Obama continues to disappoint progressives: Picks fight with Limbaugh, acts on behalf of the enviro

[wndycty]

nment.

God this guy is no progressive

I'm so glad the naysayers warned me about this guy. :sarcasm:

[NJmaverick]

1. It's not surpirsing that the Obama bashers, here at DU, made utter fools of themselves

When you go off half cocked, with out the facts to back you, you are most likely going to end up with egg on your face.

[wndycty]

2. Hey it is imperfect and I FULLY expect there will be times that he sickens even me. . .

. . .but my belief is that after 4-8 years he will make more decisions that make progressives happy than the decisions that make us mad.

I'm still waiting for folks to join me a building a qualitative progressive scorecard.

[11 Bravo]

33. Limbaugh used to go off half-cocked ... then he discovered Viagra.

[NJmaverick]

41. LOL! Good one!

[elocs]

3. I get the sarcasm, but I don't know if it is ever possible to please progressives.

Something always is either wrong, or not right enough.

[wndycty]

5. As a progressive (at least I believe myself to be) I have asked sincerely for. . .

. . .a progressive ranking/grading system so that the term is no longer subjective but qualitative, however methinks few folks will bite on that.

[VenusRising]

6. My husband ranked the 109th Congress in 2006.

Here is his journal entry so that you can see what he did exactly. I will say that the main reason that he started that project was map the votes of the DLCers. I hope you find this helpful.

:hi:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Zodiak%20Ironfist/6

[wndycty]

8. I saw this and thanked him recently for posting it. . .

. . .but I would love a real time analysis.

[kestrel91316]

12. Oh, I consider myself very progressive and I am content for now

to just sit back and watch the man govern. I care about long-term results, and though I may be a micro-manager in my own professional life, I am gonna delegate presidenting to Obama.

[wndycty]

13. How do you feel about launching some sort of ranking system on progressive issues?

:kick:

[kestrel91316]

32. I am too busy runnning a business to launch a political initiative.

>>>>>> off to my next patient

Gonna have to hit up somebody else to do that.

[Kahuna]

14. It is never possible to please progressives. At least not in THIS country. nt

[wndycty]

16. But what is a progressive? I am a progressive and I am pleased. . .

. . .I want a progressive ranking system dammit.

[Posteritatis]

47. This one's very happy so far

Quite a lot out there is wrong or not right enough, but a good enough chunk of those are getting their asses kicked right now that I consider myself pretty pleased so far. I fully expect chunks of my desires for the administration to either not happen or merely get shot down, but several others are already happening, and the perfect is the enemy of the good as regards kvetching about that kind of thing.

[Thrill]

4. Great Day for Environmentalists. Congrats. They waited a long time for this day

[MarjorieG]

31. Kerry, SFRC, invited Gore this Thursday, and will devote committee to enviro.

[politicasista]

37. That's awesome! n/t

[ClarkUSA]

7. Haven't you gotten the DLC/wingnut memo? Why, Barack's really a "centrist" doncha know?

They really, really can't bear to admit the fact that a liberal and his policy decisions could ever be this popular. :rofl:

[tigereye]

18. what else does he have to do?

He signed legislation to close Guantanomo, get the troops home asap, rescind the Gag Rule, make new banking and lobbying rules, stiffen environmental standards, restore Stem Cell research...


that's pretty damned good, I think. :thumbsup: It's such a relief after the last 8 years...

[ClarkUSA]

34. That's the best part of being a liberal under the Obama administration... the lack of worry.

I know he won't be a triangulating DLC sellout like some presidents/politicians. That really is such a relief after the last 17 years
(DOMA, DADT, media deregulation, bank deregulation, etc., IWR warmongering votes, bankruptcy bill, etc. )! :hi:

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. If there is an inverse relationship between the naysaying and progressive

moves from the Obama administration, then I say, Nay-Away.

[HughMoran]

10. I'm just happy that things are going as planned

I get the sarcasm as many were reading his obituary before he was even sworn in, though I'm not usually in favor of "told you so".


So far I give Obama an A.

[HamdenRice]

11. He also just stared down the generals and demanded the war ends. IMPEACH HIM ALREADY!!11 HE'S DLC!

And he hasn't delivered me my free pony yet!!11!

[Occam Bandage]

15. He continues his campaign of unabashed conservatism. Jackass. nt

[avaistheone1]

I am not willing to diss Obama, or my fellow progessives at this point.

Progressives have made everything much better in this country, and will make Obama's presidency much better as well.

[wndycty]

22. I agree but please define what makes one a progressive and one not a progressive. . .

. . .and tell me how Obama is not one.

[avaistheone1]

28. I think progressives are known for checking the rise of corporate power

and abuses and expanding democratic rights domestically. "...Leaders who followed the progressive line on foreign policy created an American nation that was an international leader in an economic, military, and moral sense."

I think Paul Wellstone said it best - being a progressive is being part of “the Democratic wing of the Democratic party”.

The progressives have been people who believed that their politics would improve society and improve the lives of average Americans.

I can't say at this point whether President Obama is a progressive or not. I think his FISA vote in favor of immunity for the corporations was clearly not a progressive vote. Also his most recent vote to give part 2 of the TARP money to the banksters was also a significant anti-progressive vote.

[wndycty]

30. You think that BUT if we had a room of 1000 progressives would we all agree on the definition?

:kick:

[ddeclue]

17. Yeah whatever... I'm personally glad that progressives continue to put pressure on him

and on the Congress too to keep them honest and fighting the good fight.

Had the progressives not been so organized in this election we might be talking about Madam President Clinton, a founding member of the DLC.

:eyes:

[wndycty]

21. There is nothing wrong with pressuring him but telling us he is not a progressive. . .

. . .is kind of fucked up, especially because the phrase is so subjective.

[ddeclue]

39. I don't really think it is all that subjective or

we wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[ObamaRules]

19. People are going to see...

that Obama is true to the underlying ideals that drive true liberals.

[CitizenPatriot]

20. it might be time for progressives

to think seriously about what it means, beyond the causes, to BE a progressive.

Reacting to the msm meme of the day without thought is not progressive. To jump on the bandwagon before the facts are in seems regressive or conservative to me, rather than truly progressive. Instead of REACTING, a progressive ACTS.

Obama acts.

I'm sure he's not going to do everything I want (though so far so great) -- but he is exactly who I elected and he is doing exactly the kinds of sane, rational things a progressive does.

I loved this post:-)

[wndycty]

23. Thanks and I am all for creating some form of qualitative system for determining what and who . . .

. . .a progressive is.

[CitizenPatriot]

36. it would be interesting

My ideas about it actually stem from my studies of EU governments -- not that they are necessarily progressive, but during the campaign, I was making an analogy to the way Obama spoke of wanting "everyone" at the table and the way many EU countries have many different parties represented (right green, left green, etc). Having all of these ideas/values represented sparks vigorous debate. That in and of itself strikes me as more progressive than a specific agenda.

But heck, I don't know; these are just things I think about:-) I'd love to hear your ideas. I imagine it's tough to quantify something which may be more about the approach to ideas than the ideas themselves.

[tigereye]

48. right and left greens? That sounds fascinating!

I love the complexity of European parliaments and general political practice...

[Kalyke]

24. He picked a fight with Limbaugh? When?

Details, please.

[wndycty]

25. He told Republican lawmakers to stop listening to Limbaugh . . .

. . . I think this is significant because we were told he wasn't tough, but picking a fight with Limbaugh takes a pair of big ones if you ask me.

[Kalyke]

26. Do you have a link?

I'd like to read about that.

I did know what Rush said about Obama ("I hope he fails"), but I didn't know Obama told Republican lawmakers to stop listening to him. That's hilarious.

[wndycty]

29. Here you go

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01232009/news/politics/prez_zings_gop_foe_in_a_timulating_talk_151572.htm

[uponit7771]

27. It's good to legitimize Limbaugh, make him the mouth of the GOP and then point to his extremism and

...make the GOP run away from him or embrace him.

If they run away from him they run away from their base, if they embrace him they loose the middle.

Same thing happened with Palin..

[leftofthedial]

35. get over it.

shut the fuck up.

DU--love it or leave it.

[Patchuli]

38. Um, leftofthedial?

The OP was being sarcastic about naysayers. Obama's hitting home runs with him/her too!

[leftofthedial]

40. I was being sarcastic back.

He's doing pretty good so far, isn't he?

[Patchuli]

43. He is amazing us!

Everyday is a little like Christmas. What will we get today?!

[leftofthedial]

44. he's definitely jumping in with both feet.

I hope he doesn't get shafted by his fellow "democrats" like Clinton did when he had Hilary tackle health care.

(BTW, Imagine how different things might be now if the repukes and the proto-DLC hadn't destroyed health care reform back in 1993--over 15 years ago.)

[Pale Blue Dot]

42. I dub you: King Strawman.

Like a coward, you refuse to argue the real points, so you invent your own. Nice work!

[wndycty]

45. Back up the strawman name

:kick:

[Cha]

46. I'm a Progressive who's

really glad we don't have a facsist regime anymore and who's looking at the big picture.

And, taking advantage of the websites of the Obama admin that gives us a chance to communicate what we don't like.

[sohndrsmith]

49. Perhaps he has an added subliminal goal that, by drawing attention

to Limbaugh and keeping him in the news, enough of his followers will actually realize what an obnoxious boor he truly is...

all part of a brilliant plan... : ) heh...

(I couldn't resist)...

[4lbs]

50. There are a handful on here who seem to be unable to say anything good about President Obama.

I would figure that 99% of their posts complain about something.

[Armstead]

51. Oh please -- that's the kind of mindless crap that hardens opinions

I fully support Obama and wish all the best for him.

But I also believe that what is most important is to tackle the core systemic issues that have brought the US (and world) to this sorry state. And many of those issues have been either ignored by the so-called "centrists" or bad policies have been pushed by them over the years..

meanwhile, the "progressives" were among the voices who have been consistently correct on many issues over the years. Not perfect, but generally progressives saw this crap coming and warned about it in many specific cases (globalization, consolidation, deregulation, Iraq, etc.).

When Obama veers into the "centrist" camp, I'm gonna complain. When he does things right I'll be glad.

But I am sick of the mindless hero worship that some here feel obligated to impose. That is the kind of shit that hardens the "roles" of Obama supporter or critic.