What Rift with Obama Supporters
At a rally in Detroit this weekend, the union crowd chanted “Four more years” throughout his speech. Maybe they understand where we’d be with President McCain and Vice-President Palin.
Here’s what he did say about the plan: Roads and bridges “need rebuilding,” companies are ready to do it, and there are “more than one million unemployed construction workers ready to get dirty right now.”
The problem, Obama said, is the usual suspect: Congress, and particularly Republicans. Dropping his “g’s” as he does in his enthusiastic campaign speeches, Obama said: “We just need Congress to get on board. Let’s get America back to work.”
And as the Detroit crowd chanted “four more years,” Obama set his sights on the GOP.
Tags: President Obama, Unions
I’m sure all rational people want Obama to have 4 more years given the choices at hand. I think the real question is, how do Democrats we make sure that there is some semblance of Democratic agenda put forth in that second term.
The rift that makes us hold our nose when we vote now.
“I think the real question is, how do Democrats we make sure that there is some semblance of Democratic agenda put forth in that second term.”
The only chance at this is to win back the House if possible, and also to turn around our Democratic Senators who are going down Obama’s losing center-right path. Neither seems likely.
Pelosi’s House handed Obama a Democratic agenda but he botched it and gave birth to the enthusiasm gap. Democrats paid the price by losing the House and we continue to lose unenthusiastically.
With revenue out of our hands there is little left to fight for. If we couldn’t convince Democrats to let taxes go up in 2010 we damn well aren’t going to convince the Tea Party House.
The upcoming jobs plan debate will go down a familiar path to failure:
1. Obama proposes a mix of tax cuts and some (but not enough) spending.
2. Teabaggers strip out spending. Senate Dems say “Okay!”
3. Obama signs the tax cuts and declares victory on jobs.
The tax cuts of course don’t create jobs (they never do) and Obama is blamed.
*yawn*
“Maybe they understand where we’d be with President McCain and Vice-President Palin.”
Maybe it is time to retire that particular piece of rhetoric.
Obama has implemented McCain’s tax plan (extend the Bush tax cuts) and is fighting for McCain’s jobs plan (cut more taxes).
He is now going beyond McCain to fight for even more tax cuts for the rich (Simpson-Bowles)
Your point?
Obama lies. Repeatedly and deliberately. He just condemned 12,000 Americans to early graves.
You can’t trust anything he says when he tries to appeal to liberals. He is a liar.
Vote for Bachmann then. Or.. have you no principles? Have you no core values?
I don’t have to vote at all. There is no audit trail to show that elections aren’t fixed anyway (see exhibit 1: Gore v Bush) and there are also third party candidates to choose from.
By the way, if you liked the election results of 2010, you’re gonna love 2012. Even if Obama squeaks out re-election, how long do you think his coattails are gonna be? When a person like me (who has voted for the Dem in every election since I was 18 except one (John Anderson)) is thinking of sitting this one out, how do you think that others, who have been far less committed, are feeling?
Obama needs a primary. He would win and it would force him to address progressive issues without putting the presidency in any real danger. Look how much more conservative all those once moderate R senators are now that they’re facing the possibility of long-shot tea-party challenges.
It’s too late for a primary. The time to announce a challenge would have been early last November when Obama was turning around his tax position 180 degrees. A credible challenge then might have changed the outcome in December.
Now there’s nothing left to fight for; every battle of importance to the economy has been lost. The only point to a primary now would be to hold Obama accountable.
a1, you are an extremist and thus, a minority opinion.
Sure a lot of people agree with your core progressive beliefs, but not your all-or-nothing, purge the infidels approach. Throw away your sacred democratic right if you wish, but if i see Justice Beck, im holding you responsible.
SB, As much as you try to label me as an extremist, I am also an activist, someone who contributes time and money to causes, and someone who works to GOTV. I do this for imperfect organizations and imperfect candidates, so I don’t have an “all-or-nothing” approach, no matter what you think. Want proof? I am still a Democrat.
But even if you dismiss me, you can’t dismiss the current polls, which are uniformly pointing in the same direction that I am. And when the President acts on his own initiative to stifle the simple right of citizens to breath clean and healthy air for the sake of more corporate profits, then there is no reason to support him. None.
Finally, as far as “sacred democratic right,” you can’t prove that your vote even counts. You hope, wish, and believe that it does, but you cannot prove that it does because that proof does not exist.
I told the pollsters I disapprove of Obama’s job performance. so im in that 50%+ too. It doesn’t mean Im going to let President Perry happen. Id be careful about assuming everyone thinks the way you do.
What you don’t seem to be able to grasp… and i say that based on how you’ve represented yourself in your comments…. is that people can have deep and complex views that don’t adhere to a “you are a progressive if you think this” checklist. That’s why i call you an extremist.
By the way, SB, why do you think that advocating for tough clean air standards is “extremist” but condemning 12,000 Americans per year to early graves for the sake of increased corporate profits is not?
In Obama’s disapproval numbers, 13% disapprove because he is not liberal enough. This is up from 9% last year as I recall. That is significant.
significant enough to vote for rick perry?
significant enough to vote for rick perry?
Plouffe has to ask himself – do you feel lucky, punk?
I am rational, and I will not vote for Obama again. In fact, he needs to resign. He is a weak leader, with no core principles, and is completely ineffective. It would be better to have a Republican in the White House, so at least we would have someone to organize against. I will not vote Republican, but I am done with the clothespin vote, at least at the Presidential level.
excerpts from tonight’s jobs speech:
The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours. The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy; whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that has defined this nation since our beginning.
Those of us here tonight cannot solve all of our nation’s woes. Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference. There are steps we can take right now to improve people’s lives.
I am sending this Congress a plan that you should pass right away. It’s called the American Jobs Act. There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. Everything in here is the kind of proposal that’s been supported by both Democrats and Republicans – including many who sit here tonight. And everything in this bill will be paid for. Everything.
The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for the long-term unemployed. It will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every small business. It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, and give companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away.