Bad play Barack.
Look I know you're an earnest guy with good intentions but as a politician you have a lot to learn. Whatever your personal thoughts on the tone of the lefties, you don't do yourself any favors by throwing a stink bomb chock-full of DLC talking points at bloggers. These folks are very upset right now, and (hint) it really doesn't have anything to do with Roberts. Many truly believe they are seeing the wholesale dissolution of the country happening right before their eyes, and are desperate for someone, anyone to step into the breach and shout enough is enough. The ravenous lions of the left are absolutely craving red meat, and to show up in the cage with nothing but a flimsy chair and a whip is asking for big trouble.
I mean, my God. In the last month, for the first time since the Civil War, we lost an entire city! And not just any city: an historical treasure that was a center of commerce in the New World when New York was still a Dutch trading post. We lost the city that gave us our music - the city where the American soul was born. We also lost, I might add, a city of predominately African-Americans who were left to starve, drown, and rot because of atrocious fiscal and operational mismanagement by the opposition party.
Yet with the NOLA tragedy fresh in the minds of all and acutely felt by the folks here at DKos, the only African-American serving in the US Senate shows up to, of all things, admonish lefty bloggers for their criticism of those who voted in favor of the Bush's choice for Chief Justice? Wha???
Where are your priorities man? Where is your perspective? Where is your relevance? Most importantly, where are your political instincts?
What could you possible hope to gain with this silly diatribe? Lefty bloggers (and the many more who read them) are an increasingly important segment of your base constituency. You, my friend, have managed to become the new darling of a lot of them. Why on earth would you squander such enormous and valuable good will with such an ill-conceived and unneccessary post?
As much as you may sniff at their 'tone', many of the people here are ACTIVISTS who care passionately about this country, and who will sacrifice their hard-earned MONEY and TIME for the politician who speaks their language. They are looking for leaders with answers to critical issues, and will gladly follow (to the White House?) the guy who steps up and delivers. Yet not only do you show up to the party empty-handed (a long-winded equivalent of "it's hard work"), but worse, you fretfully hector them for their passion. Huh???
And if your political judgement is faulty, your timing is even worse. Roberts aside, we lefties were having a pretty good week before you showed up: what with the big march as well as all the indictments, hearings, and investigations of GOP corruption. There was a real feeling of building momentum and a great sense of solidarity. But then along you come and throw a big, ugly wrench in the wheels of the bandwagon. Now we're back to bickering amongst ourselves about course, direction, tone, blah, blah, blah. Who needs Karl Rove to sew division when our our own leadership will do it for us?
What on earth were you thinking?