Did trying to please the left really cost us the election?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

The conventional wisdom is that we lost because Obama tried to please the left of the Party.

In the real world, as opposed to conventional-wisdom land, these supposed efforts to please the left had the effect of demoralizing, enraging and alienating the left. The supposed left won no victories. The left view did not prevail in any actual legislation or policy. The left did not prevail in foreign policy or domestic policy. The left wish-list went nowhere.

And the biggest thing the left wanted was full-on, vigorous, war-footing engagement on jobs and the economy.

In this instance the left wanted pretty much the same thing everyone else wanted. And didn't get it.

I do not know that I have ever seen a situation where what the left wanted was more closely aligned with what Joe Twelve-pack and Harriet Homeowner wanted.

[old mark]

1. When did they try to please us? I must have been absent that day.....nt

[BeFree]

17. They didn't...

They ignored the left. Our demands for real jobs, an honest government that doesn't make up terror to scare us, putting a stranglehold on the bankers, and ending the wars, were totally ignored.

And so we plunge further into chaos. Yeeeehah!!

[Swamp Rat]

2. Quite the opposite

[EV_Ares]

3. You got the wrong side there, he did more in trying to work with the right and got him

nowhere because they have never had any intention of working with him even to the detriment of our country. The republicans only care about money and power. Now is his time to work with the left.

[JerseygirlCT]

5. Yup, yup, yup! nt

[rsmith6621]

4. Nothing Obama does is Vigorous...unless it helps the Goldman

......Sachs gang of thieves.

[Hannah Bell]

6. yeaaaa, yeaaa, that's the ticket....

[Ozymanithrax]

7. No, the economy cost us the election.

We have a government elected by a majority who vote. The majority that voted were frightened because of the economy.

[meow mix]

8. k&r did anyone even read past the title lol

lazy people

[howaboutme]

9. indecisive; insipid; weak; wishy-washy

I would make the claim that the right won elections because of the influence of big money, pundits, and a refusal by those in the Democratic Party to take a strong stance on hard issues that would (without question) benefit average Americans and strengthen America rather than caving into an eventual Republican lite position. The only thing conciliation ever got the Democrats was kicked out and portrayed as weak. Most Americans see little difference between a Republican Party owned by rich corporate capitalists or a Democratic Party owned by rich Wall street capitalists.

The agenda in Washington today is to enrich the rich and either claim, use, or steal the assets of all Americans and redistribute the proceeds to the ultra wealthy.

[noise]

10. Someone on DU had an excellent summation

The left got most of the blame and none of the benefits.

[mikehiggins]

11. Could have, if there had been ANY attempt to please the left n/t

[earth mom]

12. Please the left? Are you serious?! Obama & Congress have NOT done one thing to please the left!

In fact, they have told the left repeatedly to shut the fuck up.

Puhleeze. :eyes:

[Overseas]

13. Of course not. It was disillusioning millions of young people

who had been brought in to our party in 2006 and 2008 by arguing the differences between cruel fiscally irresponsible Republican policies and liberal productive Democratic ones.

They were really disheartened by seeing our party compromise again and again with the party that had crashed our economy and promoted torture.

[chill_wind]

14. "The conventional wisdom? " Of whom?

eom

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

22. top men...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9546961&mesg_id=9546961

[chill_wind]

23. Thanks. That figures.

If they ever got their heads out of Republicans' hind-ends, they'd be in danger of learning something that might actually be useful to the Democratic Party and the American people.

[Individualist]

15. trying to please the left? rofl

:rofl:
:rofl:
:rofl:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. No. It was the alarming lack of pom-poms and Circle-D bumper stickies.

[struggle4progress]

18. What cost us the election was sitting on the sidelines to cheer or boo instead of doing the hard

grassroots work

I support Obama on this! I don't support Obama on that! Um ... OK ... but nobody really gives a fug about anybody else's opinion

[walldude]

21. LMAO.. yeah instead of being ignored on DU

go out in the real world and be ignored by Democratic Politicians... Woo Hoo...

[struggle4progress]

29. I'll file your attitude under "self-fulfilling prophecy" -- nothing ventured, nothing gained

[Rex]

19. You are very funny!

Be here all night?

[walldude]

20. Oh yes it did...

Those Gays and their stupid rights. The fucking hippies and their peacenick ways. Those professional lefties and their bullshit. Those people angry about Guantanamo, The Patriot Act, Warrantless Wiretapping, War, Drones, TARP, HCR.. Those assholes who were angry about all that shit when Bush was President should have just shut up and been happy that there was a "D" in office. No matter how many of Bush's piss poor policies they continued.


Oh and while we are at it, I think Keith and Rachel are now out from under the bus and Jon Stewart and Randi Rhodes are back under.

Ok, slight mistake, Jon Stewart the most important person on DU right now, judging from the number of threads, has been thrown under the bus, backed over a few times, flattened with a steam roller and paved over with the good intentions of the latest craze in journalism Keith Olbermann. Woo Hoo.

My time here is becoming seriously limited. It's bad enough I had to vote with these people but to have to sit here and read this crap? No thanks.


and BTW most of this is :sarcasm: in case you missed it :eyes:

[Angry Dragon]

24. I have asked these questions numerous times and never really got

answer.

What are the points that make one a progressive??
Are liberals and progressive the same??
What are the points that are different between a progressive and a
person that hugs the middle more??

As long as you asked I do not feel that Obama worked with the democrats
he worked with the republicans.

[PDJane]

25. No. Pleasing the right and a lot of money`

from the reich wing is what lost the election.

[Nite Owl]

26. If he had even tried to please the left

and did what the left wanted we would have won big because what we wanted is what the majority of Americans wanted.

[OHdem10]

27. This is another Narrative(lacking truth) pushed by the Ruling Class

Every Piece of Legislation passed so far has been
RIGHT of CENTER LEGISLATION. The Left has been
ignored or rebuffed everytime.

I am beginning to think our Meidia are in early stages
of ALZHEIMERS. Why were we the party that had no
gumption, we were "disillusioned", we lacked "intensity".
Take a memory pill please, dear Media. We were
disillusioned and dejected because we were continuously
thrown under the bus. There was not one piece of
of Center or Left of Center Legislation.

This narrative is so obviously flawed, you would
think they would be embarassed to peddle it.

The Ruling Class is pushing for a a Right Wing
Government and the Media is falling in line
it appears.

[Wounded Bear]

28. I'm beginnning to think I live in bizzarro world.....

When Republicans lose, they move to the right.

When Democrats lose, they move to the right.

What's wrong with that picture?

:shrug:

[Kaleva]

30. Local Dems were being tagged as "Pelosi Democrats" prior to the election

Never saw a Repub commercial that even mentioned President Obama.

[stray cat]

31. not voting at the levels of 2008 cost us the election

[bvar22]

32. Trying to please The Left?...LOL

"The Left" didn't even get a seat at the Children's table in Obama's White House.



The DLC New Team
Liberals Need NOT Apply

(Screen Capped from the DLC Website)

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254886&kaid=86&subid=85

[donco6]

37. We weren't even in the kitchen with the help.

If that was "trying to please the left" I shudder to think what it looks like when they don't care at all.

[ananda]

33. ROFL.

What kind of idiot would even ask that question?

Obama has always governed from the corporate right.

[LaurenG]

34. We lost because of the perception that there was lack of conviction

from our president.

Look at the complaints from both sides, it's clear that neither side felt they knew where we were going to end up.
He needs to make his goals for the country very well-defined and if his goals don't work out he needs to tell us why.

[Raine]

35. Please the left?!?

:spray: I must have missed when he tried that, all he's tried is to please the right.

[LaurenG]

36. Oh and you KNOW we at DU don't do nuance well. Good thoughts. nt