Chris Matthews made a point the other day that I feel is relevant.

[styersc]

He pointed out the other evening that the presidents who we remember as being modern Progressive Activist Presidents, he named JFK and LBJ, were not actually leaders in progrssivism, rather they were open to taking action once grass roots activists made headway. Once they saw the correctness of a movement, they were willing to expend political capital and the power of the presidency.

I'm wondering if that's not the most that we can exspect from any president. Maybe if we led from the bottom up........

I've been more then vocal in my snarky criticism of our president, but now I'm looking inward to consider what I can do differently.

[Vincardog]

1. What would you change to force Obama to expend political capital and the power of the presidency?

In support of LIBERAL causes?

[styersc]

4. I believe that it is my job, shared with other progressives, to.....

...be well read, and well spoken in my beliefs. Be able and willing to argue against right wing whacko talking points and Fox/AM generated false information. Further we have to pull together to show our numbers (Think Wisconsin).

It's Obama and other elected Dems job to take our voices and put them into policy.

Too many think (Ive been guilty) that electing Obama and other Dems means we don't have to work hard. Just the opposite. It means we have a chief executive willing to listen and act if we speak. Now we have to speak clearly.

Bitching and moaning is static, we need clarity.

[Keith Bee]

2. Yeah, pretty much

K&R

[zalinda]

3. How many protests does it take for Obama to get the message?

How many polls? I'd put up the lovely graphic from Rachel's show, but I don't have a copy of it.

zalinda

[vaberella]

6. Hello!! It's not Obama who needs to get a clue---it's CONGRESS!

Congress needs to hear our voices. Remember if they don't hear us in right-wing districts then the right wing rep won't vote properly when the vote is needed!!

[vaberella]

5. I'm surprised this is news. This is what we should have been doing and no one has.

I stated as much in my post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x653128

[styersc]

7. Read your linked post and you hit it on the head.

Your outline for activism is right on.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. I have been trying to make this point for many months now. Even for the past two years or more.

We need to be on the ground working to get MORE progressives elected at the local, state, and congressional levels.

The Republicans have us beat 3 to 1 on all levels because they mobilize the wingnuts at the grassroots level. This whole Teabagger sham began at that level, aided by corporate interests.

Tweety is right. Organization is where the Progressive Movement used to excel at. We have now ceded that trophy to the Republican Party who learned from us.

We failed to move in 2010 which gave Obama MORE Republicans and wingnuts in the Congress, at the state level with state legislatures and goverships, and at the local levels.

Because change didn't come quickly enough, we sulked and didn't work, and now this is where we are.

Still, more of us are demanding that Obama change. How can he change if there are MORE wingnuts in the Congress? It makes no sense.

Either we're going to get up and fight or cede the battle to the wingnuts. It's really just that simple.