A Letter From a Progressive to President Obama

[Turborama]

Dear President Obama,

First off, I want to tell you that despite the enormous landmines set in place by George W. Bush and the Republicans, you have accomplished amazing things in your first two years in office. You have saved the country from another depression, pushed through landmark health care legislation; you have slowed the downward spiral of job losses, ended the war in Iraq and cut taxes on most of the nation.

I enthusiastically canvassed for you in '08, registered voters, manned phone banks and contributed money. However, this election cycle I did none of the above and refused to contribute money to the DCCC. Let me explain.

I am a liberal. I am also your base. Yes, I understand that the rule in politics is don't sacrifice the good for the perfect. However, your progressive base was asked not just to sacrifice time and time again, we were held up to ridicule and blamed by your administration for your shortcomings, of which there were plenty.

You came into office with a huge mandate. You campaigned on changing the toxic atmosphere in Washington. You offered to reach across the aisle and involve Republicans in decision-making. All noble gestures and, true to your word, you made the effort. No problem there. You're a man of your word. You tried.

However...

Continues: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stu-kreisman/a-letter-from-a-progressi_b_777095.html

[Skittles]

1. CORRECT

absolutely DEAD-ON

[katandmoon]

2. K&R.

[Poll_Blind]

3. It always somewhat astounds me to realize these are not his missteps, these are his CHOICES.

He is neither a bumbling fool nor a well-intentioned naif. A president's decisions while in office represent his or her CHOICES and those choices profile the actual man or woman elected to the presidency. To have such control over what gets done, or doesn't, and how is a rare privilege but it is one afforded to the President.

Every president I've ever seen interviewed has, at some point during some interview (and usually not as a result of a direct question about such) always said if they could go back they maybe would have done this or that thing which is almost always a much bolder stance than the one taken at the time.

In his interview with Rolling Stone recently, I heard a sitting president do the same thing and I still do not know how to make heads or tails of it.

PB

[ihavenobias]

4. K & R n/t

[ccinamon]

5. Best summation yet...

I had such hopes for Obama....he needs to be listening to us, not his stupid-ass "advisors"

[Doctor_J]

6. Yep. It's all in there

Enthusiastic rec. Don't know whether the president didn't realize it, didn't care, or is totally incompetent, but reaching out to the people who hated him, and who the voters rejected in 2008, was possibly the biggest political mistake in my life time.

[Turborama]

9. The crazy thing is, even though he reached out to them - including sharing a big table live on TV

They still say he didn't reach out to them: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x487588

[Doctor_J]

11. well, duh

demint said right out of the box that their intent was to destroy him. if the prez really thought that the way to beat a bully was to make nice with them, maybe he really IS as inexperienced as people say

[Turborama]

7. A long letter that deserves reading in full

Especially now.

:kick:

[SemperEadem]

8. fantasic image you have there

that needs to be a bumper sticker.

[Turborama]

10. Thanks, it would make a good bumper sticker. I have Matariki to thank for it

She made a couple of other really good ones, too. They're in this thread, if you want to check them out (it's a shame it got archived): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9390894

[Le Taz Hot]

12. This is absolutely the BEST summary of

EXACTLY what happened. I wish all the apologists on this board would read, and I mean really read every word in here. This author has it pegged EXACTLY.

K & R. I wish I could do it 1,000 more times.

[Le Taz Hot]

13. I'm going to kick this again.

Too much crap floating to the top in GD and this is too important to miss.

[Gin]

14. I agree with everything in this letter...

[CommonSensePLZ]

15. Yeah i don't like the concept of 'mandates' much

The reps are gonna call their house win a 'mandate' and people usually mean that term to mean power to make brilliant decisions they've proven they can handle, maybe with a landslide victory neither of which is what we have now. 'Mandate' more realistically means popular choice than wise choice, in this case it means misguided choice and slight majority in one or 2 sub-branches of government.

But check AOL or Yahoo, they'll tell you republicans are the new kings of America.