My father, 73 years old, amazed me 2 years ago when he told me that he was volunteering for the Obama campaign and going to meetings to see what he could do to get him elected. He emailed me while I was abroad and told me how inspired he was for the first time in a long time. Like me, he was optimistic and eager for change.
He'd never been a Democrat. Always a right leaning independent.
So it saddens me, especially because I know that his health problems won't keep him around for many more years, to read an email this morning that said:
I pretty much gave up on the Democrats when they caved in on the public financing part of the great health overhaul. Then with the continued prostituting to get votes, see Ben Nelson, et al. the whole initiative started to stink of old corrupt politics. How could leadership not understand that favors for votes would not be recognized and rejected by the most average of American? And the pandering for Republican votes even after the clear (could it have been clearer?) message that no matter what concessions were made there was going to be NO Republican participation. It was never even an issue about what or whether health care reform would benefit their constituents or the American public in general, but was an agenda to discredit Obama and the Democratic Party - pure and simple. And incredibly they are still talking about maybe there will be some moderate Republicans who will recognize the need for health care reform and will vote for a plan. How dense can you get?
And the total numbskull Coakley going on vacation shortly before the election? Incredible!!! The Obama brain trust so lauded during the campaign as such incredible plotters and planners who are ‘surprised’ that the tide was shifting as dramatic as it did. "Oh, I guess we should have done a better job of anticipating what happened." No Shit!
It's hard to find a place to begin here. For months I've wondered when our leadership, especially Obama, would start fighting. When they would stop rolling over. Failing to forcefully address attacks on themselves, their party, their priorities, their policy. OUR party, OUR priorities, the policies that WE'RE passionate about.
A lot of people are upset and writing about it. Some people on this site respond by saying that they aren't giving up, that its only year one, that people like my dad and I are playing right into the hand of Republicans. YEAH WE ARE! And we will continue to play into their hand right through the midterms. As it stands, I believe Democrats will lose the house this year and I think the party would consider themselves lucky when they barely hold the Senate. We are playing into their hands, so party leaders: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama is WEAK. Of course its not too late to flex muscle and demonstrate legislative and governing competence. All I want is for him to come out publicly and demand up or down votes on his nominees and his priorities. But what do we get? A speech. A pretty weekly address on camera where he talks. FIGHT GD IT!
Remember Bush and judicial nominees? Every single time he was on camera he always managed to mention how Democrats were obstructing and demanded an up or down vote. I think he got it.
I've digressed. The point of this diary is that Obama and his advisors are losing people like my dad, independents who are uninspired. He is losing his base, like myself, at an accelerating pace. I'll still vote Dem in 2010, but there are a lot of people who won't.
Please Please PLEASE Obama, be an asshole, be a jerkoff, be a tough guy. Sure, it'd be nice where we could live in a nation where we can govern nicely, but it's not right now. Stop protecting pharma and corporations. Stop pretending that you can do things with bipartisan support. They have broken you and you (and our party) look pathetic.
Start. Fighting. My dad's final comments on the subject embody well the feelings we all have:
I still like Obama as a person. I think he a genuinely good person, family person with good intentions for the common man, but he and his crew just have not done the job and is being recognized now. His hands off/let Congress do it on their own policy is naive at best. He seems to have no balls for using the bully pulpit and it is going to cost the Democrats dearly in future elections.
I’ve had it with enthusiastic politics. Won’t vote Republican but may not vote Democratic either. Don’t care about the qualifications, I’ll vote Libertarian or Green or Independent if they have a candidate and let the chips fall where they may. People votes won’t count anyway.