Courage to Dissent: Attacking Obama vs. Criticizing a Choice

[Mithreal]

Fellow Progressives, please have the courage to dissent.

I could wait until after inauguration to question the PE's rhetoric and choices but I have higher expectations of him.

There needs to be balance between giving him the support he needs but also pushing him to be Progressive. DU'ers who cannot find this balance and take every criticism of PE Obama personally are a peculiar bunch. Don't think for a minute that the rightwingers and massive corporations are not pushing him away from us. I am not naive enough to believe he will be able to keep all his promises but I do not want to hear him backpedal now.

A criticism of PE Obama is not a personal attack on the man. Politics is hardball, right. What I have seen more frequently is angry DU'ers personally attacking fellow DU'ers that question Obama's choices. For those that cannot stand to read the criticisms of Obama, newsflash, those criticisms do not tear him down. DON'T YOU THINK HE IS STRONGER THAN THAT? Don't you think his support is stronger than that?

I do not believe PE Obama is a Progressive on all issues. I really hope I am proven wrong. For that to happen he needs to have the chance to govern.

If you plan to remain silent about every choice Obama makes, trusting his intelligence and decision-making to be better than yours, then IMO you are doing a disservice to the DU community and are abandoning your freedom to dissent.

THIS ELECTION WAS supposed to be ABOUT US.

It is time Progressives had the COURAGE to stand up. If you do not have that courage, then support those who do question. At the very least do not try and stifle their voices. Sometimes those who doubt will be right, sometimes wrong, but I for one am here for a lively debate.

Recently I questioned my Congressman's voting record and was told by two of his 'senior' DC staffers that we could pass laws that weakened protections for citizens because, "all would be well soon and we could TRUST President Obama not to abuse the new powers" - loosely quoted. At the time WE did not even know Obama would win. I should not have to TRUST a President. That is why there is a Constitution and three supposedly coequal branches of government, right.

I have hope for America's future, but if one has faith in government, Gore Vidal calls that someone a fool. I am worried, call me a worry troll, that a small but VERY VOCAL number of Obama supporters here are still acting like members of something like a personality cult. PE Obama does not need you to attack fellow Progressives for questioning his choices. PE Obama is a man, not an infallible KING. He will make some bad decisions and you cannot always defend those or rationalize them. I am a strong supporter and I worked harder than many here to get him elected, but my eyes have been and will continue to be wide open. I say many but I cannot truly know. I am, however, unemployed and gave 40 to 60 hours per week and not just in the last few weeks leading up to the election. I fought for this win, it is mine too. I have the right to criticize, I put in the sweat and I am a responsible citizen. I realize folks who I offend will ignore me, flame me or like in the past send lame email to my DU inbox, but this needs to stop. We are a nation of laws, not of men, even one so gifted as PE Obama. This is our country. Please have the courage to dissent.

Also, please stop whining about the LEFT attacking PE Obama. IT MAKES US LOOK WEAK. And being on a Progressive discussion board this kind of talk makes us sound ridiculous.