Here are my bona fides on Obama Support

[PretzelWarrior]

My journal entries during the campaign season:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/PretzelWarrior/2

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/PretzelWarrior/3

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/PretzelWarrior/5

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/PretzelWarrior/11

I understand what people are saying about wanting to revel in having a new capable president. I too have had tears more times than I would have believed when he was elected, inaugurated, and then answering our call for change with so many important actions so early in his presidency.

Some of you feel that worshiping him as something he can never be is a talisman warding off evil Republican attacks. Well, if anything, they will help as they say a large segment of Obama supporters are in denial and in the thrall of the man rather than focusing on what he is doing as president.

Finally, I'll say that this post I made about "hero worship" is not the same as people who said we were cult followers. They were trying to undermine him before the election. I voted, donated, and proudly told others they should vote for him. I even waited to make this post until AFTER the tension of worrying about the stimulus bill had passed.

[annabanana]

1. I think he is talented enough to be both an effective President

AND an object of adoration (for those who enjoy that sort of thing).. Why frame it in an "either/or" box/

[Oak2004]

4. Not if adoration = uncritical support

Obama has already made mistakes. He will make others. If a family member makes a mistake, do you best support him by encouraging him in his mistake, or by correcting him?

There are people here who would rather we uncritically cheer on his mistakes as well as what he does well, and who jump on every critical thread to divert it to their "Obama must be supported unconditionally" meme. They are for-real making it impossible to hold a decent discussion about his errors. But to genuinely help him succeed, we need to correct him as well as love him.

[TTUBatfan2008]

6. Likewise...

there are people here who never comment on the good things he does but harp on every little mistake he makes. I tend to be in the middle. I've criticized and praised him when he's deserved either.

[treestar]

14. A lot of us admire his brains

So another DUer thinking he has made a mistake is not always going to get lock step agreement.

Obama is just President, not King. There may be things I would like him to do that he really can't, or in his judgment, shouldn't do, and I might respect that without being a "hero worshipper."

[mkultra]

30. If a family member makes mistakes

The first thing you should do is step out of asshole judgment mode and consider their actions from their perspective. Then you encourage them to do better. I think you don't know the difference between criticism and disloyalty.

[stray cat]

2. Do you really think that many people "worship" Obama? I haven't seen it.

[BlooInBloo]

3. No, they don't think that. They lie. Just to be dicks.

[TTUBatfan2008]

7. Not really...

There are people here who praise without ever criticizing when it's warranted and there are people here who criticize without ever praising when it's warranted. Both of these extremes deserve to be called out.

[BlooInBloo]

8. I haven't seen the former, but I'll take your word for it....

EDIT: In fact, the entire equivalence you describe is simply idiotic. You know perfectly well that the always-criticizers VASTLY outnumber the always-complimenters.

[TTUBatfan2008]

9. There are a couple that I could easily name...

And there are quite a few of the "criticize without ever praising" folks around here, but that's likely because they never supported Obama in the first place because he's not "liberal" enough. But it is amusing that they ignore the things he's done that do deserve praise.

[mkultra]

29. im with you. Sounds like it comes down to opinion

Some people want to bitch about him because they don't like him. If i choose not to criticize him, i do so for a reason. I don't forget his mistakes, i just choose not to harp on them like a mouthy teen.

[PurityOfEssence]

24. Funny, I thought it took one to know one

Apparently, ugliness just projects its own worldview upon opponents; perhaps it's lack of imagination, a hallmark of certainty.

This person has posted thoughtfully and was decent enough to honorably tend the thread with some sensitivity and complexity. Tarring those who differ as LIARS is grotesquery of the worst sort.

[FrenchieCat]

5. I like my President.....and hopefully, no one here has a problem with that.

As for the use of words like worship and fans and other disparaging vernacular, I think that it is a shame that anyone should have to defend their positive opinions about the Democratic President at the Democratic Underground.

Dividing us, who are all on the same side, into categories just because one feels one can
just seems so extremely unnecessary and hurtful....and after 8 years of pain,
it doesn't help a thing!

[dbmk]

33. Hell, he is not even my president

But I still think he is the coolest thing since the invention of the Etch-a-Sketch.

I can respect if someone does not take it quite as far, but as long as the police has not busted in and revealed my Obama voodoo shrine, I would prefer if that respect was returned and extended to people like me.

Here is what I think
The guy is smart. He is a good guy. He has a righteous heart. He understands the plight of those less fortunate. He truly wants to alleviate the pain of every US citizen - if only he could. He is probably the US President, in history, with the least ties to coorporations and financial interests. I think the guy is a gem.
But not flawless.
I have yet to see him do something intentionally that was above slightly wrong on my scale, though

[merh]

10. Get over it.

So what if some do have "hero worship" - get over it.

It is none of your business, you can support him how you like and others are free to support him as they like.

It's a free country.

You are obsessing and for no legitimate reason.

Ignore the posts/threads that you consider hero worship and move on.

[TTUBatfan2008]

11. "Ignore the posts/threads..."

Excellent point. There is an Ignore button after all.

[merh]

12. certainly is, feel free to use it

:hi:

[TTUBatfan2008]

15. I've used it a lot, mainly on the "haters"...

who only criticize and never praise. As annoying as the worshipers may be, at least they have a positive attitude.

[merh]

16. that sounds like a positive way to utilize the feature.

[Born_A_Truman]

17. I wish I could recommend a post!

I have used the hide thread one time. I have not ever used the ignore feature, though I came close a few times.

After the last 8 years and the heart break of 2000 and 2004 I just have a hard time reading criticism of our new president who has been in office less than a month (and has been left with a huge mess to clean up).

[snowbear]

19. You have one now B_A_T !

.
.

A pretty gold star just for you..

[Born_A_Truman]

20. Oh my! Thank you!

Thank you so very much snowbear!

:loveya:

[Imagevision]

13. worship? - say, have you worshipped many of your friends growing up?

gotta get out more often dude...

[H2O Man]

18. I'm not clear on

why this topic keeps coming up. It doesn't matter to me if other people view Obama in a different manner than I do.

[Number23]

22. Can you post this in every single thread

that accuses people of hero worship, adulation, stalking or any other such emotion towards our President? Don't change a word... just Control C followed by Control V.

Lord knows I don't like the picture threads and get genuinely annoyed at the hundred topics on how beautiful our first lady is and what she's wearing. So you know what?? I just avoid them. It is so damn easy I truly don't understand why this keeps coming up as an issue.

Okay a disclaimer: I am a bit of a fashion-head and have been known to peek into and post in the occasional "Michelle is soooo gorgeous" threads. :blush: But I certainly haven't posted in many of them. And it's mainly because I have so much love and respect for that woman. I believe that she is simply fabulous. So I just wanted to be totally honest about that. :)

[dbmk]

27. And all together the divergence in threads make this a nice place to come.

It can't all be doom and gloom, hard core analysis of proposals and lists over why Obamas approach has a 100 different things wrong with it.

People prefer to post different things. That does not mean that their thought proces or opinion runs only along that line.

This whole "worshipper" deal is extremely petty and disrespectful.

[Solomon]

25. Come on H20. You know why it keeps coming up.

When you can't find anything else to tear the man down with, create a label and stick it on him. Turn one of his strengths into a weakness and mock his admirers in the process. So so many, even on our side, have invested in the idea that he's failing and they don't like it when they are proven wrong.

[mkultra]

32. It keeps coming up because they are Obama bashers

They don't like him and their view of him does not match the view of those here who DO like him.

[MadBadger]

21. I'm pretty sure everbody here has criticized him for something he has done (Warren, Gregg, etc)

So I really dont know how you can call it hero worship?

[AllentownJake]

23. Don't worry

He's going to piss off all of us sometime over something in the next 8 years. Some people on here get worried about any kind of disesent.

[dbmk]

26. Problem is though

that people are not so much being called worshippers for stiffling dissent - but for (reportedly) not showing any and enjoying the different aspects of your new President.

[AllentownJake]

34. I get nervous outside of campaign mode when people chant Obama

He's the President...it creeps me out a little :shrug:

[Political Tiger]

28. Who's worshiping him?

Are people praying to him? Is there a church devoted to Obama?

I'm a huge fan of Obama, but that doesn't mean I worship him, anymore than I worship The Beatles, who I am also a huge fan of!

I have every album The Beatles made, and a hard drive full of bootlegs, not to mention all their solo work. I even have things like a Beatles key chain and Beatles collectible watch, Beatles comic books, Beatles figurines and when I was younger I had Beatles posters all over my bedroom walls...and although I don't have the posters on my walls anymore I still have the posters.

The point is, although I am a huge fan, perhaps even a fanatical fan, I do not worship them, and the same goes for Obama.

There is a difference.

Calling people "worshipers" because they are a fan is counterproductive.

[JTFrog]

31. mainly because half the people I was with believed it until I explained the situation to them

[Doctor_Horrible]

35. why don't you go fondle your own bona fides and stop harassing people about what THEY post?