Congratulations on the Epic Democratic Fail...

[BolivarianHero]

1. Refusing to enact meaningful health care reform. If Japanese and German conservatives were able to enact sensible health policies decades ago, why can't American LIBERALS do so today?

2. Stalling, dithering, and selling-out on LGBT rights.

3. Not standing up to the religious right, Wall Street, or the military-industrial complex.

4. Continuing a war in support of pro-West Muslim reactionaries against anti-West Muslim reactionaries (Afghanistan).

5. Not reconsidering either the War on Drugs or the prison-industrial complex.

Change we CON believe in.

In Obama's defense, at least he looks sane next to Stephen Harper.

[tabatha]

1. Why don't you run?

[Winterblues]

14. Maybe he can't LIE as well as others...

:shrug:

[MNDemNY]

2. SOMEDAY, when we control the House , Senate, AND the White House,...

Maybe, just maybe we can do SOMETHING, but until then, we must take what is offered up.:-(

[villager]

5. Well, if we don't control when we ostensibly "control" it -- or them -- then when?

:shrug:

[MNDemNY]

11. Did I miss an election or two?

I thought I might have, but reading the news, I concluded otherwise!

[Ken Burch]

7. That's right. And those who make that argument to us

must want THIS to be our party anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0-um0pHTAg

[Ignis]

22. Dry powder. Lots of dry powder. Just in case.

:thumbsup:

[MNDemNY]

25. Can't go spendin' that political capital, donchyano.

[Ignis]

46. It's not like we have a mandate or anything.

We only won by the narrowest of narrow margins, after all. Surely the People want More of the Same!

:eyes:

[polichick]

3. I'm sure we're done with #5. Has Senator Webb finished his study on...

...the criminal justice system?

[babylonsister]

4. Jeebus. Can't get past #1; 'refusing' to enact healthcare reform?

WTF have the Dems been trying to do all summer?

[MNDemNY]

8. Enact "The Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Anti-Choice Act of 2009"

That's what.:P

[Better Today]

9. I believe it's called waffling.

[Blue-Jay]

6. HA! You posted the word "dithering"!

That's the newest best vocabulary word on FR. Well done!

[BolivarianHero]

12. Really?

I've used it since Paul Martin was PM of Canada...I called him the Dithering Dimwit and I call Harper Little Stevie Blunder.

[MNDemNY]

15. You have slandered the almighty, therefore you must be a freeper.

[BolivarianHero]

16. Well that's one possibilty...

The other is that I'm a HUGH!!1!!!1 socialest moran

[MNDemNY]

17. Me too.

:hug: (AKA a "hater"):rofl: :shrug:

[Blue-Jay]

28. Nice one-liner. hur hur hur hur.

I've never considered anyone to be the "almighty". Your response indicates that you're a bit single-minded and judgmental. Maybe I just didn't spend enough time replying.

[MNDemNY]

31. Yes, your "dithering" post was so well thought out.

[Blue-Jay]

34. Read my post #27.

And then feel free to keep insulting me. I don't know why I bothered, but I felt like being more exact and less snarky. Then throw out more terms like "almighty" and "The One" and "Messiah", and whatever else makes you feel better. (Yes, I realize that you didn't say "The One" and "Messiah", but those idiotic pejoratives were implied).

Maybe you should should call me a "cheerleader" too. You'd be incorrect, but if it makes you feel better go for it. I don't give a shit.

[MNDemNY]

36. Well, my post came after your backhanded acusation...

that the other poster( whom I am well acquainted with) must be a freeper. The post you now cite came almost an hour later. Would reading your post #27 changed my first impression of your motives? probably, but, alas, I was not privy to them.:D :shrug: :hi:

[Blue-Jay]

37. I didn't REALLY accuse anyone of being a Freeper...

I'm just tired of the word "Dithering", and I probably jumped to an incorrect conclusion.

Seriously though, I'm so tired of that word that I'm ready to kick someone in the nuts. If it's any consolation, I'm also tired of the word "rogue" even though that used to be my online gaming-name.

[NYC Liberal]

38. Another right-wing meme

being spewed on DU. The "messiah" one.

[Blue-Jay]

27. Point taken. "Dithering" is a perfectly cromulent word.

You have to admit, however, that "dithering" has been taken over by the RWingnuts as of late. I suppose it's OK that they have increased their vocabulary. That's not necessarily a Bad Thing.

Let's go point by point, then:

1. Refusing to enact meaningful health care reform. If Japanese and German conservatives were able to enact sensible health policies decades ago, why can't American LIBERALS do so today?

The president cannot ENACT meaningful health care reform. He can support it or he can veto it, but he can't ENACT it. He is restrained by the bill that is passed by congress. Yes, I think that he could've and should've done more to sell health care reform to the public, but he still can't ENACT shit.

2. Stalling, dithering, and selling-out on LGBT rights.

I agree....sort of. He hasn't really stalled or dithered, but instead he's done nothing. He hasn't addressed GLBT rights in any meaningful way at this point.

3. Not standing up to the religious right, Wall Street, or the military-industrial complex.

Three separate points, there. He's given nothing to the religious right. He reversed the administration's stated view on government-funded stem cell research, and he's reiterated his views on every woman's choice. That's hardly "not standing up" to the fundies.

RE: Wall Street - He's done more than any president in recent history to limit access to lobbyists, BUT he's also supported corporate bailouts. I'll give him 50% on that particular point.

RE: The military-industrial complex - That's a tough one that's worthy of it's own thread. On one hand, he supports his advisers on spending money on shit we don't need. (new fighter jets, new carriers, etc...) Again, I'll give him a 50% on that.

4. Continuing a war in support of pro-West Muslim reactionaries against anti-West Muslim reactionaries (Afghanistan).

That's a lot of anti-whatever in one single sentence. I've already stated that I'm against escalation in Afghanistan, so we probably agree even though we've simplified the issue to a ridiculous level.

5. Not reconsidering either the War on Drugs or the prison-industrial complex.


Again, those are two different issues. Obama & Holder actually HAVE reconsidered the War On Drugs. The AG's office is no longer actively looking to prosecute the use of medicinal marijuana. That's a step forward from the previous administration's policies. Not perfect, but a move in the right direction.

The "prison-industrial complex" - This hasn't been addressed in any meaningful way yet. Hopefully, it will be addressed, but I'd guess that this particular topic is, sadly, low on the to-do list.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, that's all I have to say about that. You weren't 100% right or 100% wrong, and I'm sorry that I was an 100% dick in my previous response.

[JoeyT]

39. The freepers are always learning new words.

They just never know what the fucking things mean.
I imagine pretty much everyone on here is about ready to kick someone in the nuts over "socialist" "communist" "nazi" "fascist" and "oligarchy". The latter two have been pissing me off to an astonishing degree. So much so that I've started offering the idiots I know IRL money to tell me the definitions when they use them. So far no one has collected.

[azmouse]

10. And my ignore list gets longer by one.

buh bye!

[MNDemNY]

13. Fingers in ears "La-La-La-La-...."

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Bluebear]

26. He will try to put the pieces of his shattered life back together.

[QC]

43. Excellent!

[jpak]

18. What horseshit

:rofl:

[Lorien]

19. Let's not forget the foot dragging on climate change and green energy

screw us in our later years and stick our heads in the sand when it comes to peak oil, too. PROFIT for the ruling elite next quarter-that's what it's all about!

[DireStrike]

20. Or the ever-onward march towards privatization of public schools!

Or failure to pass EFCA.

Or the keeping of faith-based initiatives.


But at least all these concessions have brought us the respect and love of the republicans.

[corpseratemedia]

21. +1

IMO everything we as a country should be doing now is rebuilding and refocusing our infrastructure to be green and energy-independent.

Focusing on pipelines that in the elites pipe-dreams won't be continuously sabotaged - draining any monetary possibility for a total shift in our economy and the way we live - will be short-lived and eventually ruinous.

Also it's becoming apparent that the things that made life easier for the majority because of mass-production dependent on oil will become increasingly only for the "elite" - until that oil runs out.

[Earth_First]

23. Were keeping the powder dry for 2010/12...

We have elections ahead to win!

:eyes:

[intheflow]

24. He reconsidered the war on drugs

when his justice department decided to stop going after medical marijuana clinics. It's a step in the right direction.

I'm with you on the rest of this, though.

[certainot]

29. the left can't accurately evaluate obama or the dem party as long as it

ignores the dominating effect of right wing talk radio, it's ability to intimidate and enable media and politicians, determine what is and what isn't acceptable, and create within days a giant misinformed constituency to obstruct whatever the GOP and its think tanks want to obstruct.

the left as a whole is plain fucking stupid to keep ignoring the problem while whining about dem ineffectiveness.

[Ken Burch]

30. The left DOESN'T ignore that problem

We've advocated a good response to it for years:

Actually have our party and its leaders speak out FOR progressive values and in defense of progressive ideas with the same relentlessness and passion the right uses to attack those values and ideas.

Our party's leadership has never been interested in trying this though(with the exception of Dr. Dean, however).

[certainot]

35. the coordinated repetition from 1000 radio stations is uncontested

the monopoly has excluded competition in political talk while driving and working in many parts of the country and call screeners make sure that little criticism gets through.

ignoring this has caused most of the major regressive events the last 20 years, since reagan killed the Fairness Doctrine. the left collectively has ignored the roves as they took lee atwater's techniques national, swiftboating all the causes and candidates. the repetition leads off every news day and nothing compares for determining the media flavor of america.

there is no way fro progressives to match teh volume of those 1000 radio stations. that giant soapbox has a dominating say in what is and what isn't acceptable in the rest of the media - progressive voices never get on - and seldom get heard in the mainstream - the producers are intimidated and enabled with 20 years of from limbaugh and hanuty dittoheads screaming about traitors. it works and it shifts many overton windows to wherever the right wants.

the disastrous last 20 years aren't the result of some natural cyclical shift to the right.

those 1000 uncontested radio stations make bipartisanship and real democracy impossible. and since the left generally can't listen to these ignorant lying loudmouths the dem party would do well to publish a daily searchable database of transcripts of the main national and local blowhards - otherwise they will continue to play catchup, reacting to fox and the MSM after the lies and distortions and framing has already been established- that is the least it should do as a party.

[bvar22]

40. And THAT is the fault of the "Centrist" Democratic Party.

THEY like it that way because it offers an excuse for NOT enacting REAL Democratic Policy.

Thank the "Centrist" President Clinton for the Telecommunications Act 1996.




Help end the Wars for Corporate Profits!
Donate to MoveOn.

http://www.moveon.org /

[certainot]

45. talk radio monopoly makes the ben nelsons , baucuses, stupaks possible

these would be republicans if the radio machine wasn't so successful at shifting overton windows for the GOP

the state megastations rule the red state politics, intimidating them with screaming dittoheads and making it much easier to take the lobbyist money.

re: telecommunications act- it was reagan killing the Fairness Doctrine that made it possible to put together the radio monopoly that made it possible to swiftboat and hamstring clinton- turning teh congress over and allowing a lot of shit that dems may or may not have wanted to pass.

and so fucking what if clinton signed it? doesn't change the problem now even if wanted it.

EVERYTHING MOVE ON does is harder because they and other progressive orgs ignore the biggest media tool the right has.

every day the local and national blowhards read taking points and undo the work of thousands and millions of citizens volunteering a few hours and dollars here and there.

it is really fucking stupid that the main orgs aren't picketing those big stations and boycotting their local sponsors. it's like ignoring a knife in the back because you can't see it.

[leftstreet]

42. Why wasn't that powerful rw force able to keep Obama out of office?

:shrug:

[certainot]

44. just because they lose once in a while doesn't mean they're not effective

EVERYTHING progressives want to be done are made harder by ignoring the talk radio monopoly.

your argument is ridiculous.

[boston bean]

32. please do not leave out women's rights!

The conscience rule bush signed right before he left office still exists. You know the one where pharmacists can refuse dispensing birth control?

Also, what about FOCA, he promised he would work to have that be one of the first bills he signed as president.

What about finding all this common ground with fundies, squandering a women's right to choose?

Mr. Feminist MY ASS!

[Echo In Light]

41. +1

[Atman]

33. SNAP, beyotch! Dude's had a WHOLE YEAR! Why hasn't he fixed the world yet?

Happy to unrec such ridiculous bullshit.

.