And thank you Eric Stetson for being pro-freedom pro-American unlike all the Obama supporters.
http://eric-stetson.dailykos.com/
Recently on Daily Kos there has been a growing divide between "Obamabots" or "Kool-Aid drinkers" on the one hand, and "purity trolls" or "haters" on the other hand -- or in more civilized language, people who believe President Obama is doing a great job and should be fully supported rather than criticized, versus people who believe he is straying from his campaign promises, moving too far to the right, and thus deserving of strong criticism from progressive Democrats.
Jeez, no idea where this is heading.
I have my own leanings -- more toward the critical camp
Gosh what a surprise! Who'd a thunk
-- as my comments on other diaries and stories have shown. In this Thanksgiving diary I would like to expand upon the comments I've already made and explain why I think everyone should be thankful that President Obama is receiving increasing criticism from a segment of the progressive base.
Yes, do tell why we are so bad for supporting a Prez doing exactly what he said he would do. I am already ashamed of myself for supporting him when the going get's tough. Thanks for helping me familiarize myself with how I am so wrong.
* Eric Stetson's diary :: ::
*
First of all, let's review the main reasons why the so-called "purity trolls" or "haters" on the left, as they are labeled by President Obama's strongest defenders, are criticizing our president more and more strongly. In many cases, they are simply sincere progressive Democrats who voted for Obama but have become disappointed on some or all of the following issues:
So-called. So-called where? "Purity trolls"....wtf????
Yea, his "strongest defenders, are criticising" him because in 10 months he has not cured world hunger and cancer.....and where is my damn pony. He promised me a pony! I contributed $10 to his campaign and I expect a pony! See if you only waited like 4-6months and then started criticizing him then your not a strong defender. Your just a wannabe. But 10months.....yea that is long enough. Time to let your critical flag fly! Ok the issues, yea let's get into these issues that have not magically gone away in 10 months.
- Financial and economic issues. A very large percentage of Americans -- including many progressives -- believe that President Obama has been too friendly to entrenched interests on Wall Street and in the financial industry; that he is not being bold enough in pushing for accountability and reform to ensure that plutocratic financial institutions will never again bring our economy to the brink of collapse due to corrupt business practices; and that he is not doing enough to reduce the high unemployment rate by creating FDR-style public works and jobs programs to rebuild American infrastructure and get people back to work.
Yea, I totally agree, except for the 700billion stimulus, the reduced taxes on low/middle incomes, the end of the Bush tax cuts for the rich. The mortgage reform. Oh, healthcare reform. Just off the top of my head.
But none of that accounts for anything because he hired Geitner and talked to the Bankers who maybe know what some of their in house problems might be. Nah, we need to say to heck with the Bankers, fire them all and hire construction workers to run the banks. Kill 2 birds with one stone I always say. Clearly these are not actions of someone who cares about main street.
- Civil liberties and civil rights issues. Many progressives are frustrated that President Obama has not allowed investigations of high-level Bush administration officials who authorized torture; that he has not yet closed the Guantanamo Bay prison camp; that he has not fixed the FISA surveillance program to conform to high Constitutional standards of judicial procedure; and that he has not repealed DADT to allow gay people finally to serve openly in the military.
Ahhh yes, let's just poison the well shall we. Let's just forget about healthcare reform for now. DADT which affects 1% of the population should be a much higher priority than something that affects 100% of the population and is largely responsible for the massive deficits. And why stop there. Let's have war crimes trials. Clearly that will enhance the already cooperative mood in Washington. Right at the beginning of his term. Yea, that would be the smart move to get things done that really matter.
- Health insurance reform. Polls show that the American people want a public option in the health insurance reform bill. However, President Obama has said in speeches that although he supports a public option, he does not consider it an essential part of the bill. Many progressives believe this stance, along with Obama's refusal to aggressively use the bully pulpit of the presidency to push for a public option and his courting of Republican legislators such as Sen. Olympia Snowe who wants a trigger, sent the wrong signal to wavering senators who are now seeking to filibuster a bill that contains a triggerless public option.
So you missed the 20+ speeches Obama gave saying he supports a public option? Going as far as saying he thinks single payer has merits. Stating "for all the forces opposed to healthcare reform, I will fight you". Clearly those are the actions of someone sucking up to the right and looking weak to his opponents. But, I totally agree he should be using the bully pulpit more aggressively to push for a public option. That is EXACTLY how you should herd cats. Run up behind them making loud noises and bashing 2 garbage can tops together. This is the suttle technique to cat herding people just don't get! The people who think the best way is to put out some food sit back and maybe pet them a bit when they brush up against your leg are fools.
- War in Afghanistan. Recent news that President Obama has apparently decided to escalate the war -- taking the advice of Republicans and hawkish advisors rather than progressive Democrats who advocate beginning the process of withdrawal from an unwinnable war that has already gone on for eight years -- has caused a tense relationship between progressives and our president to go from bad to worse. Many progressives feel that Obama would be making a grave mistake to follow neo-con strategy of ramping up a war in a distant, chaotic, pre-modern nation that has been known as the "graveyard of empires," especially while our own nation is going through the worst economic recession in decades and we could be using the money to fix our own problems.
There is a "tense relationship between progressives and our president"? Granted, Pelosi and Boxer always look kinda tense. It was so bad and it's just getting worse. Yup, you totally nailed it. Just tenseness all around. "Graveyard of empires" which is why all the tenseness I suppose. Of course Obama the great listener and student of history is not hearing any of that which is why we need people like Eric Stetson around to set him straight. Not all those silly advisors of his, civilian, military, historic. All of which have been there on the ground and are briefing him daily. Clearly they are not getting the information people like Eric Stetson is from the mass media which are the ones who always give us the best information.
So now we come to the real point of this diary: why all progressive Democrats -- whether you agree with the above criticisms of President Obama or not -- should be thankful that such criticisms are being vocally made on this blog and elsewhere.
I'm soooo sorry. I see the error of my ways now. Thank you for setting me straight. I bow before you.
The reason is, politicians rarely change course unless they face the prospect of losing reelection. Right now, President Obama seems to think he can drift as far to the right as he wants, without facing any electoral consequences for his party in 2010 and for himself in 2012. If this is what he thinks, he is dead wrong.
Yea, Obama has terrible political instincts. I mean really, what has he done lately besides winning the presidency after a 2 year campaign of telling the truth and continuing to tell the truth and showing his integrity each and every day to his core with each and every thing he says and does. Time to throw away that playbook and start makin things up and fearmongering. That's how you win elections. Just ask Karl Rove!
Definitely drifting to the right. Healthcare reform so everyone is covered, reduced taxes on low/middle income, repeal Bush wealthy tax cuts. Lilly Ledbetter (sp?). The list is far and long and every single one of those things is clearly the actions of a fake lefty just trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
The official unemployment rate is over 10% and the real figure, including people who have given up on even looking for a job or who can only find part-time work, is much higher -- maybe even approaching 20%. Even the people who have full-time jobs are feeling the pinch of difficult economic times. Many people are lacking affordable, high quality health care. Many people are angry that huge banks and financial companies were given multi-billion-dollar bailouts and that ordinary people seem to have gotten little or nothing in the way of help from our government.
All clearly Obama's fault. The global economy on a nosedive like a runaway train before he ever even got into office and over 10months later the global economy is still struggling. If only Obama acted more like a lefty we would be at less than 2% now. Never mind the 700billion stimulus which he just barely managed to get passed by the skin of his teeth. He should have just declared martial law, disbanded congress, and made it 5 trillion. Soooo stupid that he didn't do it that way. Typical right winger that he is!
In such a climate, it is not beneficial to President Obama for liberal commentators such as Chris Matthews to be comparing him to Adlai Stevenson -- the stereotype of "eggheaded" Democratic politicans who have no fire in their belly to fight for the working class and are polite and deferential to entrenched powers that be -- as he did on his show recently.
Urrrum.....yea ok let's blame Chris, it's pronounced Cheeeeeney, Matthews now. Someone who only cares about the politics of anything and is wrong half the time and has Pat Buchanan on there as a regular commentator. Yea, a real detrimental force to the Democratic political machine.
In such a climate, a perception may develop -- may already be developing -- that President Obama is too "establishment" and not enough real "hope" and "change." In other words, that the skeptics during the campaign were right and he was mostly about soaring rhetoric rather than really becoming a transformative leader who would use his power to implement bold progressive policies.
Too establishment????? Where to begin considering Obama was BY FAR without a doubt the least 'establishment' of all the candidates! Someone who came from no money, no political influence. Where do you get the whole 'establishment' connection????? Your REALLY reachin now!
In such a climate, the American people might be very susceptible to the appeal of a folksy, populist Republican politician who could successfully present himself as an "America first" candidate claiming to speak for the concerns of ordinary working people: somebody like Mike Huckabee in 2012.
Your forgetting about Palin dude. Now THAT is presidential material right there let me tell ya boy oh boy. She clearly has a strong base of 15% of the 20% of the people who still dare call themselves Republican. But I agree Huckabee is a real potential political powderkeg. I mean he has his own show on Faux and everything. He went to Israel to critisize the prez. He came in what...#3 after McCain and Romney. Clearly there is something there.
The fundamental mistake of President Obama seems to be that he's developing an image of being too friendly to the moneyed class on Wall Street, the process-driven politicians in Washington, and the advocates of neo-con foreign policy (troop surges? -- who would've thought!). As a result, people may come to believe that he cares too little about ordinary folks and small businesses on Main Street, the great mass of the American people outside Washington D.C. who want a strong leader to solve our nation's problems, and who instinctively realize that now is not the time to focus on military adventures and nation-building abroad while our own society needs reconstruction and redevelopment right here at home.
Yea, it's not like Obama did not say Afghanistan is the right war and Iraq is the wrong one over and over and over again during his campaign. Something he continues to say and is following through on. Clearly a flip flop.
So be thankful that people on the left are criticizing President Obama loudly and vigorously. Maybe the White House will hear some of this criticism and realize that they risk losing the Democratic base -- and even losing the American people as a whole -- and putting Obama's reelection in jeopardy. Maybe as a result of this, they could still change course and ensure that our president will win another term to complete his ambitious agenda.
Once again, we thank you to the bottom of our hearts for opening our eyes and removing the rose colored glasses.
Many of the people who criticize President Obama, such as myself, like him, support him, and believe he has the potential to be a great president. We're just concerned that he is squandering his opportunity. We don't want to see such an intelligent and capable leader who came to power in a historic election during especially difficult and pivotal times become just another mediocre, one-term president -- and one who dashes the hopes and dreams of a new generation of voters who hungered for real change delivered through transformative political leadership.
He is a lot of things but 'mediocre' is not one of them. But I appreciate your concern and lack of trust. Keep second guessing and throwing up straw man arguments if that's what works for you.
Don't disappoint us, President Obama! Hear the voice of the disappointed and adjust your course accordingly. We want to believe.
Yea, Obama should not continue to do what he said he would do or else we will continue to distrust him??!! WTF?!
Poll
Is criticism of President Obama from the left something that progressives and the White House should be thankful for?
Yes. -- Such criticism can help President Obama to reevaluate his decisions and priorities, implement a progressive agenda, and make him more likely to win reelection in 2012.
75% 3 votes
No. -- Such criticism needlessly divides Democrats and should be stifled, to prevent damage to President Obama's political reputation and reelection chances.
25% 1 votes
It depends on how harsh the criticism is.
0% 0 votes
Undecided.
0% 0 votes
Other. -- Please explain in comments.