Activist alert. White House Contact information!

[The Hope Mobile]

My understanding of democracy is that we're supposed to let those we elect know when they're making mistakes. Nearly every thread I've read today has people complaining about Bush lite or lack of real change. If you mean it - say something about it. If you want to ridicule activism and real democracy in action - go somewhere else. People are losing their homes, healthcare, retirements, etc., while banks are getting wealthier. We have the right to communicate our frustration and the need for real change as promised. None of us thinks this can happen overnight but we are heading down the wrong path.

Bushco needs to be prosecuted. Plame's case needs to be heard. All voices should be allowed at the healthcare table as promised. Banks/credit cards need to stop robbing us blind with congress's blessing.

If you're as fed up as I am - let them know!! Plenty of you have voiced frustrations today and recently. Apparently they need to know. This is not the change we were promised and Obama seems surprised when people tell him that eg this morning. He needs outside info - not just more Bushies or corporatists whispering in his ear. Lets get the truth out there.

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: [phone]
TTY/TDD

Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

Please rec to keep this visible!!!

[JuniperLea]

1. Wow...

Four months and you are already fed up enough to call and bitch 'em out, huh?

Tell me, how many calls did you make to the WH in the past 8 years?

:eyes:

[Name removed]

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[Pacifist Patriot]

34. I'm not the OP, but....

I think the WH Switchboard operators over the past 8 years eventually learned the names of all of my children, where I went to school, what I thought of modern art, etc.

I'm ready to call up and bitch about single payer health care but that doesn't meant I didn't bitch to Bush about oodles and oodles of things that evil son of a bitch did.

I'm not sure what your response is supposed to imply.

[The Hope Mobile]

37. You rock! I did the same. nt

[Pacifist Patriot]

45. Ha! I had my congresscritter send me a letter that basically said...

"I know I don't represent your interests. You really don't need to contact me any more."

Bastard retired to be replaced by another Repuke. My goal is to get the same letter from his replacement before the end of the year.

[The Hope Mobile]

46. Wow!! Impressive! Mine still tries to convince me that his (GOP) agenda

is more patriotic. I keep working for whoever runs against him but so far, we've gotten nowhere. The man's horrifyingly bad.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

50. I faxed to "bitch him out" him the day after he was elected --

I told him what of his promises I was going to hold him to, gave him some advice, and begged him not to make me throw my shoe at him (totally the truth). I have faxed him repeated over the past few months. Got a problem with an employer telling their employee what to do? :shurg:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. I called them up right now.

I gave them a piece of my mind about how they haven't released evidence of aliens landing at Roswell!

[The Hope Mobile]

4. So you don't agree that we should voice our frustration about

being unwilling to investigate Bushco? You think its OK to promise healthcare and not allow single payer advocates to come to the table? You think its OK to keep bailing out banks and not homeowners? You think its OK to promise credit card reform and then not put caps on rates?
Thread after thread talks about activism - and letting them know that this isn't the kind of change we voted for. Here's a way to do it. We need to put our money where our mouth is.
If he didn't like being told that his policies are becoming very-Bush-like this morning then maybe he needs to hear it some more cuz that's the truth.
Do you want to lose in 2012 cuz plenty people here are disgruntled and that's where we're headed if we keep quiet.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. I think people who compare Obama to Bush should go fuck themselves.

And liars who claim there hasn't been change don't really care about change.

"So you don't agree that we should voice our frustration about being unwilling to investigate Bushco?"

Voice your frustration all you want. It's making me laugh.

"You think its OK to promise healthcare and not allow single payer advocates to come to the table?"

Yes, as long as you deliver healthcare.

"You think its OK to keep bailing out banks and not homeowners?"

I think it's OK to do both, just like Obama's done.

"You think its OK to promise credit card reform and then not put caps on rates? "

Yes, as long as there's reform prevent the credit card companies from raising those rates without just cause, a 60 day window on late payments before the credit card company raises those rates, and an opportunity to lower to the base rate after a period of on-time payments.

"Thread after thread talks about activism - and letting them know that this isn't the kind of change we voted for."

Thread after thread debunks your bullshit- and there's no excuse for you to keep shoveling it.

"Do you want to lose in 2012 cuz plenty people here are disgruntled and that's where we're headed if we keep quiet."

Obama's going to win big in 2012, and there's nothing the teabaggers can do but suck on it.

[firedupdem]

10. I wish I could rec this! Good Job and spot on! n/t

[JuniperLea]

15. Too bad you had to go to the trouble of breaking it down into itty bitty digestible pieces like that

But I'm awfully glad you did! Well done!

[The Hope Mobile]

23. I think people who don't care enough about this country/democracy

to take their responsibility to it seriously should go fuck themselves. This board is full of frustrated people right now. Should we all go fuck ourselves or are you deluding yourself?? Hmmm??

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

24. Then we're agreed.

[The Hope Mobile]

27. Only if you intend to stop mocking activists and people who

take their civic duty seriously. Comparing activists (ya know, like the guys who founded this country) to UFO types is not constructive. There are serious problems here. Dismissing them like we were dismissed about Bush is not going to bring about the change we were all promised. Do you want real reform or cheerleaders for Obama. I worked for him. I have the right to tell him when I'm disappointed or think he's loosing touch. Apparently loosing touch is fairly common in DC. Our voices are meant to be heard. Ridiculing doesn't change that. Do you ridicule Kucinich? Dean?? Just trying to gauge what you think is acceptable.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. Take their civic duty seriously?

:rofl:

[The Hope Mobile]

32. OK sheeple. Go ahead. nt.

Ignore!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

33. People who use the word "sheeple" aren't serious about anything.

You know what President Obama also said?

"This is silly season."

[Fire1]

35. Here! Here!

[The Hope Mobile]

36. Thanks!! nt

[Fire1]

39. That reply was to HighFructose.

[The Hope Mobile]

41. Oh OK - so you like eating crow too. Cool! nt

[Fire1]

38. You sound as though the credit card reforms explicitly

included caps on interest rates. He never promised that nor did he promise homeowners a clean slate on their mortgage. I don't know what you and other ''activists' expected but NO CANDIDATE was or is going to do give you a CLEAN SLATE on credit cards and mortgage. We do have SOME responsibility in cleaning up OUR part in this mess. Here's an idea. Stop using credit cards like free money in a piggy bank. Single payer?? Who the fuck cares if single payer advocates are not at the table, as long as everybody has health coverage? Gov't issued or otherwise. You people sound like whining losers.

[The Hope Mobile]

40. Apparently lots of people care about it. We're not talking about

clean slates. We're talking about real reform that favors people not corporations, big pharma, banks, etc.. I don't have credit cards and I do have good insurance. Many Americans are in much tougher situations and they need a voice. Obama asked us to keep him in line. What are you all (rather - few) so afraid of? That we might get what we voted for? A progressive agenda? That Bushco will be investigated and we'll have some moral standing again? Why on earth would you be against having people use their right to freedom of speech to keep a president in line? Didn't we just go through that?? How'd ya like that??

[Fire1]

42. That's the point. You nor anyone else is going to get a

'progressive agenda' b/c Obama is NOT A PROGRESSIVE. The closest one you had to 'progressive' never made it past the primaries. Yes, he can tell the citizens or dems to 'keep him in line' but knowing what he knows now, I'm certain he regrets that statement.

[The Hope Mobile]

43. He promised to hear all voices and that's what he needs to do.

Not just the voices of the corporations and conservatives. Torture isn't OK. Neither is people dying for lack of healthcare. If he regrets it that's too bad because that's what democracy is about and without it we're screwed. Do you really want another president (who represents our party in this case)
who thinks he's above answering to the people?? The majority want what I'm talking about . . . not the minority. Its his responsibility to do what's best for the country and its ours to keep him in line. If you want a democracy that's the deal. If not you're in the wrong place.

[Fire1]

44. Yes people WANT what you're talking about and they want

it ON THEIR TERMS, THEIR WAY!! It ain't happenin. That's like a drowning man asking for a rope and throws it back cause it's not made of gold. Fuck that!

[The Hope Mobile]

47. If that's what we want and that's what we voted for then we should ask for it.

More like the rope that gets thrown won't actually pull up the drowning person because the rope also doesn't have the strength or integrity to do so. Obama needs to hear that if he does the right thing he will be supported by the majority and that he really does need to go after the military industrial complex, big pharma and the BFEE.

Its our responsibility and our right to ask. If we don't ask he won't know what we really want and will only listen to those who are speaking. C'mon. You know that. We need to be the squeaky wheel if we're going to get the oil. Should we all just give up and let the corporations run over us?? I understand you're trying to be pragmatic but idealists are the ones who bring about change and if change is what most of us want and its what we were promised we need to start holding the ones we elected accountable. If we're wrong and he really does what he promised and what's best then nothing lost, but if by being quiet we're condoning what Bush, Cheney and the corporations did (which is what that would be) then obviously we need to speak. The drones have allowed Bush's crimes and corporate crimes for FAR too long.

[Fire1]

48. Agree, he will be held accountable. Not just to you, me or

his base. His constituents INCLUDE corporations, bankers, investors, small businesses, and stockholders/shareholders, etc. Change is a work in progress that will NOT exclude the aforementioned entities. Thus, we may get what we want but not wrapped in a neat little custom made package. Pragmatism works best for me b/c it resembles reality. The reality that we live in a capitalist society here in the U.S.

[The Hope Mobile]

49. He blew his "political capital". He's squandering "hope". The

corporations have had their chance to rape this country and they did it well. This country's been screwed by the corporations and the military industrial complex for far too long. They're running things (into the ground) and this was our chance to get things on course after years of extreme greed, corruption and mismanagement.
Reality is that he had an opportunity for sweeping reforms, which is what the people elected him for and he's blowing it daily. We needed a Roosevelt not a Bush lite.

There's nothing pragmatic about ignoring the will of the people who got you elected unless you like losing ground in government. If he continues on this course, he will not be re-elected and will be remembered as a huge failure. We, as a party, will lose seats quickly. Real leadership takes cajones and he talked the talked but he's not walking the walking.

You can keep cheerleading blindly but if this continues even you will come around to recognizing this as the majority on this board already have. I hope that it doesn't continue but the indicators are not good. As messed up as things got and as quickly as they got messed up by the GOP, that's how quicly we have to undo the messes, if not MORE quickly because the mistakes that were made (and are still being made) have serious consequences and the window is closing to fix them. Consumer confidence is going to drop as people realize what's happening and that will flatline the economy.

[Fire1]

51. The reality is that the 'change' you're seeking will only BEGIN

with Obama. The change to a progressive agenda will come to fruition between now and 2020 as a direct result of the Millinial progressive voters increasingly coming of voting age and the conservatives die out. I 'hope' I'm around to see it as I'm sure it will be a better society in which we live.

[JuniperLea]

5. That makes about as much sense as the OP

But yours is far funnier. Good job!

:yourock:

[The Hope Mobile]

7. Its the same person. You agreed with me earlier this week so I guess you

can ridicule yourself too. Do you think that ignoring this will make it get better? Reality is that if we ignore it gets worse. Do we want to stick our heads in the sand like the GOP sheeple? Our guy's screwing up and we know it. He needs to know it too.

[JuniperLea]

14. I had a knee jerk reaction...

I thought long and hard on the subject, and I got over it. If the way Obama has set this up doesn't pan out within this calendar year, then yes, I'll go back to being pissed. But for now, I'm content with retraining my amygdala not to leap to conclusions.

[The Hope Mobile]

16. He told us to be the voice. Maybe you're good at knee jerk reactions

cuz your accusations are pretty silly. In a democracy this is the people's job. Nothing about it is crazy except ignoring mistakes that are made and this is NOT what we were promised. Bushco needs to be prosecuted. We need real reform in healthcare, finance, you name it. The list goes on. Have you not seen all of the OTHER complaints on this board?? (Besides your own?) They need to be communicated. Lashing out at people who choose to defend that right/privilege/need so as not to upset the apple cart I guess is short sighted. Not democratic.

[JuniperLea]

19. My accusations are silly?

:rofl:

[The Hope Mobile]

21. That was an understatement. Start reading the other threads/watching the videos.

It is our responsibility as citizens of a democracy to voice our very legitimate concerns. They're all over this board and they're real. They need to be communicated with the WH like this morning and they need to said clearly and often enough that the message gets across. AS HE ASKED US TO!!

Very sad.

[JuniperLea]

25. He didn't ask you to waste his time...

But to be fair, he assumed you were smart enough to recognize a chess game when you saw one. Shame on him for giving some people the benefit of the doubt.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. He also said to put away childish things.

[The Hope Mobile]

28. Like ridiculing people who want what's right? Real reform as promised

is not childish. Your attacks and JuniperLea's were/are.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

29. I don't see anybody ridiculing people who want what's right.

[The Hope Mobile]

31. You were. Look upthread. MANY people here have made similar statements

today and recently about the need to communicate with Obama (including the activists who met with him privately this morning and came away disgruntled) to remind him of what he promised and why he was elected . . . or as many have said, he won't be again. This is NOT me saying this alone by any stretch. Your cheerleading (and I used to be one of them to some degree) is rapidly becoming the minority here among real progressives and dems in general. It is our responsibility to point out that we need to uphold the constitution, take the power away from the military industrial complex, restore this country's moral compass, etc.. Otherwise we are in the same position as the GOP and its blind followers.

You are mocking and its inappropriate.

[The Hope Mobile]

13. Obama asked us to keep him in line. I took that seriously when

I was out working to get him elected. It needs to happen. Sad you don't get that.

[JuniperLea]

17. No, dearie, what is truly sad...

Is your desire for instant gratification. You don't want a president, you want a superman.

He hasn't done anything egregious. Why waste his time on petty bullshit like this? I think you need to step away from the Kool Aid. You seem to be swallowing a lot of stuff that isn't good for you.

[The Hope Mobile]

18. Keep your head in the sand - dearie! nt

[emsimon33]

11. During the campaign, Obama urged us to make him do the right things

when he became president. I think that we need to keep up the pressure so that he has cover: "I had to do it. The people demanded."

[The Hope Mobile]

12. EXACTLY!!! Thank you. A voice of reason!!! He ASKED us to do this!!

Lets do it!!!

[Mari333]

20. I write them daily

but I dont have a huge wad of bills included, so I doubt they care what I write.

[The Hope Mobile]

22. Awesome!! That's why its so important that we start doing them

en masse. I hear you and I agree that having the corporations or banks behind us would give us a lot more clout but if we get loud enough they can't ignore it anymore. No matter how much some here would like to keep their heads in the sand. Keep writing!!! I know there are plenty here who do but we need to build.

[kittykitty]

52. New White Houce Web site "Open Government Initiative" wants to LISTEN

http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/ So speak up!

PHASE ONE:
BRAINSTORM

Share your ideas recommendations on how to make government more open. Vote on proposed ideas or add your own.

PHASE TWO:
DISCUSS

Dig deeper on the ideas and challenges identified during the Brainstorm phase.

Begins June 3rd

PHASE THREE:
DRAFT

Collaborate on crafting constructive proposals to address challenges from the Discussion phase.

Begins June 15th