It's been a long time since I wrote anything on Daily Kos. After the raving sucess of my last diary, I decided I should probably stick to reading. But at this time, I feel I have to speak up.
I just read the Pinhead diary by Bob Johnson and I have a problem with it. It appears to take the high road, chastizing "both sides" for participating in a "wankfest". But as I see it, it is nothing but a slightly different twist on the same ol same ol crap the Obama apologist always dish out - "STFU".
This one only has a new twist because, since the vast majority here have finally awoken from the hope coma, it's no longer possible to bully Obama critics into submission. Now this poster tries to get everyone to STFU. Of course, the Obama apologists really like this diary since they never had a defense in the first place other than trying to silence critics.
It's really fun to watch because over the years of reading this site, I've really grown disgusted with Obama supporters. People have real issues about the Obama presidency and governance. They're not doing it because they hate Obama. They're doing because they really, really care about what's happening to our world and, as far as we can tell, when it comes to changing things for the better, Obama has simply sucked. He's to the right of Nixon on almost everything. Which means he's wrong on almost everything.
But every time someone protests one of the countless White House transgressions, they get attacked personally with ad hominem attacks - including such disgraceful accusations as "it's because he's black".
I, as largely an outside observer, can state without doubt that the vast majority of the anti-Obama side at least try to be respectful and keep it on the issues. And almost all of the pro-Obama side use the most despicable methods of attempting to silence their opponents. Some will try and argue substance, but it is rare. Most Obama defense posts aren't a defense at all. They are throwing their own poo on the wall.
There are numerous variations on STFU I have observed here, from "that's been diaried a million times" or "this is a Democratic site so go toi Redstate if you want to criticize the president", to outright trying to censor speech with hide rating that are nowhere close to meeting the criteria for a legitimate HR as defined by the FAQ.
This diarist is just another jerk trying to shut people up who he doesn't agree with. Calling people "pinheads" and making out like the people who are criticizing the president are just a bunch of wankers writing "inane" but is simply a reworked version of some post that has been launched six to seven thousand times already is nothing more than deception.
The "arguments" used to defend Obama have been used a thousand times: "he's got this, trust him." Or, "Obama's super duper smart and even though it looks exactly like he's working against progressive policies and FOR right wing policies, it's really just that he's playing 11D chess."
These arguments have been used 1000x because that and ad hominem attacks are all they've got.
Obama critics, on the other hand, always have new things to criticize because the Obama WH is always doing new, stupid shit worthy of contempt.
So it goes like this: Obama sells us out, yet again, so people get pissed and speak out about it. Then Opologists attack people who are upset by telling them to STFU, go somewhere else, or just accuse them of secretly being racists. Shitfest ensues.
To someone who is dimwitted, it may appear that there's an equivalency there. Or to someone who really doesn't agree with the criticisms in the first place.
But what you really have are two groups - one who sincerely cares about what's happening to our people and our country and our world. This group doesn't give a shit if it's president Obama or Clinton. They just want the stupidity, corruption, and downright evil of the status quo to end.
The other groups cares about issues too. Just not enough to let them interfere with their lovefest of Obama. And so, it seems, no matter what he does, no matter how antithetical to everything the progressive community has always believed Obama is, they defend him at all costs.
Now, some of the proBama crowd were never progressives in the first place. Who knows what their angle is. But it ain't saving the world from corporate invasion. We can know this because, judging by their own diaries, the only thing that ever seem to get them upset is people criticizing Obama.
Look up the posting history of almost any of the usual suspects, the ones who seem to have nothing to do in their life but attacking Obama's critics at Daily Kos 16 hours a day, look up their posts and what do you find? Posts about bankers ripping everyone off? Posts about how insurance companies deprive children of health care? Posts about any of the major injustices in the world and what we need to do to fix them?
No. Though there are some exceptions, the vast majority of the Obama defenders who seem to dwell here day and night write about how stupid/evil/unfair Obama's critics at Daily Kos are.
So I reject the premise of this diary that there's some kind of equivalence between the two sides. In fact, one side was right and one side is wrong.
We were right that Obama's appointments to his administration were a bad sign and not part of some brilliant 11D chess strategy. Turns out they were exactly what they looked like - assholes who should never have been put in public office.
We were right that Obama's economic policies sucked and would result in NOT protecting the very people Obama was elected to protect - namely the working classes.
We were right that Obama's flip flop on FISA was a bad sign and not, as it was claimed, Obama's brilliant calculation to get elected so that he could then undo all the criminal, unconstitutional, and downright scary shit the Bush administration put in place.
Instead it was merely foreshadowing of more complete sellouts and reversals to come.
We were right that the health care bill without at least a "public option" would be a scam givaway to the very murderers who had been rip[ping everyone off in the first place.
The "Defenders" will cite cases of people being helped by the Healthcorp plan, but they will ignore the fact that the plan didn't acheive one single objective that Obama layed out during his campaign. Insurqnce companies are continuing to rip people off and already have figured out how to rig the system to keep refusing coverage to millions of Americans.
Anyone who defends the turd of a health care bill reminds me of Baghdad Bob who assured the international community that America would be resoundingly defeated against Iraq. It's really that bad.
And we were also right that holding the Bush administration, and all their corrupt cronies and contractos accountable was more important than ALMOST anything Obama had to do.
And what do we have no? Bush making a comeback. Reinventing himself, reinventing history. Just in time so another Bush, or someone from that gang, can pop back onto the political power scene for a whole nother round.
SO instead of America facing its mistake of letting criminal run the country, we let them go so they can do it all again.
Stupid? Or just an accomplice.
The good thing about the progressive movement is that eventually, however frustratingly long it may take, the wrong people will lose credibility. That is what has happened here. So now the wrong people want to start their own site where they can just sing Kumbaya all day long without dissent.
Good riddance. These people are enemies of progress. And when they tell you to STFU from criticizing your government, they are the enemies of democracy itself.