On our side, where does most of the fault lie?

Obviously, even in the best case, this election is going to be bad. While we can clearly blame the right wing, the fact is that liberals failed to effectively combat the right. To some degree, we all share in the blame, where do you think most of the fault lies?

FOR GOODNESS SAKE, the question is about where the fault lies on our side. Obviously, the corporations, Fox News, the Tea Partiers appeal to racism, etc. has been effective. But, we failed to effectively respond? How come?

3 options that start with "liberal" and none that start with "corporate" or "centrist".

Pass.

It's hard to blame the other side for being so effective at achieving their goals. I wish we were as effective. We certainly were in 2008.

We have a Senate Majority leader and a president who encouraged "bipartisanship" above actual good bills that would have appealed to a larger number of people. We had blue dogs who were just as if not more responsible for obstructionism than the republicans. We had a White House Chief of staff and a press secretary who belittled and diminished the efforts of "liberals" and called them names to the point where any time they tried to actively push for something or push for something better they were thwarted by "sensible" democrats who supposedly knew so much better than they did.

So last I checked those were all sizable groups who were supposedly on "our side" but yet I don't see any of those options on your poll.

On my kitchen counter is a list of 12 people who are registered to vote but not likely voters in off year elections. I need to call them.

Push-polling much?

the ECONOMY. If it wasn't for the terrible economic condition we're in, if in the past two years we'd at least seen some tangible improvement, we would be looking at manageable losses next Tuesday. Not a potential disaster.

And the Blue Dogs seek once again to purge the remaining liberal base out of our party blaming their losses on us, the party and nation will move further to the right, making all the problems worse.

Happens every election year since 1988.

I wish we had some.

The White House shares the blame for an insufficiently strong, coordinated messaging strategy. But, primarily, fault lies at the feet of the toolish hacks in the "mainstream media" for claiming supposed "objectivity" while letting the patently absurd right-wing lies go unchallenged and the "public interest" go undefended. Reminds me of how the press rolled over for the Bush administration in the lead-up to the Iraq War. Fucking wimps.

I think the House has been doing a good job.

Fat lot of good it's done us, though!

We might, you know.... outperform expectations?

They've never been wrong :sarcasm:

But the circular firing squad is still premature.

Heck... for those who think that realistic pessimism hurt turnout (it doesn't), wouldn't it be FAR worse to start the post-mortem before the victim is pronounces dead?

And just because of that, I will say that the fault lies with the centrist, moderate, half Republican semi-Dems at every level. Mushy, principle free bipartisan dogmatists.

giving up too soon, criticizing and carping too soon, while the teabaggers forge ahead.

One advantage to being dumb is that you don't stop to constantly question yourself. And while that's good to a point, liberals do too much of it, and let the teabaggers hear about it and use it.

active indeed. But of course, we don't count to the anti equality crowd. I mean, all of our activism has been criticized constantly by many DUers. Yet we've rarely seen a time more bristling with activism, media coverage, and the turning of the public mind.
Not sure what your community has been doing, but liberals have been busy as hell.

their asses and blogged!

was because the same corporatist tools who control the media also control the so called teabagger movement.

everything he has put forth with EP has been progressive. So then, it's Congress.

The team color I prefer is a very deep blue shade.

The bluer the better.

I like a fierce effort against the red team. Politics is one arena where I think it's ok to run up the score.

:dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem: :dem:

where is our answer for God, gays, and guns?
Its not like we haven't had a decade or so to come up with one.

or, more precisely, the people he and his inner circle have allowed into positions of power that are close to the President.

There's a reason those people needed to ask him for/demand from him inner sanctum positions. It's because they stand for jack-shit and aren't even very good at doing that.

He got elected on the strength of people who gave a damn - he ceded way too much to cynical people who suck at their jobs.

Although people didn't have much time to assimilate the details, it was so clearly articulated and convincing, that in lieu of a comparable Democratic message, people flocked to the GOP.

It definitely trumped two years of President Obama's weekly addresses, etc.

And we all know that people voting for the GOP are doing so because they believe the Democrats lacked a message. That's why some people are voting for Angle over Reid. Who cares is she's a kook with no message? Harry didn't have one, and neither did the President.

Vote Republican!




Better ad this for the lurkers: :sarcasm:

They have pushed for the repuks to win for 18 months because conflict creates ratings

In 2 years Obama has done an amazing about of things that never get much press or get spun into a negative and the masses fall for it just like most people here on DU

- Obama compromising too much, and not pushing more for progressive legislation. Some things definitely got done, but not enough that was that progressive IMO (health care law mandated private insurance with no public option or tough regulation, Wall Street reform lacked Glass-Ssteagall, no Patriot Act changes, banks still have too much control (foreclosures need to stop for a while), etc.) I hope things would get better with a second term, but I want to see more determination not to stop half-way.

- Congress having Blue Dogs that add to Repuke obstruction

- The economy is getting better, but people want instant results

- Too many forget what the Repukes did. Might be a problem with our Party's message, but they still should know better.

- The corporate media other than some on MSNBC

From health care to Wall Street reform, a lot of good things have been accomplished. A lot more needs to be done, but no amount of hyping the achievements thus far seems to sink in with people.

There are health care anecdotes everywhere

Key Regulation Requiring Insurers To Spend Premium Dollars On Health Care Moves Forward

Senators Call on Regulators to Implement Strong Merkley-Levin Provisions

Title XIV - Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act

Obama signs pair of intelligence bills into law

FEINGOLD INTELLIGENCE REFORMS SIGNED INTO LAW

It's a matter of perspective, and I already knew about those things. I still think all of what I mentioned is to blame. Of course the the Repukes are most to blame, but the President, Congress, media, and the public should have all done better IMO.

Obama has 20+ fires to fight.

And on any given day, we on the left BITCHED because we wanted him to fight on a different fire than the one he was focused on that day.

And when he SWITCHED ... we on the left BITCHED AGAIN ... because there was yet another fire we want him to focus on.

And on it went. Day after day. Week after week.

We expect HIM to do it all.

I just had differences with the President's strategy - not thinking he's Superman or anything.

I'm really happy liberals have kept the pressure on. He told us to do that. Just as long as we vote and don't let our differences allow the Repukes to re-gain Congress, I think dialogue is good. I wish progressives had more respect from the administration, and the Repukes less respect.

:thumbsup:

:hi:

And the biggest problem overall, IMO, is the lack of a free media. MSM is firmly controlled by corporate interests and the intelligence community. Until that sorry situation is rectified, no politician is going to be able to attempt, let alone accomplish, change.

...since they took majorities in both chambers in 2006, and expanded them in 2008. Pres. Obama is just the latest incarnation of this infuriatingly short-sighted, self-defeating behavior.

9.6% unemployment is a sledgehammer that so many on our side seem to try and ignore.

who have dismantled the party over the past two decades and abandoned the policies that could move the nation forward.

why else would the Congress end up creating a heathcare plan that will cost more than what we had when we already had the most expensive heathcare system in the world.




http://www.visualeconomics.com/healthcare-costs-around-the-world_2010-03-01/

Many things Obama has dome is troubling, but it is CONGRESS that ultimately makes the laws.

The House done good and the Senate screwed up the bills to where they were too watered down and the admin failed to give the Dems any cover or discredit conservatisim when it was responsible for the depression. The lack of a consistent message by the dems has allowed the GOP to have more power over the national view where all their members repeat the same talking points.

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