We Had our best shot in a generation and blew it.

[adnelson60087]

In 2007, when the US was beginning its economic meltdown from 7 years of Bush-era debacles, the Liberal Wing of the Democratic Party had its best chance at really affecting generational change. We could have chosen a leader who was a firebrand, with passion and burning desire to fight the corporate poison and conservative nonsense that had permeated our party since the early 90's. We could have chosen a true liberal voice with a clear vision for America.

Instead, we chose someone who wasn't a fighter, who believed in "bipartisanship" with an enemy who was never going to work with us, and has no political guts to speak of. How many people have been thrown under the bus in the name of political expediency? And the one thing this leader did do, a healthcare bill that did indeed pass, only allows insurance companies to get fatter, while millions of Americans will still go without care, and Children who won't get the care they need since Insurance companies have stopped selling insurance for kids. And when the Liberal voices that worked so hard to put the leadership in place cries out about the policy problems, they are told to sit down and be quiet, since no one wants to hear what they have to say. Unless it is our unfettered energy, support, and cash. Teachers are the problem. Unions are the problem. Working towards bipartisan goals are not the problem. SIGH...

We wasted the opportunity of a generation.

[QC]

1. It was a Roosevelt moment, wasn't it?

And we certainly didn't get a Roosevelt.

[chimpymustgo]

2. And we NEEDED a Roosevelt to save this country. This has been heartbreaking and infuriating to watch

and endure. We gave our blood sweat and tears to change this country and all we got was a lousy t-shirt.

[QC]

In my darker moments, I think that

Obama was chosen to divert the public's overwhelming desire for change into a direction that would not threaten the establishment.

Things certainly went that way quickly enough. Those first Cabinet selections should have clued in even the most faithful, but the signs were there earlier: the tributes to Reagan, the talk of the need to give corporations a place at the table, the sucking up on fundamentalist bigots, etc.

[chimpymustgo]

23. The Reagan praise and the corporate logo.Then the cabinet and staff selections. We still kept hoping

Now we've got change.

[QC]

37. Well, it was change of a sort, I guess.

Different people serving the same financial elite.

[Naturyl]

55. Alex Jones agrees with you

And even though he's crazy, a broken clock is right twice a day. This may be one of those times.

[BigBearJohn]

79. Wow. That first sentence almost knocked me over mainly because it rings of truth.

I hope the next 2 years don't confirm that.
But I am afraid you are right.

[adnelson60087]

6. We needed an FDR. Heck, I'd even settle for a Carter!

[QC]

42. Harper's had an interesting article not long ago comparing Obama not to Lincoln or FDR,

but to Hoover.

It's a very apt comparison in so many ways.

As you can imagine, the keepers of the flame here were livid over it.

[MannyGoldstein]

27. Well...

[QC]

41. Well, in fairness to Time, those are conditional statements,

namely that Obama might learn something from FDR and that Democrats might actually do something.

Clearly, neither thing happened.

[Naturyl]

54. There wasn't a Roosevelt running.

Kucinich had the heart of a Roosevelt but the electability a small soap dish. Edwards had the rhetoric of a Roosevelt but the personal integrity of Jello. Obama had the popularity of a Roosevelt (at least when elected) but the politics of a Clinton.

And that is what we got - another Clinton, although even that seems to be giving too much credit.

The next Roosevelt hasn't shown his or her face yet. We'll have to keep waiting.

[Xipe Totec]

3. We lost Grayson and Feingold. I would not call them compromisers nt

[Little Star]

32. How sad is that? Two of our best gone....

sigh...

[BigBearJohn]

81. Only because of the UNLIMITED money donated by corporations

[VMI Dem]

4. Weak leadership in the Senate and the White House.

Simple as that.

[adnelson60087]

10. Very true. The rot begins at the top

and even truly good guys like Feingold got swept up in the ineptitude of the Democratic leadership.

[Lugnut]

70. I wish that wasn't true.

Sadly, it is. We needed a firebrand. We got a compromiser. And here we are.

[Mojorabbit]

75. That and Rove's group spending

3/4 of a million on attack ads on him all funded by hedge funds. The supreme ct decision is the first place to start because without any change in this ruling we have lost our democracy.

[The Uncola]

5. Sadly, yep. n/t

[Little Star]

7. Can't help but agree with you.

I am a life long Dem and voted yesterday, as I always do straight Dem. I had to hold my nose to do it though.

You are right imho.

Two years squandered trying to be bipartisan! We brought a butter knife to a gun fight and got our asses kicked!

[Naturyl]

56. And two more years coming up.

More compromise has already been promised.

[leveymg]

8. Such a firebrand leader never stepped forward, and alas there is no one in the party leadership

to take that role. Grayson in the House, perhaps a few others. In the Senate, Feingold, can't think of anyone else. No wonder the GOP targeted them for extinction. Leaders, if you have been hiding, now is the time to emerge. Who will accept command?

[snot]

60. Kucinich.

[Tippy]

9. We lost ......so we blame the President...boy Republicans know how to stand behind their President

I hate this bi-partisan shit probably more than anyone, but to blame the President is not the answer, you realize the republicans will use that against us.

[xiamiam]

35. well, it was an opportunity..used unwisely..for the reasons the op stated

someone has got to accept responsibility for the effort of bipartisan compromise which did not work...so now we dont have the opportunity ..squandered in my opinion...the banksters, war profiteers should have been held accountable but instead they invested heavily in this election instead of in their defense teams...looking forward instead of prosecuting the lies and fraud which got us here is also a big part of problem

[readmoreoften]

48. And their President never called them retards or the "professional right" while courting the left.

[Common Sense Party]

73. Our President didn't call anyone "retards" either, and you know it.

That despicable piece of trash Rahm used that heinous pejorative.

[sabrina 1]

84. Did the president apologize for his Chief of Staff's foul mouthed

and consistent attacks on the people who elected him? Did he fire him? No, and that silence speaks volumes. I have accepted the fact that this president really doesn't like what he (and the rightwing) have labeled 'lefties'. He needed them to win, but he doesn't like them.

I've met other democrats, some of them former Republicans, who hate the left wing of the party. The only reason they are not Republicans is because on some issues, they believe the Republican party has gone too far. Now they are in the Dem. Party and they want to change it.

Obama is that kind of Democrat. He is condescending to the base of the party, he is far more impressed with the DLC wing of the party, Blanche Lincoln eg. Nothing will change that, it is a prejudice that really seems to have no cure. A hatred for Liberals, very common on the right and in the rightwing of the Dem Party.

Of course many of the people he probably puts in that 'dirty hippy' category, don't even belong there. But the party has moved so far to the right, that many moderate Dems, who never moved, are now far left.

Anyhow, this is what we have. I think we should be focusing on Congress, starting now and finding progressive candidates, targeting Republicans and Blue Dogs, and working on restoring Grayson and Feingold to Congress also. We can't lose good progressives.

If we focus on Congress and do not get distracted by the presidential race too much, whether he wins or someone else wins, it won't matter if Congress is working for US.

We put far too much emphasis on the WH, when the power of the people lies in Congress.

[KharmaTrain]

11. A Relapse On A Long March...

Back in 2004 after the Democrats got their asses kicked (they won only 1 House seat that night) things looked real dark...near vetoproof GOTB majorities in both Houses and another 4 years of the booosh kleptocracy. That was a depressing day. I sure don't feel that this morning.

Too many thought the 2008 elections was the do-all, end-all...some liberal/progressive nirvana had been reached and things would drastically change. When it didn't we saw those who are ready to abandon this administration (if they haven't already) despite facing a crumbling economy and heavy opposition. Despite it all, there was more meaningful legislation passed in the past two years than in the last 40. We can probably agree that it wasn't enough, but it was a far bigger step than this country had taken in a progressive direction since LBJ.

Long term change requires long term committment and work. There are some of us who've lived through 30 years of deterioration and to expect it to turn around in two is a fool's dream. Last night should be a wake up call as to how far we need to go to enact long-term change and it's not all bad. Democrats are still very much alive and kicking this morning...time to regroup and use this election as motivation for taking back the House in 2012...with a lot fewer Blue Dogs.

[cascadiance]

12. Ackk... double post

[cascadiance]

13. DAMN I wish Feingold had run for president instead of "continuing to fight" in the Senate!

Just think where we might have been with him as president, and possibly hanging on to both Illinois and Wisconsin senate seats directly from that with Obama staying in his seat in the Senate! I hope the next time around he won't shy away from that opportunity if it comes around...

[eilen]

Feingold/Grayson 2012 nt

[BigBearJohn]

82. best idea I heard all day long.

[iamjoy]

14. Like Compromising with Crocodiles

Trying to negotiate with Republicans is like trying to negotiate with crocodiles. The great reptiles don't want to compromise and get along, they want to eat (destroy) you.

Hyperbole? Maybe Stewart should have had his rally after the election. My sanity lasted the three days it took to see how bat poop crazy things went.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

15. It's depressing, I get it, but now what?

If Obama gets primaried the election is as good as lost because you set the narrative that we chose poorly the last time so why should the independents trust us this time.

Try as we might we cannot win without independents.

We have to give them a reason to vote FOR US.

Heck, we need better than "Obama: at least he's not republican...mostly"

But with a GOP controlled HoR and a solid filibuster in the senate and Obama in the WH I think we're looking at a lot of not-much for the next 2 years.

Viewed objectively, the GOP has a minor advantage. All they have to do is pull some cheap stunt such as not include NPR in the annual budget. They don't have to vote it down, they can simply neglect to include it. Suddenly, they get tons of free press and their base salivates with glee.

Meanwhile, the democrat reps and senators sit there going, "Golly, we wish we could get something onto the floor."

Along comes 2012, the dems look impotent and divided while the GOP claims, "We were fighting for YOU!"

We may well be in a place where we have to come back in 2014 or 2016 with the rallying cry, "Had enough?"

[NightWatcher]

16. WE didn't blow anything. We saw in Obama what we Hoped for

That's how he was sold to us. We worked hard, donated time and energy, and WE won. Unfortunately all political capital was wasted. Wars continued, no one was held accountable from W's admin, Gitmo remains opened, Pakistan is smoldering- threatening to explode in to an inferno, stimulus was aimed at the banks and the crooks who brought us to our knees, gays were thrown under the bus, unions and teachers were shat on, .........

The next time WE want to take OUR country back, I hope we DO it outside of picking another Establishment political commodity and DO it by taking to the streets as they do in more mature Social Democracies.

At least maybe we'll get nice and screwed hard in the next few years so that we get pushed to the point of doing something different than voting for another cookie cutter politician.

If we keep doing what we've always done, we're going to get what we've always got. I hope we change this pattern.

[madmax]

17. I care deeply about President Obama

I have defended him to people in my life everyday. Remember the AA Lady - she was at the rally in DC but, also spoke to President Obama about being tired of defending him. That's how I feel now.

Grew up with listening to my Mom telling stories of FDR. I thought Obama would be our generations FDR. The election night, the Inauguration, the fact that I lived long enough to see an bi-racial man elected to the Presidency of the US. It was magical, uplifting a multitude of positive feelings and emotions.

Hope and Change. I wanted it so bad, could taste it, feel it. I let him play it his way - co-operate, work with them, get something rather than nothing passed. Keep the powder dry all the excuses.

However, now I believe he should have seized the moment. Gone in and really shake things up. More my way or the highway - work for that bastard and he wasn't even elected. Obama won handily.

Whatever happens in the future I will never not vote or not vote Dem but, now I'm not hoping for change or anything anymore. I'm just going along for the ride.

There may be a few people here who believe our President did all the right things - I've changed my mind and hope I don't get stomped on for writing how I feel. :grouphug:

[cascadiance]

18. We should make this THE MOST productive lame duck house session!

And have us get some very strategic bills passed by the House that we could pass along to the new Senate in 2011 that could "fix" the fillibuster so it would no longer allow the minority to block us then. Then perhaps we'd get some things done in that short period of time. And then if Republicans throw CRAP at us that doesn't work afterwards, we can build momentum to get the House back in 2012.

The next week DU should really sit down and try to figure out which bills we want to get passed that won't go through in the next two bills otherwise with a Republican House and get them through the House NOW... And we should lobby HEAVILY on the phone now to those still there that if they want our vote and to those going out if they want our support in the future, that they will do this to help save America now. That could help revive their careers in other places later.

[Selatius]

19. All of you people who voted for Obama thinking he was the next liberal hope were deluded.

You voted for a center-right guy by European standards, and some of us were saying this from the beginning, but exactly how many of you guarded yourselves against the hype machine Obama had behind him in 2008?

You're all pissed off because your hopes were dashed. I bet a whole bunch of people thought Obama was going to be the next fucking FDR. He wasn't, and he never made any reference to going hard left to combat the economic crisis. He took the middle road that most in Congress found acceptable yet was inadequate outside the halls of Congress. He hardly put up a fight when the Public Option was deleted from health care, and he simply walked on the issue of a major jobs program WPA-style when it came to the damn stimulus bill.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

29. It was that or the center-right gal.

:shrug:

[QC]

38. Our choices stunk, but I think Hillary at least knows that the Republicans are not her friends.

She would not have pissed away two years finding that out.

[Liquorice]

72. I think Hillary Clinton would have been an incredible president. We missed out. nt

[lunamagica]

74. That's why I wanted her. She had experience. She had dealt with them

and so had no illusions that "bipartisanship" would be possible. She would have put her foot down from day one. Obama went in with the hope and arrogance of the inexperienced, probably thinking "it was the Clinton's fault they couldn't work together, but I know how to handle them". But Obama he was younger, sexier, cooler....

I believe Hillary would have been a great president.

But it didn't happen. Our best hope is that President Obama swallows this bitter pill, that this set back has a profound effect on him, and he learns he needs to be stronger, more aggressive, and work for the goals he was elected to reach. If I'm nor mistaken, this is the first serious hit he has received in his career. I hope for his sake and ours that he grows and learns from it.

And PLEASE, whenever you accomplish anything SCREAM ABOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. The people, not that they know it at a conscious level,

are center left, the system is anywhere from center right to very right.

The dissonance hurts...

[FiveGoodMen]

46. Supposedly. But it doesn't help.

Until the people start voting more to the left we will be ruled from the right.

[readmoreoften]

49. +1

Obama is about as liberal as Ronald Reagan. This was clear from the beginning, but no one wanted to research past the campaign promises.

[Naturyl]

58. He even openly praised Reagan.

Everyone heard about it and everyone decided to ignore it or rationalize it away.

But ignorance and rationalization always bite us in the ass eventually.

[Naturyl]

57. You're right.

A lot of people want to forget that he never, ever promised to govern from the left and gave every indication that he wouldn't do so.

That's why I did NOT support him in the primaries.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

20. I'm sorry but I think that this country - the U.S. - is much

more conservative than you think. Unfortunately, a 'progressive' (or what would be called a moderate in most of the civilized world) would not stand a chance. Unfortunately, the electorate (which is a small percentage of eligible voters) is more conservative than most people here at DU are willing to recognize.

I think this became apparent yesterday, with the kind of congresspersons who were elected, as well as the newly elected governors and senators.

With minor and notable exceptions, the landscape of this country for the future of progressive issues and concerns is looking rather dim.

Most people outside of the big cities are not progressives. They are usually also very badly informed, rely too much on Fox News and e-mail chains of lies and do not read or expose themselves to various points of view. People don't care that so many Americans go without health care - unless it's them. People don't care if pre-exisisting conditions once denied insurance to people - as long as it wasn't for them. People in general don't care - unless something affects them personally. The majority of the electorate - let's be honest about this - is made of selfish conservative voters who are badly informed, who care more about Gawd and teh Gays, who believe government is evil (while drinking treated water protected by EPA rules and driving on roads paid for with tax money and sending kids to public schools or drawing social security or having access to Medicare or Medicaid).

I wish the U.S. were more like parts of California, Massachusetts or New York. But most of it isn't - progressives have a lot of hearts and minds to conquer, because the general electorate just isn't progressive enough - yet.

It's with sadness and irony that I note that a center-right government such as the one currently governing (or lack thereof) in my own country of Italy would be considered very liberal in the U.S. (even if the ruling coalition is host to such far-right componenents as Lega Nord and Alleanza Nazionale, which is the remnants of the fascist movement).

[queenjane]

33. I have been saying the exact same thing!

This is not now, nor ever has been, a progressive country. There are more of them than us. The voters may be "low information", but they voted for the people they wanted to vote for: white, mostly male (with a sprinkling of vapid, grinning Palin clone females), anti-tax, dough-faced, god-fearin' morons. You know, folks like them. These people want to be protected from gays, athiests, foreigners, dark-skinned people, education, scientic development. They want their goodies, but they scream if someone else has them.

This is not going to change. In fact, it will get worse as northern, liberal-leaning states lose House seats to Southern, conservative population centers. The State houses, with their redistricting opportunities, are an especial loss.

My mother said it best this morning: "This country has finally achieved its ultimate aim: It's a Third World Banana Republic".

[Nordmadr]

45. Outside of the NYC metro area in what is otherwise referred

to as 'Upstate' you will find a large conservtive base. Locals here voted 48% for Paladino for Governor, 48% Cuomo and just voted out Arcuri.

[andym]

83. USA does not have a progressive majority

although it does not have a conservative majority either.
There's cognitive dissonance among a large block of voters which distrusts government, wants tax cuts, but might welcome the government replacing the health insurers for example (see the polls that favored a public option or single-payer) last year. These voters both like and distrust government which results in great confusion about what they really are.

One thing that's going on has been a battle between conservatives advocating more "freedom" (freedom to starve, to let corporations run rampant without regulations) and equality of opportunity (progressivism). President Obama has made some strides to reverse the drift toward "freedom," but has engendered a counter movement (tea party) that wants to redouble efforts to return this country to the spirit of the Donner party.

[crikkett]

21. PTHT. Self-pity is sooooo attractive.

Obama's got his excuse to get nothing really accomplished. Things are back in order.

Seriously, the "opportunity of a lifetime" is like, a trip to Peru, not an election that's treated by everyone involved like a sports contest.

[LeftinOH]

22. It aint over 'til it's over.. and it's NEVER over. Onward & upwards, folks.

[Jim Lane]

26. Yes, we must look toward the future, but looking back has its uses, too.

I agree with the OP that this was a huge wasted opportunity. Just to consider the economy, we now face at least two years, and more likely several years, of stagnation. If a program like the New Deal had been put in place, the economy would be in much better shape, and still improving. So it's human nature to think about the what-ifs.

Beyond that, there's always the possibility of learning from history. The lesson I take away is the fairly common one that Obama was far too eager to compromise. Compromising and being reasonable just doesn't work when you're dealing with utterly unprincipled opportunists (with a sprinkling of people who have principles, just crazy ones, and pursue them with a fanaticism that rejects all compromise).

Of course, you're right that it isn't over. There will be new battles tomorrow, and the day after, and so on. No one is allowed to go AWOL out of regret for what might have been.

[MannyGoldstein]

24. So ready for change that America elected a black President!

The impossible happened.

But the mandate was pissed away.

[Naturyl]

59. Yep, neither my wife or I thought we would live to see it

And we're not even all that old.

We did live to see it - and it meant the country was very, very ready to be LED toward major change.

But to be led requires leadership, and that's just what we didn't get.

[Capitalocracy]

25. I think some people thought that's the leader we would get

I didn't, really, although I hoped for more than I got I think

[disillusioned73]

28. As much as it hurts...

I gotta agree:dem:

[myrna minx]

30. .

:cry: My heart is just broken.

[Poboy]

31. We are fucked nine ways to Sunday. Sold out and left to die.

[Evasporque]

34. We never had a shot...GOP was never going to work with Obama.

They really hate him. And the with so many BLue Dogs cozying up to the GOP...we had no chance.

2008 was a hallucination. It was brief clean shower that washed off the scum of W.

Reality is the money, bible and the GOP still can drive this country in any direction they want...at any time.

I realize this now and I am so done with this shit.

I am getting my money made while I still can and then checking out of this fucked up scene.

I'll be by the pool watching the country wither and die under the coming Conservative Era...

Don't come asking for help. You are on your own.

[xiamiam]

36. restoring bankruptcy for primary residences to pre 2005 status

would have stemmed the foreclosure tide..it was attached to the stimulus ...Obama threw it out in the spirit of bipartisanship...THAT was the defining moment for me in the first few months of the presidency...then the surge in afghanistan..the refusal to investigate war crimes and profiteers...fraudsters and banksters...
this administration owns its middle of the road failure..the next wave of foreclosures have nothing standing in their way now...nothing..hope you're all ready ..its now going to be pretty or just

[kenny blankenship]

40. Best shot in 70 years

and wasted.

[TBF]

43. K&r nt

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jgraz]

47. There will always be another.

Not that losing this one doesn't suck, but...

1992 was our best shot in a generation
2000 was our best shot in a generation
2004 was our best shot in a generation
2006 was our best shot in a generation
2008 was ... you get the picture


What we need to start doing is nominating and electing people who will take advantage of the opportunities we give them. And, we need to mercilessly turn out bums who don't live up to our high expectations.

[adnelson60087]

50. Sorry, but have to disagree. Bush was the worst

President of the last 100 years, and Americans were ready for monumental change of a type never seen in modern history. They elected someone who they thought of as a MLK, but just ended up with soy Milk.

[jgraz]

51. OK, MLK... Soy Milk

:spray: :rofl:

[lonestarnot]

52. No, (response to s/l only) Bluedogs did that and they were sent packing on a rail.

[Naturyl]

53. Well, I supported Edwards, although he turned out to be a disaster in his own way...

Supported Kucinich till he quit, "unelectable" or not. Then went to Edwards because even though we now know he was a selfish egomaniac, he was at least talking the right talk. Obama and Hillary never gave any impression they intended to govern from the left and so it should be no surprise that Obama hasn't.

[Safetykitten]

61. Oh did we ever.

[struggle4progress]

62. One guy in my town made 500 GOTV phone calls yesterday. What did you do?

[Rex]

63. I disagree, I believe we will have a better shot in 2012 and 2014.

Call me an optimist!

[HEyHEY]

64. I blame Moe Tucker

[Naturyl]

65. This thread gets 92 recs and counting, but I'm threatened with the Gestapo for supporting a primary.

Classic DU. Let's give em hell unless someone might get mad.

[StreetKnowledge]

68. I support a primary.

And I am not the least bit ashamed to admit it. Obama has sold us out. As far as I am concerned, we give him the next three months to get his crap together and work for the people who elected him. If he doesn't do that, turf him. To hell with "incremental change". We haven't got shit for our massive efforts in 2008. We cannot wait 30 years to slowly take things back. The United States will be bankrupt and torn apart by civil unrest by then. We have to run the bastards who are working for the corporations out. And we need them run out right now. Not over ten or twenty years. GET THEM OUT NOW.

[Naturyl]

71. Thanks for coming out and taking a stand.

Tons of people are willing to voice all kinds of serious complaints, but fewer are willing to go on record for a primary. Some DUers seem to consider it some kind of violation, although last time I checked, DU was a *Democratic* board, not an Obama-only board.

[Jack Sprat]

78. No no, many of us agree with you.

I am hearing Obama meekly offering compromise today with the same people whose only objective is to destroy him and the Democratic party. It is past time to fish or cut bait with Obama. It's like Michael Moore said tonight. If Obama isn't going to fight for anything, he is going to have to expect a challenge outside the primary. So, I figure it might as well come from a primary challenge as well. A 3rd party left challenge will split the vote anyway, so it might as well come within the party.

[kath]

76. yeah, I was just thinking the same thing, What the hell???

[adnelson60087]

85. If we don't offer a contested primary to Obama

we are likely to lose in 2012. Who wants that??? And the Senate will go with that loss, bet your cash on that one.

[upi402]

66. the former big sucking sound is now drowned out by the POOF

of this dry turd of a party being ushered out by hot wind.

Wasted, and I hope history will record the betrayal of democracy.

[Liquorice]

67. Obama governs very differently than he campaigns. It's like two different people. nt

[Initech]

69. No we didn't blow it. Fox fucking News stomped all over us. Big differnece.

[Bonobo]

77. More than a generation. More like best shot in 50 years. nt

[Waiting For Everyman]

80. K&R And the lame duck session will probably be wasted too.

Very sad and disappointing, when it matters this much.