Is this a phase, or is this "it" for the whole term?

[Lisa0825]

Will it get better once policy decisions are being made, and things are improving in real life? Will this be a phase, or will DU become a site that is primarily for hating Obama's decisions? I don't mean criticizing some of them but for every single one to be beaten into the ground. That's what it has felt like since the afterglow wore off.

I understand the criticism for the picks for cabinet and for the inaugural, but it just seems like this place is about 85% negative now, and just not exactly pleasant to hang in anymore. I hope it's just a phase. I am starting to miss the days when the majority of barbs were directed at our opposition.

[babylonsister]

1. "Is that all there is?"

Nah, I think 'this' is a bunch of people scrutinizing every last decision made at the moment and voicing their opinion.

When Obama and his admin start getting into the 'meat' of what needs to be done, it will either be great or not enough. The scrutiny will continue.

"That's what it's all about."

[anndash]

2. His choice of Warren just put

a cloud over his inauguration which should have been a beacon of hope for the future of our country. Instead, a bigoted religious fanatic will share the stage with the first black president. It is utterly disgusting.

[Lisa0825]

5. Actually, there has been mostly negativity since he began cabinet picks.

Everything he does is wrong if DU is your sole source of info. This didn't begin with Warren. I understand the justified anger about Warren. I don't like him either, but I think it's less important than actual policy-making. But every pick Obama has made seems to get panned by most of the posters. It's tiring.

[anndash]

9. Actually, I don't have a problem with the Cabinet

because I believe Obama will be "in charge" and it remains to be seen what the consequences of his picks will be there. However, choosing a bigoted, hateful, religious fanatic to make history with you on the same stage at such an historical moment is nauseating - to me- and many others who tried to forgive him for kissing Lieberman's butt. Too much butt kissing ruins the image I have of "change."

[readmoreoften]

10. Please point out something he's done right.

I like his idea for a vast jobs program. Unfortunately, I don't trust him not to make it "more centrist" by privatizing the program and creating $8 an hour non-union jobs for contractor middlemen who get all the tax money.

[Lisa0825]

12. I guess you answered my question.

If you can't pick one thing you think he's done right since winning, then I doubt you ever will throughout his term(s).

[readmoreoften]

14. I did pick one thing he's done right. I just said that I don't trust him to actually do it

given everything else he's done.

Job creation is critically important. If he does it without pandering to corporations, he'll have my vote on that alone. But I don't expect him to. Why would I?

[stillcool]

15. Huh? You are unhappy..

with the things he hasn't done yet, because you think that he won't do them the way you want? How certain are you about your vision of his future? And here, I'm still not convinced he'll be inaugurated.

[anaxarchos]

17. The "vast" jobs program...

...is 2.5 million jobs over two years (half of what is needed)... at the price of $1.2 to $2 trillion in "stimulus"... or between $500,000 and $800,000 PER JOB.

Sorry to pour gasoline on your fire but read Stiglitz.

[Bravehammer]

3. Is there a positive spin to put on this decision?

[Lisa0825]

8. That's not my point.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

It's just kind of a next-to-the-last-straw feeling... every single decision seems to be met with extreme negativity since the cabinets picks started coming out. I guess I just finally got tired of it today, but that in no way is meant to indicate approval of Warren as a pick. I just wish there were more posts about good things going on (Jackeens' photo posts seem to be about all there is lately).

[gristy]

4. What % negative was it yesterday?

82%? I don't think so. Reading your post, it appears you think that DU is negative against Obama all the time and has been for a while. I disagree. It was only yesterday that the majority of barbs were indeed directed at our opposition.

This Warren pick is a BIG DEAL.

[silverojo]

6. Then you haven't been paying attention

There's been a LOT of complaining about the cabinet picks.

[anonymous171]

7. During the Bush regime, DU became a catch-all for anyone who hated Bush.

Democrats, anarchists, progressives (Naderites), and Paultards all have settled in here.

[Chovexani]

21. Do you even know wtf you're talking about?

DU was founded in January of '01 as a place of refuge on the net for Dems who hated the status quo, to work/vent against Bush.

The only group you listed that was not here from Day One was the Paultard demographic. This site has NEVER been about propping up Dems with no criticism whatsoever. The only reason we have that rule against bad mouthing the nominee was because of the psycho Dean fans in 04 losing their shit in every Kerry thread once it was clear he would be the nominee.

The ONLY thing that has always been against the rules in terms of slamming Dems is actively working against the party, ie telling people to vote for Nader, etc. Those anarchists, Naderites, etc were perfectly welcome here as long as they followed that rule, and many have been fine members of this community for years.

[readmoreoften]

11. Far as I'm concerned, we need a hell of a lot more "it".

You court progressive and make a hard turn to the right, you get the criticism you deserve. Dance with them that brung ya.

[stillcool]

13. everything is a phase..

I go through a tune out phase every so often. Delete all my bookmarks, remove the site from my favorites. Sometimes I get really pissed and delete all the political files on my computer, delete all my bookmarks..everything. I hope I've learned my lesson not to do that anymore, because sooner rather than later I'm back in the saddle again, and it's a bitch finding all that stuff again.

[Lisa0825]

16. A-HA! There is a name for this feeling....

Shiver posted it on another thread.... I am afflicted with "Outrage Fatigue." It doesn't mean that I blame any one particular brand of outrage. I am just tired of the seemingly neverending supply of it.

[bigtree]

18. somewhere toward the end of the archive of GD

. . . there's massive glut of the positive (unresponded to) posts that you are looking for. The complaints always get more attention and rise to the top of the page.

[Chovexani]

19. Sorry, but I think you're at the wrong site.

It's never been a hallelujah chorus here. The primaries were an aberration, and I'm sorry you got the impression from them that this is somehow welovedemocratsandneverquestionthem.com.

Underground. Okay? It means we are not mainstream, and we do not go along to get along. We're inherently a site of dissenters.

[Lisa0825]

20. There is a middle ground possible....

between hallelujia chorus and 24-7outragefest.

[Chovexani]

22. If you really think this is a 24-7 outragefest

You are hopelessly naive.

Again, you're obviously new. Lurk more. Please. The post-primary lovefest was an abberation, and anyone that's been here long enough knows that. You're begging this site to be something it inherently has never been about.

[Lisa0825]

23. Now that I saw your comments above about the previous primaries...

I understand that you and I will never agree on much.... You apparently still harbor a lot of negativity from primaries of the past. Move on.... life's short.

[stillcool]

24. That's not true..

there are times when this place has been thoughtful, very informative, and posters actually have polite discussion without all the hyperbole, and caustic language. I swear, I remember it. You know, like when the topic is something other than Obama.

[whoneedstickets]

25. If it is, I'm gone.....

I'm an active reader but occasional poster and sometimes donor and if this continues I won't be around long. I suspect most who share these sentiments won't bother posting before they cease visiting.

[rvablue]

26. You know what is SO ironic.....I think almost all of the Hillar primary supporters including myself

are more optimistic and hopeful than the Obama primary supporters.

I am over the moon at Obama becoming president.

My first whiff of discontent has been the Warren thing, but I am still waiting on that to see what will happen....although I have refused to post on any of the other threads b/c I AGREE with the unhappiness over the decision.

[JCMach1]

28. I agree... many of us Hill supporters have cut Obama a lot of slack

Waiting to see his policies as opposed to the appearance of what is going-on. However, Warren doing the invocation is a blatant slap in the face of everything progressive.

Obama deserves a big FUCK YOU for that one!

[WritersBlock]

27. I have a feeling it's "it."

But then, as was pointed out upthread, you are obviously new here, having only been a member since 2003, and I myself have only been here since 2004, so I guess we're both just hopelessly naive newbies who need to lurk longer.

The one thing uniting DU throughout its entire existence has been opposition of the Bush administration. That's gone now, or will be soon. And so I think we're just beginning to see how very diverse the membership of this community actually is, because now, without that commonality, the differences in opinion are starting to really show up.

But old habits die hard, if they die at all. The Democrats are back in power, so there's no common "enemy" to rail at anymore. We start transferring the vitriol previously directed toward the Bush administration to each other, and woe be unto those who are not sufficiently offended at each new transgression, for it must mean they're not sufficiently progressive.

In other words, now we start eating our own. The freepers must be loving it.

[Shiver]

29. I've been angry for eight years.

I'm sorry, Rick Warren is a horrible postule on the face of humanity... but after an unjust war built on lies that nearly killed a good friend, the ban on stem cell research, the desecration of the Constitution, warrantless wiretapping, the Patriot Act, torture, hypocrisy, trickle-down economics, corruption, oil company handouts, environmental rape, No Child Left Behind, blurred separation of church and state, attacks on women's rights, attacks on gay rights, attempted anti-gay constitutional amendments, a horrible recession, treason, stolen elections, ignoring global warming, millions of lost jobs, health care crisis, human rights violations, The Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, Katrina, "Heckuva job, Brownie!", "Mission Accomplished", "Freedom Fries", "Bring 'em On", "Not with us you're against us", massive secrecy, shunning allies, cronyism, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Ashcroft, Gonzales, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rove, McCain, Palin....

...

...I just can't find the outrage for a guy who's gonna pray for thirty seconds.

I've spent eight years being angry. Call it Outrage Fatigue, but anger gives me horrible migraines, and I've had one a week on average for eight years now.

[fla nocount]

30. FISA n/t