That's it......I've changed my AVATAR!

After thoughtful consideration I can no longer bear to use this avatar. The one I've been using since the historic US election of 2008.



In November of 2008 an extraordinary, amazing thing happened that reverberated all over the world...Barrack Obama, a black/mixed race Democratic party candidate who came from humble beginnings was elevated to the office of POTUS. After 8 excruciatingly long and destructive years of the Bush administration those on the liberal side, even here in Canada, let out a collective sigh. As the Wikileaks is revealing, even in Saudi Arabia they praised this development: "Thank God for bringing Obama to the presidency," the King answered, which has created "great hope" in the Muslim world. "May God grant him strength and patience, Abdullah continued, "May God protect him. I'm concerned about his personal safety. America and the world need such a president."

Obama was swiftly granted the Nobel Peace Prize and heralded as the next coming of Kennedy. I don't think I was alone in assuming that any pro right rhetoric he used in his campaign, like he was against gay marriage, or he was considering escalating the Afghan war, his praise of Reagan, and even his promises that he would listen to opponents etc.. were sly and brilliant political moves to get him into office. Once sworn in, I and many others thought, he would swiftly dismantle the Bush regime's anti-Constitutional assault, stop torture, close Guantanamo, look into any "wrongdoing" by the previous administration, and immediately set a nice progressive agenda everyone who worked to get him elected would be happy with. Change was coming to Washington. Things haven't quite gone that way to say the least.

One of the great moments was Obama and Michelle doing the fist bump on stage at a June 3rd speech on the campaign trail.



FAUX News branded it a terrorist bump, ignoring its use by many in the sporting and political world before that. In fact Dubya and his Dad were big fans of it.



Not that its an easy thing for some to master



And so the gesture was added to the lexicon of American political history. It cumulated in the use of the image in the controversial New Yorker cover drawing by Barry Blitt satirizing every tea bagging fear.



After Obama won, I grabbed that image to use as my avatar. It was a kind of in-your-face to all the Republican idiots that either pretended to be, or actually were, afraid of his latent terrorist plans.

Well time has gone by, and not only has Obama proven NOT to be an anti-establishment terrorist, he is proving to be much more corporate conservative than anyone on either side would have predicted. He's no more a terrorist than he is a liberal.

So I regretfully am changing my avatar to another one's fist in the air picture. That of Howard Dean in his infamous celebratory yell, that was blown out of proportion in much the same way as the Obama's fist bump. But that time it worked. FAUX News and their wannabes managed to create something out of nothing and Democrats shied away from him as unelectable. I wish to God now that Dean had managed to win the primary. He would have been a much stronger candidate than Kerry. What a waste of talent and passion and principles. He then helped get Obama elected through his brilliant 50 state strategy and got sidelined for his efforts. No doubt deemed too "liberal" for the DLC.



Since this is Democratic Underground, I'm changing my avatar to a REAL Democrat with truly progressive principles.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

By changing your avatar. If only they would include the infamous Dean scream. Now I could get down with that. LOL

I am hoping they make a movie about it.
AVATAR!

Chock full o' action.

:popcorn:

:rofl:

I would never have thought, two years ago, that I would be as disappointed as I am now.

Please don't do it! Please. I beg of you! That's the last thing this country needs --- a DUer who subs in Dean for Obama.

By the way, how's Harper working out for ya? Eh?

And please don't mention the name of our pathetic wingnut of a Prime Minister.
Some here talk of starting a true progressive party different from the DLC Democratic party. There are disadvantages to having a third party. In Canada, the moderate/left vote are in the majority, but they are split between the Liberal, NDP, as well as the Greens. That's one reason I am so disappointed, because the best way to defeat the GOP baggers and get real progressive change is within the Democratic party platform. I hope one day someone like Dean will have a chance.

Sid

.... little known fact, before she refused to get up from her bus seat, she CHANGED her avatar! (even before there were avatars, she was just that prescient)

but then I was herded into a Free Speech Zone, where some lady with a purple heart bandaid on her chin kept rubbing up against me.

Even now, years later, I still sometimes cry in my sleep.

Sid

Sid you are a trip. Did the purple bandaid lady have chin hair? LOL

8/10

No, it's great! Hopefully more people will take this patriotic avatar stand. It will keep them from bastardizing the peace symbol.

Gallup is full of shit.

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There are many historical heroic figures who wouldn't get elected dog catcher.

Your knighting me a Kool Kid now? wow that means you must be the Queen of Quool, thanks!

You should know I prefer to just blow things out my ass

The Obamas and the originators of the fist bump (which would be every black person over the age of 45) will be DESPONDENT at the news of your earth-shattering avatar change.

I've alerted the media.

after all, they'll report anything that helps defeat Democrats now and forever.......

Unlike those losers Kerry and Obama. :sarcasm:


Hindsight is 20-20. Attention seeking is a sport for some. Yawn. :boring:

Wowser!

That tops my Howard Dean tattoo... :wow:

Ok point taken.

But dang it I wasn't expecting such a plethora of cynical bombasting!
Had to laugh at a few of them though.

The act of switching avatars and my post about it was just a vehicle for me to make a point about how I feel about the state of the Presidency. I can understand how it came off a little naive, but to me its a big deal. It was such a hopeful moment when Obama took stage after his win, all that good will from so many progressives. I was so proud to have that image representing me.
I had to vent in my own way.

as Howard would say: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgh!!!!!"

Kudos on your new avatar! Howard is the real deal, and your avatar rocks!

:toast:

right back at ya!

:toast:

If this is the best Dems can do, let's just let the Republicans back in..they did such a great job last time

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I don't consider inserting yourself into foreign wars, and imprisoning your citizens in concentration camps, and spending billions on inventing the deadliest weapons in history to be "progressive"....

But maybe that's just me.

He was a Progressive, but Progressives have always been what people on this board call "corporatist".

some months ago, I wanted someone that I have complete respect and admiration for. :thumbsup:

do.

I do wish Dean was still the head of the DNC.

him soundly in every primary except VT, which voted for Dean after Dean pulled out and it was completely clear Kerry was the nominee? Why did polls head to head with Bush, show Dean as weaker than, not just Kerry, but other Democrats and generic Democrat?

Before you say that he would have "fought back", let me remind you that never in his life did Kerry complain about no wanting to be a pin cushion, when he was hit with the attacks that any front runner gets. In addition, Kerry was a far better debater than Dean in the primaries, and the media gave Kerry just his convention and the debates to win over America - and had there been enough voting machines in Ohio, he would have won in a race totally stacked against him.

As to giving up on Obama, where exactly does that leave you?

I'm not giving up on Obama. Just bitterly disappointed in his leadership so far.
(If I could) I would vote Democrat in the next Presidential election no matter who was the leader. I have never sat out an election my entire voting life. I'm realistic enough to realize that voting for the "best of the two evils" is better than allowing the worst of the two evils to gain power. Uh...I better clarify before I get flamed again...I don't think Obama is evil. He just really let me down and I gather many others here.

In fact those like me perhaps give him more credit than it seems he wants to accept. He had the opportunity in those first few months in office to use the bully pulpit to explain to the public the benefits of say single payer insurance, and then to draw a line at a public option...in a solid informative and powerful way. He has a tremendous gift and he refused to use it. I mean what worse names could he have been called by those living in Beckastan?

It seems from this angle that either:

A. He does hold deep left-of-center principles but was pressured into going right with his appointments and his caving on investigations. In fact, through wikileaks, we find that he actively worked with the GOP to squash any torture investigations against BushCo. Pressured how and by who? Some nefarious shadow government that laid it out for him? Either you follow OUR plan or we will squish you like a bug? Threatened his family? Or did they simply point out how fruitless it was to go against their wishes, with them having control of the MSM TV and radio and that he would have no chance at a second term and Obama put that priority ahead of his principles?

B. He never did have passion for progressive values, or conservative for that matter, and it was all politics. That his primary and Presidential stump speeches were just hollow words strung together to appeal to what he knew was a desperate-for-change Democratic base. In other words he's just like any other stereotypical politician and gaining power is what is important to him, so he just listens to the DLC and does whatever they tell him.

C. He is a Corporatist at heart. He plays the good cop together with the bad GOP in a dance to move the country to the right deliberately. With his lack of support for public schools and unions etc. it sometimes seems that way. Like Tony (the poodle) Blair, a nice cushy multinational position awaits him when his term is over and he and his family for generations will be set and elevated into the elite class.

I don't know, but either one of these conclusions is unsettling.

OK OK I'll include one last option in the spirit of liberal optimism:

D. He is saying all the "right" things, and caved in to the GOP even when he had the Congress, in order to set it up for his second term where he will shock and amaze us all with his sudden veer to the left. He'll work with Nancy to finally start war crime investigations in the Congress. He'll use signing statements to reverse or alter bills that the Senate sends him to reflect his prior latent liberal principles, and stand with Kucinich and other true progressives, polls be damned.


As far as Dean vs. Kerry, I think Dean would have done better in a debate against the Decider than the deadpan Kerry. Either way BushCo. stole that election as well IMO so the candidate choice was moot.

As to Dean being able to do better than Kerry in the debates, I think you forget that after the first debate, the Republicans gave up even trying to spin it as not a Kerry win. There comment switched to debating is not important.

In addition to his outstanding answers, it was necessary that Kerry NOT visibly react to Bush's weirdness. His disciple was a virtue, not a negative. I have seen Kerry in person - giving speeches and speaking to relatively small groups - he is definitely not someone with a dead pan, but very quick witted, funny, with a quick smile when circumstances elicit it, and someone whose feelings do show in his face. But, in the debate, what he had to convey was serious, thoughtful, calm responses. I KNOW you and others here might have liked the anger that Dean might have showed, but it would have been negative to those still undecided.

You have to remember how Gore was bashed by each of the ways he approached the debates.

seven years later.



Obama a "corportist." Sounds like Faux news. :rofl:

What I really regret was that the media so hid Kerry, that most people never heard Kerry speaking of the environment, which he and Teresa care very passionately about, or health care, or foreign policy, where he articulated a change in foreign policy far beyond what any other Democrat spoke of - and his views were the mature version of the call for American foreign policy to turn in his 1971 speech. They might consider that Kerry (and Berman in the House) were the only major American politicians to call what happened in Honduras a coup and speak against it.

It amazes me that every time Kerry gives a great speech - such as his 2008 convention speech, many hear say something like, "where was this Kerry in 2004? Then they immediately forget about it. (In fact, the NYT called tht convention speech the best non-acceptance speech at a Democratic convention in 2 decades. Oddly the part they liked best, which they said transcended politics was pretty much taken from Kerry's 2006 speech on dissent being not just a right, but a responsibility - which was given on the 35th anniversary of his 1971 testimony. (Note though a brilliant speech - it got less coverage than a recent Palin fundraising speech)

You could be right in the sense that Dean's persona may have come across as belittling poor dim Dubya, and Kerry knew he had to 'stick to the facts maam'. I'm sure Biden was coached to not cross that line when debating the Alaskan Barbie.

But on the other hand, I think Americans (and Canadians) respect someone who seems like they have a real passion and commitment behind their rhetoric. It may have balanced out any sense of belittlement perception. And upon reflection, yes "deadpan" was the wrong word to use with Kerry, more like a plodding monotone. Which wasn't his fault, that's just how he spoke naturally. But its also true that Dean had more charisma if you like, he was very quick and expressive... (as displayed in my infamous avatar). In the end, if we are to believe the results (which I do not), Bush won with passion, whether manufactured or not. It was himself, the Decider, along with the GOP that would save America from another terr'ist attack! Be afraid, be very afraid, of the pansies in the Democratic party. I would have loved someone like Dean to counter those baseless assumptions with some fire of his own, and IMO the Democrats, through their leader, would have looked to the voters like they had a little more passion behind their principles. In fact that is one reason, maybe not the primary one, for Obama's win over the old geezer McCain. Just my opinion.




edit: previous post I stated "even when he had the Congress" that would be "Senate". (Too late to edit it directly)

It was his ability to speak that made him the leader he was in 1971. Not to mention, there was plenty of passion and commitment in any of the rally speeches he gave. The problem was that other than CSPAN, they were not covered.

Did you forget already Kerry's wonderful speech for the 2008 convention? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO2PAm4iCtE

Here is an even better speech that he gave on April 22, 2006 on the anniversary of speaking out to the SFRC in 1971.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/WarinIraq7 (This is very hard to find as all that comes up on google when you search for it is people complaining that all the news sources that had it, removed it.)

He just didn't yell, threaten and drop F-Bombs to prove his point. That's a good thing. Same with Obama. :)

I am listening to that second speech you linked now. Very good. Thanks for the link.

You're also right that his best speeches were not covered. Maybe that's the problem I had. I don't get CSPAN. All I ever saw were the clips filtered through the American MSM. I don't know how many times I heard "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

But for whatever reason, fair or not, he was perceived as being droll, even lampooned as such on The Daily Show. Which is something they couldn't have boxed Dean into. So they did the opposite I guess, made him into a raving lunatic.

Look I would have chosen Dean if I could have, but that doesn't mean I disrespect Kerry or that he would not have made a terrific President.

Of the two main parties its clear to me that the Democrats have the biggest share of great leaders and potential POTUS candidates. :thumbsup:

I had a hard time choosing between them in mid 2003.

I did already have a positive opinion of Dean, because I did follow politics and as my family and I vacationed for a week or two each year in VT since 1990. We even visited the State House with the kids once. The nice elderly man showing us around, looked at my oldest as we were outside the Governor's office - grinned and then told her that he needed to show her something special. He then took her into Dean's office (he was on vacation), and showed her a photo of his family. Pointing out that Dean's daughter looked to be just her age. He then spoke of how very smart the Governor was - "He's a real doctor too" and how his wife was a doctor as well. He told us what a nice guy he was. This may have been why years later he got my daughter's first primary vote!

We read the Burlington paper and knew the Governor was a moderate Democrat - often having a progressive run against him. We also knew that he was one of the people responsible for the wonderful Burlington bike path, that we often hiked when we went to Burlington for a day from where we vacationed. There was NEVER any description of Dean as angry, crazy, radical or anything remotely similar.

Kerry, I knew of, because he completely amazed me when as a college student, I said with people in my dorm watching the news one day where the full about 5 minutes of his SFRC speech were shown in its entirety. No one was unimpressed - and it changed the opinion of most of us on the men actually fighting the war for the better and made us more certain that the war was completely wrong - though that was hard to do. It as least gave us better arguments.

:P

Sticking with the fist bump avitar. :patriot:

Kind of works with mine!

See Howard would have won with that. Appeal to the hippies and the gun slingers all at once!

seriously

this has to be the stupidest shit i've seen on here in a while, and i've seen a gang of stupid shit in this forum lately, trust

i'm sure the obamas will be crushed over this

there will be gnashing of teeth and clutching of pearls in the ol' white house tonight

along with others here. I can't understand how yourself and others conclude that I imagine in any way that by changing my avatar I'm affecting any change in the POTUS decisions or that he will be "crushed" by it. LOL Although I understand how it may have been taken that way. I've admitted naivety on that.

It was a simple act that I publicized as a lead in, a hook, in order to raise my, and I assume others, concerns about the disturbing disparity between the promise of Obama the candidate and the practice of Obama the President and the bafflement about why they seem like different people. It was an opportunity I saw to use as an excuse to express myself.

That fist bump image was powerful, along with the shoulder brushing act Obama did. I absolutely loved that. Yes they are just images, but to me powerful symbols as well. They were symbols of how I assumed he would govern, that is pushing through progressive changes and just brushing off reich wing babble, as opposed to the hat-in-hand approach he took once sworn in.

Anyways, so this is what being flamed is like. But I'm glad some saw through to my actual point. I didn't expect such a response either way to be honest.

I think most all of us want the same things at the end of the day don't we?

cheers

:toast:

Obama a corportist? Kerry a dead pan? Seems like Dean thinks more positive about Kerry than his supporters do. :rofl:

Nowhere did I definitely define Obama as a "corporatist".

It was just one of a few options I put out there that he may turn out to have been. I ended with "I don't know"
I truly don't. If you know for sure that he is not, good for you.

More like Kerry spoke in a kind of rambling monotone. Not his fault as I've already stated. I admire and respect John Kerry. What that has to do with Dean's opinion of him I have no idea. If you get a rolling on the floor laugh out of your made up projections.....again, good for you.

Dean was one of the few Democrats that defended Kerry in the media when the Swifty liars made the rounds. Aside from Gen. Clark, Clealand, Uncle Ted, and few, the Democrats were M.I.A. Kerry did the same for Obama.

Dean may have still been hurt personally by losing, but he put that aside and did what he had to do. Some of his supporters could have done the same rather than wrap their bitterness around the candidate.

What part of "I admire and respect John Kerry" don't you understand? Does that sound like bitterness?
I was extremely upset, shouting at my television when the Swiftboater ads came on. I was 100% hoping and praying that Kerry won the Presidency.

Jeez, I thought Democrats were above the "if you aren't with us you're against us" mentality.

Understand the point. Peace. :hi:

thinks we can deal with the deficit by NOT cutting Social Security and Medicare isn't actually serious about the deficit?

Really? That's your hero?

How does one capture the depths of your sacrifice?

Ok, I give up....if you can't beat em...

There is simply no way to capture the depths of my deep deep sacrifice.
Probably one whole hour all together. Googling and googling some more to find that perfect Dean picture. The crazier the better. I was on a mission to save the free world, even if I had to scan through dozens of potential images. Finally, reverently, I copied the Chosen Image into Photoshop and cropped and reduced and colorized it to create maximum visual world wide reverberations. Something that would stop baggers and their billionaire puppet masters in their tracks. Dropping their MORAN signs in despair at the sheer power of my avatar image.

So powerful is this image that freepers have been working overtime to unrec this OP which would otherwise have over 300 recs by now. But that is yet another sacrifice that I humbly submit to.

You're welcome

DUers change their avatars all the time.

Are you saying DU has become completely unserious?

That's unpossible!

:patriot:

Thank you for your sacrifice.

:patriot:

:P

Fiscally waaay more conservative, and not the social liberal most make him out to be. He is about on par with the presiden.

Educate yourself.