain forest in southeast Alaska, which is home to both endangered species and native Alaskan tribes. It is the largest temperate rain forest in the United States. Orion North timber sale is the first such awarded since Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced in May he would personally review all timber sales in roadless areas of national forests in the next year.
N. In March 2009, President Obama announced that government officials would not be allowed to consider the views of lobbyists regarding specific stimulus projects unless the requests are put in writing. By July, essentially, they can meet and once again have telephonic conversations with personnel in charge of the projects and be able to provide subject matter expertise to them to help them make the best “merit based” decisions possible for the stimulus projects,”.
O. H.R. 627: Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 – signed by President on May 22, 2009. This act has no usury limits, but does allow guns to be brought into National Parks.
P. Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (also known as the Stimulus bill) – signed into law March 11, 2009. 36% of the $787 Billion is allocated to tax cuts. A Democratic party majority now represents “tax cuts”.
Q. How many “progressives” or “liberals” have “resigned” or not been placed in a position in the Obama administration?
The point…this is NOT a “progressive” or “liberal” President. This IS a Corporate, “new way” Democrat. True Progressives and Liberals should stop the media from projecting the President as something he isn’t and set the record straight.
I disagree. Example, Jesse Ventura was from the “Reform party” in Minnesota and won. A third party IS viable unless people believe the “myth” that it isn’t and vote for a candidate from one of the two legacy parties (the lesser of two evils at this point). If we had a third party option with candidates who WOULD put the interests of citizens first before corporations – lobbying interests – or campaign contributors, I think that candidate would have a very good chance of winning. If enough people lost the feeling of apathy, voted their conscience and said “our country deserves better”, maybe we could get it. But, we must start by giving up the “myth” about the two party system.
I think the problem is bigger than that. It’s a division between the professionals in the party and the grassroots. In most cases the grassroots will choose progressives. In most cases the professionals will choose DLCers, but sometimes these DLCers will masquerade as progressives to get grassroots support, but only after the professionals have decided to market them to us.
An experience that soured me on our system happened when I was a delegate to the 2006 Washington State Democratic Convention. I was excited that it was an opportunity for us grassroots delegates to craft our platform. But the Convention was actually a sham ran by the professionals for the professionals. We spent most of the time listening to the professional politicians give campaign speeches, designed not really to communicate to us but to the evening news with us as the “studio audience.”
Maria Cantwell was running for Senate again and we grassrooters saw the convention as a time for us grassrooters to debate the direction we wanted the party to go and if Cantwell was the best choice for that. We had an alternative candidate who was a peace candidate and anti-corporate. But the powers that be totally marginalized that and instead treated the convention as a marketing platform for Cantwell. I remember our State Chair, Dwight Pelz, talking to the TV cameras in the lobby and speaking in terms about Cantwell versus the likely Republican candidate, totally ignoring the grassroots opposition to Cantwell. I remember that when Cantwell was supposed to speak the grassroots activists who were delegates planned a demonstration against her support of the war, but we were drowned out by her paid campaign workers who used drums and big professional made signs.
But the final wake up call was when a bunch of grassroots delegates went to lunch and right next to us was a candidate’s professional campaign team plotting their strategy. I couldn’t help overhearing their conversation. It was cynical. It was power oriented. It was totally divorced from any concern about what the grassroots wanted the party to be about but only about what polls had shown would best market the candidate. It was about money.
I realized then that what we grassroots do in the convention in trying to shape the direction of our party was irrelevant. The professionals ignored us and the real direction was determined by them in private meetings.
Finally the convention ran out of time so we grassrooters couldn’t even get our amendments to the platform considered. We were shut down and the debate on the direction of the party was cut short, all because so much time had been spent for marketing the chosen candidates, even before the party through the primary selected them. ::sigh::
I was one of those duped by Obama in 2008. I thought that finally the grassroots were taking back the party. Now I am more soured than ever on how we grassroots can take back our party and choose candidates that actually represent us. I have no idea how to do it.
Don’t you realize what the new Obama Nuclear Policy really is about? The U.S. will not use nukes against nations that have no nukes and abide by the international standards. In other words, North Korea and Iran, we WILL use nukes against you.
It’s all a veiled threat to rogue states.
Which is why…bottom line…we need a “grassroots” party. The Democrat and Republican parties (corporate parties) do not represent our interests. As long as we continue to vote for one of the two legacy parties, nothing will change!!!
P.S. Thanks for insight
.
ahhh….
Obama made a deal in September of 2009 with the for profit hospitals that there would be no public option. Yes, he fought, but he fought AGAINST it, despite his rhetoric. Haven’t you heard that when Reid said he’d support a public option in a reconciliation bill if there was support in the caucus and it was up to the White House to whip for it and it was told to Rahm that he did a double flip off of Reid as his response?
Sorry, I posted before I read your clarification that you meant he fought against it.
For a few years I’ve been meaning to be a good internet-arian and do the research on the sell outs of Tip O’neill to that fascist f’k raygun during the 80′s … when I was a resident of Tip’s district, and making 5 or 7 bucks an hour cooking, and the Bipartisanshit Tip & raygun put taxes on waitrons cuz waitrons were stealing pennies to boeing and raytheon and ya can’t have that … oh yeah, and since I had grown up on welfare and used financial aid for culinary school in ’82 when I was 22 I did notice the financial aid cuts … but – anyway, I haven’t got around to it.
I do recall chatting politics in Boston in that 80′s era – there were a couple of Dim-O-Shits from Massachusetts involved in national politics during the time, and there was NO shortage of uber credentialed kennedy ass kissers & gergen wannabees, and the fucking excuses for losing to those raygun fallwell fascist bastards just did NOT stop.
yawn… and I moved to seattle in ’89 & I heard all the bullshit excuses about clinton all through the 90′s …
fuck obama. he started to lose me with geithner & rahm. this “health” care lie was disgusting, unless you like fucking sell outs.
robert murphy
seattle.
I live in ballard, in the 36th district – your story brings back lots of bad memories.
were you around during the dean surge? all kinds of people would tell me they loved dean, but, ya know, dean isn’t “electable”, but, the repigs could NOT attack kerry cuz …
…
…
…
sorry, I fell asleep and drooled on my keyboard.
the great state of wishy-warshy in the pacified nodding out west deserves the pathetic fucks we have –
how I did LOVE jane’s “Veal Pen” article last summer – it sure applies out here in seattle.
rmm.
Strategic Nuclear Arms Control Agreements have been in place since 1969.
U.S.-Russian Nuclear Arms Control Agreements at a Glance
Although this is ALWAYS a good policy, it isn’t different from previous administrations since that time period, including all of the Republicans.
It is laughable that someone who says they have the unilateral power to assassinate citizens is just so powerless.
No kidding. State Dem. Chair Dwight Pelz sent out quite a few e-mails quoting the party line on health care reform. I wrote back a few times. What struck me most was that he replied, and yet I couldn’t tell why he bothered. There was no thought there, no real consideration. I was trying to warn him how much harder his job was going to be, and all I got in return was nonsense. The Washington State Democrats are one of the many e-mail lists I dropped off of after the health care bills were signed. There’s no redeeming those folks as long as the current lot are in charge.
Seems like there is a lot of Seattle folks dropping out of the Dems. Wish there was some way to organize independently here.
The candidates that the party is running or is preparing to run thru all the ranks of state government will be of the same stock. Loyalty to party first, not to platform, ideology or principle.
Slightly OT but an item to watch to see if this legislation actually gets out of committee or any other traction. If you had any doubts about our POTUS’s real intentions after the appointment of dumb-them-down, bust the unions, privatize public schools, Mr Duncan here’s a bill introduced by two of our favorite characters that could make any of us become one of the, “disappeared,” for seemingly nothing more than getting out of the wrong side of the bed some morning.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/146081/mccain_and_lieberman%27s_%22enemy_belligerent%22_act_could_set_u.s._on_path_to_military_dictatorship
http://blogs.alternet.org/lawtalkingguy/2010/03/22/why-arent-tea-partiers-upset-about-mccain-and-liebermans-power-grab/
He and his pals are now utilizing the “he’s so powerless” meme to justify appointing a Cass Sunstein or his clone to the SCOTUS.
My local, incredibly dumb newspaper is warning of a “battle” etc.
Yup, just no way he could win this one, so he’ll have to compromise.
I’ve read several entries here and on other sites that we need a third party. What about the Green Party? It’s already established and it suppots issues we all favor. I got involved after I gave up on the Dems. I think there’s enough pissed off people that a Green candidate might have a chance. (Although if Jane ran, I would vote for her.)
You can see why Governor Moodbeam had a think for [with] Linda Ronstadt.
Um, yeah.
Clean coal.
Corn ethanol.
Nuclear energy.
Is there anyone here that doesn’t yet realize that the “bipartisan” rhetoric is an excuse to pass neo-liberal, corporate legislation?
I’m starting to side with John Pilger in that he is likely a CIA stooge, or at least is in a parallel mindset after serving the CIA against the Soviets among other things.* That, and he also clearly indicated he was a neoliberal in his speech to the Hamilton Project before he ran for president, discussion of that and the video can be found on this site. The amount of deceit coming from him in all ways seems unmatched.
* At this a Kossack would point out his recent agreement with Russia to cut back on nukes, but this is essentially a PR move to trim fat that both countries don’t need anymore, making it look like it was a radical move towards a non-nuclear weapon world. Not to mention, the military is moving towards similarly destructive non-nuclear high-speed ICBMs.
That’s exactly what it is. It’s not weakness. They intentionally wish to appear weak and helpless to distract people from the fact they’re serving the same powerful interests the Republicans do. It’s essentially one party in the leadership, they just oppose each other for simple political purposes, not a true disagreement in policy. Ex. if Republicans had a pushed a national private insurance mandate (originally a Republican idea), you can expect the Democrats to oppose such a plan the same way the Republicans have.
Read my post above, and you can find opinions from skeptical columnists, activists, etc. on sites like Common Dreams.
What we’re seeing is a very successful political lightning rod in Barack Obama. He IS playing 11-D chess, but the problem is he’s playing it against YOU not against his corporate masters or Republican “enemies.” I believe that many have woken up to his traitorous ways, but there’s still a few out there who want to feel as good as they did 2 years ago when we wanted to believe we had control over the government.
I like the cut of your jib dirac
eh, there certainly are people in the dark still. and still, when someone has been sold a bill of goods or sold it to themselves…it’s hard to face up to that very real vulnerability…i for one can say i made a big mistake by standing in line 3 hours for this guy. OTOH, I think the alternative was unfortunately worse.