“Confessions of An ‘Obamabot’” – Leisa Simone

[mikekohr]

?


Over the years, I’ve been called a liberal as if it’s an insult. I’ve also been called a libtard, a Dumbocrat, a hippie, a socialist, a tree-hugger, a bleeding heart, a gay-lover, etc. And I’ve embraced each one. All these were directed at me from people on the right.

Now I find out that I’m an Obamabot. That’s someone who defends the current President of the United States, OUR president of OUR country. But this time, it comes from the left.

I embrace that word, too. But let’s examine what this “mean-spirited” insult actually means.


An Obamabot is someone who may disagree with some of the decisions our president has made, but at the same time, knows and understands why they were made. And we support him for them.

read full post:
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/07/12/%E2%80%9Cconfessions-of-an-%E2%80%98obamabot%E2%80%99%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%93-leisa-simone/

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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

[progressoid]

2. Oy

[CakeGrrl]

11. Yeah,

Kinda takes the fun out of some using the term to denigrate others, doesn't it?

[gateley]

3. Well done. I always have a problem w/Gtmo -- Obama signed

something to close it right after he came into office but he was blocked for some reason -- right?

And unlike this Obot, I DON'T understand why he makes some of the decisions he does, but I still support him and want to keep him as our Prez. :patriot:

[vaberella]

6. Gitmo was totally out of his hands.

Dems in Congress particularly the Senate didn't want the detainees in their "backyard" particularly... their master security prisons. When Obama was then suggesting to build a prison and asked for money in a bill. Senate Dems denied it again.

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. Not his fault?

Maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe we were expecting a president to be responsible for the operations of his executive branch.

[gateley]

8. Yeah - he did try. I often think that the president-elect (and

we, the masses) think a Prez can do more than s/he actually can. "If I were Obama, I'd just...." -- and that's probably what Obama (and any President) thought before he got into office and learned the realities.

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. Sometimes, doing the right thing and keeping your promises carry consequences.

That's life.

[gateley]

10. Sometimes you're not able to keep your promises. That's life. nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

14. Which carries consequences too. Namely, abandonment. n/t

[BklnDem75]

16. Abandonment by whom? Certainly not a supporter

Realists looks at the effort, not abandon despite the effort. People like that can kick rocks.

[gateley]

17. Not necessarily. I'm not one of the ones who believes he was

just lying to get the votes. I'd abandon a Romney in a nanosecond - just too transparent in his pandering. But I think Obama really believes in all the stuff he was spouting and wanting to do. I attribute a lot of what he's done that angers me as a result of the people he's listening to (Geithner, the Generals...). I question his judgment at times and believe he's in a bubble, but not going to abandon him.

[joshcryer]

49. IMO, I think he did underestimate the extent shit was fucked up.

And when his advisors came to him and told him "Hey, look, Bush really screwed this one up, leaving you hanging here." He did what he thought was right and wanted to make sure it was done. And he knew it would look bad on him.

Doesn't help that one bit of integrity shown by him partially resulted in the abandonment to the Tea Party by liberals. But what can you do.

[gateley]

67. They say that about every incoming President - they aren't

aware of the enormity of the mess they're walking into. I can only imaging that the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld mess trumped all others that came before. Plus dealing with what the country had become since Reagan - mind boggling.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

24. wait..you just agreed that the President faces constraints (Congress and etc.)

then you blame and abandon him due to those outside constraints?

In favor of.... those who SET the constraints in the first place?

Who would be able to act in spite of those constraints? Bush, perhaps, because he was backed by the neo-con (1% funded) junta on all his pro-bajillionaire actions.

In the present environment, only a similar conserva-corporate christofascist flunky would be able to easily move ahead his agenda; anyone opposing the loaded deck will face the same rabid push-back that Obama, Warren, Franken, and others face, until the oligarchic scaffolding comes down.

[lumberjack_jeff]

27. a) there's several definitions of support.

My support could best be described as "Vote for a republican? Hells no.". Which, in a sense makes it perfectly pragmatic for Obama to totally and completely cease any pretense of looking out for my interests because he can treat my vote as a given. He doesn't have to run faster than the bear, he only has to run faster than the Repub candidate. He may have my vote, but that's about it.

b) promising stuff you can't deliver isn't a virtue, but he's well past that.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

29. ok, then. n/t

[zalinda]

13. He had a say in who is advisors are.

Look at the company he keeps.

zalinda

[joshcryer]

48. He probably shouldn't have made that promise not knowing the extent that Bush's people...

...fucked up Gitmo.

[Scuba]

52. Yeah, he's helpless. That's it. n/t

[patrice]

4. Thank! You! 1++++ I was what I am before Obama was born.It's interesting that putative supporters of

Freedom, and hence FREE THOUGHT, can't seem to imagine that fact.

Perhaps this is because a significant minority of us are incapable of self-identification without somekind of external authority. Identity DEPENDS upon pre-determined elements?

Labels can be almost completely deconstructed and WE, each and every one of us including myself, need to ask ourselves, every minute of every-day-reality-testing, if one has not so internalized the oppressor, become so purely a slave, that one actually abhors the slightest glimmer of freedom and might even cultivate fascism against anything that does not fit whatever patterns acquired from whatever your master(s) TELL YOU you are.

In short, perhaps a significant number of people cannot imagine a FREE "Obamabot", because they can't imagine Freedom.

[MineralMan]

5. Thanks for supporting our President!

I'm with you.

[stillrockin]

12. That is just sad. He has been a huge disappointment.

That you are proud to defend his lackluster performance and epic failure to lead just because he's a Democrat does not inspire hope for our country.

[BklnDem75]

20. What's more sad is the failed, recycled 'lead' meme

It's not even used that much anymore because only feigned ignorance can keep it going.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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[ElboRuum]

38. +Several Million. n/t..

[Pisces]

22. He has not been a disappointment to me. I am proud of our President, your opinion does not affect

mine. I will be a proud Obama voter in 2012.

[Demeter]

15. Cultists need to deprogram

Reality does that, sometimes. Other times, it takes intervention by people who care about the victim...but there's nothing to be proud of in being a victim, IMO.

[woo me with science]

18. Understandable my ass.

No one MADE this President select Tim Geithner and the rest of his CEO brigade.

No one MADE this President pressure attorneys general across the United States for settlements that will protect corrupt banks from criminal prosecution.

No one MADE this President remain silent in the fact of violent attacks on Americans exercising their first Amendment rights.

No one MADE this President stand up and give speeches about the virtues of slashing budgets during the worst economy since the Great Depression.

No one MADE this President use Social Security and Medicare as hostages to allow such budget slashing.

No one MADE this President support indefinite detention without trial. (http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2408683#2408723)


None of this is UNDERSTANDABLE, unless you UNDERSTAND that this President is working for the Third Way.

[progressoid]

25. Sadly,

not only do many understand that this President is working for the Third Way, they support it.

[Dragonfli]

35. And that is what is really hurting the party IMO /nt

[patrice]

28. Please decide if the system is corrupt or not.This post shows you think it isn't corrupt since O can

just do whatever he/we want.

Maybe people who have job security and health care think everything is just hunky-dory, except for that evil Obama guy.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[donheld]

34. What she said

exactly correct.

[Myrina]

36. +100

Thank you.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

68. +1

Amen, brother. :(

[shireen]

19. political labels are stupid

In a socially complex society, it doesn't make sense to make assumptions about people based on their political affiliations. There are Democrats who oppose abortion, Republicans who support full equality for LGBTs. Does that make them 'real' Democrats or Republicans? There are even tea partiers who earnestly want a fairer society. The list goes on and on.

IMHO, individuals are getting drowned out by the stereotypes inflicted by the media and political parties.

The bottom line is that people cannot be pigeon-holed into political categories. The author of that blog is proud to be called an 'Obamabot' which she also says is considered an insult. OK, whatever. But i can't help but wonder why she's embracing that label, instead of ignoring it.

Politics is about making compromise decisions to achieve a larger goal. Sometimes, I feel the president has made too many compromises. Others agree with his decisions -- some have good reasons for it and I'm interested in hearing their comments. We can learn a lot from each other by engaging in well-reasoned courteous discussions.

There are some that take an extreme stand, projecting their views about a specific issue to a blanket endorsement or condemnation of Pres. Obama. All they do is antagonize their counterparts at the other extreme. To them, I say, "grow up!"

[quakerboy]

45. I struggle with that

On the one hand, making categories and labeling things is how we as humans deal with a vast and varied existence. How do you accomplish anything without making certain base assumptions? I think we need to do some of that to be able to deal with things in a world where there is absolutely no way to personally know even a fraction of the people involved in our daily existence.

On the other, I do have some agreement with what you are saying. Its partially these assumptions and political affiliations, these mostly artificial divisions, that allow the politicians to play theater and not do what the people want. They can fall back on the party or subgrouping to justify why they don't do things that 60+% of the people want, and still maintain enough of a voting base to win elections.

[shireen]

62. yeah, you have a good point.

I've become so frustrated with it. So tired and frustrated .... :(

[GoCubsGo]

23. One thing I don't get...

What is it with this assumption that, because the man is black, he is automatically a liberal? Most black people I know are not liberals. They're mostly what would be considered here at DU to be moderates. Some are socially conservative.

[TheKentuckian]

26. Perhaps but few corporatists.

[Number23]

30. Really cute article. Happy to rec

[Tarheel_Dem]

31. Proud "Obamabot" checking in!

:patriot:

[DCBob]

32. Its an ignorant insult by those who dont have intelligent arguments.

If anyone resembles a "bot" its the Obama haters who find fault with the President no matter what he does. He could announce a cure for cancer and they would say "what took you so long?".

[Vattel]

37. Yet another cheap attack on Obama's liberal critics.

We are all ill-informed on the issues, we engage in subtle racism by holding Obama to a higher standard than Clinton, we have a sense of entitlement that leads us to expect too much, we don't take into account that only Congress can pass bills, yada yada yada.

[ElboRuum]

40. Utter folderol.

No where in that did I see any attack of any sort. It was a defense against attack. If you perceive the arguments as "cheep attacks" then you've failed to see their relevance or you just can't handle criticism of your own positions. Either way, it's time wasted.

[quakerboy]

39. Nice reframing, but innacurate

An Obamabot is, in fact, someone who will Not disagree with the current president, and supports all decisions he makes 100% no matter who they may hurt or what effect they may have.

Oh, they like to make allusions to hypothetical disagreements the have with the president, but its NEVER EVER EVER on the current issue at hand. Generally its completely general disagreement, as in "I may have my disagreements with the president, but...", and they will avoid giving a specific instance of any disagreement. If cornered, 1 of three things will happened. The purist will vanish rather than be tied down to a specific detail. the more witty will attempt a dodge, something about the type of dog the president chose, or the shows he he allows his daughters to go to. And a rare few will come up with some relatively innocuous point that they have selected for disagreement, but one that is "the color of the carpet", that allows them to stick with the "but its ok to disagree on that" without violating any easily identified moral tenants.

There are not really very many Obamabots. I hazard to say they are in truth so rare that they could easily be almost fully explained by comparing their numbers to those of paid staff members of a handful of organizations who are assigned to make sure that their certain view is well represented on the internet. But boy are those few loud.

[ElboRuum]

41. I would put to you that there are NO Obamabots.

Indeed, I cannot imagine anyone not having at least one issue with this President that falls below the realm of their expectations. I've certainly never actually SEEN one either here or in the flesh. Odd that it is the catcall of "Obamabot" is what's at issue here, since there are so few that fit the bill. Also funny is how the management basically had to pass a by-law against its usage since it was so prevalent here at one point.

[Number23]

44. Exactly. The "analysis" (aka projection) of the poster you are responding to is hilarious

All that time and effort into "analyzing" a person that doesn't even exist. No human being on this earth even supports 100% of the things that THEY do, let alone that another person does.

If only some were as interested in self-reflection as they are in trying to ascribe motives to others...

[ElboRuum]

47. I think you're missing the point,

The point is that the pejorative Obamabot exists and persists regardless of accuracy, and does so to mean anyone who supports the President and his efforts even in the face of what his detractors would deem as obvious dealbreakers. It serves to present a talking point to those most critical of Obama for both button pushing and sort of not-so-secret handshake between those who consider themselves to be true liberals and to separate themselves from the "fakers".

The point I was trying to make is that I agree with the author that the word itself is a nonsense pejorative, much like all of the other nonsense pejoratives that exist, that only serve as a hateful remark and are bereft of any substance, yet seemingly still retain a presence and a traction among those who would use it for purposes of division.

I'm sorry, I don't agree with you, and I'm sorry I gave you the impression that I did.

[Number23]

58. You have misunderstood what I wrote

I was agreeing with your point here:

"I cannot imagine anyone not having at least one issue with this President that falls below the realm of their expectations."

I was simply saying that contrary to that one poster's opinion, there is no one on this earth that agrees with this president 100% of the time and I'm sure that also includes the president.

[ElboRuum]

60. Ah, I see.

So noted. Thanks for the clarification.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tx4obama]

43. K&R n/t

[tcaudilllg]

46. Why would a person support someone they disagree with?

Is it because they lack self-respect?

[Wait Wut]

70. I hope that means you don't support anyone at all.

Because if you agree with someone 100% of the time, you've been brainwashed.

[_ed_]

50. How about the power to assassinate American citizens

without due process?

"An Obamabot is someone who may disagree with some of the decisions our president has made, but at the same time, knows and understands why they were made. And we support him for them."

OK, I'm dying (no pun intended) to hear why you support such an unconstitutional grab of executive power. And, I assume that you would have supported GW Bush had he claimed the power to assassinate Americans, right?

Your whole post seems to be about what people call you or how you identify yourself. Here's a thought: maybe national politics ISN'T ABOUT YOU. Cue Carly Simon.

Also love this quote: "Now I find out that I’m an Obamabot. That’s someone who defends the current President of the United States, OUR president of OUR country." That sounds like the worst hero-worship and Dear Leader adoration we heard from Republicans during the Bush years.

[woo me with science]

57. Good post, but don't hold your breath

for an answer to that question.

[mikekohr]

51. We All Need To Stick Together, or we lose. Again.

Republicans have won the White House 7 of the last 11 elections.

In spite of the fact they have produced 9 of the last 10 recessions: see http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/p/history-of-recessions.html

In spite of the fact that job creation craters when they are in office: see http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/p/job-growth.html

In spite of the fact the national debt explodes when they are in office: see http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/p/national-debt.html

In spite of the fact that Democrats outperform Republicans on EVERY economic standard: see http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/p/national-debt.html

The President inherited the worst hand of any president since FDR. He's moving us in the right direction. His policies have produced 22 straight months of private sector job growth instead of the free fall of 784,000 jobs being lost per month under that jackass from Texas.

It took 7 years for FDR to lower unemployment to pre-depression levels. It will take President Obama time as well. If we want to avoid the long, painful climb back from deep economic shit holes we better quit electing and making possible the election of Republicans. FDR had critics on the left as well as President Obama. Those critics share three qualities with FDR and President Obama, neither group are always right, both groups are on the same team and have the same goals. And both groups need each other if they actually want to see America prosper.

84% of we "liberals" approve of President Obama. That is a higher percentage than Presidents Clinton, Carter, Johnson or Kennedy had at this point in their 1st terms. Let's not lose sight of that. He is succeeding in spite of his and our collective imperfections.

"Let not perfection get in the way of the possible." -President Barack Obama-

[great white snark]

53. Great, fact filled post mikekohr.

Worthy to be an OP.

Thank you.

:kick:

[Logical]

55. I will vote for him but not donate $2000 like last time.

[BlueIris]

64. I am absolutely cringing reading about how much people donated.

I think team Obama should have to return those donations. I am very sorry you lost such a significant amount of money.

[mikekohr]

66. I can not afford $2,000.00 but I did, have and will continue to donate

what I can. And I will proudly vote for the re-election of Barack Obama to the office of president.





OBAMA and 25 in '12

[Logical]

71. Thanks! I wish I had it back to give real dems!!

[Number23]

61. Great post!

:thumbsup:

[Logical]

54. I would change "knows and understands why they were made" to....

"justify s why they were made no matter what"

The Bush supporters did the EXACT SAME THING and we thought they were nuts.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

56. We need to learn to stick with our party through thick & thin IMHO

like the right-wing has been able to do over the years. Otherwise, after 1-2 terms of a Democratic presidency (when we get lucky), we're going to keep ending up with another 1-2 terms of a right-wing Republican presidency that will undermine and/or reverse the gains of the previous Democratic administration and, based on the evidence, the Republican Party is increasingly being run by the lunatics and fringe instead of the more "moderate" GOP establishment. To the extent that we are unhappy with the President and/or party and their actions, it is up to each of us to write, phone, e-mail, organize, elect better candidates, etc. to ensure that they are doing the best job possible adequately representing of our concerns, views, etc.

[Odin2005]

59. I was an "Obamabot" until the healthcare debacle that proved that...

...Obama doesn't give a damn about anyone but his corporate donors.

[BlueIris]

63. To me, the healthcare debacle proved that he doesn't give a damn about anyone.

Even himself. That nightmare damaged his image so deeply, he'll never outlive it. You'd think he would have considered that at some point in that maelstrom.

[flamingdem]

65. I love that image he he nt

[Hutzpa]

69. All righty then DarthBama

:rofl: