Memo to the left: Hands off President Obama

Friday, December 10, 2010; 7:05 PM

By Colbert I. King

____It's unlikely President Obama could emerge from a time-consuming and costly primary fight strong enough to run a competitive race against a Republican Party that is expected to be energized, united and determined to take back the White House in 2012.

Republicans would have the Democratic left to thank for that.

Make no mistake, however: If the left costs Obama his presidency in 2012, the Democratic Party as a whole will lose out.

Sabotage the nation's first black president and the Democratic Party might as well bid farewell to its most loyal base of supporters: African Americans . . .

The 2 million more blacks who voted in 2008 than in 2004 because of Barack Obama? Say bye-bye to them, too. As for African American women, the group with the highest voter turnout rate in the 2008 presidential election? Don't even ask.

And why should they stay with a Democratic Party that turns tail on a president who's trying to lead a fractious country through one of roughest patches in its history . . .?

Perhaps those on the purist Democratic left - not one of whom could have won a presidential race in 2008 and not one of whom can make it to the White House in 2012 - refuse to recognize what Obama has accomplished in two short years, even in the face of rock-solid Republican opposition. His supporters know better.

And make no mistake, those Obama supporters - not those faux Washington friends, but the rank and file around the country - will take note of his treatment by the left. And they will, if necessary, repay.


full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/10/AR2010121005182.html

. . . this is King's perspective. It's not necessarily an argument I might make. But, wow.

and is starting to stink.

Not as long as nobody presents any other options. And I mean options, things they'll take responsibility for and will apologize and be held accountable for if they don't work (if they even have a goal at all), not just things that make them feel good to do.

So far, nobody has suggested anyone who either wants to run or who has even a slight chance of even winning the nomination.

If you're convinced of this, who do you have in mind. Without a viable option, there is no option.

It saddens me to see that among intelligent people. Complain about jobs being exported, but don't start up small businesses that have the goals of community service, worker empowerment and profit to keep the doors open and workers earning great salaries, bonuses and having great benefits. It is far easier to complain than to figure out how to make a profit so that salaries and benefits are paid every two weeks like clockwork. Complain about damage to the environment. There are people are out and about REALLY doing something about improving stewardship of the environment, but that is so, so hard, so why not just complain. Complain about big fossil fuels and their obscene profits and raping of our land, seas and sky. There are alternatives that are environmentally friendly and community oriented, but need us to choose to spend a few more bucks out of our pockets each month to make them viable. Oh phooey, it's easier to complain.

even a primary against Obama.

I support a primary challenge anyways because it would kill dead the president's pragmatism and bipartisanship. He'd have to swear no more compromises, and forsake pragmatism or bipartisanship to come out of any primary with enough Democratic support to still win reelection.

In short, a primary means a forced move to his left/a forced abandonment of his current turf.

He could of-course forestall the calls for a primary by just being the president we hoped for; a president that would stand up the right, not capitulate faster than his lapdogs can spin it.

It's as stale as it is asinine.

So far no one's proved this one false, nor is anyone willing to provide another option and be brave enough to be held accountable for it's consequences.

consequences of your unabashed support for and shilling of Lieberman in the '06 Senate race and your sanctimonious chastising of those who supported Lamont?

I went on to advocate for Lamont in the general, but I did caution people against the strategy of painting Lieberman as a Republican (because it only gave him free advertising to real Republican voters, to the point that the Republicans in that election largely ended up voting for someone with a strong pro-choice voting record). I thought a better strategy was to advocate Lamont as a better Democrat, or advocate Lamont's position on Iraq as being better.

I guess "unabashed" does apply in some sense because I was open about advocating Lieberman, but I did say that I actually would rather have Lamont in the seat even when doing so. My support was strategic because Lamont left a big enough hole of undecided voters in the electorate for Schlesigner to walk through according to the polls. When I'm asking people to vote strategically, remember that I'm giving up some of what I want too, to avoid losing even more.

They can't possibly win without the "purist" Progressive vote.

I second this. :applause:

. . . he's a bit skewed in his reasoning. He sure sounds mad tho.

because DLCpublicans don't give real liberals shit all the time as it is.

I don't see any likelihood of a primary challenge and would not support one. But as to the rest of the article, how repugnant can you get?

kindly restrain yourself.

Yeah, sure, he is. :eyes:

it is quite obvious that more than 15% of liberals on DU oppose Obama?

15% is the correct national figure. It is wildly off as a figure for DU. So you think he's talking about DU?

If you call out liberals who arguably oppose a proposal by Obama and NOT OBAMA, then you capture one heck of a lot of DUers in that derision.

Now I guess I'm only talking about those that post (rather than those that lurk). But wouldn't you say just based on your observation that whatever the real percentage is (we can't know for sure), it is higher than 15% on DU?

a primary. I must absoluteley challenge you on your statement that there is a "HUGE" number of people on DU who want him primaried or.....

Where is the evidence of this HUGE number?

The rules state that it's against the rules to vote against Democrats. I am speaking out against no one who hasn't been told that they shouldn't be here.

or those that oppose Obama (which assumes there is no difference between opposing a policy and opposing Obama)

'playing the race card'.

Amazing, isn't it?

I can see an independent stepping in the General and pulling the independent and disgruntled left and causing Obama to loose the general.

I can also see Obama stepping down and Hillary running in 2012. Either way he's a one term president.

He's completely hung the base out to dry and you can't win a general if your own base wont' support you. No repuke on the planet is going to vote for him and indies are going to vote I or R. So he's basically fucked himself.

So the WO can say whatever bs they want Obama is his own worse enemy.

I couldn't see that coming. :rofl:

I'm a fourth generation yella dawg and I grew up with a Party that cared about the poor, the workers, the oppressed, and the sick.

I'm pretty sure I have it right and Mr. King (if that's his real name--really? Colbert I. King?) has it WRONG.

the right, the middle and the left. I'm sticking with the left. The poor, the workers, the oppressed, and the sick, they don't fucking exist in the new party. They are considered to be whining cry babies.

There are more moderates in the party than there are liberals. The democratic party does not win without moderates and independents. No democratic President in the last 80 years has been a liberal. FDR? Read up on what FDR was willing to fight for and what he shied away from. JFK? Read up again. JFK was a pro-business, avid cold warrior, whose lukewarm embrace of civil rights was moribund before he was assassinated.

I am not happy with Obama's lack of backbone and his fixation on polls instead of solid democratic principles. But I certainly will not, as a moderate member of the democratic party, tolerate a primary challenge of a sitting democratic President. If a challenge comes and the liberal somehow win, expect me to not contribute money and sit the general out, even if that means democrats down the ticket lose. If the far left want to commit suicide, I am more than willing to pull the trigger.

Yes, it's a big tent, but the Party I knew and loved supported certain ideals over the privileged few. I don't see that anymore and I'm disgusted (and I'm hardly a radical lefter--I can't effing stand FireDogLake and its ilk; they are too radical for my taste).

But because I am moderate, I view every angle of an issue before taking a principled stand. My principles are no less legitimate than those of liberals or those of the far left. From reading their posts, it seems like my political bent is somewhat in line with that of MineralMan and Bigtree, to name two whose posts I have read.

that "label"?

Why bother when our agenda is already dead? When the party is already losing seats and influence purely on these lovely "centrist" initiatives?

spin then.

Well, that is at least a thought that passed through my mind today, as I called my Senators and other Senators, most of whom are held to be Progressive, and I felt the fear they had to support Bernie Sanders and stand up for something extremely valid against something extremely questionable.

For me, to me, for me, for most Americans, in my opinion, the Democratic Party is all but dead. Perhaps it really does have to expire or be put out of its misery for something better and valid to rise from the ashes.

And this is not my natural disposition. I was no Naderite, I will tell you that. But I am plain out, flat out disgusted, that is no lie. And the Democratic Party and certainly this President, do nothing for me at all right now.

Now it's 2 separate party's under one (increasingly) fraying tent (a corporate, and popullist one) that's about to go up.

The democratic party has for ever been a fractured party, which, except if embrace of slavery by the majority of it's members, pre Lincoln, has done more for america that it's counterpart post Lincoln.

:rofl:

Soon, our "tiny percentage" will be the majority position for liberals.

Obama is done.

Tesha

Too bad it's ones that are used against their own supporters but you can't have everything. :shrug:

it should consider doing more to distinguish itself from the right.

I vote my principles, and the party needs to reflect those principles if it wants my votes and money.

Threats? Threats? Good strategy.

will take note of his treatment of the left. And they will,if necessary, repay. So suck that.
Don't ever, ever fucking think I will give my vote because it's demanded, fuck that, my vote will be earned and I sure as the fuck am not afraid of the boogy man.

:kick:

I think we've seen generational change in black voter patterns that aren't necessarily associated with the President. I can't see them abandoning him if there's some silly challenge from the left at primary time. I'm not sure if Mr. King is correct about who they'd be hurting; or even who they'd blame and what their reaction would be. This doesn't sound thought out or realistic.

This is hilarious. People are outraged when another group of people uses the SAME TACTICS that they have been bleating for at least ten years!

Well this black man hate to tell the DLC folks this but Obama has already lost a lot of support among blacks. Especially young blacks (both men a women). So who knows. It might be them that may spark the challenge.

But hey, keep pulling that scare tactic BS you know so well.

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When did wanting to do what's right become a frivolous indulgence. :eyes:

struggling middle class African-Americans don't feel betrayed? There are far fewer African-American m/billionaires to benefit from the rewards of the 'compromise'. Middle class African-Americans were a target group for many of those shady home loans on over valued property. A large percentage are now those families facing foreclosure.

Of course, there are leaders like Rev. Sharpton on the outside advocating in support of the President.

in effecting "change we can believe in." And in that, he may have done us a great service. Maybe that's the winning move in his 22 dimensional chess game.

for primarying Obama (who you do not consider to be on the left).

October 31, 2000 and Ralph Nader will declare that he is out of the race and anyone that planned to vote for him must vote for Gore. But we all know that want happen and that eight dark years would descend upon the nation. But, dream on, dream on.

And whoah whoah has that gotten some of you riled up!

Which, according to you, makes them "splinterists" and therefore racists.

Yes, the CBC has issues with the compromise and said so. Most of us have an issue with more tax cuts for the rich while the country is in so much debt. But you've never heard the CBC yelling that Obama has betrayed us all and deserves to be primaried. Do you see the difference? The far left's disagreements with Obama have become personal and usually involve hateful attacks that seem borderline racist to many observers.

The loudest racist voice speaking in this thread is Colbert I. King in the OP. Write a racist opinion piece accusing people who disagree with you of being racist. It's profound...profoundly inane.

White Obama loyalists are institutionally racist too.

Honestly, I've never heard of either one of those terms ever used before this week and I'm pretty old. Am I just not keeping up with the latest terminology or are they just making this stuff up as they go along?

This attitude that the left will be badgered or denigrated into heeling for the president is probably his administration's worst idea, and they've had a lot of bad ones.

People (like you) are of course going to SAY you won't be swayed by reality. But when the time comes, the vast majority of people who claim they'll vote third party months before an election actually don't. Polls bear this out every time.

Of course no purported third party supporter would admit that publicly. But all people are doing here is acknowledging reality.

You can't speak for me or any of us who disagree with you.

There's more to an election than merely voting. You can kid yourself, but he's losing the left by his weak leadership and his scapegoating the left.

x

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As an African American I am so sick of people telling how I'm going to vote. We are not a mindless monolithic voting group. I know other African Americans that is highly upset with Obama and they are debating on if they will vote for Obama in 2012. As a matter of fact there are complaints that he is not doing enough if anything for the black community. So stop it with the broad brush assumptions.

The truth is that 85-95% of African Americans support Obama every single week Gallup polls. That is a fact. No one is saying you are in that 85-95%.

A few miles away from Obama's neighborhood. Outside of the older folks they have expressed disappointment in Obama. They feel that he is not doing enough and I for one agree with them. He is doing more for the rich and powerful than for the people who put him in office to begin with.

to them, too."

A bit after the fact, isn't it? How many of that "2 million more" came out in November 2010 to vote for Democrats in the House and Senate?

Seriously, how many of those black voters have seen their lives improve so far? If voters -- ANY voters -- feel dissaffected, it's not because of the "left", it's because nothing of substance has actually "changed" in their lives -- except maybe to get worse. And it has fuck all to do with the "left".

Unrec for unmitigated bullshit.

sw

After all, objective data bears out that Obama's approval among African Americans is 85-95% every week -- among ALL adults.

The percentage of the electorate that was African American was 11% in 2010, and 10% in 2006 (the previous midterm). This midterm actually had HIGHER turnout than all recent midterms. Your argument is not at all consistent with reality.

If, as you say, black participation in the 2010 midterm election represented an increase, then obviously the "left" hasn't caused any damage to that voting bloc by their criticism of Obama.

So, which is it? The "left" will suppress black votes for Obama in 2012 as the OP infers? Or the "left" has no effect on the black vote?

Democratic party if Obama gets primaryed.

You can't have it both ways, so which is it?

Do you agree with the OP that the "left" is going to suppress black support for Obama?

Or are you supporting your own argument ("Obama's approval among African Americans is 85-95% every week...") that black support for Obama remains unshaken?

No one's going to beat Obama in a primary, at least from where things are now. And if Obama is our candidate in 2012, how does King propose to punish "the Left" without harming his reelection chances?

Hey, I made sure I voted. And I voted for Dems. But our side did as poorly as it did because too many people who voted in 2008, in all demographics, just didn't think this round was all that important. The only people who showed up in any droves were the dregs and fringies and nutcases who carried the day because the larger numbers of good guys, including African Americans, SIMPLY DIDN'T BOTHER. And those who didn't are as guilty of setting Obama up for failure as anyone else is, including those of us who are being chastised so much at the moment.

"And make no mistake, those Obama supporters - not those faux Washington friends, but the rank and file around the country - will take note of his treatment by the left. And they will, if necessary, repay."

And here we have DU'ers trying to convince us that Obama isn't a centrist, that he supports progressive ideas.

.... African-Americans are as disappointed in him as anyone. This guy is full of shit.

Black people, Latinos and other minorities are hurting more during the Great Recession than others.

If their conditions continue to worsen they will not be voting for President Obama.

Yeah right. Thats what this is. We are mad because we want to sabotage the presidency. It has nothing to do with bad decisions, bad policy, bad appointments, bad compromises. We are all just too fucking blind to see how great Obama is for liberals. I should just go away and leave the country to the likes of you. Which as soon as my kids are out of school you can count on. That should make your day. Pretty soon you can get rid of all those nasty liberals and you and Obama's supporters can whine about how we abandoned you because we are so stupid we just couldn't see how great the country was doing.

me?

Unless of course you agree with the OP. :evilgrin:

. . . and angry, it seems.

... it's called the Democratic Primaries of 2012.

Who the fuck runs the DLC anyway????

There are no do overs for professionals. You get one chance to use your landslide. When you blow it, it's gone.

Hence, if Obama wants the votes of the left he should try appealing to us rather than cuddling up to the right.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

why should those who support Barack Obama have to STFU about how they feel about that?

Doesn't stop anyone from doing what they want....especially if they are passionate about it.

I think that any community has the right to speak out in what the believe they are observing.
Here we hear endlessly how Gays won't support the president because he has yet to get
DADT repealed. We are also hearing from the Democratic Socialists who think Obama
is just like a Republican. So this is just more of that, but just coming from a different
place.

Guess if we are "supposed" to be Liberals, we will do what Liberals do; have an open mind,
and at some point decide if we want to bring the Democratic party down, and start over again,
or if we want to continue with the progress that has been made to date.

What I will say is that Obama told each and everyone of us what he was about, and so
surprise or disappointment are not really good excuses as claimed by folks currently sniffing
in other political corners.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=258x10881

If the GOP win due to this, well, folks will just have to bite the bullet...but at least then
we will be united again in complaining about EVERYTHING ALL OF THE TIME, without a single chance of anything getting better....and of course, this time, Republicans will make sure they keep the power forever, so goodbye Internet!

Once their bed is made, everyone will have to lay in it, and most likely go to sleep till
revolution time, whenever that will be! Yeah!

I will say this, African-American are pretty used to doing without.......
That pretty much what we've always done for some time.

And by the same token, I'm sure that Green/Naderites/Socialist/Arnachist are used to it as well.

so it looks like things are even, and what folks in the Democratic party are interested less
about the well being of individuals who can't fend for themselves (as they claim is their priority),
and more about retribution, revenge, and victimhood on all sides (which is a trait shared with Republican!) That's a pretty sorry type of a party to have, and it's shown its ass quite clearly for the past two years.

Sometimes when folks believe they should get everything, they end up with less than nothing.
As long as they can live with it, so it goes.

I'm sure that's this kind of thinking got us Reagan instead of Carter,
and Bush instead of Gore. We think things will change drastically only if......
It's plain to me that voting (or not) in a way only to teach others a lesson simply never
amounts to anything gained....other than a perverted satisfaction that has little to do with policy, and everything to do with a true lack of caring about our society in general for whatever the reason.

The thing about many Black folks, is that those new voters have not been "into" politics long, so for them, they can take it or leave it much easier than those who have followed politics closely for along time......so it's easier for me to look in disgust at those who understand politics well enough, and yet still prefer the satisfaction of the big pay back.

The only way hardcore supporters of him could stick it to the nebulous "Left" is by defeating that person. So far no one has put up a serious candidate and I doubt anyone will emerge. Barack Obama is our candidate. How do you "stick it to the Left" without hurting him?

What do you call that? This isn't about white liberal racism. You guys are way off base. You can put your blame and your threat in the same place.

I'm sure racial politics will be all of the rage in 2012! Here's to your WHITE POWER! Maybe the Limbaugh folks will help. After all, most of them are White too!

This thread is very revealing......
of what I've thought for some time now.
Now, I've just got to link it to my facebook,
so folks can see the real truth of the matter.

which runs very counter to the argument that white liberals want to bring Obama down because he's half black or whatever the argument is.

"I'm sure racial politics will be all of the rage in 2012!" - What do you think this thread is about? And who brought it up?

"Here's to your WHITE POWER! Maybe the Limbaugh folks will help. After all, most of them are White too!" - Try to explain this.

Go nuts, Frenchie.

Go Hulka38!

or I live there and again, you're wrong. I think Obama will win again in the Iowa caucuses if he has a challenger. Careful calibrating that into your perspective.

you said here - "It's better to have a discussion than to call names....."

Was this, "Here's to your WHITE POWER!", an attempt to have discussion with me?

to be a huge slam to black people. IOW, the black population is so stupid that they only vote for Obama because he's black, and not for what his record is and how he has governed.

How low can you get to perpetuate this bullshit?

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Thems are fighting words, Frenchie Cat. Calling me stupid & vapid is I'm pretty sure against the DU rules. If you don't like the rules then don't participate here or find a mud wrestling venue that reflects the sort of person you are, and one that tolerates your brand of nastiness.

it makes them stupid.

I think that folks clutching their pearls because they don't get
exactly what they believe they should have to be stupid.

If women wanted Hillary Clinton to be President because of her sex,
was that stupid?

as for how he has governed, many Democrats support this President,
and they aren't stupid.

It's better to have a discussion than to call names.....
or to suggest that a different POV is stupid or bullshit.


As for fighting words.....yep...not a problem.
I've got someone to hold my earrings; same person carrying my vaseline. :rofl:

you obviously want a mud wrestling venue. I sincerely suggest you think about what you are saying.

. . . he's been around a while. He can take it if you disagree, but, I think we can bear some discussion here of this writer with an elevated profile, and this aggressive and controversial argument of his.

The vast majority of the african american elder statesmen have always questioned Obama.

Oh, and it is OUR fault, if Mr. Wonderfulness doesn't get reelected rather then the fact that he is spineless and utterly without basic ethical principle...

whatever...

and all of the snark ain't gonna make your biased opinion the only opinion to be had.

But I'm sure you know that.

They are easily dismissed as being without merit.

Oh, and it is OUR fault, if Mr. Wonderfulness doesn't get reelected rather then the fact that he is spineless and utterly without basic ethical principle...

whatever...

Well, we'll just have to beat Obama in the primary then!

They're laying the foundation already... if Obama wins in 2012, it will be a victory over progressives. If he loses in 2012, it'll be our fault he lost.

I'm sure there are plenty of corporate jobs just waiting for him anyway.

As a matter of fact when threatened I fight like hell.

I think folks have been hearing the threats emenating from here for some time now.

Should I pull up a sampling of threads going back to January 2009?

Guess you're not the only ones allowed to make threats....it appears.
That's a good thing, no? :shrug:

That writer can go stuff that somewhere. When people have nothing left to lose, they aren't interested in being threatened anymore.

I walked plenty of the streets of my city canvassing for
him (and the rest of the Democrats) in 2008, but those
days are gone. You'd better plan on working a lot
harder in 2012.

Tesha

:sarcasm:

It seems like he's saying that if "the Left" keeps picking on Obama, Obama's Democratic supporters will retaliate by, what? Not voting Democratic? Not embracing the progressive positions Mr. King lauds the President for advancing? How is "the Left" going to repaid for its perfidy?

Except the point was to warn Obama not to ignore his base.

So I offer this: Where possible, seek common ground with Republicans. Reach out to the independents who helped put you in office. But don't ignore your base, Mr. President. A rejected true believer is a lover scorned, with all that follows. Think Bush and Carter.

Remember also the words of the football coach in Texas who, when asked about his starting lineup in the championship game, declared he would "dance with the one who brung us." Keep faith with your base, Mr. President. At least they will have your back.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012903404.html

but i don't know how isolated he is from the american people at this point. maybe the same people encouraging him in this give-away to the veryvery rich thing are also assuring him that it is his clear path to re-election. if he isn't reading his mail maybe he thinks he's solid. :shrug:

But last week I heard it either on Thom's show or Laura's and I was surprised.

Besides, the Republicans are running someone on the right. Why can't the left ever have any more candidates?

Blacks are very proud of Obama and want him to succeed and to be liked. (As do I, a white guy.)

I don't think that Obama knows that he has done enormous damage to himself this week. By signing on for a payroll tax holiday, he has alienated every senior in the country, metaphorically slit his own throat. He called those of us who screamed in warning "sanctimonious purists". His political life blood will drain out within a week or two unless he recognizes his error, publicly admits it and says that he will not support that in the future.

I can not and will not support any candidate that gives up a nanometer of ground on social security. All of the other budget priorities are very small in comparison to social security.

At this point I am against Obama's reelection.

to make any difference anyway and now all of a sudden we're so powerful the loss of the presidency is all in our hands! :wow: :wtf:

as in, *beyond* pathetic.