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Pictured: A Firebagger.
Elizabeth Drew’s piece in the New York Review of Books is making the rounds, and this passage jumped out at me.
Because of the extent to which the President had allowed the Republicans to set the terms of the debate, the attitude of numerous congressional Democrats toward him became increasingly sour, even disrespectful. After Obama introduced popular entitlement programs into the budget fight, a Democratic senator described the attitude of a number of his colleagues as:
Resigned disgust at the White House: there they go again. “Mr. Halfway” keeps getting maneuvered around as Republicans move the goalposts on him.According to a report in The Hill newspaper in late June, the tough-minded, experienced, and blunt Democratic Representative Henry Waxman of California told Obama in a White House meeting that he’d asked several Republicans about their meeting with him the day before, and, “To a person, they said the President’s going to cave.” Then the congressman said to the President of the United States, “And if you’re going to cave, tell us right now.” The President was reported to have been displeased, and responded, “I’m the President of the United States; my words carry weight.”
Stunning, just stunning. Here’s one of the most reliable Democrats in Congress, telling the President he’s weak to his face.
The list of Firebaggers grows longer by the hour.
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Heh.
The President should’ve responded by saying “So? Who are you voting for next year for President, Congressman?”
Betting we all know the answer, and thus it explains why the President doesn’t have to worry about anything this
firebaggerCongressman says.When I read of Barry Obama saying “I’m the President of the United States; my words carry weight.”, what I hear is Bill Clinton’s “I’m still relevant”.
Like Barry, Bill Clinton also planned to destroy the New Deal by rolling back Social Security, until a dress stain got in his way.
Both men are just two more neoliberal stains on the once proud history of the Democratic Party. Both are self-made slaves to banksters and corporate rule.
Clueless. Fail.
“I’m the decider”.
FU DC
Great post. Could we please eliminate block italics for quotes? It’s hard to read. From a former journalist who remembers his journalism typography class.
Italics are quite handy for emphasizing words or short phrases. They tend to have a softer emphasis than emboldening. Italics should not be used for blocks of text, because they can have a similar effect to serif fonts at small resolutions, reducing readability. Sans-serif fonts that work well on screen can have poor readability in italic form.
http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/basics/readability/
Heh. The list indeed grows longer by the hour and as soon as John Cole and AngryBlackLady get on the firebagger bus, you can officially call it for One Term.
Well said.
We are all feeling the frustration of watching Obama complain then cave. This is all too predictable.
Didn’t we have this discussion a couple months ago?
Jane, someone, I beg of you: organize a protest against cuts to Social Security and Medicare where seniors (and others) chain themselves to the White House fence.
Obama hates to be embarrassed, and the optic of Dan Choi and other gay service members at the fence seemed to be the turning point in the reform of DADT.
He may not feel he needs to respond to Henry Waxman, but the repeated optic of seniors on the fence in the press, may be noxious enough to give Obama pause.
how could text that is darker and larger be “harder to read”?? do you have reverse vison?
Neat thing about HTML; It’s a markup DTD.
If you don’t like the way your browser lays it out … just use your own style sheet.
http://www.seoconsultants.com/windows/ie/accessibility/
Anyone paying attention knows that it was Obama himself who put Social security and medicare on the cutting block before he even entered office.
This is the “I’m offended at your question, because it’s true” non answer.
the lines for that bus over at Big Orange grow longer by the minute
Unfortunately, President Fierce Advocate lives in a microgravity environment.
Waxman for President! Somebody with BACKBONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Waxman’s statement is priceless, and is exactly what I thought would happen. By throwing out his base, Obama loses the respect of the people who nominated him. And he will lose the respect of the centrists whom he is courting. Everyone knows that he set himself up for this disaster, and no matter who pulls the plug, he is the one who deserves the blame, not the right-wing Republicans nor the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. Those huge demonstrations went to his head. I didn’t think so at the time, but it is clear as crystal. He is going to have a very hard landing after flying so high. It shows when people don’t respect you personally, though they may respect the office you hold.
Obama is so much better than Hillary, than Sanders, than any other choice -
and to not vote for him would be racist.
Besides he is doing his best with the difficult situation he inherited, and he has our best interests at heart./s
And my oh my, he has such a nice family.
These are hard times and he is the man to lead us. /s
And Romney might try to cut Social Security, lying to us and claiming Social Security affects the deficit. We would not want that, now would we. And staying home will just elect the other guy, so I don’t want to hear any of that public option talk about any protest non voting for president.
By the way, send money – and can you work the phones and walk the precinct – and use your connection with the labor unions to get them out in force. After all he has worked so hard on card check certification of unions. /s
Is that the bus they leave on, or the one they get thrown under?
Yeah, that’s why President’s have to be so serious all the time.
Otherwise you might end up with Presidents saying something stupid like “strategery” or “more and more imports are coming from overseas” or “fool me once, shame on…fool me…” or……
Yes, the weight of a steaming pile of shit.
God I hope this guy looses in 2012. I’d reather have a wolf ourside the door than the Trojan cancer within. Let the R’s tank the country for the next 4 years and teach more of the dumbmotherfuckers while we work on taking back the Dems, ressucitating its image, and pushing a real progressive candidate in 2016.
Yeah, My words carry weight reeks of defensiveness. He *should* be called out to his face.
Well now, you know it’s very good of Waxman to be blunt with the President.
But I’d appreciate it a whole lot more if Waxman were blunt with the rest of us,
How long, for example, has Henry been concerned about the President’s behavior?
And, if it’s more than a day or two, wouldn’t it be nice of Henry to mention something about that to the rest of us?
Ain’t that part of being “reliable”?
You know, sharing his concerns with the rest of us, because, by holy jumpin’ lima beans, what Obama does is gonna affect us a whole lot more than it affects ole Henry?
Guess that’s expectin’ too much, though, ain’t it?
You’d think, well, anyways, I would think, that if Henry was gonna say something to Obama, that affected so damned many human beings, that it ought to be, at some point, more than hush-hush and become out loud public, rather than this trickle-down crap, several quotes away, “evidence”.
So, we may depend upon Henry NOT to gut Social Security and Medicare without saying something to Obama?
Again, it would do the rest of us a hell of a lot of good were Henry to say something to us about it.
Ah, well …
DW
Really??
We just wrote our Senator- Sherrod Brown- to ask WWWD What Would Wellstone Do?
That’s a very interesting point.
Of course he massacred, aka “reformed”, welfare and every person who was kicked off.
But I’ve never heard the SS issue about Clinton. Would not be surprised in the least.
You got any link or refs so I can use as evidence for this? Thanks.
Yeppers. Even BoosterClubberPrimes like geekesque is on it. My my.
if my anecdotal observations are correct, yes
not the blackwaterdog photo diary groupies – but many, many, many of the fierce pragmatist / we’ll fix it later ! crowd are now waiting in line with Waxman
Of course he will cave. He’s caved almost every time. He gives the other side virtually everything they want right off the bat. Then they say that’s not enough because they know he doesn’t have the political skill set to effectively fight back and of course they’re right.
He showed cowardess right out of the gate by not going after torturers and they haven’t let him up since. We can debate until the cows come home whether these were policies he’s had in mind since the beginning or not but it has become crystal clear that he will give in to the demands of those who hate him and give the back of his hand to those who are resposible for his election in the first place.
As the evil Prof. Fate said, “Push the button, Max”.
That much? Really? I believed him in free fall (together with his approval ratings).
You’re right. The idea that Obama is weak, is ridiculous. This is a guy who pounds a half dozen third world countries with predator drones and cruise missiles on an almost daily basis. This is a guy who sent a Navy Seal hit team to kill bin Laden and dump his body in the ocean.
Obama wants to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, for the exact same reason he extended all the Bush tax cuts; he is a proud Reagan Democrat.
His hero Reagan gave the rich big tax breaks and his hero Reagan was the only president who made major cuts in Social Security. That’s why Obama cut the Social Security payroll tax. He wants to defund Social Security.
Obama loves Reagan and hates FDR.
Marcos’ vision of a slot at the WH dims with every sunrise.
I’m guessing he would have an unfortunate ‘accident’ at a very peculiar time?
Obama’s been dragging his feet on DADT because he’s saving it for a “good” time. You’ve got to figure, this is the ONLY think he’s got on tap that remotely matches a progressive agenda. He needs to use it AFTER doing a bunch of sell-out stuff so that he can say “Who would have done this for progressives other than me? The REPUBLICANS?”
(never mind that finally moving forward with operational changes appears to be a result of a recent court order … in lawsuit brought by Republicans).
http://firedoglake.com/2010/05/18/how-monica-lewinsky-saved-social-security-clinton-gingrich-bowles-and-the-pact/
JC — a possibilty. ABL — no chance.
“Let the R’s tank the country…”
Isn’t it strange; 2 years and 9 months after an historic ass-kicking of the republicans, that option is basically what we’re left with.
Incredible.
FDL has covered it a lot, but I can’t find the linkies. Here’s a seminal article from Counterpunch.
(Microgravity, if I’m not mistaken, includes “zero” gravity or freefall. So don’t panic, I’m not giving President Carebear more gravitas than he deserves.)
Doctor I do not know why you believe books that lie rather than the facts that are in the public record re Clinton and the add-on voluntary payroll deduction extra benefit that he proposed in his state of the union. The only truth is that Rubin and Greenspan pushed for a carve out cut back in Social Security, and after their push, 90 days later, he states in the State of the Union his add on plan.
Indeed none of the books say Clinton agreed to anything – only that they or those they quote talked to the Administration, talked to the White House. Indeed a year later the the proposal of the Senator Moynihan commission to do a carve out were also tossed out by everyone. I was in this battle, and the implications of the books – saved by a stain – is a lie. No actuary remembers it the way the GOP smears – the Obama smears – try to sell the situation.
Trojan cancer. How perfectly to describe him. Totally nailed it.
And like cancer, it displaces or destroys healthy cells nearby. Eventually metastasizing and possibly killing the host.
Him and his kind have completely destroyed what the Democratic party once stood for. Started with Clinton, and his corporatist picks for his “advisers”. Then the DNC. And every other Democratic group.
It is simply amazing how much damage O has done. In what universe would a D prez go after SS, to the right of the Rs, and ACTUALLY get Ds to cheer it on. We’re not in Kansas anymore. We’re in bat-shite crazy bizzaro world.
Dr. Murphy, do you make House calls?
If you do, then, after that call you might consider calling on the Senate, because neither “house” is very well at the moment and could use some good nostrums of truth and consequence.
Always great to “see” you Kirk.
(Was thinking, recently, about the discussion you and Christy had, several years back, regarding visiting the MOTU at THEIR houses, btw.)
DW
Well said DW.
Exactly.
If the D’s in Congress really do believe he’s weak or a traitor, they sure haven’t shown it in how they constantly line up and do his bidding when asked.
The President was reported to have been displeased, and responded, “I’m the President of the United States; my words carry weight.”
Seems like King Lear after he gave his kingdom away and loss all authority.
Progressives for Romney! Why vote for Obama when Romney will do?
Hail to the Caver-in-Chief.
Newt made the claim and is quoted in a couple of books, along with other low level types that put together presentations.
“My words carry weight…”
If you have to say it…not so much.
Anyway, I think he was probably trying to convince himself. I also think we’re in for 18 months of graveyard whistling by this pathetic excuse for a democratic president.
Great point.
All these things are unlike. Don’t trust them. Did Waxman think it was “OK” before? Why didn’t he say anything? Don’t his constituents have a right to know?
Just like the earlier story where “some” were “concerned” about his core principles. In actuality there words indicate they are just covering their azz.
I have no intention of saving the Democratic Party from itself. It’s caved one time to many for me to care about it a single iota. Let the oligarchs that they’ve supported for the last decade “save” them.
Speaking of political peeps who died in plane crashes…
Did you happen to see the 300+ comment post by Atkins over at Digby’s?
That Counterpunch is BS – DLC could propose – but there are no facts to support the smear. Rubin and Greenspan and the GOP pushed – and Clinton pushed back.
Read the damn State of the Union speech yourself.
I still say he’s not “caving.”
He’s doing EXACTLY what he wants.
Example. Congress passes laws all the time that conflict with each other. The President sometimes has to choose which one to enforce, sometimes at the expense of others.
That’s ALL this debt ceiling THEATER is. Congress passed LAWS appropriating and authorizing $$$$. Congress passed a LAW limiting the national debt.
Why is he CHOOSING the latter at the expense of the former??? He could just as easily claim they’re conflicting (they are) and choose to enforce the former at the expanse of the latter.
Almost everything he’s done he’s done because he’s CHOSEN to. Not beccause he’s caved IMO.
“My words carry weight and I carry the GOP’s water” is a more apt phrasing.
OT, but I am a terrierist, too. Had to put both Airedales down over the past couple of years. Angus was 17 and Bramble Rose had just cleared the 16 yr. jump.
Our neighbors have a Welshie, and she has my heart!
Thank you.
Why does bastard Peterson have his greedy little fingers in everything?
Where was Congressman Waxman when Obama caved to health care and the Bush tax cuts?
If he had a sincere epiphany, good for him. Otherwise not.
And the little mine-canary keeps chirping:
“Gold! Gold! Gold!”
Thanks, fightthefuture at 36 already gave me a link.
Eye opener. Thank God for Lewinsky (never thought I’d say that).
Because Italics is harder to read. It’s just that simple.
Because Italics is harder to read. It’s just that simple.
Because Italics is harder to read. It’s just that simple.
Romney sucks. Both of the major parties suck. The only thing they might have going for them is they ain’t Ron Paulesque enough to feel the civil rights act was a mistake. Not nearly enough for me to vote for any of them.
Except he didn’t count on the Tea Party derailing his “Grand Bargain.”
You’re right. Obama is leading the charge to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. He probably wants to do that more than most Republicans.
Actually, Henry’s “story” is older, than the “core concerns’, tambershall, this is its third or fourth rerun.
DW
Agreeing to destroy the remnants of the New Deal was the clincher in his job interview with CFR and the boys from Goldman Sack$.
Yes, we did. I keep thinking if I post it, maybe somebody will change it. I don’t know why any site would not want to improve the readability of that site. It’s annoying trying to read large block quotes of Italics.
Buzz, I didn’t see that. I go now…talk to you shortly. :o)
I don’t spend as much time at Digby’s as I used to. I was getting nauseated by her ass-coverers-for-Obama Koffeeklatsch. Of course, now that more of her readers are becoming “extremists”, she’s being dragged into political reality. :o)
I think she’s about to run out of inflatable big ju-ju Sarah Palin dolls to shake at us.
You gonna put your comment on every thread? Your suggestion didn’t go anywhere when you brought it up a couple months ago. Just figured you’d try again?
True. What I don’t get is how he thinks that will work for him politically. It’s the single most unpopular thing he could do.
He must be so confident the Rethuglicans will nominate some batshit crazy person that he’s not worried what most of the voters care about. Or else he wants to lose.
this is the DLC NeoLib crowd circling the wagons –
blame obama for being weak,
through obama under the bus,
STAY IN CHARGE.
Even though I live in Washington, almost all current elected Dems, from City Council to 0bummer, need to be flushed. they’re a generation born into relative affluence, unaccustomed to fighting, acclimated to losing, and good at being in charge, period.
time to pass the torch on all the worthless fuckers – ESPECIALLY the DLC-Neolibs
rmm.
If 2012 is Obama vs. Romney, I will vote for Romney. Obama has destroyed the good name of Progressivism. Many ignorant Americans think he’s a “liberal.” As he destroys America with his conservative agenda, people will blame “liberals” not conservatives. This will have long term implications for us. This is reason enough to vote for any viable Republican who can defeat Obama in 2012.
It’s called a reminder. Is that so horrible? I think horrible is hard to read websites.
The sad part the Baby Boomers have filled middle management all the way and includeing USA’s Congress and Senate that would betray there fellow Citizens,Children,Mother,Father,Sister and Brothers to be Upper Middle Class.
Economist Michael Hudson interviewed on Democracy Now –
Pushing Crisis: GOP Cries Wolf on Debt Ceiling in Order to Impose Radical Pro-Rich Agenda
michael-hudson dot com
I think that is correct. He must be wondering why the R’s won’t let the grand bargain pass. He is so utterly clueless. The more O gives, the more the R’s ask him to give — and it is divorced from policy.
I said FUCK YOU to daily kos months ago….but it is interesting to see how many O-bots over there have woken up because of this.
Because he’s very, very, very, very rich and wants to be even more so.
Not according to Lawrence O’Donnell. *g*
The voters selected Waxman to play their had for them … not run to them every time he has concerns about another politician. Deciding to go public with criticism is an escalation.
A leader can’t be effective if they resort to petty gossip and whining in the press all the time. That’s more of a rank-and-file luxury. For better or worse, playing the dynamic is why Waxman’s criticism is considered far more devastating for Obama than someone like Kucinich. Both personality approaches, when focused to the same objective, have their place and can be quite complementary. IMO, a team needs both.
A properly organized caucus would not bring their big guns out to publicly shame – especially on an internal battle – until things got pretty dire. Obama is placing loyal Democrats in one hell of a bind.
I honestly don’t think it’s just the tea party. I think if it were just the tea party that he’d have given them what they wanted already. No, I think we may have enough self interested hold outs in the Democratic Party for the moment. They’ll probably blink eventually but they’re waiting until the last minute to say they “had to”
This is what Clinton has in mind when he’s still relevant.
Why choose from two bad choices? Write someone in. Refuse to play the rigged game the oligarchs have mapped for you.
Obama’s negotiating style:
Listen to the other side,
offer the other side one of their wish list items instead of their demands
listen to the other side now demand their original offer and their wish list item, finally
Obama give them both.
Umm….in addition to reading the State of Union, the following read from Jane is pertinent. As a rule, when looking at political history, including direct interviews with central participants will yield information not always evident in set piece public speeches.
I won’t choose to engage further on this: don’t want to detract further from BT’s point. Besides, I have to go to vet: must care for identified patients.
And that’s what I will never, ever, understand.
Assholes like him and the Kochs (and others) could TRY. I mean they could spend every second of every minute of every hour….. for the rest of their lives TRYING to spend all the money they have now and couldn’t spend it all.
Yet they think they need more.
We have a Republican in the WH. If the Rs actually win they can do a lot of damage but not much worse than what is going on now – IMO. I am staying a registered Democrat – it’s my party and I don’t have to vote for them if I choose not to. And aside from my own Rep I choose not to.
Seriously?
Should we also start judging Obama only by what he asserts in the SOTU address? If so, he’s not nearly as bad as folks around here are complaining about.
By that token Obama doesn’t support gutting social security at all. He’s going to protect it remember? Read his damn speeches.
It is getting hard to find a White House syophant. But I did find one! If we do not obey Obama we are doomed. We need to elect D’s with the same fierce advocacy the President showed during the 2010 campaign.
If we progees keep whining we will get the third Bush term.
But this does give me a good idea for a campaign slogan: OBAMA BECAUSE HE IS OUR ONLY CHOICE
Here it is. 400+ comments. Shows what Obama may be up against in 2012.
Buzz, couldn’t find that thread. Saw several others by Atkins, basically getting after Obama…some. (Now that the leopard is changing her spots, she’s looking for all the help she can get. :o) )
Same old black-humor-consolation, watching the people change who just could not get an emotional divorce from the now utterly nonsensical idea that Barack Obama needs protecting…from the fellow progressives who are leading the charge against rewarding him for his feckless shit, with four more years in which to continue it. Now they’re looking for a good divorce lawyer.
Welcome aboard!
I agree with your general statement that they can’t run home to mommy every time they stub their toe.
But this ain’t some small thing. Insurance bailout. Then tax cuts for the rich. Then this fabricated kabuki. Government does not create jobs? …
This is the whole everything. These isn’t “petty gossip”.
This is everything.
Washington as in DC, or Washington as in the state of?
It is not about “shame”, although there should be a great deal of that, spread liberally about the Dem “leadership”, it is about TRUTH!!!
In a democracy, truth matters far more than in-crowd amenities.
We are NOT talking National Security in the secret sense, but in the reality of true National Security, the well-being of EVERYONE’S future, kgb999, including yours.
DW
See 91. Might be interesting to everyone.
Alexander Cockburn and Jeff St. Clair are about as far from being Republicans as you can get and the accuracy of their reporting has been validated time and time again.
And just because a president says something in a SOTU speech, doesn’t make it true. Kind of like campaigning on one thing and doing the exact opposite once elected.
Why allow yourself to be defined as an apathetic voter when its apparent you’re not? The people at the top would be perfectly happy with your decision to not participate, they then could spin it as apathy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Dori Ullman
Committee To Elect Michael Cavlan
(612)414-9528
dorijj@aol.com
US Senate Candidate Condemns President Barack Obama
Minneapolis, MN, 7/20/2011
The Cavlan for US Senate Campaign condemns president Barack Obama
for this betrayal of the American people and of those who helped
get him elected to the office of the presidency. We speak of course
on the presidents willingness to cut Social Security, Medicare and
Medicaid.
Michael Cavlan, announced his intention to run against Senator Klobuchar
May 21st at the University of Minnesota Wiley Hall in Minneapolis, where
renowned Peace Activist Cindy Sheehan was speaking. Cavlan further states
“The people of Minnesota have my most solemn word that I will uphold
and protect them and their rights guaranteed under the Bill Of Rights.
The time for courage is now.”
President Obama has raised the ire of many groups in Minnesota,
due to his perceived weakness on a variety of issues, including
the continuing and expanding wars abroad and assaults on the rights of
the people of Minnesota and the United States. The latest betrayal
on the “Big Three” is the straw that has broken the progressive
communities back.
Cavlan further promises that unlike previous elected officials of the
past that “I will not simply pander to the people and then break my
promises as so many others do. Because I am not hampered or corralled
by corporate or party special interests. I am guided by what is right,
not just by what is politically expedient. I ask the same from the people
of Minnesota.”
Candidate Cavlan states “If the people of Minnesota want someone to stand
up and fight for them, then you need to support a fighter. Otherwise you
have lost the ability to complain when elected officials stand for the
corporate ownership and do not stand for you.”
Michael Cavlan ran against Senator Klobuchar in 2006 as the endorsed
Green Party candidate. This time he will run under the Minnesota Open
Progressive banner but will gladly accept and and all support from all
people who are tired of being lied to by the current political
establishment.
###
Firefox lets me pick my fonts, but I’m not finding a way to de-italicize. I have readability issues as well.
The other side of the degradation coin is this:
If Boehner and the GOP keep publicly holding Obama down and farting in his face, they could turn him into a sympathy figure…but, I doubt that will happen. They’re very good at finding the price-point for those kind of things. And careful, too. That’s why they used Cantor for their little cub-scout “I’ll humiliate the preznint!” project.
And that played pretty well, which is why Boehner refused four phone calls in the same day from Obama. He’s playing draw poker, and Obama thinks it’s canasta, and he’s still looking for partners on the right side of the aisle.
How sad.
Looks like he is fishing again for the “Grand Bargain” by insisting on raising revenues in a speech that he gave this afternoon:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-la-raza-20110725,0,417383.story
That or trying to nix proposals made by his colleagues. It is written up as rich vs. poor speechifying (mere rhetoric) without any meaning.
This whole thing is like trying to read tea leaves by using my imagination and Obama’s history of caving.
That’s an important point to make. The D Party is something that many of us here have helped to strengthen over the years. It belongs to us, but it has been stolen by the DLC types. I am a registered Green, but I reserve the right to vote for any party that is willing to honestly represent me.
Nice.
“Silent Kate
Wow, sounds like we’re supposed to carry some heavy water. When the water is full of crap you just don’t drink it!”
From the comments.
It sure seems that way doesn’t it? It’s just so infuriating after all the support I gave throughout ’08 and the benifit of the doubt I kept giving him. ACA was the turning point for me. I just wish we had a viable alternative. Support him and we reward him for slapping us in the face. Don’t support him and we get President Wingnut. It’s too late to really challenge him with either a primary or a third party candidate. At this point all that would do is weaken him further and practicaly insure a President Wingnut.
I’m often reminded these days of the ancient chinese curse “May you live in interesting times”.
IMHO when the POTUS has to remind his audience, “I’m the President of the United States,” then he has lost their support already.
Yeah, when Obama is forced to sign a two-week extension with $5 trillion in cuts — including cuts to SS, Medicare, and Medicaid — and no tax increases, O’Donnell will claim victory.
How about a nice old fashioned MUTINY
I think I can recall that the next sentence from Obama about his words carrying weight in effect said, “I have to be careful what I say, because I might disturb the markets.”
My response to that would be that the President of the United States is not responsible for the markets. He is not in charge of making sure they do not go down. There are plenty of people who are in charge of that. The President is in charge of the well being of the country and the people. They need and deserve a leader who can speak for them without being afraid.
It occurs to me that Mr Obama may be a lot of things: intelligent, opportunistic, maybe even good-hearted. But the main thing is that he is afraid. He is a coward, afraid of losing the favor of the people he depends on for his own future.
Good luck to you.
I hope Jane and others with power and influence can get behind you.
agreed 100%
They do not want us to participate.
Guess what? We will anyway..
I don’t think Obama’s words are all that important any more. The Rs have boxed him in so completely that nothing he says makes much difference. He may still think he is important but I don’t. Just useless and time-wasting.
“Boehner refused four phone calls in the same day from Obama”
I have no idea if there is any precedent for that, but my face was flaming and it felt like that was major coup for boner. In a pissy way, of course. I detest that man.
Wasn’t it also O’Donnell (I may be wrong) that said the President made the “Grand Bargain” knowing the R’s would reject it??? Thus showing the eleventy dimensional chess player that Obama is.
Sometimes I think maybe I’d like a little of what he’s smoking. Then I fear permanent brain damage and think, no thanks.
Don’t call my bluff, Eric.
My sentiments exactly. I’ve been saying for over a year BO is a republican. Once you acknowledge that, everything he does makes sense!
Wasn’t that the silliest thing? Almost as bad as “I’ve been left at the altar.” Poor me – whine, whine, whine.
Buzz, thanks. I’ll read it now. (400 comments must be a record over there, or close to it.)
As for the exhortations to “work harder”, I can’t. The reasons have all been covered here, but they basically have to do with Obama morphing into a country club republican, pissing away a great opportunity, and then ripping progressives for not supporting him while he does it.
I’m amazed that he seems so unaware that his presidency is tanking and that huge coalition that came together to put him in the white house, is disintegrating in front of his eyes, and he’s doing the same damn thing, over and over. It’s like he’s politically suidical, or something.
Perhaps, Dori, you might suggest that Michael write a diary at My FDL and stick around, for a time, or check back throughout the day, to discuss his plans, hopes, and philosophy?
DW
Excellent point, PR.
That is precisely what that sentence translates as. These two sentences, “I’m the Decider” and “I’m the President of the United States; my words carry weight,” reveal exactly all the difference between George W. and Obama, the latter giving only the appearance of greater sophistication. “I, the Law, speak.”
Did Obama preface his version with his usual authoritarian admonition, “Let me be clear”?
Yes, that was he. Have you seen those ads for his show?
He looks and sounds like a crazy person.
Yes, I’ve been saying over a year he’s a Republican.
But it doesn’t end there.
He’s proven himself to be a Republican. So what do the “Democrats” in Congress do???
That’s where the evidence is crystal clear that it’s not just Obama, it’s the entire D party in DC.
Because if we can figure out he’s a Republican, then by any stretch of the imagination professional politicians can figure it out. So I think it’s fair to assume they know it too. So what do they do??? THEY CONTINUE to fall in line for him.
The problem starts at Obama, but it’s much deeper IMO.
No DC Democrat is a Democrat, as far as I can tell by actions. By words, many still say things that sound like Democrats, but by actions, boy it’s hard to find any these days IMO.
Just vote Green or some other liberal option. No need to endorse the other nutty party.
Excellent point:
He’s President of the Citizens, not President of the Markets!
That is, in a just world.
We are of the same mind OFG. Have been following David Swanson? He shares similar thoughts!
Yes, but where is the scale microscopic enough to weigh them?
Pride goeth before a fall. Oboover–hubris incarnate. Say, any artists out there who can merge Obama’s face with Hoover’s? Like they did with Bush and Lieberman.
Check this out.
Or Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook.”
I dunno but there was an AMAZING one done with Obama/Bush.
I’ll try to find it, but I suck at searches so I may not.
If not, you’ll have to take my word for it. It was AMAZING!
I wouldn’t say that many (there’s been a sizable chunk, 30-40%, that frequents there who has been critical of the president for at least a year now, those may be who you’re mistaking as his supporters turned critics). At best they’re confused and waiting for any tiny positive to spin as him being the hero they want so desperately to believe he is. The Friday mildly tense press briefing brought them all out cheering left and right, the Rec’d diaries section was swarmed with diaries praising him. They’re getting quieter again as it’s obvious now this wasn’t the O’Donnell fantasy playing out, but what it is on the surface. They are still hoping this is all some clever trick, that he’s a liar or deceptive, or if it turns out better than the awful deal he was pushing, it was his plan all along.
The whole caving meme doens’t make sense to me either. It assumes that Obama believes in the traditional platform of the Dem party and was honest and sincere about his campaign promises. The President, as a TV brand, is every bit as trustworthy as the makers of Enzyte.
What has greater mass, a gram of feathers or the complete rhetoric of a pusillanimous fabulist?
And let no angels, dancing on the head of a pin, anywhere near the scales of such justice as would measure any small piece of honest reality, as we work through the infinite universe of belittled consequence and the elevation of utter and ridiculous nonesense.
DW
I think it was someone’s profile photo here at the Lake. I will never forget when I saw it. I had a sinus infection and was taking dramamine for vertigo. My eyes either crossed or went in opposite directions and hit me in the back of the head.
Read it.
Atkins, after he’s played both sides of the street:
“…it just means doing the best with what you have to work with.”
Which to me, is DLC shitspeak (so beloved of Digby…) for:
“Stay the course!”
Atkins is clearly of the “we must all work MUCH harder to compensate for the fact that Barack Obama is a spineless, corrupt, hack.” school of thought.”
i DO agree with him that we need to get involved with the democratic party…and that’s what I, and most of the rest of the regulars here are doing. :o)
We’re getting involved by pointing out how these feckless assholes are selling us out by the week, and we’re getting involved by reminding them that we put this prezint’s train on the track for the Oval Office in 2008, and we can get involved by working to derail it, in 2012.
I feel better already, getting involved that way. :o)
To me, that says something about the efficacy of voting in the US.
Jim
The DLC and other corporate Democrats WANT us to do that. Either vote for Republicans or not vote at all.
WE NEED SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A CORPORATE APOLOGIST TO VOTE FOR.
Or else the corporate wing will consider themselves to have a mandate. Or at least use that as an excuse to further their policies.
No one bothered to inform the people of the US that the objective of 11th dimensional chess doesn’t correspond to that of regular chess. The “winner” of Obama’s type of chess is the loser.
opunw
What a hopeless mess. It’s a wonder he didn’t lose all his money in his fucking poker games as a State Senator.
It’s been “removed” from all the sites I could find. Mmmmmmm….
I’ve got it on my personal hard drive, but I don’t know how to show that to anyone. Too bad, cause if ADC14 hadn’t seen it I wish he could.
That was amazing.
I emailed it to my list of disenchanted Democrats (I had an email list of folks committing to vote against D’s that didn’t vote for real health care) and they all loved it.
Most of the 400+ comments told him to go fuck himself.
What shocked me this morning was listening to MSNBC driving to work, to Chuck whatshisname – and his guests were discussing the fact that people were looking at voting independent next time or at a third way/third party and that the Reps and Dems had not been giving them much choice lately and to continue voting for one of these 2 parties gave the parties no reason to change their ways. For a major media outlet to broach this subject was vry surprising to me (in a nice way).
I just added myself to the Firebagger list. I had that lesser of two evils reservation since anyone from the republican freakshow is inconceivable as president, but this disgusting display of concessions from the caver-in-chief is the last straw. Right now Bernie Sanders looks like a good write-in.
I figured after 2008, the syphilitic corpse of the Republican Party was finally buried for a long time. Apparently all that had to be done to revive it was to let the Democrats try to govern for a little while.
Another thank you. :o)
I didn’t read them. Prolly should have. I don’t mind being the subject of a dogpile; used to get some the size of the Great Pyramid, at the bluegrass site where I hung out, but it’s gratifying to watch the worm turn over there. Digby doesn’t even like to use Obama’s name, and for a long time, whenever Obama unspinnably took a shit on us, she’d put up yet another thread, shreiking about Sarah Palin talking out of her ass.
As one poster on here put it, a few days ago: “She’s a master of mis-direction.”
I think those tactics are being discredited with every new fuckup by Obama. It’ll be fun to watch her own posters pushing her into the reality pond. :o)
Thanks, I wanted to verify that we are not giving him 1×10^-6 too much credibility.
WELCOME!!!
There’s plenty of room here for firebaggers!!
Welcome to the Lake.
Even Diane Sawyer needed Katie Kuric.
Check out the cover of Tariq Ali’s book, “The Obama Syndrome”. Obama’s face is partially peeled back to reveal George W. Bush. Priceless.
Did any of them say “Oh, bless your heart”?
(sort of another topic from yesterday lol)
I don’t believe it. You want to seriously argue about what did not happen? Over SS?
Welcome aboard, JeffWtoo!!
DW
See my response @150 to ADC14. That should be the picture you’re referencing.
Business Week noted that not raising the debt ceiling is like saying you will not pay the bill. Hmm, wonder if those people in China and Japan think crazy like that?
That says it for me. Obama has put those who wanted to support him in a bind. He did not play up his sentiments on cutting ss medicare medicaid and entitlements that help impoverished population.
He told black activist in LA when in college to take a hike. He told activist in Chicago ghettos to do the same and sided with powerful Daley interest. He has always been a sellout for the power and money. Just another political whore with a carney personality that can fool the masses. He also apealed to the youth vote who are not thinking retirement safety net.
The cover photos of the book aren’t what I’m talking about.
It’s just a pic, that if you look closely, you’ll see Obama. And if you’ll look closely, you’ll see Bush. It’s amazing.
I emailed it to my friends and just called it a picture of our President, Obama/Bush.
If you just want a FireFox quickie … you can go to “View->Page Style->No Style and it appears to strip the italics in question. Screws up the rest of the formatting something awful though.
Firefox lets you override with a custom CSS definition – either globally or on a per-site basis by placing a .CSS file in the proper directory of a profile (the files are kept in different places on the HD depending on OS). The proper permanent solution would be to override the FDL template to display the blocks as you like them. It probably isn’t a beginner-type operation though. I *think* there’s a plugin that does it too … not sure on that.
My original point wasn’t to give a tutorial so much as to point out if this guy is really so bothered by the site’s style that he keeps spamming the threads … there are browser-based solutions that could be explored rather than continuing to be obnoxious.
You are a style expert, and not so good at grammar? Right?
I agree. It is a lose lose situation so voice your discontent en masse. Maybe a third party candidate that FDL could promote.
As someone commented recently here it would take 10 years to become effective…so what. As a nation we are in it for the long haul and a big ship takes time and effort to change courses.
We have better models of government to sringboard from. Maybe invite some of them to post here and get the models vetted.
Welcome to the Lake, JeffWtoo. Glad to have you here.
Based on the Tea Party, not paying your bill is normal behavior
This is primo writing. My hat’s off to you.
Thought I saw it in the comments here – someone wanted links to anything about Clinton being about to cut Social Security when the Lewinsky problem happened –
http://www.counterpunch.org/blackburn10302004.html
titled How Monica Lewinsky Saved Social Security
- if it’s another FDL thread, I apologize
Obama is weak. As is much of the political left.
As stupid as much of the right wing/GOP policies are, they at least grasp some basic political facts that escape the left/Dems:
1) Don’t keep voting for people who never do what you want. It ensures you’ll never get what you want, and it marginalizes you politically. The people running should FEAR their base, not take it for granted. That’s why both Dems and GOP tilt right instead of left.
2) If your opponent always caves in, keep pressing for more.
See my #164.
I get that. And as an independent, I HATE that my country is subject the nonsense of a partisan consideration for every breath and move.
That said, the tactic you indicate isn’t the only one in the toolbox. It’s an important one, no doubt, and I think we’d do better to have more folks in the Democratic party tossing firebombs at their own leadership.
Waxman *is* leadership. You wanted him to ditch his position in the party and essentially become Bernie Sanders in protest to Obama. I’m not sure that’s fair. If a party is going to exist, *someone* has to try and keep it together.
I just think that when stuck in a hellscape of partisan monopoly, it also helps to have some of the deep-party folks in a position to raise a credible threat from within the citadel, so to speak. The entire party has been a spineless lump of Jello since Obama’s election. If he’s tossing bombs that means the party’s top-tier is threatening to war amongst themselves. That is just a whole different thing.
Congressional leadership is sending a pretty clear message to Obama that they are about to start challenging him in the press. He hasn’t had to face that before. Sure, the fact that there is a party structure these folks bastardize our democracy through is abhorrent … but in that reality, I think Waxman did a good thing by getting in O’s face.
Obama is a coward, so even getting his head out of the bunker to take direct criticism is an amazing feat. As far as government dynamics go, I’m also stoked the caucus has been beating his underlings up that the big-guy has been forced to come out from behind his curtain and take some hits directly.
Any way it goes … we’re pretty screwed with Obama decimating the Democrats from within. I’m skeptical anything is going to be able to stop him.
A commenter at Digby said:
ME in Florida
I really don’t know WHY I continure to be a registered Democrat after 2008 and who damn “roolz” of the 2008 primary. But the reason is that in Florida, you cannot vote in Democratic Primaries unless you are a registered Democrat. And thankfully to fight off the raving bands of right wing lunatics – I do just that. I vote in every single election for the democrat in local and state level elections.
However, I DID NOT vote for Obama in the 2008 primaries, nor in the 2008 Prez elections – and for what? I am a big supporter of big tent/worker/women’s rights – and the only party that allowed such things were the Democratic Party. Obama never ever has worked not believed in any of those rights. Why would I give my vote to someone who considered me 1/2 a vote in the Primary? And all of you idiots can take the roolz and shove it where the Sunshine State don’t shine. There was no way I was giving my vote to a candidate who I did NOT believe would espouse the tenets of the (so-called) Democrat Party. Obama made his allegiances to Reaganomics and the GOP long before Super Tuesday – just read his books & seeing his interview with the Des Moines paper (forgot the name) was enough for me. To hear a so-called Democrat call Social Security/Medicare “entitlements” is abhorrent. Medicare/Social Security is not an entitlement – it’s our right because we who have worked and still work have paid into that system – so it’s our RIGHT. The New Deal works and any Democrat who wants to cut/slash/deny that right is NO DEMOCRAT. I can’t even think about how FDR is rolling in his grave right now.
Obama ran as a Democrat because that’s what was available to him back in Chicago – but his heart was never there. He’s a living breathing DINO and that’s why I could never, ever give my support to him. Nope. And what do we get with Obama running? End of the wars? Single payer healthcare? FISA accountability? Banksters put in jail for mortgage fraud? Bush/Cheney taken to the Hague for war crimes? Economic turnaround? LOL – yeah, right. SO GLAD I DID NOT VOTE FOR HIM. Guess what? Dinner’s ready and it’s CROW.
I want Waxman and every other Democratic “leader” to share the truth, all of it, with the people, kbg999.
When Nancy Pelosi can say to the public, “You don’t know the half of it!” My rejoinder is, “Why not?”
If reason and truth are to be “taken off the table”, then conjecture innuendo, and coercion are the “tools” which will be wielded by demagogues, charlatans, and thugs.
The body politic cannot survive much more of this, and the revulsion, when it comes, if not tempered by understanding, tolerance, and courage, will be grim and dire beyond easy reckoning, plunguing us all into a neofeudal reality that will finish humankind’s tenure on earth with a bang AND a whimper.
The power elite are playing an “end-game”, for the people to pretend otherwise is fatal, cowardly, and … unforgiveably stupid.
DW
ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON.
Thank you.
Something like this?
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/images/2009/03/13/bushama.jpeg
this is center pic from above
http://rantventrant.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/bush-obama.jpg
________________________________________________
I think this one is pretty honest about foreign policy
http://sayf.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/bush_obama_imperialism.jpg?w=450&h=646
and this one for domestic policy
http://tarpley.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/obama-fraud.jpg
If he losses in 12 and the dems gain back some congressional seats the new president will be held accountable. That may be a better senario than having your leadership selling out the fundamental principles of your party. I would not be so fearful. Build a third party that maybe the greens will support in a coalition party of progressives. Oilbummer (offshore drilling green light not popular) will not get green votes but many environmentalist may move back to the progressive agenda.
wow, if Obama had to stoop to reminding himself that he “carries weight”, then I’d say he’s feeling the heat.
TURN IT UP!!
Obama=Benedict Arnold not a coward a traitor to democratic valuse…free speech, privacy, rule of law, no torture, not closing Guantanamo, FISA, Patriot extention, MCA, lifting env regs, looking back on financial crimes that shut economy down, no new jobs, no effective help to keep people in their homes, cutting SS, Medicare, Medicaid and entitlements…..are you sick of this yet?
Republicans view Obama as dead meat politically. Yet he is dancing with them.
You mean the fourth, right?
Democrats know that they have nothing to fear from their progressive base with Republicans moving towards open theocracy. What is left of our already meager social safety net is probably doomed, but we can still save some secular freedoms, like birth control and abortion. We could even work to get marriage rights legalized in more regions than New England.
I’m writing this post under the assumption that the US is in a decline. Progressives must work hard to save/accomplish what little they can, expect very little from most Democrats, and look elsewhere for repatriation. Brain drain to Canada and the EU. Why not?
Sorry.
Oh, right, Barry-your words carry weight-and is that the equivalent of the weight of one feather on a hummingbird’s body?
Bipartisanship is simply a facade for Obama’s desire to screw everyone who isn’t rich.
Maybe
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/the-bush-obama-morph.
The center one.
Yes, and in that four years we’ll end up with a 6-3 Supreme Court, the effects of which will last a lot longer than four years.
Put your pouty self aside, and think of folks who will get run over by massive oligarchy. I have to presume that you are very well off, and can hide behind your resources. Most of us cannot.
He Better really have that “Old Black Magic” when it come to Social Security and Medicare. Because senior citizens are the real “Gorillas In The Mist’ when its come to these programs. Even the sending of Jesus himself wouldn’t quiet the senior citizens on these matters. They would probably tell God messenger do not send Jesus. But come himself, because he knows how children are.
Obama could, if he wanted to, do logically simple (but likely politically impossible) things like repatriating troops from war zones, allowing enlistments to expire rather than continuing under stop-loss orders; postpone various MIC construction projects; tell DOJ and IRS to actually start squeezing tax evaders for more revenue. He could do these things in the name of saving money, generating short-term impromptu surpluses. Alas, no one seems to be discussing such a possibility.
Yes, that middle one is the one that I had seen and is the one I have on my hard drive. Funny, I hadn’t seen it in progression like that, but yes, that’s the one.
THANK YOU.
http://rantventrant.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/bush-obama.jpg
Yes, this is the one!!
It’s just amazing to me. I remember when I printed it out on photo paper and showed it to my mother and a few neighbors they all were just awed by that pic.
Thank you john. Love the foriegn policy one, dead on accurate.
On the other hand, there’s W’s “I’m the decider.” Also Nixon’s “I’m not a crook.” Somehow the same resonance to all of them.
“Of course he will cave. He’s caved almost every time. He gives the other side virtually everything they want right off the bat. Then they say that’s not enough because they know he doesn’t have the political skill set to effectively fight back and of course they’re right.”
He gives the other side what they want because it’s what he wants, too.
I call b.s. on Waxman’s premise.
It’s not “caving” when you get what you wanted in the first place. Sheesh.
Does Waxman still operate under the false assumption that if Obama only had a spine he’d be a better negotiator? Gimme a break. POTUS is NOT on our side!
Here’s one: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303848104576385922449922958.html. It was picked up by DK. Just Google or Ask “Obama morph Bush” and take your pick.
It looks like he was desperately trying stress his self-perceived street-cred as a Dem so he say “You have to vote for Obama, because the Repubs are Crazies”
In case he happens to catch this. I also know people on the E-Board. I also know people on Central Committees. I know officers on Central Committees. I know a lot of delegates. I know Chairs of Caucuses. I know people on Statewide Committees. I know people on Local Committees. And I also got involved through Howard Dean. I’ve also been very active
Dear David Atkins, I’m not going to hold my nose. I’m not going to vote for the lessor of two evils. I’m never voting for Barack Obama again, and I’ll never vote for anyone who supports him.
David, if you don’t believe me, I refer you to Hugh’s List
It’s too hot, they’d die.
many seniors aren’t your spry Aunt Sally
oops – the Great State of Wishy-Warshy, Pacified Northwest.
I’ve lived in the Queen Anne & Ballard neighborhoods of Seattle from ’91 to 2010 – I kept the rent paid being a serf in cooking, database / email server support, math teacher
( I am NOT complaining about that)
and I’ve had the SAME kind of east coast yuppies telling me conventional wisdom, for decades, about why we gotta lose to lying fascist thieves as I had telling me that when I was cooking in fine dining in Boston during the 80′s.
I’m done with the fucking excu$e$, while they keep their good jobs.
rmm.
The Imperial Obama as:
The Man From Neoliberal
Sick? Bored, certainly. Bored of the same old lines, archetypes, memes and cons. If I could only talk my wife into leaving the country.
For what it’s worth, I agree with you. It’s especially problematic when the quoted text has some italics in it already. At my blog, I set blockquotes off using a different background color. It’s also possible to put icons up or do any of another of stylistic changes to set the quotes apart.