Krugman: I’m pretty close to giving up on Mr. Obama

[rhombus]

Hmmm

But I have to say, I’m pretty close to giving up on Mr. Obama, who seems determined to confirm every doubt I and others ever had about whether he was ready to fight for what his supporters believed in.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/he-wasnt-the-one-weve-been-waiting-for/

:popcorn:

[inthebrain]

1. I suppose we should allow the lil popcorn dude to say it all.

[nevergiveup]

18. Reading the responses here makes my head spin.

Everyone is turning on everyone.

[Hawkeye-X]

2. I gave Obama up 6 months ago.

Join the party.

If Obama doesn't learn from the MA mistake, then he's not going to survive the primaries.

Hawkeye-X

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I gave up when he appointed Arne as Sec of Ed

:puke:

[LWolf]

45. + 1,000,000

:puke:

[Catshrink]

74. +5,000,000

[Splinter Cell]

17. LMFAO

:crazy:

[QC]

22. I gave up when he handed this asshole a national platform.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dUp16hFzY8

[tbyg52]

86. Can't watch on dialup, but I don't have to to know who it is.

It was *not* just a two-minute speech. It was an indicator of what was to come.

[QC]

100. Yeah, it was a harbinger of things to come. n/t

[HughMoran]

48. OK, if it only took you 6 months

Then you were never more than a fair-weather friend, a liar at worst. Off to ignore for you - you're not worth listening to ever again.

[dionysus]

50. well, *most* of the people "giving up on him" kind of hated his guts all along anyways.. so....

:shrug:

[Po_d Mainiac]

51. Nope....I'm giving up because

Where's the "reform" in health care coverage??
Where's reform of our financial system??
Where are the "new age" jobs from the stimulus??
Why are we spending shitpiles of money, on undeclaired/useless wars??
Where are the "clawbacks" from the BANKSTERS that have defrauded the middle class??
Where is the transperancy??
Where is the $$ for education??
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I'm giving up because the POTUS made me "change"

[dionysus]

53. impatience

[Po_d Mainiac]

56. BS...........The bus ain't even heading in the proper direction..unless

U'r Wall Street, BIG Pharma, a war industrialist, a health insurer, Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs, etc

[dionysus]

57. hyperbole gets you nowhere.

:hi:

[Po_d Mainiac]

87. Then I'm heading in the same direction as the

POTUS bus.......

I may have to rethink a couple issues if Mr Obama gets the TBTF institutions out of my hip pocket.

[HughMoran]

58. go here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7527978

[Po_d Mainiac]

85. Guess u didn't get the memo...JFK died in Dallas

I heard the speech (live), so put the pom-poms away.

[HughMoran]

97. One of the nastiest posts I've ever read

Wow.

[Qutzupalotl]

66. ...

> Where's the "reform" in health care coverage??
Republicans delayed and filibustered all year, opposing everything even close to reform.

> Where's reform of our financial system??
Don't know

> Where are the "new age" jobs from the stimulus??
Republicans dug up dirt on Van Jones, forcing him to withdraw or face a media pounding. He was to have been the driving force for green jobs.

> Why are we spending shitpiles of money, on undeclaired/useless wars??
Republicans started both wars and with so many troops on the ground, the wars can't just be switched off like a light. They will both take time, one to wind down, one to "finish".

> Where are the "clawbacks" from the BANKSTERS that have defrauded the middle class??
Obama is proposing a tax on bonuses.

> Where is the transperancy??
Obama has released far more presidential records than his predecessor (easy to do) and also ensured that all records will eventually be released.

> Where is the $$ for education??
Don't know

[NavyMom]

98. What a crock. These issues can be laid at the feet of the party of NO,,nt

[CreekDog]

60. I'm almost giving up on him (read my history and see if I EVER "hated his guts")

I don't think you realize that the mistakes on health care are now being compounded by Obama --he is not only making these things worse these past 48 hours, but he is doing very little to help those who are trying to get it solved right now.

It's breathtaking.

[dionysus]

62. i'm not talking about *everyone* that is pissed off...

:hi:

btw, what did he do in the last 2 days that is so bad?

[CreekDog]

67. not a damned thing

it would be nice if he acted like this even bothered him.

[Po_d Mainiac]

89. Yup....I get real grumpy if someone I trust and admire starts dating the opposition n/t

[HughMoran]

65. That's *mostly* true

I have the full list of who voted for who and this is generally true.

[Zenlitened]

107. Seriously, you have "the full list of who voted for who"?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding... are you saying there's a list circulating about posters, their voting history, and their current views of the Obama administration?

[HughMoran]

108. Somebody actually did that

They actually went through (must have been many) threads and determined who each person voted for in the 2008 primary and posted it - it caused quite the stir - lol. Many people snagged the list before it was deleted.

[Zenlitened]

110. Wow, that takes... um, commitment.

And so anyone who favored another candidate in the primary is irrevocably labeled "anti-Obama" now? Or has the Enemies List been updated periodically?

I dunno, I'm certainly capable of holding a grudge, too. But I've never reached the point of starting a database to keep track of 'em all!

:think:

[proud2BlibKansan]

101. No. Not even close.

[FiveGoodMen]

77. "If Obama doesn't learn ... he's not going to survive the primaries"

Let's hope he doesn't!

We need to run an actual progressive candidate in 2012 and there's no way to get there from where Obama is today.

We need someone else.

[Lifelong Protester]

3. Slow 'er down, Kruggie, a year ain't much time.

I don't want to say this crudely, but I believe the bloody nose Obama and his team got last night are going to bring out that Chicago style politico. I want to wait and see if I am right.

[salguine]

12. It's not how much time he's taking, it's the direction he's going! Why,

why, WHY can't you "it's only been _______ months" people get that through your skulls!?

[roguevalley]

34. ____ months for the pukes to formulate the message of the next 4

years. that is the problem here. they are forming the message and we will have to play catch up and self defense because our guys are weasel bastards.

[proudohioan]

41. I completely agree with you.

I have been feeling the same way; it's the general TONE rather than the actual time taken.

[MissDeeds]

46. +1000 n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. +1

[Ganja Ninja]

44. A year is plenty of time.

Time isn't the issue here. It's all about actions and attitude. Nobody expects him to solve all our problems but he could at least give us the impression that he's serious about fighting the fight. I believe this guy is all posture and posing. He's the GQ president. He wants to look like he's above it all and feels that if he gets in the fight and loses it won't be good for his image.

[The Wielding Truth]

4. This is the night the camel's back broke for me, too!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7523171&mesg_id=7524814

[Bobbieo]

8. Obama is a one-termer and knew it when he went in. I don't think he wants a second term

[timeforpeace]

31. You might be right. The big bucks come from having been Prez, not continuing as Prez.

[The Wielding Truth]

83. I'll never deny him the chance to turn around and fight.

[ProSense]

5. Except it's because Krugman wants Obama to pass the Senate bill

Health care reform — which is crucial for millions of Americans — hangs in the balance. Progressives are desperately in need of leadership; more specifically, House Democrats need to be told to pass the Senate bill, which isn’t what they wanted but is vastly better than nothing. And what we get from the great progressive hope, the man who was offering hope and change, is this:

[Hello_Kitty]

7. I'm pretty close to telling Krugman to STFU.

The people who supported him in 2008 did NOT want a watered-down corporate boondoggle with mandates and no public option. Krugman has spent the last several months spinning Senate Bill propaganda and scolding progressives for not pretending it's awesome, while being utterly clueless to the political disaster that it is.

[freddie mertz]

68. Agreed. He has gone from cheerleader to crybaby in a spell of two days.

Paul needs a vacation, I thunk.

[Citizen Kang]

76. Krugman's a hack

His neo-liberal economic views have become more extreme. He supports this abomination of a health care bill and all it gives away to the health insurance industry. He can suck it in my opinion.

[BlueJac]

9. last fall was it for me............

one can HOPE for only so long before you figure you were duped!

[stevenleser]

11. WTF?

:wtf:

[vaberella]

10. No worries...I gave up on you months ago, Krugman. n/t

[TexasObserver]

13. He could still turn it around, but he's running out of time.

If his leadership results in the destruction of effective majorities in both houses of congress, he'll be the GOP's captive in 2011 and 2012. He's been weak when he has super majorities. I can't imagine how he will be if he loses those majorities.

I continue to be dismayed about his aloof, detached attitude, and his seeming inability to get it. I keep hoping he'll stop listening to his own voice and hear the country. He can pretend all he wants that his critics are unreasonable, but he's the one who isn't listening.

[snagglepuss]

26. Exact;ly. nt

[juajen]

106. It's the "Peter Principle" at work here, folks. Remember? NT

[secondwind]

14. I'm with Ed Rendell, who said tonight that if we go down, we go down FIGHTING FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IN

[themaguffin]

16. exactly, Democrats are attacked for doing it anyway, so they should actually do it

[Ildem09]

23. I'm with Ed Rendell

[AzDar]

40. If we actually fought for what we believe in, WE WOULDN'T GO DOWN.

:patriot:

[MissDeeds]

47. I agree

Apparently, Obama doesn't like to fight. He seems adverse to conflict. Too bad he didn't realize conflict and fighting are part of the job description.

On edit: If Obama won't fight for us, I see no reason to fight for him.

[AlinPA]

15. It is hard to believe that he wrote that. Incredible.

[Dinger]

19. Draft Howard Dean

:hide: :patriot:

[Splinter Cell]

25. Why not McGovern? Or Mondale?

Let's drag out the big guns! :eyes:

[Dinger]

27. Oh, I Just Had A Spell

Let me be. I'm harmless, really.

[Warren Stupidity]

29. At least when we lost with them we lost fighting for something real

we could believe in. We are getting our asses kicked for rescuing Goldman Sachs and offering up the crapiest health insurance mandate imaginable. Yeah Team!

[Dinger]

38. Thank You Warren : )

:)

[change_notfinetuning]

78. Obama couldn't shine McGovern's shoes. That is not a racist comment. It's

simply an analytical comparison using the old phrase. No one had more hope for Obama than I did. I thought he would be another McGovern, but the disappointment has occurred early and often. i only hope we can, one day, elect a person with the heart, ethics, wisdom and foresight of a McGovern. Someone who stands for something, and if it's the right thing to do, continues to stand for it no matter what. That's leadership, especially when you are already in office. Obama has no excuse for not doing what's right. We elected him because we trusted him to do just that.

[QC]

20. I guess Paul will soon be back in his customary place

under the Hopemobile.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

94. I think that with a slight change to the headline, most of the people K&Ring this thread would be

booing Krugman.

He's arguing for passing the Senate bill here. He wants Obama to force the House to pass the Senate bill. you think all these people K&Ring want that? I know from most of their posts they do not. Nobody on either side read the article apparently.

[BlueIdaho]

21. A footnote in history?

Is that really the legacy President Obama wants? If he does not find a way to govern with strength and lead congress his best days are already behind him.

[kenny blankenship]

24. His supporters believed in a public option (pale substitute for Single Payer but nevermind)

His supporters believed that mandates on individuals were a horrible idea because they are and Obama himself campaigned against them, and they also believed that the so-called Cadillac health plan tax that McCain proposed was a horribly anti-union, anti-worker idea, because it is, and because Obama was against it. But now that he's President Obama has flipflopped on all those things. He lies and says he never campaigned on a public option, he demands individual mandates to purchase for profit private insurance or face prosecution and he attacks solid health plans that unions have fought for over decades and often had to take in lieu of wage increases while the cost of everything went up.

The question isn't whether Obama is "ready to fight for what his supporters believed in", but instead why is he so hellbent on destroying what his supporters believed in - including his own good name?

[BigBearJohn]

28. Unfortunately, Obama's like the kid in the schoolyard who keeps getting his lunch money stolen.

He's too fucking green for this job.
He's a great speaker and great campaigner,
but we need much more than that for a President.

[grasswire]

30. Is Karl Malden still alive?

I think it's time for someone who looks and talks like Malden. (Or Truman.)

[TTUBatfan2008]

32. I disagree on his youth being the main problem...

The main problem is that he has been bought off by special interests just like plenty of "veteran" politicians in Washington. Obama is a microcosm of the American political system itself. Here's a populist point that both liberals and conservatives seem to agree on: campaign finance reforms are desperately needed at this point. Otherwise we will never have an honest government that truly represents the people. Right now the government represents the corporations. That will continue to be the case regardless of which party is in power.

[BigBearJohn]

35. Good points

[glitch]

82. Either that or he's a true believer in the Chicago school of political economics. nt

:scared:

[Vidar]

33. K&R.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

93. Do you agree with Krugman's sentiment that Obama needs to demand the House pass the Senate bill?

[mstinamotorcity]

36. Give up?

not even thinking about it,can't think about it,won't think about it.No such spirit in my inner being or outer one.Give up? NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ErinBerin84]

37. as someone pointed out, he thinks the House should pass the Senate bill, which I'm unsure about

The thought of not passing something with substance (when a lot of Democrats had already compromised what they wanted and "accepted" to some extent the Senate bill) and wasting a year of the public's time is incredibly frustrating. It makes the Democrats look like such chumps that we have a huge majority in the senate, but "can't pass anything big", which is what GMA just told me this morning. That said, I've seen people on both sides throw people under the bus several times on DU , so maybe people who wanted the bill killed and were pissed that Krugman wanted to pass it at all will be pleased now...people on DU are only deemed relevant when they agree with the mood of the moment I guess. I don't blame Krugman for saying this, it's very depressing that we've gotten to this point.

[CreekDog]

61. If he thinks the House should pass the Senate bill --ACT LIKE IT!

there is one very simple step that should not be underestimated:

"House of Representatives: I WANT YOU TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW"

[DuaneBidoux]

39. As of today I'm convinced there will be no health care reform. It is dead.

And while Congress shares a lot of the blame I can't help but blame most of it on Obama and his lack of willingness to take any chances or putting anything of himself on the line.

If the presidential election were held tomorrow I know I wouldn't vote Republican, but I probably would stay home.

[harun]

54. He needed to get tough with the Senate, he didn't, it's over.

[DuaneBidoux]

75. He needed to get tough period. I hate to say it but he looks like a wimp right now.

[Milo_Bloom]

80. There was never any heath CARE reform to begin with.

The Health Insurance Recovery Act of 2010 is likely dead as well.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

42. We Need Candidate Obama....

Who appears to have been in a deep sleep for the past 365 days.

[Jennicut]

43. Krugman just wants Obama to wake up and start having a backbone.

There really is no one else for the Dems right now. He is it until 2012 or beyond.

[tomp]

52. i gave up when he embraced bush henchman, colin powell. nt

[tom_paine]

59. Leaving so many Bushie Henchpersons in place didn't help, either. n/t

[tomp]

103. the embrace of powell was a tip off the anyone paying attention...

...that obama was not interested in bringing any of the bush/cheney criminals to justice. since that was the ONLY first step for any patriotic successor to bush, my break with obama was immediate and irreparable. i KNEW at that moment obama=fail. others here have yet to catch up to that reality.

[myrna minx]

55. I am too.

:-(

[democracy1st]

63. K & R

[uponit7771]

64. damn

[treestar]

69. I'm not influenced by these losers

If they knew how to get things done, they should have gotten themselves elected.

Does he know how to "fight?" Why doesn't he just tell Obama how to "fight?"

The answer is that "fight" is just a meaningless term for "get me what I want, I don't care how."

Bribery? Threats? Extortion? What? Subverting the system like Bushco tried to do?

[change_notfinetuning]

81. This is how:

M-O-R-E T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-C-Y!

L-E-S-S S-E-C-R-E-T D-E-A-L-S W-I-T-H L-O-B-B-Y-I-S-T-S!

L-I-S-T-E-N-I-N-G T-O T-H-E A-M-E-R-I-C-A-N P-E-O-P-L-E, N-O-T W-A-L-L S-T-R-E-E-T!

There, I have spelled it out for you. Gee, isn't that what he campaigned on? Amazing. That was just what the doctor ordered.

[Political Heretic]

70. Seriously, even *I* am not touching this thread, lol.

Good luck.

[Phx_Dem]

71. OH NO!!!! Whatever will we do without you, Paul.

And, please remind me when you were ever behind President Obama?

[newtothegame]

72. Obama's resume NEVER said major change.

We were the ones that decided it did.

[KansasVoter]

73. A lot of people are saying the same thing!

[Milo_Bloom]

79. Credit Card "reform" and Stimulus bill did it for me.

The Health Insurance Recovery Act of 2010 was the final nail.

[Blue Owl]

84. The "he's better than McCain/Palin" sentiment is still there...

but less so with each passing month.

[krabigirl]

88. too bad people didn't realize this shit during the primaries. It was so obvious!!!

[zulchzulu]

90. Next week... Krugman embraces Obama's cool new plan!

Rollercoaster of love.... oooh oooh oooh oooh....

[UrbScotty]

91. Krugman should know better. How impatient can some people get"?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

92. Do you agree with Krugman that Obama should demand the House pass the Senate bill?

[krawhitham]

95. That hack gave up a year ago

[SemiCharmedQuark]

96. He isn't a hack.

He's demoralized. A lot of people are. That said, if Obama followed Krugman's advice in this column, the very same people K&Ring this thread would be out for blood.

[ErinBerin84]

109. agree

[DCBob]

99. I'm even closer to ignoring Krugman..

He really makes some absurd statements from time to time. Clearly this is one of his absurdest.

[robo50]

102. Krugman and I pretty much agree.

Obama the political wuss, not a real person, just a fuckoff who got elected and wants to make us think he's important.


Screw him........screw America, he was our last best hope.

[Unvanguard]

104. This health care retreat is the first time I've been extremely disappointed with Obama.

I have disagreed with him before, but usually I've appreciated that his view is reasonable. In this case, if Krugman interprets his words correctly (and I think he does), then he is showing himself to be a political coward of the worst sort, and no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt.

[Dream Detector 2010]

105. Krugman

Is dead to me. Bwaahahaha!