For Liberals, Obama Saved the Best for Last

[babylonsister]

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2010/01/27/for-liberals-obama-saved-the-best-for-last.aspx

For Liberals, Obama Saved the Best for Last
Eleanor Clift


Liberals were looking for bolder leadership from the president, and in both his prepared oratory and his off-the-cuff ripostes Barack Obama seemed the man we elected little more than a year ago. On the metrics I laid out in my pre-speech column—more populist policies, invoking a broader vision than the legislative minutiae of the last several months, reestablishing himself as a different kind of politician, and establishing his willingness to play "guts ball," to go to the mat for something—Obama acquitted himself well.

It was not a speech whose principal mission was to woo liberals. Obama has hemorrhaged support among independents, and the speech was filled with olive branches for voters who most distrust government and federal power. But the way Obama shamed Republicans and called them out to participate in governing had to warm liberal hearts. Obama did it so deftly, rattling off a series of tax cuts included in the hated stimulus bill. When Republican leaders in the hall remained seated and silent, he quipped, "Thought that would get some applause," which belatedly brought a sheepish John Boehner, the House GOP leader, to his feet.

There wasn't a lot of populist rhetoric, which Obama isn't very good at, but he touted the fee on banks and called out the lobbyists trying to kill financial-services reform. He saved the best part of his speech until last—his declaration to stick with health-care reform and his sermon on good governance. Republicans who have been so giddy about denying Democrats their filibuster-proof majority may find that now that they're needed to govern, sitting on the sidelines and filibustering bills they've cosponsored—like they did this week with legislation to establish a bipartisan commission on deficit reform—is a tactic they can no longer get away with so easily. If raising the cost to Republicans for their obstructionism is all Obama achieved tonight, that alone should cheer liberals.

[maxsolomon]

1. Eleanor, you know nothing of what cheers liberals

those were only words. here's a short list of what would cheer me.

but then again, i'm to the left of 'liberals'.
1. make the bastards filibuster rather than threaten.
2. make the bastards filibuster again and again and again.
3. nationalize goldman-sachs.
4. cut the military budget by 1/2.

[rhett o rick]

4. First I agree with max. Second, it was a speech. I want results.

Third, do you honestly believe he can force the republicans into helping govern? Do we even want that?

And I want to add to max's list above. We must stop the wall street speculation with our money.

[emsimon33]

16. I agree--results, not compromise & sausage legislation--KISS

[JoePhilly]

7. Hummm .....

#1 and #2 are basically the same thing ... but neither is controlled by the President. Take those up with Harry Reid. I agree that the Senate should now expect "real" filibusters. Not the BS that they allow now. Obama could "urge" that, but he can't force it to happen.

#3 ... Nationalize Goldman-Sachs is a KNEE JERK. And it is that kind of erratic behavior that McCain was tagged with. In what way does "nationalizing Goldman-Sachs" rein-in the financial markets???? It does NOTHING. I guess it might make some of us feel better, but then what ... now Obama runs GS???

#4 ... a number of things here. First, it is clear that your number is arbitrary. Second, while agree that defense needs some serious cuts, you must also note that there are thousands of people, good people, who work for companies who operate in that area. And, there are many innovations which start in the military field which become very useful commercial products. You don't just "cut the baby" in half and hope that you kept the half that will survive.

[maxsolomon]

17. happiness is not rational

you can cut the baby in half when you don't care if it survives. thousands of "good people" work in the gambling & prison industries, too. our military is ethically indefensible.

& we need a :facetious: smilie.

[Cha]

2. President Obama has a whole country to

govern and what they were handed with the keys to the White House..This Liberal(his base) thinks he's doing an amazing job.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cha]

8. Yeah, the President is doing an amazing job!

Thank you, President Obama..keep up the Great Job!

[donheld]

15. whoooohooo Go team go

Thanks pep squad you do a lovely job.

[rhett o rick]

5. And fifth, bipartisanship is a joke. Pres Obama needs to take a lesson from FDR

and tell the obstructionist where to go.

[DFLforever]

10. FDR didn't have any GOP "obstructionists". He had New Deal

Republican senators.

No one told the Republicans off less then FDR. He never had to.

[rhett o rick]

11. I heard a tape of FDR on Thom Hartman today where FDR very pointedly

said that the republicants were responsible for the economic disaster. I cant seem to find it.

[DFLforever]

12. They blamed Hoover all the time. Daily. Throughout the 30's

and 40's. They never let the country forget for a minute who got us into the Depression.

But I don't recall ever hearing or reading about FDR attacking or calling out GOP congressmen or Senators. He didn't need to. Hell, he campaigned for some Republican Senators who backed him like Norris in NE. And pressured the Minnesota Democrats to withdrawn their Senate candidate so that FDR could back the Farmer-Labor Senate candidate instead.

[rhett o rick]

13. I agree that he blamed Hoover. nt

[rhett o rick]

6. And one more gift to the liberals, Bernanke. Notice the republicans could support that decision.

Pres Obama talked tough about controlling the out of control banksters, but instead we got Bernanked.

[DFLforever]

14. And the Republican knuckle-draggers

voted against him, e.g., the Southern 'populist' GOPers. That should provide some clues too. When these people are your allies, maybe you should reconsider your position.

[depakid]

9. Pretty standard formula for these sorts of deals

toss out bones to the constituencies in the end.

Goes back millennia.