Kurtz article reminds me why I still support our President and the Democratic Party

[FlaGatorJD]

In his article on Conservatives Jumping Ship, Howard Kurtz analysis of why Andrew Sullivan indicated he couldn't support the Republican party and the later point on Tom Hayden whining about removing his Obama sticker concerned me about Democrats jumping ship and reminded me why I still support our President and our party. If you read all of Sullivan's points about why he couldn't support the Republicans, it should ring a lot of bells as to why we can't let those b*stards back in power. Further down in the article, Kurtz points out that some liberals, and as witnessed by the recent level of whining on here, many of you, want to abandon the President after less than a year and based on a few things he might have done that you don't agree with 100%.

For those on the far left, and I am often as far left as you can get on many issues, you were convinced by the campaign commercials that Obama was more liberal than Ted Kennedy. Perhaps like me, you had a vision of Obama coming in, setting up the Department of Peace(which I still agree with Kucinich on), and then moving right into dissolving the American military ala Costa Rica. Well, I'm sorry folks, pull the prayer flags away from your eyes, set down your dream catchers, and join reality. It's gonna take a little longer than a year to make that kind of progress.

Bushco left us in a f*cking mess here and abroad. Obama can not fix it all and change the entrenched moneyed class in Washington by the flip of a switch. I would love to leave Afghanistan tomorrow, and I wish I didn't still have to worry about my nephew in Iraq, but I'm gonna trust the President we elected to do the right thing, especially after he brought in every one to listen to them first.

Now I'm not pleased with everything he's doing either. I belive he should have taken the reins on health care, insisted on a public option or medicare-like system, and shoved it down the GOP's throat. Unforunately, he didn't do that, and I'm not gonna now bad mouth him and the whole administration because he and they didn't do exactly what I thought they should.

For those devoutly anti-war folks, and I am 90% in your camp, I feel for you, because I know you hoped for better. I did too. However, I am not going to let this keep me from supporting our President and party. If you are leaning that way, and are ready to stop supporting them, please re-read the points Adrew Sullivan made which are noted in this article about the conservatives in this country, and determine if you're willing to let them back in power.

Going into the mid-term elections it will be very hard to keep the momentum we had, but without the support of loyal Democrats, it will be nearly impossible. So after your rant about Obama, and all those b*stards in DC, when it comes time to support the party, do the right thing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/04/AR2009120401506.html

[Hestia]

1. Excellent line - fits me to a T also...

Perhaps like me, you had a vision of Obama coming in, setting up the Department of Peace(which I still agree with Kucinich on), and then moving right into dissolving the American military ala Costa Rica. Well, I'm sorry folks, pull the prayer flags away from your eyes, set down your dream catchers, and join reality. It's gonna take a little longer than a year to make that kind of progress.

[get the red out]

2. +1

I would say this fits many of us here but perhaps a number of us have refrained from posting hoping the dust would settle.

[boobooday]

3. I had this secret hope that he was a radical at heart

But in many ways I see now that a realist can't make radical change happen overnight, that the forces that oppose the reforms we want are entrenched and very powerful. I am disappointed in some ways, but still see signs of the clean-up beginning (i.e. purging lobbyists from advisory councils).

And so I don't give up my secret hope, I just temper it with some patience and another hope - that he is doing something he did so well in the campaign -- that is to let his opposition exhaust themselves until they disintegrate of their own accord, and then move in with the "chill out, I've got this."

And shout out from a Nole.

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. You'd think by now Democrats would have got the message that

as liberals if we do anything other than perpetually "keep our powder dry" for the next battle, we are DOOMED!

Also, Howie Kurtz is a fraud! Everything that corrupt piece of shit writes is a lie! And, that includes the words "the" and "and" if Kurtz is using them.

[wryter2000]

5. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[Cosmocat]

6. If you are in to a President Palin, Romney, Santorum ...

Gingrich, Palwenty ...

Then, do feel free to jump ship on BO, cause that is what you are going to bring.

First, I am sorry, but behind the gripping facade BO was able to generate during his election, his positions, his words, his past work ALWAYS painted him as a moderate with some left leanings. Also, again, while he is a grade A wordsmith and is able craft breathtaking speeches, again, the manner in which he always seemed to perfectly split the differences on issues left anyone making a sober judgement of him know he is PRAGMATIC!

He is more cozy with big business than I would have hoped, but there is not much he has done that has surprised me. He is pretty much a more corprorastic version of what I thought he would be.

POINT BEING, you were not looking at him in a sober manner if you somehow are disappointed with him.

SECOND, make no mistake, the other team stuck, HARD AND FAST behind the worst president this country has been, by a WIDE MARGIN, for four years and a day.

It didn't matter how corrupt, how incompetent, how reckless, how much his crew was pilaging this country, the other team didn't care ONE FRIGGEN IOTA, as long as "their" guy was in the white house. They managed to paint an INFINITELY more decent and capable man as unlikeable in favor of electing a twit you would want to have a beer with and to a true decorated veteran as a coward and a man who dodged actual serve as tough patriot.

Meanwhile, they have been tearing this president down for simply breathing air since 6 months before he got elected. This president could single handedly parachute into Pakistan, hogtie OBL and drag him across the mountains and swim the oceans to drag him by the scruff of his neck on to the white house porch, and they would find a way, WITH A WILLING MSM, to paint BO as unamerican. The economy could turn around to the point where there was 0 unemployment with wages doubling, and they would, WITH A WILLING MSM, paint him as a socialist.

POINT BEING, if even so much as a handful of us don't support this man, they WILL bring him down, WITH A WILLING MSM, and we will have an R president ...

He isn't perfect, no person is, but again, you weren't paying attention if what you are seeing is some kind of affront to you. And, if you want to jump ship, the alternative is going to be 1000 times worse.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. The votes of the left are available to the Democrats but they have to earn them.

Which they're not doing by continuing Bush's policies.