Obama to Press Centrist Agenda in His Address

He’s in the center of the R party – they just won’t admit it.

I had a bad feeling about BO in my gut in 08 and voted for him. I see my gut is right again… Last time it felt that way was when GWB was anointed by the Right Wing of the Supreme Court… Gah… we the people have been bamboozled again…

I’ll admit it: Obama bamboozled me. I voted for him for the express purpose of keeping Hillary Rodham Clinton and the DLC out of the White House. So what did we get? You guessed it, the DLC.

I have no intention of lifting a finger for Obama or any other Democrat next year. Maybe they can get the corporations that fund Third Way to do their phone-banking and door-to-door work.

Can we start calling him President I’m-Really-a-Republican-Whore now?

Or Barack Hussein Bait-and-Switch.

Obama, who has previously called himself a Blue Dog Democrat, has cut taxes for billioniares, signed a stimulus bill that was over 30% tax cuts, increased defense spending, expanded the War on Terror, surged in Afghanistan, signed a Republican health care bill, made the Too Big to Fail banks whole, proposed off-shore oil drilling, proposed cutting entitlements, and frozen government pay — and say, John Boehner? Or even better: Jim DeMint?

And he truly can not understand why the left isn’t grateful for all he has done, that is a lot of “Wins.”

Why did they keep Jane? She was not going to visit Manning? That’s asking for trouble and I’m sure they’ll get it.

Left, right, center is meaningless. He is a member of the have more & want more corporatist party.

Obama center implies you are with the American people the majority of them on the issues. But fine don’t listen to me and watch your poll numbers go lower. End the wars now, tax the rich to pay the debt, use the money to create high paying green jobs like China does notice we borrow money from them they must be doing something right.
No more bank bailouts, we want the Fed to give the banks back their bad debt with interest.
Banks and Fed both get audited.

OBAMA currently sits between Bush Jr and Sara Palin

Below are some of OBAMA right wing policies

1st Obama endorses the Bush agenda of spying on and killing americans
2nd Obama attacks Unions (the F! the UAW moment screams republican)
3rd Obama double downs on Bush Wars, (now they are Obama wars)
4th Obama attacks Teacher Unions (teacher unions now hate OBAMA)
5th Obama does not attack the Banks? he bails them out? (sorta like what the GOP does)
6th Obama passes the Bob Dole Health Care Bill (Bob Dole is a republican)
7th Obama kills the Public Option
8Th Obama kills Drug Importation
9Th Obama APPOINTS an insurance executive to manage his health care Bill
10th Obama does not APPOINT Dawn Johnsen
11th Obama hand picks the cat food commission to destroy Social Security
12th Obama supports Blanche Lincoln, a candidate who hates Unions, and has no chance of winning
13 Guantanomo still open for business
14.Patriot Act renewed
15. renditions continue
16. Bernanke reappointed
17. Americans targeted for assassination
18 Obama is all for sending more USA jobs off shore
19 Obama is for tax cuts for the RICH!
20. Obama and the TSA porno Scandal
21 Obama freezes federal wages for 2 years
22. OBAMA TARP Funds for Legal Services for Foreclosure Victims Blocked By Treasury
23. Obama lowers estate tax for the rich
24. Obama tax bill of 2010 GUTS Social Security
25. Obama wants WikiLeaks Assange charged with espionage.
26 Obama Fake Net Neutrality Caves to AT&T,Comcast
27 Obama Wall Street Buddies foreclose on USA soldiers Homes

Black candidates like OBAMA know this simple fact, don’t give people reasons not to vote for you! Because it is a simple fact that some people will not vote for you just because you are Black.

Really does anyone really believe OBAMA can get re-elected in 2012? NO

Obama if your speech has any real impact the Dow should rise and stay high. Employers will start hiring yes? But of course your speech is worthless with a Dem majority you could not get shit passed the Tea Baggers all ran on not letting you pass anything.
Weakness breeds weakness Obama.

I’ve been calling his presidency Bush’s third term:)

OT– “Ireland Government Crumbles As Green Party Pulls Out Of Ruling Coalition” (by Tyler Durden on 01/23/2011 11:01 -0500) with press conference in embedded video.

“He’s making the transition from an economic security president to an economic growth president,” said Jim Kessler, co-founder of the centrist organization Third Way, “and he’s moving from the left to the center.”

He sounds like Malibu Barbie with a new accessory set. Which I guess, he is.

Jim Kessler, co-founder of the centrist organization Third Way, “and he’s moving from the left to the center.”

No we are the Left the on the issues that voters care most about Jobs, Homes, Taxes we are the majority postion in America. We want government to create jobs, we want government to save our homes and not bailout banks, we want the rich to pay more taxes, we want European Healthcare not the Obama plan, we want the wars ended now and the money used to create jobs in America.

Cool!

His support of Blanche Lincoln (in fact, deploying OFA on her behalf) should have dispelled all doubts that he and the DLC had declared war on the progressive wing of the party. Lincoln had zero chance of winning the general election; nevertheless, the Democratic Party mandarins funneled millions of dollars to get her the nomination over Bill Halter. That can only be understood as a message to the likes of us–namely, “we’re in charge of this party, and we’ll do whatever it takes to maintain control.”

Last night I dreamed that Barack Obama had played Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi. Then I woke up and remembered that Obama really is Jabba the Hutt.

Imagine a perfect president of a military industrial complex. Obama is fits the bill perfectly. I had no idea what I was doing when I supported his election.

As God is my witness, if I read one more headline like this, I swear — I’m going to lose it.

Obama to Press Centrist Agenda in His Address

Yes, I am with you there Blue Texan.This is all I hear now and it is from pretty much both sides of the media spectrum.

This center they speak of is very elusive, considering it’s always to the right of whatever Obama is doing, making it necessary that he “move” well beyond even moderate GOP territory to satisfy them.

If he replaces Joe Biden with Lloyd Blankfein on the ticket in 2012, I don’t think that would make them happy.

Mr. Obama has signaled that after two years in which his response to the economic crisis and his push for passage of the health care bill defined him to many voters as a big-government liberal, he is seeking to recast himself as a more business-friendly, pragmatic progressive.

this is what’s wrong with “progressive”. the reason it polls well is because it doesn’t mean anything.

if people like this are afraid to be seen as a liberal, then hell yeah i’ll be a liberal.

{ RTÉ Live also featuring great video coverage of Tunisia and political developments in the Middle East. }

I can’t even tell what constitutes “moderate GOP territory” at this point (Glenn Beck?), but it seems that Obama would have to impeach himself as a Kenyan Muslim before the Republicans would contemplate calling him legitimate.

Well to the right of Shrub. That’s where the Bambster is.

Obama is more like the Evil Emperor in Return of the Jedi “Liberal”

and Jane is now a Jedi

Return of Jedi “LIBERAL” starring Jane Hamsher

Seems like everyone here agrees that Obama’s policies suck, and that they’re on the verge of getting worse.

So who will we be running as a primary challenger? Why should we just shut up and take this right-wing corporatist crap for another four years after 2012? Just because he pretends to be a Democrat? I hear or read people saying “Oh well, he’s better than Bush (or McCain or Palin)” or “at least he’s not a Republican.”

Sorry, I can’t see any difference. Obama’s wrecking what’s left of our country just as fast and just as thoroughly as the Cheney-Bush Gang did. His policies are exactly identical to theirs. If Obama gets another four years, this country will be done for. When there are no jobs left, no food, no money, no health care, and no future, then the riots will begin. By 2013, it won’t be “drill, baby, drill” any more, it will be back to “burn, baby, burn”.

Republican Ben Stein’s comment this morning that suggested on CBS that Obama is the best candidate the Republican Party could field in 2012 seems to sum up what the center is that Obama is chasing.

Kind of makes you wanna throw a fucking brick through Joe Overton’s window, doesn’t it?

We are debating who we want and who might run any names you want to throw out there? Unemployment over 10%
we can challenge Obama.
Heck in 2 years Obama very well might be the worse President for African Americans since Hoover.

It’s damn tempting for sure.

Obama’s moving the Overton Window rightward – has no interest in anything to the left of the far right edge of that window.

For me, the New York Times and its journalists have lost all credibility and are representative of the corporate DLC. Bob Herbert and Paul Krugman are the only “rational” voices left there and I tend to try to find their posts elsewhere whenever possible in order to avoid the NYT.

If President Obama and the age of greed and wealth are priorities and “centrist”, then morally, our country is lost.

Book Salon up with Tracy Baim’s Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage hosted by Teddy Partridge

Obama is moving to the center… the center of the perfect will of Wall Street.

Keith Olbermann

Please no. We’re bound to see/hear many more headlines like this one, and we don’t want to loose you guys!

Agreed–I remember in the 80′s I bought and read the NYT 7 days a week. Am not sure if the change has been in me or the Times–probably both–but I agree that Herbert and Krugman are the only ones producing anything worth reading at the Times these days.

Tangential– “Why Is Hu Jintao Going to Chicago?” (by Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, January 20, 2011)

You betcha.

Right now, I like Feingold and Trumka. There are others I like, such as Bernie Sanders and Dennis Kucinich, but our challenger has to be a serious contender who can’t be easily dismissed outright by corporate media.

“President Asshole” works for me.

“Centerist” =EQ= “maintains status quo.”

– 1. The game, here, is to make moves that avoid appearance of lefty/strangeness.

– 2. This leaves the field open for the Far Right wingnut/teabagger/loonies in the House to tag themselves as violent/ill_mannered Know Nothings.

This # 1. is unfortunate. It is also necessary to open the door for 4# 2.

Since the country is going to hell either way, I’d rather a Republican take it there. There are no circumstances under which I would vote for Obama.

There is only one question for Progressives – Have you had enough yet?

The difference between the Republicans and the DLC-dominated Democratic Party is slight and only cosmetic. The Democratic Leadership has only one trick – to create the horror of the Republicans winning. But if Democrats behve like Republicans (very) slightly watered down, then what really is the threat?

Progressives can watch the Republicans try to dismantle the social safety net in one sweeping pass or they can watch their so-called Democratic friends dismantle the social safety net piece at a pace only slightly slower than that of the Republicans. The end result is the same, unless Progressive are willing to take a different approach.

Let the Republicans win!

In 2012 let the Republicans win. Let the Democratic Party go down in a way they’ve never gone down before. If they don’t get back up, its no big loss. Essentially the Pelosis, Reids, Nelsons and Doggetts of the Democratic Party figure they’ll probably survive no matter. They’re quite willing to sacrifice a few freshmen and the occasional Russ Feingold, as long as they get reelected. Let them al fall. You don’t have to vote for the Republicans – simply sit out an election.

Until the Democratic Party as whole believes that they cannot survive doing the same old free trade song-and-dance, all Progressives are going to get are the same old free trade song-and-dance.

Have you had enough yet, Progressives?

I reached my political puke point with the Democratic Party about a year ago. Unfortunately, many progressives will fall–once again–for the “but you HAVE to vote for our shitty candidate, the only alternative is a Republican” argument.

I’ve got a cold starting this week – I realized that calling DLC sell outs “traitorous scum” is probably the kind of phrasing rush & beck use against us DFH’s to stir up their whack-a-doodles

so I’m just going to call the DLC sell outs despicable slime.

I’m 51 – I was living in Tip O’Neil’s district when they jumped the social security age for ME and people my age so that Boeing could steal more and so that the wall street thieves could leverage-buy-out-steal more.

I’m sicker of lying sell outs than I am of the lying thieving scumbags – while sell outs should lie and must lie, I’m DONE voting for ‘em. Clearly, there are plenty of independently swinging centrists ready to moderately engage … yawn.

rmm.

Obama, as President, has never been “left”. Starting with his hires after the Nov 08 election, he’s shown himself to be, and self-defines himself as, a “New Democrat”. Look it up on Wikipedia if you are not familiar with the term.

Guess he’ll look to the corporations for 2012 campaign workers cuz nobody I know is going to support him. He’s toast. If he touches Social Security and Medicare, he’ll be burned toast.

I wouldn’t make one phone call or donate a dime for that betrayer.

Any candidate who takes on the mandarins of the Democratic Party will get trashed by the media. Even if you brought back one of the Kennedy brothers from the dead, or for that matter, LBJ or FDR, they’d marginalize him.

I disagree on sit-it-out; better to write in a worthy candidate if there’s no appropriate third-party candidate on your ballot.

WAIT! people SHOULD vote – just …

vote “medicare for all” ?? I live in Washington with a bunch of diaper shitting spineless sacks at the state and federal level – I’ve seen many of these people at various campaign things for over 10 years, and the best they can do is whine that mean meanies are …

mean.

oh yeah, and that liars lie and thieves steal. Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my.

I wrote my own name in for Cantwell in ’06, I bought the HOPE lies again in ’08, I wrote in “medicare for all” this year! I still feel really good about my votes!

At least I KNOW why I lost, for once.

rmm.

It’s like going to the boss’s house for dinner and everyone keeps saying what a pretty little girl he has when she is, in fact, quite homely and unfortunate looking.

Obama has been completely right wing since he has entered office. Calling it “center” or even “liberal” in some cases is just a sophomoric game of “Semantic F*ck”. He has left the Democratic base scratching their heads. Instead of having an opposing view to right wing politics , we have Dems and a Dem president moving rightwing agenda and calling it something else. Anyone voting for Obama is voting for the Right. People that can’t figure this out are very dull and completely submissive.

We need a candidate NOW. Im voting third party no matter what. I won’t vote for the Right and or the Nouveau-Right no matter what game they play or what hardship and anxiety Obama chooses to fool people into voting for him come 2012. He doesn’t have to deliver, he doesn’t even have to pretend to deliver as we have all come to well to know.

Yes we can .

Degrading those that you are exploiting is always how its done.

True, but that’s not necessarily the end of their candidacy. They trashed Obama and Clinton both throughout the last campaign, but the voters still mattered somewhat (although that was before Citizens United v. FEC).

The problem with Sanders (a problem for Villagers, not for me) is that he actually IS a socialist. In my estimation, that’s a good thing, but in right-wing 21st century Amerikkka, it’s obvious that “socialist” has lost its true meaning, and is now used as a synonym for “anti-American” or some such.

The only problem with Kucinich was that he admitted to once having seen a UFO. That ended his last campaign, and would surely be the first thing corporate media would drag out to flog him with, regardless of anything else.

Feingold and / or Trumka are still genuinely serious people with clear ideas and the ability to communicate them. The pundit class would have a much more difficult time marginalizing them with pat dismissals.

What the Right has printed is fantasy. What is happening to people in mass is reality. People need to stop believing what they are told by the press. It is like believing that magic in movies is real or that cartoon characters are real people.

Voting for Obama is voting rightwing. They may pull some hardship or anxiety out to seduce Dem voters with come 2012 but they won’t deliver. The Reich-Dems don’t even try to deliver any more. They are looking to corporations to be seated and the base are nothing more than hillbillies back home that they pretend not to know.

The Palestinia­ns propose a Taba (Bill Clinton 2001) solution and Obama refuses to force Israel to accept it? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/23/palestine-papers-israel-conflict-wikileaks-documents-released_n_812776.html

Why? Does Obama profit in some way from war and tension in the mid-East?

Is he afraid of Fox News and the right – again, as with the tax cut for billionair­es, ready to sacrifice Israel/Pal­estinians peace on some “center/bi­partisan/F­ox News approved” position that pleases the military industrial complex on whose contributi­ons he is depending on for re-electio­n?

AIPAC. They’re either with you or against you. They either give you money or sabotage your campaign. They are like the US Chamber of Commerce from Israel. Obama doesn’t care about Americans, let alone Palestinians. Obama cares about Obama being elected and getting rich.

It is pathetic that Obama and most of the Democrats went from “Yes we can” to “vote for us – we suck less”. Primary Obama and send a new message to Wahington. – “YES, You Will!” (restore our country to the true progressive center).

Can we start a campaign to write in “none of the above” for all the seats up for election?