The way forward: Obama needs to crush two people and one corporation.

[MannyGoldstein]

"Obama can't get Congress to pass the legislation he wants." OK then.

If we assume that Obama actually wants to do the right thing, then his problem is that he doesn't know how to deal with bullies. The GOP are bullies. Corporate America are bullies. Blue Dog "Democrats" are bullies. They are bullies who want to steal working American's lunch money. And our breakfast and dinner money, our retirement accounts, and every other thing they can grab.

Now I've dealt with plenty of bullies in my life, and here's what the President needs to get straight:

1. Bullies don't understand compromise. In the context of a bully, compromise is nothing more than appeasement.

2. Here's the alpha and the omega of what bullies do understand: they understand "you do that and you'll be in a world of hurt."

What the President needs to do: he needs to make an example of one member from each group of bullies. One Republican, one Blue Dog "Democrat", and one business must be crushed. Steamrolled. Utterly destroyed. He must use all of his available powers to make sure that everyone else in those constituencies understands that if they fuck with Obama, they'll be in a world of pain. The districts represented by the elected Republican and the Blue Dog will have every possible funding source cut - these folks will no longer be able to serve their constituents. In the case of the business, it will be forced into bankruptcy.

Scorched earth stuff. You know, the kind of stuff the Obama Administration routinely does to whistle blowers and leakers.

Only then will these constituencies cut the shit.

Frankly, I'm not at all sure that Obama actually does want to do the right thing. But if he does, this is the only way forward.

[Trillo]

1. When practicing "making an example"

it is critical that the facts that lead to any such punishment are correct.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Good plan

I don't think Obama has anything near the guts to overtly engage an opponent.

[notGaryOldman]

19. I agree.

Unfortunately. :(

[Stinky The Clown]

23. Thanks Gary

The orange mambo was the wankie wanker. Ledo's was the giveaway.

[Indydem]

3. Are you serious?

Who exactly do you think that you will win over by ACTING like a bully?

If the president tries that kind of thug politics, he will most certainly lose in 2012, if he makes it that long.

Use the democratic process and the bully pulpit. Win people over with the power of your ideas and the strength of your convictions.

Unfortunately for us, while a wonderful orator, Obama has neither any ideas or any convictions.

[saras]

4. So you're suggesting that blatant criminals should not be prosecuted?

God only knows there are lots of easy pickings. Simple criminal trials for criminals, with as little tolerance for prevailing practice as an excuse as protesters get for arguing "everyone else was protesting too." As easy as shooting turkeys in a barrel. Ten thousand counts of fraud, with consecutive sentences. Standard legal practice, with plenty of precedent.

[pauldg0]

6. Cheez buddy, don't get upset now. He's having a GREAT rant. We know what he means!

......there are are other ways. He is making a good point!

I'm a teacher. If there is more than one bully or trouble maker, the one calling attention to himself will be called out. But you do it right away at the years' start.....Bully's....down to the office right away. And guess what?...they stop and so do the others.

Listen....you don't get crazy with the kid; it can be done gentley. "speak softly and carry a big stick".

Believe me!!! It works. So Obama should begin anew! He should find a breaking point to start or wait for the new term.

[LiberalFighter]

9. It was my understanding that to avoid trouble in the future when dealing with bullies...

you take out the meanest, biggest bully. That would only apply to kids with other kids. Teachers have to take a different approach.

[pauldg0]

13. Believe me, it works!!

They're all bad. There is no good or bad ones....they are just plain bad and I love slamming the door on all of them!!!

[MannyGoldstein]

10. Exactly. Don't make a fuss. Just make it clear that this will totally suck for them.

Then it stops.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Here's my world of hurt/scorched earth idea, to get Repubs suddenly on board

with Obama's agenda: Get the DOJ to begin probing into Bush Administration war crimes and lies. Edit to add: specifically investigate the run-up to Iraq.

[pauldg0]

8. That's right!!!!!

[TwilightGardener]

12. They have that in their arsenal. At first I thought it might cause political chaos

early in Obama's term--but now, we HAVE political chaos, and it's time to pull out the big guns. Edit to add: I can't believe I gave a Manny Goldstein thread an actual "rec". Holy shit, things are topsy turvy.

[MannyGoldstein]

14. Welcome to the dark side

Enjoy your stay :evilgrin:

[Hawkowl]

16. Pick on Alberto Gonzalez

He's weakest and he legalized torture. Go all out on him for war crimes. Or if you he just wants to hint at trouble, make it known that the US government won't shield former US officials from civil damages and extradition to the Hague.

Turn Rumsfeld or Cheney over to the Hague and let other Republicans to get in line or the FBI will render them to the world court.

But I forget, is Obama playing Neville Chamberlain or Herbert Hoover? Oh, sorry, foreign policy vs. domestic.

[pauldg0]

17. BINGO !!! Great pick!

Cheney would be the one calling much attention to himself the last couple of weeks!!

What an idiot....he thinks he is so fricking invincible...a narcisistic ASS!

[izquierdista]

7. You're right, but......

He should have done it in his first two months in office. Now it's too little, too late. He even had his chance last year with BP, but he carefully removed the hook and tossed them back in the water. It's clear who butters his bread, and their names are not Warren, Manning, and Assange.

[MannyGoldstein]

11. It would have been better at the start, no doubt

But I think he could change course today - it's really the only alternative that might work.

[pauldg0]

15. It would be best to wait for the next Congress to begin....

...then go for the kill.

. He has nothing to lose in his last term.
. Doesn't have to worry as much about his corporate contributors pressuring him.

Note: I have heard he has record political donations from the public this time. Hopefully he can tell corporations to take a hike.

[pa28]

18. I was hoping for that approach a couple of years ago.

We could have forced haircuts at Goldman/AIG rather than taking their risk onto the public balance sheet, stripped Lieberman of committee assignments and made Mitch McConnell a poster boy for obstructionism in public. All the points you mentioned.

Democratic ideals had suffered severe defeats for years. We needed to embrace Machiavelli instead of Neville Chamberlain for a little while just for the sake of restoring some balance in the system.

At this point it seems to late IMO. To suddenly act like a hard man after nearly three years of post-partisan softness would make him seem unbalanced. Right now i'd just be happy if he could take one popular, principled position and fight for it with no compromise. Maybe we could build from there.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

20. Would you be okay with Bush doing this?

Or is it only okay to be a vindictive nutjob if it's a Democrat?

[MannyGoldstein]

21. I would have been against the Germans invading France in 1940

But I would have been in favor of the Allies invading France in 1944.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

22. well something has to happen

[GreenStormCloud]

24. The President doesn't have that kind of power.

The districts represented by the elected Republican and the Blue Dog will have every possible funding source cut
That requires a line-item veto which no President has ever had.

Nixon had an enemies list and wasn't able to do much to them. Attempt to prosecute members of the Bush administration would fail. Lawyers could keep it tied up in court for years, until after Obama was gone. Same with a corporation. Look how long Clinton's DOJ battled Microsoft, and lost.

[Bake]

25. Wish in one hand and spit in the other ...

And see which one fills up first.

I agree wholeheartedly, but it will never happen. Not from this President.

Bake

[sweetapogee]

26. we assume

that the pukes have no real plan to counteract the jobs plan that President will propose this week. Personally I do not think they are that unprepared. My guess is that the republishits will find areas where the last stimulus funds were not accounted for as closely as they should and will pound away at those defects and thus keep President Obama constantly on the defensive. In other words, it will not be about the results, it will be all about the paper trail. I'm not at all convinced that spelling out the jobs plan before congress is the best idea, I mean having congressional dems in red districts cheering (or not cheering) on national TV for big tax increases may not be the best plan. But we will soon see. Sorry if I offend.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

27. Yeah, but that would be rude. nt

[muffin1]

28. Yeah, but then they won't like him!

Oh, wait...

[Jakes Progress]

29. If Obama feels like he want to emulate reagan

let him follow Manny's advice here. Of course reagan was a corporate tool and an ass so he crushed the good guys, but when he broke up the flight controller's union he was being the tough guy. Of course he was doing it as strong arm for the Corporate Mob, but maybe, just maybe, Obama could want to do the right thing for the right reason just this once.