Before we TRASH...David Obey we Progressives Need to Read This!

[KoKo]

ave Obey is an ally of the progressive movement on almost every issue, and on the war in specific. Go ahead and try to claim I'm only saying that because I once worked for him, but then take some time and look at his voting record and his actions. By any standard - other than those of a tiny group of, yes, "idiot liberals" - Obey is a progressive hero. Spending time and energy attacking him, as opposed to the true obstacles to ending the war, is both a waste, and potentially couterproductive, because someone like Obey, representing the district that he does, could easily just walk away (he won't, because he's Obey, but conceptually he certainly could).

The real news out of Obey's outburst is that, as the Associated Press confirms, he really doesn't have the votes in the Democratic caucus to cut off funding for the war, and that he courageously broke traditional etiquette by implicitly calling out the faction of pro-war Democrats who are standing in the way of stronger action on the war. These are the obstacles that the progressive movement should be focusing on pressuring. Obey's frustration clearly comes from his perception (whether right or wrong) that he, an antiwar stalwart from a "tough district" is being unduly harassed at the very time he needs the progressive movement to help him whip votes out of other Democrats who are the real problem. And his frustration is grounded in reality - fairly often, progressive activists, and the Netroots in particular, give passes to conservative Democrats because they come from the same kinds of "tough districts" Obey comes from.

I'm in no way excusing Obey's behavior that was caught on film. He didn't take time to communicate properly, he got way too angry way too fast and his frustration translated into him mistreating the people who were asking him questions. That is unacceptable, and I'm happy he apologized. He needed to.

However, the troubling thing out of the spat is not Obey's behavior: it is the reaction to it by the progressive movement, and what that reaction really says. The idea that Jack Murtha - the guy who voted for the war, the guy who was one of the most outspoken pro-war Democrats, the guy who has never seen a defense bill he didn't try to increase - is now an antiwar saint beyond reproach, but Dave Obey is some sort of pro-war villain is so fundamentally absurd it suggests that at least some who liken themselves as progressive movement leaders really are "idiot liberals" because they have positively no idea how the hell basic movement building or power works (mind you - I'm not saying Jack Murtha hasn't been courageous in opposing the war of late- he has, which is why I thought he should have been Majority Leader - but the point is that the basic understanding of "allies" and "enemies" can be wholly misunderstood).

If those working in professional movement politics really want to end the war - and not just be in a perpetual state of unproductive contrarian outrage - they can start by remembering the need to target pressure and the need to apply both the carrot and the stick. Shoving a stick up the rear end of an ally is the behavior of "idiots" - whether liberal or otherwise - because it only puts our goal farther out of reach.

Read more at this link from a REAL PROGRESSIVE's Viepoint.........(Sirota worked his butt off to get Liberman out of CT..)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20070310/cm_huffpost/043105&printer=1;_ylt=AsdyfD1maYBYLRAiE6ARBHYe6sgF

[Kagemusha]

1. The real point is there are others to criticize.

And many should be criticized, and pushed, because while I am a great pessimist about the war actually being brought to an end anytime soon, giving up without a fight takes long odds and turns them into guaranteed failure. (And also looks like cowardice to boot.)

[fooj]

2. Well said.

I'm in no way excusing Obey's behavior that was caught on film. He didn't take time to communicate properly, he got way too angry way too fast and his frustration translated into him mistreating the people who were asking him questions. That is unacceptable, and I'm happy he apologized. He needed to.

Obey is human.

He's tired. He's frustrated. He blew it. Big time. He behaved badly. That said, HE IS NOT OUR ENEMY.

Thanks for the post.

[KoKo]

7. and...I agree with what you say about Obey..too.. n/t

[HappyWeasel]

3. exactly

[MissMarple]

4. I guess it just isn't neocons and fundies who can be unfair and too quick to judge.

I have no intention of trashing David Obey. He is a good guy whose job at this time seems to be a thankless one. I think Sirota ia correct to say the many in the anti war movement are acting contrary to the movement's best interests. They are cutting off their noses to spite their faces. The AFL CIO is doing a similar thing in threatening our Governor Ritter into signing a labor bill that created a hornet's nest here in Colorado. They say they will pressure the Dems to take the '08 convention out of Denver. This is so last century. I would expect Republicans to act this way, not progressives.

[KoKo]

8. I think that it means we on the "Left/Progressive Side" can look at ourselves

and see what needs to be seen.

But, we don't need DLC'ers shoving the "shiv" in our hearts...saying we don't stop in our tracks and stand back and THINK! Many Moderate and DLC Dems think we are "REACTIONARY."

Tarring us with that is important to know...but whatever happened with Obey...Sirota's comments are worth the WHOLE READ past the copywrite law snips I could post.

[rodeodance]

5. Obey is a good man---who momentarily look his cool.

[Gman]

6. K&R - Thank you for posting this

I posted in another thread that Obey owes know one an apology. This article puts my feelings into better words than I can come up with.