I am a lifelong Liberal Democrat raised in a strong Union family. For most of my life it has been easy self-identifying as Liberal because I resided in states both on the East and West coasts that were Blue and where I was in the majority. Several years ago I relocated to a Southern state which when I moved here was still pretty red but has lately trended purple. Canvassing for John Kerry in 2004 was, I have to admit, a really eye-opening and sometimes terrifying experience, and being openly Liberal meant I was very much an outsider here until Obama came along. But, even though he won here, I am still in the minority in what remains a Conservative-leaning state. And I think Progressives need to wake up to the reality that Obama's win was no mandate for Preogressive ideals---not even close.
Self-proclaimed "disillusioned" Progressives are in truth delusional.
Let me say that I am under no illusion that this diary will not be pummeled by the usual "Obamabot" comments from the many posters at Daily Kos who still cling to the belief that having a Democrat in the White House and a majority, slender as it is, in the House and Senate is tantamount to hitting the Lottery and just sitting back and cashing in. They claim to be "disillusioned" by a President who hasn't given them everything they wanted in the brief two years he's been in office. It doesn't matter that he has done more in two years than the last Democratic President did in eight to move forward a Progressive agenda. In fact, he is being pilloried for not having undone a wrong committed by that very same President while he was also heading a majority Congress.
First let me disavow my fellow Progressives/ Liberals of the notion that we are the reason Barack Obama is President. The truth is Progressives couldn't even get Ned Lamont elected in a supposedly deep Blue state or win Martha Coakley Ted Kennedy's seat for that matter (You can claim she was a bad candidate, but was she anywhere near as bad as Sharron Angle?). And they failed to kill the anti-gay marriage initiative in the heavily Democratic State of California. In fact, when Joe Lieberman won Connecticut as an Independent, he did it without a single Progressive vote. Not only did this make him less obligated to the Democratic Party, it gave him the go ahead to pursue an even more Conservative agenda. Does anyone really believe that a Democratic Party-backed Joe Lieberman would have openly stumped for the Republican McCain? If you do, then you don't understand politics or politicians. Even Gene Taylor, the Democrat from Mississippi, didn't openly stump for McCain though he now says he voted for him. Progressives created the Lieberman Monster, set him free, and then saddled Obama with him. So when Progressives complain that Obama didn't strong arm Joe like he did Dennis Kucinich, by going to his district and browbeating him over the Healthcare Bill, they have only themselves to blame. Obama could go to Kucinich's constituency because they lean Left. But Joe had nothing to lose. He owes the Left nothing.And so what if his re-election chances are dimmed; he still has four years to do as much damage as he can to the Democrats and, in return, reap the rewards of either a cabinet post in the next Republican administration or a seat on FOX or MTP.Of course, I supported efforts to seat a Progressive in Joe's seat. But, as with any action you take, their are repercussions if you fail. And we have all had to deal with the fallout of that failure, especially President Obama.
I have often been reminded by posters here who criticize President Obama regularly that Democrats, unlike Republicans, do not follow in lockstep with their party leaders. And while this may be a source of tremendous pride, it also should serve as cold comfort that it is then ten times harder for Democrats to get anything done. What the great disillusioned here and elsewhere fail to grasp is that it isn't just Progressive Dems who don't follow in lockstep; it is Conservative Dems as well. And, sadly, there are more elected Conservatives (DEm and Rep)in office today than Progressives. So the ball is in their court. I, for one, am grateful we have a pretty good ballplayer on our side who still manages to score despite being double and triple teamed. Unfortunately, there are too many here who'd rather take their ball and go home because his shots are not all three-pointers.
To my friends in the Progressive LGBT community I say by all means sit out the midterms in protest over Obama's failure to grant your wishes the moment he entered office. I am sure this will have much the same result as sitting on your asses did expecting Californians to just grant you the right to marry because you simply assumed they would. I mean, it is California--who knew you'd actually have to work for it?!
It took Conservative Christians, on the other hand, ages before they realized Bush and the Republicans weren't going to just wave a wand and overturn Roe V. Wade. They didn't abandon Bush after two whole years of waiting. Instead, they just kept working to elect more and more Conservatives until they had enough to at least start winning little things like stopping Stem Cell Resaerch, pushing Abstinence Only programs while defunding Birth Control and Sex Ed programs, etc. And they still haven't given up. Just look at the Tea Party candidates.
But Progressives, especially in the LGBT community, are ready to wipe out all the progress made over the last few years, when they are on the verge of achieving their goals, because Obama just didn't push their issues to the front of the line. The repeal of DADT, if not orderly, will create an even more hostile environment for gays serving in the military than currently exists. If you don't believe that then just ask any of the women or blacks who were on the front lines of integration into our armed forces. And neither of those integrations happened during the conduct of two wars. The military is not exactly teeming with Progressives.And it speaks volumes that Obama has been able to get both SecDef Gates and Adm. Mullen on board. Because he knows that in the military, where the leaders go, the rest will soon follow. The biggest hurdle he faces is with the Marines. An act of Congress will go a long way to alleviate that hurdle.
You can chastise President Obama for not giving "full-throated" support by stumping for the repeal of DADT and DOMA, or in favor of the Public Option. But to deny that his doing so would have had zero effect is delusional. While this may have made you feel better about him, it would have, to borrow a phrase, "emboldened his enemies" and likely halted progress that has already been made by working behind the scenes. Obama taking the bully pulpit would have only ginned up social Conservatives and added more fuel to the already scorching cable news fire. He has already been torn apart for pursuing Healthcare Reform instead of "concentrating on the economy and jobs". Just imagine the heyday they would have had if he'd been out there pushing DADT and DOMA repeal? I mean, everyone knows that when you've lost your job and the bills are piling up the thing that really keeps you up at night is how tough the gays have it. And if you believe that just FOX NEWS and talk radio represent Conservative media, you are once again very naive.
While it is claimed that MSNBC balances FOX by being the mouthpiece for Progressives, this is total bunk. There are certainly no Progressive commentators on MSNBC from morning until Ed Schultz, then later with Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow.Joe Scarborough and his sidekick Mika, as well as Dylan Ratigan are all Conservatives (though Mika claims to be neutral). Andrea Mitchell is a journalist and so also claims neutrality, and I do admit she remains pretty balanced. But Chris Matthews is not a Progressive. He is, like many of the people I now live amongst, a two-time Bush voter who leans Conservative but supported Obama because he is seen as a pragmatist and, frankly, they like the guy and the whole idea of being on the right side of history. And the newly added LAWRENCE O'Donnell, while appearing Progressive, is actually more Conservative leaning than you'd expect. Just revisit some of his views after 9/11 and on earlier Morning Joe appearances.
Conservatives continue to march pretty much in lockstep. (Though there are rumblings now appearing within the ranks.) They have the majority of the media (contrary to CW) leaning their way, with FOX and talk radio overtly campaigning on their behalf. States, like mine, who voted for Obama still elect only Conservative Republicans and Democrats to Congress, believing they share their Christian values and sense of fiscal responsibility (something neither the voters nor the polticians they hire really practice). As I go door-to-door I continue to hear the same mantra: they want better services, but less taxes; Medicare and Social Security, but the government out of their business...etc.
And it's hard to see how we can ever turn things around unless we find a way to pull together.