Crossposted from The People's View
I concur that there are a number of so called progressives in the Professional Left who are in the business of bitching all the time about anything this President does. It seems like what they really want is for him to fail. "If he fails, then they were right! If he succeeds, they are proven wrong" and they just don't want to be wrong. That is it. It is about them more than moving a democratic agenda forward regardless of the many small step forward move we are making or have made.
No kind of good accomplishments can be good enough for them. These includes the bitching pundits who are in the business of improving their rating stature by any means necessary even if it will cause a destruction to the Presidency while catering to the Hippies, the loud ones.
These people were never on President Obama’s side to begin with. It seems they just wanted to make history saying they had voted for the first African American Presidential candidate and now think it is ok to tear him down since they have made it to the history book.
Some of these progressives have contributed their money and time working for something that they thought will come true for them in a snap. To their disappointment, they never took political limitations in our politicking into the equation. Most don't even understand the political process let alone about how a Bill is passed in Congress. However, all the money and time they contributed makes them feel like they own the man. Of course, out of their privilege most often. How dare he select William Daley for Chief of Staff or Jeffrey Immelt to chair the new Council on Jobs and Competitiveness without our approval?
They seek drama more than anything. They have figured the only way to get people to stay glued to listening to them is by caricaturing the party they claim to belong. Hey, why not? This Administration is "Punching the Hippies" so let's go on punching the hell out of it. A mean spirited attitude that reminds me of the Republicans but none of them would try to hear a different perspective because they are predictable. There outrage is not about rationalizing the choice in what it can contribute to pushing the promisesthis Administration has made but rather the detest they have for anyone associated with Wall Street and Corporation. May I remind them, there are good hard working people in Wall Street and good Corporations that employ millions of Americans?
Some of the most vocal critics of this Administration are ex-Republicans with their new found progressive creed. Nothing wrong with being an ex-republican and act like a true Democrat.
But hell yeah, there is everything wrong about being an ex-republican and acting like the Party of NO.
Some of these folks are not a fully baptized Democrats. Some have never taken a full course of what it takes to be a Democrat. In fact, many have skipped few classes to fully obtain their Democratic membership card. Some have paid their way to buy a platform into blogs after skipping the course on a subject matter like Party Loyalty and Principle. A class that teaches to walk and chew gum at the same time.
Some of the critics are baseless it seems it is founded in a deep rooted dislike that goes all the way to the primary campaign. Some do have legitimate concern that is fundamental to their believe system so they take out their descent on the good things being accomplished and discrediting the good. They ask, what have you done for me lately instead of asking what have you done for the future of America lately? It is inconceivable to see a Democratic president to be criticized for something like the choice of Chief of Staff by fellow Democrats ex-Republicans or those defected White Liberals who do not believe "Obama’s policies would help the nation in the long run". Some are calling to primary him as if there are legitimate leaders that would top out President Obama that has an intersectional solid majority support unless their intent is to tear him down.
I often ask the question, how can you build a united progressive coalition. I have been asking that question for at least the last 20 months and I have realized progressivism is a taboo bullshit name. It is open for any kind of interpretation to fit a certain narrative so that folks can depart from the core Democratic principles Democrats stand for.
So called progressives who do not acknowledge and believe in the progress made to date have never had or will have the back of this President. They might as well go to their libertarian or Naderist dump if you ask me. They are just whiners who love to bitch non-stop indeed and don't really represent the "base" of the Democratic Party let alone comprehend what it means to be a Democrat. All they know what to do non stop is scream that the Democratic Party must be destroyed in order to make progress or their kind of radical progress they claim has no political limitation.
One good example was the intolerant and ideologically extreme personalities of so called progressives like Glenn Greenwald and others like him who displayed outrage on the recent CoS appointment of William Daley. Greenwald in his articlepretty much summed up his true objection that the choice made by the President was not radical enough to satisfy his ego which BTW is impossible to satisfy but in his opinion, it was just a terrible choice pretty much because our enemies like Karl Rove and the ideologies of Commerce Department liked the choice as such we, as pragmaties, should automatically be against it. The notion Daley had some past connection to Corporations and Wall street can not however be looked at as a way to bridge the ideological divide to advancing progressive agenda.
Rationalization made by Eric London that Greenwald skipped over, in the article titled The Smart Choice, makes four key arguments about why Daley's appointment is the smart choice:
- He's from outside the Obama bubble. In terms of bringing in new blood, rather than just rearranging the chairs, Daley is as close to the new guy as Obama could possibly get within the president's comfort level. With the Daley/Chicago connection, he isn't a total outsider to the Obama world. Yet he doesn't bring preconceptions, notions, scars or baggage from the last four years of campaigning and governing.
- He brings a preexisting political network to the table. Daley's relationships to fundraisers, businesspeople, and officeholders will be very helpful to Obama in the next two years of governing. From his work in the private sector and politics, Daley can bring new surrogates and supporters to the table to help make the case for the president's policies, a significant weak spot in the White House operation up until now.
- He has prior political experience as an executive. Daley has run a presidential campaign and served as a cabinet secretary. He understands the dynamic of serving the president, but won't be cowed or wowed by his prior relationship with Obama or the power of the office. He has been a leader in his own right, and will have more gravitas outside the White House as an emissary for the president as well.
- He has prior Cabinet experience. Daley understands the complexity of running government agencies in D.C. and the interplay between them and the White House. From his new perch, he will help make sure that all assets are firing on all cylinders in support of the president's, not the specific agency's agenda. Daley is a seasoned, experienced hand who can spot evasion or excuses from the bureaucracy immediately and get things back on track quickly.
While a new Chief of Staff is hardly a panacea for the many challenges facing the president, someone with Daley's assets will help him reinvigorate and reset his leadership in 2011.
I will take that wisdom and run with it.
However, if it is not Daley's choice that makes these folks "itch to bitch", the truth is it will be something else like Greenwald put it, Obama caters more for "Wall Street, corporate interests, conservative Democrats, the establishment media [and] independent voters". Must he not appeal to all and do the best he can to bridge the gap to have Corporations and Wall Street work for the people instead of against the people?
We have accomplishedso much and pragmatism has won as we have saved or created as many as 3.7 million jobs across America via the Recovery Act; empowered consumers and investors, putting a stop to predatory lending practices and bringing shadowy Wall Street trades into the light via Wall Street Reform; stopped unfair credit card practices banning retroactive rate hikes while implementing new protections for students and young people via Credit Card Reform Act; implemented new emissions and fuel efficiency standards for American cars and historic investments in clean-energy technologies to building a Green Energy Economy; invested in America’s auto industry preventing hundreds of thousands of job losses via the effort to rebuild the Auto industry; and many more like HCR, Repealing DADT, START Treaty, ending Combat operation in Iraq and returning 100K US troops home are a few notable items accomplished that should be embraced.
I doubt the "Professional Left" those that "itch to bitch" would have the audacity to embrace anything this Administration does.
In fact at dailykos some of them are having a screaming party showing the usual dissatisfaction that is the norm by saying, how dare he select Jeffrey Immelt to chair the new Council on Jobs and Competitiveness without consulting with us? One commenter thinks, "Obama is putting together a kick-ass American job destruction team none better in the world to ensure a new Dark Age for our part of the North American continent." and says, "Wanna bet that I won't be voting Democratic in 2012?"
Keep foaming at the mouth is all I have to say to some irrelevant political juveniles.
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PS: The mentioned name in the Title of this post (TrumpDog) is a blogger at the Peoples' View and a damn fine one.
Follow me on twitter @GoodSpeedRacer
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