" President Obama Criticizes the Petulant left" (Washington Post)

President Obama criticizes the petulant left


By Stephen Stromberg | Washington Post, September 17, 2010; 6:43 PM ET

President Obama isn't backing off his criticism of his progressive detractors. First, there was White House spokesman Robert Gibbs mocking the "professional left" for holding the White House to unmeetable standards. Then there was Vice President Joe Biden this week on Rachel Maddow informing progressives that they "better get energized." Maybe these surrogates weren't accurately reflecting the president's feelings about this vocal sliver of his base? Think again. Here's the president at a Thursday-night fundraiser:



Funny. And true. And, because she apparently can't help being a caricature, about to make Jane Hamsher's head explode on MSNBC as I write this. Don't worry -- she'll be fine. She's gotten really good at reinflating it.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/09/president_obama_criticizes_the.html

By Stephen Stromberg | September 17, 2010; 6:43 PM ET

Thanks for bringing it here.

:sarcasm:

There isn't a single Republican ass the Whoreshington Post won't kiss.

Most of what comes out of them is Howie Kurtz CRAP and DISINFORMANTION!

when there is all those wacky repukes out there to ridicule?

it is not very smart to joke about something that means life or death to some people.

:shrug:

It amazes me how people use the phrase "the professional left" as if there WERE such a thing, when NO ONE, not Gibbs or anyone on this freaking forum, has been able to define it.

as a "Personal Assault" on "US and Our Values."

BUT...What If...Obama was chiding some different group? Many folks here think he was talking about "FIREDOGLAKE" ...but I hardly think Obama or his Advisors ever read anything there.

SO: "WHO" is the "Professional Left?"

Maybe "Salon.com" who fought for Clinton against Lewinky Propaganda from "Mellon-Scaife" ...or Maybe he meand "Huffington Post" and "Talking Points Memo. com." Or maybe it's "Move On. org?"

WHO IS THIS PROFESSIONAL LEFT?

Professional is the operative word.

actually criticize, he was not refering to the "left" but to democrats, and he most definitely did not call enybody "petulant".

Telling someone they are seeing the glass as half empty is not some huge insult. I wouldn't feel insulted by that if it were aimed directly at me and no one else should be either. One may disagree with it, but its not offensive.

PM me if you want to "hand cross across the aisle."

Yes...it's from another post where we "crossed wires" ....but I'm extending a hand.........to YOU!

http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/

Do!

Dontcha Think? :shrug:

disruptive (and helpful to the GOP) with their tilting at windmills and righting of imaginary wrongs. Their visions of corporate dragons have blinded them to the real threat and enemy, that being the GOP and Tea Baggers.

We need to lighten up. Politics is a dirty business. He was just poking fun at the "Great Expectations" of Democrats. That Democrats take themselves too seriously.

It was good for a laugh to lighten up the speech.

I will add that I think the left is being used by folks like Hamsher and Huffington.

PM me if you want to "hand cross across the aisle."

Yes...it's from another post where we "crossed wires" ....but I'm extending a hand.........to YOU!

http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/

because he can. Obama wasn't "insulting" anyone and anyone who takes it as an insult should just get the hell out of politics right now.

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I mean I start to worry about people if they can be ginned up so easily by the Washington Post in such a non point controversy.

Surely people have got more political savvy than that.

Think about this.. who is calling the left petulant.. THE POST.. get it ..

by redefining the Democratic Party as "New Dems"; (kind of pre-Reagan Republican lite) he hopes to pick up that independent center that's been scared off the liberal bandwagon by 30 years of RW badmouthing. He may even be right.

After all, where are liberal/progressives going to go? (and it's more than a "sliver", btw) The choice between a completely out of touch with reality teabagger and a corporate conservadem is really an easy one to make. You vote for the Dem and hope that you get a "sliver" of progressive legislation (by a real world definition of the term, not Obama's attempts to redefine).

with your POV

-------------

I didn't find it funny...

there is a clear strategy here of marginalizing the left of the party

Thanks Mr. President. Fact-based reality must prevail.

WAPO trying to "help" us right at the beginning of the election season!

How sweet of them! :boring:

And if pretty fucking hypocritical of them to whine about being criticized by the same man that they constantly critize!

...you are seeing the glass half empty, then you seriously need to get your sensibilities checked out.

I don't get it.

because it never happened.

Youth (59% approve of the Pres), self-identified Democrats (81% approve of President Obama; liberal Democrats at 88%), Hispanics (53%) etc....

because he has to LISTEN to HIS VOTER BLOCK.. But, he also needs to listen to the other 9% who were very ACTIVE in supporting the Latinos and African Americans because we are the BLOCK of the folks who WORK FOR EQUALITY FOR ALL! It's sad our numbers are so SMALL...but those numbers can SWING elections and are fighting BACK with the BLOCK I and II to keep the Repugs Back.

But...where is the help these days? :shrug:

I think that's something that might be an issue for our Dem Party, going forward.

WHAT IS THEIR BASE...and WHERE IS IT?

It seems to move along and morph, according to Elections...Non-Elections...and Whims!

TELL ME...WHAT IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?

:shrug:

nope, not here. hahahahahahahahaahhhhhhhhhh.....

Your point is that lying about another country having WMD, starting an illegal war and then joking about it is the same as this:

"If we get an historic health care bill passed -- oh, well, the public option wasn’t there. If you get the financial reform bill passed -- then, well, I don't know about this particularly derivatives rule, I'm not sure that I'm satisfied with that. "

and you never will.

The solution is to take a look at what the President said, and then take a look at spin.

Think about it, and then do whatever the hell you want to do between now and election day.

It's fairly certain that the President is not going to view the words coming out of his mouth related to his accomplishments and his critics as an insult because someone decided to spin them as such. Don't think it's spin? Doesn't much matter (see the Gibbs' hoopla).

It's also very clear that the shit stirrers are going to continue to claim that the President hates liberals.

Anyone who doesn't like the President and believes he is not liberal enough and is after liberals is never going to be convinced that he's a progressive liberal lover.

Now, do whatever you feel like doing because the positions aren't going to change.

Support Democrats and vote Democratic in the 2010 election if you're so inclined.

Beyond the 2010 election, you can continue to support Democrats and the President, including his re-election or you can join with Greenwald and FDL to find and support your choice of a progressive candidate to run for President in 2012.

That is the reality and those are the choices. It's all up to you, and you have the ability, the freedom, the right to do whatever you want to do, regardless of what you think of the President and his choice of words.

I and the vast majority of the Democratic Party (and I say that with the utmost confidence) are sticking with Democrats and one of the most progressive and accomplished Presidents ever: President Obama.

It's not a hard concept to grasp.

the foes that tried to bring him down. Just like so many of us supported Al Gore in that "STOLEN ELECTION" of 2000.

I think many times we Dems fight "Old Ghosts" and dwell on "Times Past" and we fail to move on to our REAL FOES which are the BUSHITES connected to their POWER for GENERATIONS!

We get too Bogged DOWN in FAILED GLORIES OF DEMS PAST...and think that our CURRENT POLITICIANS REMEMBER THOSE DAYS! THEY DON'T.

WE HAVE A NEW FIGHT ON OUR HANDS FOR "OUR" GENERATIONS GOING FORWARD!

You posted a bogus WaPo article that completely distorted the President's words, and you have in this thread said you called out WaPo.

So what are you arguing?

Also, what on earth does the WaPo article have to with Clinton? Better question: What the hell does my comment have to do with Clinton?

You..

I was bridging across a divide to you..Could you please re-read what I posted to you?

That makes no sense.

and ALL WE LEARNED from that Battle..and the millions of Hours DU'ers who were here since 2001 have spent on the Campaign Trail...getting Organized...walking streets, going to "Meet Ups" and seeing so much HOPE fall down the longer we fought and the more and harder we worked.

I've not looked up your DU Profile to see when you joined...but, many of us became ACTIVE/ENGAGED...and ON THE GROUND..after the STOLEN 2000 ELECTION...and, we have seen that our WORK seems to have turned to NOTHING lately. We who still have the ENERGY...are trying to RALLY the FLAGGING INTEREST.

That's what I'm saying!

My comment had nothing to do with Clinton. Your response was a non sequitur. Clinton contributed some of the screwed up policies that have become extremely problematic.

Sad it's that way...but seems to be what it is.

n/t

Did you see it? :shrug:

His special advisor appointment of Warren was a slight surprise because Obama has never made a liberal decision that didnt involve massive giveaways to special interests...HOWEVER, because this is camapaign season it is the time when Obama and the rest of the democrats PRETEND to be progressive because it is what gets votes. So overall having a presser showcasing his 1st fake progressive deed in 2 years is just that. So my fear is Obama will once again jump back to his fetish of appeasing to the right and dump Warren for someone who is way right to direct the bureau...In fact i guarantee this is what he will do. Warren in my opinion is just a placeholder for this election to get liberals to turn out and nothing more. Geitner, who have been reported as Obama's man crush, will have the final say who gets the director position and you can be sure it wont be a progressive of any kind.

The problem with Obama is that he is not a genuine fighter. He looks to appease the right and special interests consistently. The reason liberals are upset is not because his back-room deals end up with massive compromises it is just that he never, ever fights for things that could help the people...the Public Option was supported by 80% of the people and he immediately jetisoned that because insurers hated it...if he just fought for it and it then had to be pulled or the bill didnt pass because it was in then he would have my respect and other liberals. The same goes with Financial Reform....

how that has hurt him and our party when he had such a strong MANDATE FOR CHANGE "You CAN BELIEVE IN."

After Mid-Terms will come whether he forges a NEW WAY FORWARD...or ACCEPTS what the Pundits are saying will be a goodly amount of Dem Defeats.

We will need to monitor Obama after Mid-Terms and Results to see how he Moves. If Dems Lose enough...he will Swing RIGHT...If it's in the Middle of losses (fair for most Mid-Term Losses for Party in Power through the years) then (if he chooses) he might Really PUSH the AGENDA for "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN"..."I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU...I WILL NEVER GIVE UP...FIGHTING FOR YOU" into PLACE..

He's either gonna be FDR II with some modifications or CLINTON II with "MONICA-GATE" where he COMPROMISES MORE to WALL ST...as Clinton gave away "Glass-Steagall" the WALL between Home Banks and Investment Banks that led to the HOUSING BUBBLE.

And, sadly, there's the THIRD WAY. He will be seen as JIMMY CARTER...who managed to ANGER EVERYONE..and he will decide to GET OUT or the PARTY WILL DUMP HIM...And he will go to work for Goldman-Sachs or find another LUCRATIVE GIG for HE AND MICHELLE!

OBAMA and MICHELLE might decide to OPT OUT OF THIS BURDON on them and THEIR TWO LOVELY DAUGHTERS. It's not a great thing for their "Family Life" this crap they have to deal with.

Which SCENARIO will it BE? I have no clue...but THEY are not MY PROBLEM... Building a VIABLE SUSTAINING DEMOCRATIC PARTY THAT TRANSCENDS POLITICAL "GURU/HERO WORSHIP" really IS the PROBLEM FOR DEMS ALL OVER THE US!

OBAMA IS A SERVANT OF THE DEM PARTY! .....WE, "THE DEM PARTY" are NOT SUBSERVIENT TO OBAMA or CLINTON or CARTER or the BEFORE!

We need to remember that...because this country was founded by folks who BELIEVED..."ALL MEN (WOMEN) are CREATED FAIR (FREE) AND EQUAL...and that's there and other stuff is there...and we've drifted off!