The fierce urgency of defending Obama — against the left - Peter Daou

As a lifelong Democrat and progressive activist, I’ve spent years going after Republicans and conservatives. I worked for John Kerry and went head to head with my counterparts on the Bush team. I marched in countless anti-war protests and incurred the wrath of the 101st Fighting Keyboarders. I’ve canvassed door to door for environmental groups and had doors slammed in my treehugging face. I’ve engaged in flame wars in conservative forums. I’ve blogged since the beginning of blogs, attacking Hannity, Coulter, Limbaugh, Savage, O’Reilly.

But never have I seen a more fierce reaction than from fellow Democrats when I criticize President Obama. It is a visceral anger, deeply personal, and sadly, it is directed at progressives who set party aside and critique the White House on principle.

I’ve finally realized the crux of the problem: it’s that many of Obama’s defenders are ignoring the difference between campaign mode and governance mode. In campaign mode, my job as a Democrat is to cheer my candidate on, to work overtime to get them elected. That’s exactly what I did when my former employer, Hillary Clinton, dropped out of the race and endorsed Obama. I was in constant contact with my friends on Obama’s campaign, helping (informally) with blog outreach and strategy. I did everything I could to help elect him and when all was said and done, here’s what I wrote:

As a Democrat who left one career behind in 2001 and made politics my new one after Bush was elected, who vowed to fight every wrong-headed policy foisted on America by the Bush administration, I feel a profound debt of gratitude to Sen. Obama and his family, his campaign, his tireless and devoted staff, and his volunteers and supporters across the country. As well to Hillary Clinton – who was true to those who respect and love her, proving the detractors wrong and crisscrossing the country on behalf of the Obama-Biden ticket – and to her supporters, volunteers and staffers who joined hands with their primary opponents and worked around the clock to arrive at this amazing day.

more: http://peterdaou.com/2010/08/the-fierce-urgency-of-defending-obama/

Enough already. Hillary lost. He needs to deal with it.

:rofl:

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agree with him. I did not agree with him back then, in fact I would have been one of his 'adversaries' as Hillary's position on the Iraq War was not something I could or wanted to 'get over'. But now, I see his point completely.

This president is and has done some very disappointing things not least of which is to bring back into power many Republicans giving them jobs that those of us elected him, intended to go to Democrats.

n/t

the extra, replicating post, I mean!

The "Peter worked for Hillary" line is so old and tired by now, but it shows up in every single post. And each time, the person who writes it thinks it's some deep insightful comment.

he claimed the most nasty and unhinged hate mail he has received has been from hysterical Obama supporters and I believe it.

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"when my former employer, Hillary Clinton,"

Reminds me of the poutrage some show(ed) over calling her by her first name when "Hillary" was all you could see all over her campaign material.

:shrug:

"That’s exactly what I did when my former employer, Hillary Clinton, dropped out of the race and endorsed Obama."

Pete the sour puss.

"I was in constant contact with my friends on Obama’s campaign, helping (informally) with blog outreach and strategy. I did everything I could to help elect him..."

Some people have moved past 2008 and are focused on fixing what's wrong today, but clearly others can't help returning to it to make a shopworn point.

Lol, and the very people he was referring to rush to prove him right.

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Obama is governing pretty much exactly as Hillary would have... and Peter would not have been criticizing her at all.


yawn...

but rather based in bitterness or possibly the result of a paid propaganda machine. From my perspective, Obama isnt God, and he isnt perfect, but hes pretty damn good.

Frankly the intensity of the outrage seems pretty irrational.

by the republicans...That really helps everyone get along.


mark

which is that in a fascist regime, force of violence is used to maintain control. In a democracy, propaganda is the tool of choice. The elite will always work to ensure that the working class fight amongst themselves. some of you have so faithfully taken on your programming that you think that it is your duty to create dissension and to be destructively critical.

Propaganda is always at work and the "angry left" is that new incarnation.