Obama Pleads For Civility, Cooperation In Politics

[Purveyor]

(01-28) 20:57 PST Tampa, Fla. (AP) --

Trying to bury a year of polarization, President Barack Obama on Thursday escalated his appeal for politicians and voters alike to settle differences without tearing each other apart. His plea: "Let's start thinking of each other as Americans first."

Obama made sure to weave that message throughout his stop in Florida, one otherwise intended to promote his economic agenda by announcing $8 billion in high-speed rail awards.

Coming one day after his State of the Union address, and one day before meeting with House Republican leaders with whom he continues to battle, Obama's emphasis on civility was a nod to political reality. He needs Republicans more than ever to get his agenda passed, and he is getting saddled with more public blame for the partisanship he promised to change.

"Nothing that human beings do will be perfect," Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, said as he capped a town hall at the University of Tampa, where he was received with boisterous support.

"But we shouldn't sort of assume that the other side is either heartless or doesn't care about sick people or is some socialist/communist who's trying to take over the health care system," the president said. "We start getting into these caricatures. They're so damaging."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/01/28/national/a143842S85.DTL#ixzz0dyUzQcdi

[DJ13]

1. Here we go with the bipartisan stuff again

Yes he needs the independents, but he (still) doesnt understand that they voted for him precisely because his stump speeches in the campaign were more liberal than the endless triangulated middle of the road promises that got our country so screwed up in the first place.

"Change" wasnt a message that promised more of the same, it was a bold notion that people really wanted.

[Lorien]

2. "Independent" is not the same as "Centrist". Many Independents are further to

the Left than the current Democratic Party.

[DJ13]

3. Even the centrists expected "change" to mean not middle of the road

People of all political stripes are angry at the same old way DC is being ran right now.

Their losing jobs, homes, even UE benefits while they see $150 billion in Wall Street bonuses now being paid out.

"Get along" as a message will only make a good portion of them even angrier.

They want a fighter right now.

[mindwalker_i]

4. Hey, you can be civil

while beating the shit out of somebody. Democrats need to take that to heart.