President Obama has lost his voice

[Angry Dragon]

Not that far in the distant past this man could talk circles around others. In the primaries he had a way to inspire others to do their best and more. He had a clear message, "We can change it". People believed in him, they believed they could change the way elected officials shut out the common man and woman. he said he had the voice, he could speak for others so that their voices could be heard. He had millions of people believing in him.

That voice is no longer there. There are now millions of people that do not believe in him. Where is that voice now?? It seems that voice started losing its power about January 20,2009. I do not know where it went and it seems many others do not know either.

There was a time when this man could have made a very huge difference. I believe that time has past. It seems he has used his voice to silence his critics, the ones that would have once fought for him.

Now he speaks in a whisper, and the only ones that hear him are the ones that wish for his destruction.

[bowens43]

1. I was huge supporter, I felt inspired, I was so optimistic...

Now, I can't even listen to him.........I hear his voice and I change the station.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Exactly!!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9735559

[dgibby]

9. The difference between then and now:

Then: YES WE CAN! Fierce Advocate! HOPE and CHANGE!

Now: yada,yada, yada, blah, blah, blah

[closeupready]

35. I do, too. Empty words dressed up in silk and velvet. Pffft.

I got better things to do.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

40. You and me both...

I was there at Grant Park on Election Night. I have never felt such a rush of optimism in my life. To be there, with so many smiling, jumping, joyous faces, of all colors and genders and ages, it was such a great day to be an American.

I remember when Obama came out to give his victory speech... he was really passive and somber. I remember at the time it bothered me. I thought, okay, either he's thinking, oh man, I can't believe I actually won - what a huge responsibility I have to these people now. Or he was thinking, look at all these smiling faces... it's gonna be kinda sad to betray them all. Now I think I know which it was... :(

[Smashcut]

2. The truth is, the rhetoric never matched the policies

There was a fundamental disconnect between the center-right policies in his fine print and the game-changing "movement leader" he played on TV. This was deceptive marketing, pure and simple.

[readmoreoften]

4. He didn't win Advertiser of the Year for nothing.

He won the nation's top marketing price in 2009, beating out even the iPhone campaign.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. We were conned.

[sad sally]

19. Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown..."this time, believe me."

[BrklynLiberal]

21. I wish I had $100 for every time I posted this cartoon in the past year...

I had considered putting it in my sig line..

[FiveGoodMen]

41. Except that Obama's Lucy and we're Charlie Brown

[bobbolink]

3. S.Q.U.A.N.D.E.R.E.D.

:cry:

[Uncle Joe]

7. I believe that's the difference between volume and clarity.

What does "Yes we can!" mean?

Yes we can what, help the wealthy and powerful become more wealthy and powerful, watch television, mine our belly navels for lint?

How about "Change we can believe in!"?

Even the word "change" is open to interpretation.

Just slogans and sound-bites used to take up air space instead of serious debate on the issues; of the day and how they will be changed, that's why politicians and the corporate media love them so much, it protects the status quo.

Thanks for the thread, AngryDragon.

[Angry Dragon]

8. You are welcome

People once praised him because he gave a good speech.
Now people question what he is really saying.

[SteveM]

10. Ideology is a bad word -- to those who cannot define their beliefs...

That was the problem with Obama from the beginning: he studiously avoided being defined (a Democratic Party ploy since the GOP perfected its ability to sell a bright-line ideology characterized by brevity and clarity, and to sell an un-opposed vision of what Democrats are). The Party has avoided definitions and moved without prompting from a position of moderate liberalism (in the 70s) to a center-right position, hoping as it were to better impress corporate power and avoid the ever-present GOP bully.

But to a large extent, we rank-and-file Democrats have exercised much the same outlook: playing dodge-ball with the GOP who is not the least concerned that they are termed "conservative," "right," or "extreme right;" nor concerned with the penchant for some to point out their hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is not policy, and the GOP knows this. So they shuffle their shoes in a bathroom stall, get stinky-on-the-dinky in Las Vegas, get sweat heart deals on the lobbyist tab; they know most Americans (or at least their kids) do the same thing at one time or another, and they know this will be forgiven or ignored by most Americans.

The bigger questions are how will WE define ourselves; how we will "sell" our ideas; and through what party structure: our's or a third. I don't see much alternative.

[Bluerthanblue]

11. I hear him-

and I don't wish for his destruction.

Can you say the same?

not from what you just wrote.

:thumbsdown:

[Swamp Rat]

14. Who wishes for Obama's "destruction?" Who said that, the OP?

Can you prove your allegation?

[Bluerthanblue]

22. yes-

read the last line.

here it is :

"Now he speaks in a whisper, and the only ones that hear him are the ones that wish for his destruction"

Which is what prompted my reply- I HEAR HIM and I don't wish for his destruction-

:shrug:

[Angry Dragon]

15. Nowhere did I say I wished for his destruction

It is the republicans that have said since day one that they wished he would fail, to be a one term president, and other such things.
I said these were the people he seems to be listening to.

I heard him when he talked, I believed in him.
I believed him when he said we would work together to build a better world, a better country.
It is not my fault that I do not still hear him. I am listening hard to hear those words again.

[Bluerthanblue]

25. read your own last line- it is what prompted my question. You can speak

for yourself but you can't speak for me.

I'm listening to him- I'm NOT a republican, and I STILL HEAR HIM.

Can you hear me now?

[Angry Dragon]

26. Yes I can hear you

[Bluerthanblue]

28. thanks.

you are not my enemy and I'm not yours either.

peace~

[Angry Dragon]

29. ...

:hi:

[JuniperLea]

12. I think a lot of people deluded themselves...

And set their expectations far beyond what was being said during the election season.

I got what I voted for in a President. And I got what I expected in RW opposition. What I didn't expect was for so many Dems to drink from the poison Kool Aid well of the right.

Speaks in a whisper? Wasn't just (literally) yesterday that people on DU were screaming about being yelled at? :shrug:

[Pisces]

16. +1000

[walldude]

31. You got what you voted for. Great.

Soldiers did not. Gays did not. Homeowners did not. Pre-existing conditions people did not. Anti-War people did not. Anti-torture and rendition people did not. Anti-corporation people did not.

You and some others may have gotten everything you wanted, and I'm happy for you. But most of us didn't, and we feel cheated and powerless when we are berated for being angry about getting screwed over.

[BrklynLiberal]

37. Those of us getting Social Security, Medicare, etc did not get what we voted for..

[ProSense]

13. "Now he speaks in a whisper"

Squandered!

[JuniperLea]

17. Good catch...

It pains me to see RW talking points furthered on DU. It truly does.

[Pisces]

18. It is happening with more and more frequency.

[JuniperLea]

20. Fear and loathing are powerful manipulators...

Especially when so many are tying a knot in the end of their ropes. It clouds reason. What really pains me is that people are forgetting what a president can and cannot do... forgetting Government 101.

[Angry Dragon]

24. So if I do not like what he is saying, I should just keep my mouth shut??

If I don't like the direction he is trying to lead this country, I should just go along??
And yes fear is a huge motivator. That is why he and his troops are trying to use fear today.
Telling everyone that unless this deal he put together behind closed doors is passed, the country
will go into a double-dip recession. No discussion, no debate, take it or leave it.

[Bluerthanblue]

27. when a fireman tells you that if you don't put out a fire you are likely

to get burned is he using your fear of being burned to further some bad agenda or for your protection?

You may not like the message- hell I don't know any Democrat who likes the message, but it IS what it is.

And NO, as far as I'm concerned you shouldn't 'just keep your mouth shut'- but don't expect others to either.

[Angry Dragon]

33. One can see the fire

When it comes to this plan to create jobs through tax cuts it is not there to see.
Very few, if any, jobs were created for the last ten years, why would a continuation of this policy be any different??

The thing I hate the most about his plan is the attack on Social Security. I look at this as a slippery slope. The republicans have already said that they will promote the fact when it expires in one year that they would treat it as a tax increase. We already know how they approach that. They fight it tooth and nail and get their base behind them to block it.

I could live with the tax cut extension if that was the only thing besides the unemployment extension. But to me SS should not be brought downward.

[Bluerthanblue]

34. I didn't hear him say that he thinks the tax-cuts will create jobs, actually

I think he said just the opposite. He wasn't happy about extending them even temporarily, but the republicans won't budge without their holy grail.

The way I see it is that if they can obstruct UI benefits, then more people will be unable to feed, clothe and house themselves let alone keep up with their bills. Our safety nets are strained to the breaking point now, and are looking for ways to trim people that are already in the system.

The 'bits' of money that would flow back into the hands of the lower/middle income people from some of the other aspects of the deal would go back into the economy and keep things flowing which should help to keep the fragile recovery we have going.

I see the republicans as being willing to really hurt the average American. They as a political force, don't really care about anything except those who have plenty of money and power already. They want tax cuts and programs to protect their assets.
When they bully their way through and the things they've done DO begin to disturb the public, the republicans point at us and play innocent. And they get people to follow them???

I don't think the republicans will be successful in dismantling SS. As stupid as many of their followers are, there are just too many who rely on their SS to live.-

Pres.Obama is faced with a choice of bad and worse imo. I don't for a minute think he 'likes' this plan, nor do I, but it looks to be the only real way through this mess.

[JuniperLea]

38. You should at least...

Only blame him for things over which he actually has control. Anything else is ridiculousness.

[RagAss]

23. He's LBJ 1967.... enough said.

[JuniperLea]

39. .

If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read 'President Can't Swim'. - LBJ

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0425696/bio

I thought this came from someone else, but just found it as a quote from his bio.

[dkofos]

30. More like his mind

[Erose999]

32. You assume that was his genuine voice during the campaign. We were all swindled.

I am sure him and his staff are holed up somewhere discussing public opinion polls and charts and graphs and coming up with a response thats right up the middle.

Once they calculate exactly where the middle is.

[Fire Walk With Me]

36. It is entirely our fault.

"Yes, WE Can". Without a mandate, what does anyone expect?