Who do they think worked their butts off in the 2008 Campaign?

[Ruby the Liberal]

Moderates? Independents? Make-up-my-mind-on-poll-day-ites?

No.

It was the far left, we liberals and progressives that spent UNTOLD HOURS in planning meetings with local staff, knocking on doors and making phone calls. Donating until we had to scrimp at the grocery store to keep up.

I have to say, I could use a day without 'the left doesn't matter' and 'don't worry about the left' in my face. It is really starting to piss me off.

:grr: :grr:

[FiveGoodMen]

1. We elected the wrong people

To the White House and to Congress.

(Of course, we didn't have any real choice in the general election, but in the primaries, we trusted the wrong people)

[Echo In Light]

28. Ha... no SHIT. Again, GLAD to state that I voted Nader for the 2nd time

[Sebastian Doyle]

35. We didn't have any better choices in the primary either

At least not unless you live in Iowa or New Hampshire.

My state's caucus was in early February and Hillary was never an option for me, because I knew what I would be getting from her. Which ironically enough, looks a lot like the shit we're seeing right now.

[FiveGoodMen]

48. No, most of us didn't.

In this case, I meant 'we' the Democratic Party didn't groom anyone decent for the position, and 'we' went out of 'our' way to ignore the one good guy who threw his hat into the ring.

The M$M had a lot to do with it as well, but I don't think the DNC was trying to put a worthwhile candidate out there.

[Sebastian Doyle]

49. I was holding out for Gore or Dean myself

And about right now, I really wish one of them had jumped into the race. Or both. Or even one of them with Obama as a running mate. Perhaps he might have done better with 8 years of executive branch experience behind him in 2016?

[Bitwit1234]

40. I don't think Obama is a bad guy but he sure don't have no GUTS

He is totally responsible for this mess. He is letting Emanuel lead him around by the gonads.

[HuckleB]

2. And you didn't know what that you wouldn't get everything you wanted?

Really?

:shrug:

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. I am a realist. I just didn't think it would be thrown in my face this way.

I knew with Emmanuel, Summers and Geithner that we were off on the wrong path, I guess I just thought the admin would throw us a bone once in a while.

Even while Clinton was NAFTAing our manufacturing base out of existence, he didn't have the cojones to say "fuck you" to the base on a daily basis.

[HuckleB]

5. Huh?

When I look at the list of things Obama has done, I feel like I've received a lot more bones than I expected.

[EFerrari]

34. Maybe you need a prescription update. n/t

[DJ13]

4. Everything? How about a few things?

[HuckleB]

8. More than a few things have been done.

Some DU posters have posted them, including myself. But no one seems to care. That's part of why I don't buy some of this overboard rhetoric.

[DJ13]

11. Name a major campaign promise Obama has delivered without compromise

Go ahead.

[HuckleB]

12. I've posted several at DU, as have others.

You ignored them.

Don't ask me to play your games now.

[DJ13]

15. So nothing off the top of your head, eh?

I didnt think so.

[Bluebear]

16. Is this not pathetic?

[DJ13]

21. It is

They shout about all the great things accomplished, lists filled with wondrous things making life better, but ask for one example of a major accomplishment based on a campaign promise and its like pulling teeth trying to get an answer.

[FiveGoodMen]

29. Miring us in an endless, pointless, unjustified war

That's the only one I can think of.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

30. Stem-cell research.

[liberal_at_heart]

31. Where's the funding for stem cell research?

The only thing this country knows how to finance is war.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

36. Right here, genius:

http://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/12/obama-spends-be.html

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins announced today that the first 13 human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines have been approved for funding under the expanded policy outlined by President Barack Obama in an executive order last March. He said another 20 are likely to be added to the list any day now, but the final list could top 100.

Maybe if you'd stop blindly hating Obama, you'd learn something.

[Bluebear]

7. EVERY thing? How about ANY thing?

[HuckleB]

9. Have you been living on a deserted island?

[asdjrocky]

33. That's such BS.

No one here expected to get everything we wanted.

[Jamastiene]

43. They could at least throw us a damn bone.

Everything? No, but anything at all that he campaigned on would be a nice scrap to fight over. :eyes:

[AllentownJake]

6. Here is a little insider view

Volunteers are thought of as suckers by campaign people, they are easily replaced. Donors are the ones that are treated as gold.

If the party had a choice between pissing of their volunteers or pissing off their donors, they'll piss of their volunteers every single time.

The GOP has an easier time, the interest of their donors and volunteers, don't conflict as often.

[Ruby the Liberal]

18. I didn't feel this was during Dr Dean's primary run

Nor did I when my local assn asked me to volunteer throughout 2008.

Seeing it now, I can understand.

What a waste of my time.

[AllentownJake]

20. Depends on the campaign

If the campaign has a heavy media strategy, Donors are primary. If the campaign has a heavy boots on the ground, volunteers primary.

Candidates with less money like volunteers more.

[Zodiak]

22. Here's the problem

Those volunteers were also donors in many cases.

Obama got a LOT of money from small donations, my wife and I included.

But he conveniently forgot that.

[AllentownJake]

24. Yeah do you want me to give you the reality of that as well.....

[Zodiak]

38. No, the good thing about my experience in politics

...is that I know how to read between the lines and interpret the tea leaves.

Which is exactly why I sit in awe at the monumentally stupid strategies our party has engaged in. Professional politicians are smarter than they try to make us believe.

Kabuki theatre. Best description I've ever heard.

[chill_wind]

41. Yes.

I'm not well off. My hubby's and mine were trivial pittances to what bigger dogs could give, I'm quite certain, but we made them frequently. And rallied and phone-banked and canvassed and signed up new voters, distributed yard signs and bumper stickers. I don't regret that. And not being particularly stupid, I also didn't expect "ponies and magic wands". But I know I'll be a lot more committed to supporting a lot more progressives and progressive causes, wherever they can be found, this next round, and I think the numbers of us saying so are growing every day.

[Zodiak]

46. No one expected "ponies" or "magic wands"

And if someone takes that tactic with you, you should alert because it is against the rules to knowingly insult another DUer that way.

This sort of "insult their intelligence" tactic we have been seeing from so many DUers needs to come to a grinding halt because it is one of the factors (I believe) that made this rift happen to fast, so forcefully (plus a whole plethora of other reasons). When the words out of the Obama administration mirrored some of these rhetorical techniques we see here, it made everyone blow a gasket, and deservedly so.

We all worked very hard to get change, not to get Obama as a newly morphed DLCer . There is now a power vacuum on the left in the party...and like you, I intend to put my meager efforts into that ring. Progressive or no vote...don't really care what scary Republican they put out there to make me fear.

Fear is an emotion to be manipulated to these people.

[progressoid]

27. I felt that way in '04

But thought I'd give it one more shot in '08.

I didn't get that dirty, "I've been used" feeling after this election (maybe that's because we won). But I'm sure feeling it now.

[AnneD]

10. I even worked Over Time just to donate to the campaign......

and this was on top of phone banking, block walks, etc. I will donate more judiciously if I ever do again. I wanted BO to be free from corp. corruption. He is just another cowbird.

[cali]

13. and lots of people who aren't far left

it's just fallacious to think that the far left were the only ones who worked for Obama.

[HuckleB]

14. +1

[chill_wind]

47. I'd agree with that. n/t

[RagAss]

17. tell me about it...but that's it for me !....I am done.

[Smarmie Doofus]

19. Rec # 5. Youuuuuuu said it. nt

[jgraz]

23. Oh, come on. Those Wall Street firms busted their ASSES to donate to Obama.

That $2300 max? That's gotta be almost 45 minutes of hard work for those guys!

[chill_wind]

45. LOL. And they'll be there again. It's worked out pretty well for them.

eom

[butterfly77]

25. Who worked their butts off for Clinton..

and every other Democratic candidate? Why is this situation so special?

[BlueIdaho]

26. Reports are

The vaunted Obama phone bank shock troops are balking at making calls for the Senate bill today.

[EFerrari]

32. Gremlins? The Force? The M5?

[suzie]

37. I've worked in a lot of campaigns, including the Obama one.

And yes, moderates and independents were the ones working their butts off.

The far leftists did what they usually do, showed up very occasionally to tell the rest of us what we should be doing while the real work of the campaign was going on.

I could use a day without hearing that the leftist pontificators are the base of the Democratic Party that ever bothers to do anything.

[SOCALS]

39. I guess no matter how upset

and angry you may be now, President and his team know that you will work for his reelection anyway because you will have no choice. When the time comes, there will be enough people who will remind you that Republican president is worse. It is a sad reality.

[Ruby the Liberal]

50. You underestmate.

I voted in 2004, but didn't volunteer after Dr. Dean was bumped out. My heart wasn't in it.

I campaigned my butt off for Obama for 12 solid months (going back to petitions for the ballot and voter registration in 2007).

I will vote, but there are better things that I can do with my time. Which is what I told OFA when they called this week wanting me to phone bank. I simply don't have time for it.

I will protest the war, urge my senators to do the right thing with "HCR" and Wall Street, but I am not lifting a finger to smile and dial for an administration who stays quiet while their flunkies give the finger to the ones that got them there.

[JI7]

42. most of him trashing him now trashed him during the campaign

so it wasn't them. certainly not most of them.

most of worked their asses off included many who don't consider themselves on the left. they consider themselves moderate or even independent.

[WT Fuheck]

44. No one who represents real change would be allowed to run.

Remember, the corporations, not voters, marginalized and then eliminated everyone but Edwards, Clinton and Obama during the debates.

[newtothegame]

51. Don't blame them, blame us.

We're the ones who voted for a guy with 700 days in the Senate. We're the ones who didn't even bat an eye at an additional 130 'present' votes on top of that pitiful record. We're the ones who wasted posts talking about how badass he looked in sunglasses, while the Repukes passed Prop 8.

No surprises here folks.

[Ruby the Liberal]

52. That isn't fair.

Had he lived up to his "standing up for the little guy" rhetoric, we would be elated right now and would have his back 110%.