Obama "Open to Compromise"....

[Junkdrawer]

Kinda begs the "What KIND of Compromise" question. And his immediate reminder that "this was debated many times" seemed to me directed at his critics on the Left.

Sounds like the "Grand Compromise" of a slight tax increase for the wealthy in exchange for SS and Medicare cuts is his starting position. And a starting position like that usually ends up moving to the Right.

Let's see how this goes.

[valerief]

1. NO!!!!! nt

[adigal]

2. He had better not sell us down the river again

or he will find himself with 0 enthusiasm for the midterm elections. And the new Dems, hopefully, will hold his feet to the fire, especially Warren. I can see her being a real proponent for change.

[Cha]

56. Oh, when was that? "selling us down the river? When we got Obama Care and..

32 million additional Americans will gain health insurance, instead of about 70 million losing it.

Health insurance companies won't be allowed to drop you because you get sick, or discriminate against you because you have a pre-existing condition.

Employers will not be allowed to inject their moral beliefs into the health care choices of their employees.

International family planning funding won't dry up just because the groups receiving the funding discuss abortion as an option (though not pay for it with US funding).

Federal student loans won't be handed over to banks with an extra subsidy.

The first federal agency focusing on consumer issues will not be killed in its infancy, and instead allowed to become the strong, pro-consumer regulatory agency it was meant to be.

Wall Street will not be given carte blanche to play Russian Roulette with your money.

We will not be giving tax breaks to the uber rich on the backs of the middle class, the working class, students, the poor, and everyone else.

Or was it when .. "Never again will we tell some soldiers that they cannot serve the country they love because of who they love."

http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2012/11/because-president-won-re-election.html#.UJ3Pmta2_th.twitter

Any of these times?...

"The President's Done a Lot! Here Are More Than 200 Obama First Term Accomplishments, With Citations!"

http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009.html

[Peregrine Took]

3. I thought the same thing, get a little, give up more.

Sounded like tough talk but someone's ox is going to be gored and it will be the "entitlement" (God, do I hate that word!) people for sure.

[villager]

4. Oh hell.

You saw how that worked in your first term, Mr. President.

i.e., it didn't.

[grantcart]

5. Think about it. What's he supposed to say "No compromise"

All of them are going to say that they are willing to compromise,

question is who gets the best deal.

[Junkdrawer]

12. I'd like $50 an hour for my work, but I'm open to compromise....

Why oh why do I always end up working for $10 an hour or less?

[BlueCaliDem]

15. Already, you see the dissenters circular firing squad begin RIGHT AFTER the elections

where President Obama WON.

Don't they get it that being open to compromise is what the two parties MUST do?

And you're right . . . it's a question of who gets the best deal and considering President Obama's mandate, given to him by the vast majority of the American people, he has the ace in hand.

[Autumn]

33. Well there you have it. Two parties, not one. Don't blame the dissenters

blame it on the fact that the other party has no fucking compromise in them. And Obamas track record on compromise, sorry it's not that great. Those tax cuts need to expire, all of them. They can put up a stand alone bill with tax cuts for the poor and middle class.

[BlueCaliDem]

39. I don't disagree with your opinion

that President Obama's earliest track record on compromise wasn't great, but that of course negates how he changed after the debt ceiling debate. I guess you missed that part OR you don't want to see it.

It's okay to be skeptical and critical of this president, but it's not okay to be that without looking at all the facts, down to the detail - including consequences that could possibly arise.

I agree with all tax cuts expiring . . . then present a tax cut plan for the middle class.

[sabrina 1]

38. Can you show us someone on the Repub side who is talking about compromise right now?

And even more importantly, when over the past four years, did Republicans return the favor to this President?

I see no reason for him to even mention this right now. It appears weak. He should simply say that he will try to work with Republicans in the best interests of the country and he hopes that having lost seats in Congress and in the Senate, that over his next term they have learned that this is what the people want THEM to do.

We've been down this road before, and here are the 'just be quiet' crowd again. I thought that was just while 'there is an election coming up'?

Just when do Progressives, the forgotten wing of this party, the wing that was constantly told to STFU, the wing that gets Democrats elected, the wing that was told their 'ideas are retarded' etc etc. The Wing that had zero representation at the table during the HC debates.

Just when will it be okay for them to finally speak up? For two years the excuse for silencing them was 'we have an election coming up'. What possible excuse is there now?

I knew this would happen. I knew that it never was about the 'election coming up'. I knew it was to protect our team from any criticism no matter what they do. Well sorry about that. We are not lock step Republicans and the ONLY reason we got rid of DADT eg, was because we DID speak up. We wrote , we called, we emailed and we threatened all the while being told to STFU.

You get what you deserve, what you fight for in politics. And every Liberal Group and the major Unions are now forming a huge coalition to make sure that Progressives are not sidelined in this party any more, to begin the work, OUR work, of bringing this party BACK from the right leaning, third and lost way it has been taking for the past several decades.

[txdemsftw]

40. [phone]

[BlueCaliDem]

41. I'm a Progressive and I have zero problem with the president being open to compromise.

But I'm also a pragmatic progressive - not idealist progressive. Apparently, there's a huge difference.

DADT was what President Obama had promised during his campaign in 2007 and he kept it. What the Left forgot was the part where he clearly stated that he would do it right, and do it via Congress - and it pissed the Left OFF. He wanted it to STICK, but the Idealist Left got impatient and began wailing again. Of course, they didn't think further down the road that, had he done as they wanted - signing an executive order, that order would be temporary and any and all openly gay troops serving, should a Republican take the WH in 2012, would be out and could lose their positions. Doing away with DADT, just as President Obama said and did, via congress, was the only sure-fire way to ensure it wouldn't come back to haunt them.

As for what possible excuse is there now in not going on a froth-mouthed attack two days after the election of this president?

Are you serious?? The MIDTERMS. DUH. You know? The one coming in 201, similar to the one the disenchanted Left stayed home for in 2010 so that the Republicans could sweep the state legislatures and state governorships (making the 2012 elections that much harder) AND the HOUSE, thereby helping to weaken the ONE person in government who was fighting to get progressive policies through - the one they wail about ad nauseam.

No. You're not a lockstep Republican. But TeaBaggers aren't lockstep Republicans, either, and they're weakening, not strengthening the Republican Party, aren't they? See a pattern?

[sabrina 1]

42. What does 'left' mean to you btw?

And the old 'pragmatism v idealism' propaganda, and if you know its history, a short-lived history btw, failed attempt to package and box Liberals and to turn the word 'idealism' as they did the word 'liberal' into a nasty word. Interesting to see it here.

I remember that war, conjured up on a supposed liberal forum where it got the beating it deserved frankly. Pragmatic, one of the most incorrectly and over-used words of the past 10 years. I wonder if those who use it even know its origin.

It never got traction as hoped for and the only place that ever tried it, was Daily Kos. It won't get traction with Democrats, it is a decidedly republican tactic, the familiar attempt to marginalize liberals.

And then the 'there's an election coming up' not a week after the last one.

The Dem leadership lost the 2010 election because the party swung to the 'pragmatic right' and while progressive Democrats DID go out and vote, it was Independents, 'left' independents, who stayed home. The disastrous loss of the 2010 election was so predictable and Progressives tried to warn about it. But as always the right wing of the party refused to listen and destroyed all the work we did to take control of the house in 2008. You have no idea how angry 'idealists/liberals/progressives are still over that failure on the part of the 'pragmatic' wing of the party. Don't get me started.

The biggest mistake made by the leadership was to attack the left, of which many are Independent, and refuse to give progressives a seat at the table. That has now changed, the loyal base of the party will no longer be told to be silent because there's an election coming up or because their ideas 'are retarded'. Republican ideas are unacceptable and good leaders do not negotiate with people who do not have one good idea for this country, especially after they win an election.

DADT is a perfect example of the people refusing to be silenced, mobilizing and letting it be known that not keeping that promise was simply not acceptable.

[Raksha]

66. Thank you, sabrina 1

for that eloquent and well-deserved smackdown of the "pragmatic" wing of the Democratic Party, which has never been right about anything as far as I can remember.

[sadbear]

6. Hard not be be cynical.

Damn, I hope he starts from a position of strength this time.

[The Wielding Truth]

16. Yep, but he did pretty good last time and kept the country together. Let him work.

[kath]

7. Great. Just fucking great.

I know Romney would be worse, but Jeebus H. Christ I'd like to have a real Democrat in the White House.

A true Democrat wouldn't even THINK of cutting SS and Medicare.

I know, we need to "wait and see" and all that. But it ain't looking good.

[Peregrine Took]

17. Couldn't agree more.

He once had DLC on his resume but scrubbed it out before he ran for national office. Once a blue dog always a blue dog.
I voted for him (natch) and 'think he seems like a nice person but his political instinct is always to go to the center - offer to give in before you get into the battle.
Some of his devoted followers should read the latest installment of Robert Caro's book re: LBJ - he knew how to fight.

[Blue Meany]

8. Yeah, we can negotiate over whether to return the highest tax rates to what they were during the

Eisenhower Administration or to what they were under Nixon. We can debate whether whether we should bring back the estate tax at the rate it was under Clinton, or to double it. We can argue about whether Capital Gains should be taxed at the same rate as earned income, or at a higher rate. We can certainly compromise on what sanctions should be put on the members of corporate boards, when those corporations send jobs overseas.

[doc03]

9. How about the tax cuts expire on January 1 and January 1 I will ask

for the tax cut on people making under $250,000 to be renewed and you explain to the American people
why you are blocking it.

[Hutzpa]

10. Everyone need to chill the fuck out

let us allow this comment to settle in for a second.

[JaneyVee]

11. Calm down, everyone. It's called "politics".

[Comrade_McKenzie]

13. Judging by the ignorance of some of these replies, I can see no one actually watched his remarks...

Come back to the table when you know more about what he said and how he said it.

[Peregrine Took]

18. Good to know your thoughts on the topic. Aren't I entitled to mine?

I thought this was a forum where each could speak his or her mind without insults being hurled.

[satxdem]

37. thank you

Comrade, democrats on here are going nuts because the one who posted it doesn't like the word compromise so he decides to add things to Obama's statement. None of which he said. I just thank you for speaking out.

[regnaD kciN]

14. If you're worried about this...

...e-mail [e-mail] and make your opinion known right away. I did.

[SidDithers]

19. Obama will veto any bill extending tax cuts for those making more than $250K...

https://twitter.com/AP/status/266984601086459907

Sid

[kath]

21. Oh, yeah, just like "I will not sign any bill that does not contain a robust public option"

and something about putting on his comfortable shoes, and...

[SidDithers]

22. Making up quotes?...nt

Sid

[Junkdrawer]

24. Axelrod: Obama Firm on Public Option

Senior White House adviser David Axelrod said President Obama is "not willing to accept" that a so-called public option "is not going to be in the final package" of health-care legislation on "Face the Nation" Sunday.

"He continues to believe it's a good idea," Axelrod told CBS News Chief Washington correspondent and "Face the Nation" anchor Bob Schieffer about a government-funded alternative to private health insurance. "He continues to advocate it, and I'm not willing to accept that it's not going to be in the final package."

Axelrod said the president "believes that it will add an element of competition where there is none in some places in this country where there's a monopolistic situation with insurance companies."

...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-5307095.html

[SidDithers]

26. Yeah. I don't see the words "I will not sign any bill that does not contain a robust public option"

anywhere in that article.

Sid

[Junkdrawer]

30. I see.. Sell Everything...Immediately...Quickly....

[SidDithers]

32. I guess accuracy is too much to ask for?...

I mean, if you're going to quote someone, it's too much to ask that they actually said those words?

I guess making shit up is just fine with the perpetually outraged.

Sid

[sabrina 1]

45. Yes, apparently accuracy regarding the 2008 election for a few, and only a few who

after every broken promise re-write history. The PO not being in the HC bill was a disaster here. Had there been a choice other than the totally off the wall insane Republican Party, that issue would have lost this election for Democrats. It did lose the 2010 election which angered those of us who worked so hard to get control of Congress. The idiocy of the decisions made by the right wing of the party, lost that election.

It remains one of the issues raised by voters to those of us who have the job of trying to convince people to vote rather than allow the radical right to take over.

Obviously you need to talk to voters on the ground here before making declarations that have no relationship to reality. People's LIVES is at the top of the list for voters in a country where tens of thousands DIE for lack of HC. Your lack of knowledge and understanding of this fact is simply stunning.

Independents have no loyalty to any party and if the Republicans had not been so stupid and had not allowed their most insane members to take over, and had managed to even pretend to be rational, and if Progressives had not worked so hard despite their disappointment and in spite of the operatives running around screaming 'stfu' which was ignored thankfully we would have lost this election also.

No good Democrat will ever stfu about important issues in this country, that's how you know a Dem when you meet one, so the would-be silencers hopefully have learned that lesson by now.

This is our party and we will never allow it to be taken over by the Right, as has been attempted. The mobilization now of all the Liberal groups combined with the major Unions and all Democrats is no longer waiting, or trusting, as we did after winning in 2008 to get the issues they want addressed, dealt with this time. And we intend to take this party back from the right. That is going to be the focus of Democrats for the next four years.

[SidDithers]

59. tl:dr...nt

Sid

[sabrina 1]

62. twyknausp!n/t

[Cha]

52. Now you're just making up shit..

[sabrina 1]

47. And what will be compromised to get that bill to pass in the Lame Duck session

which is where all the previously arranged deals are revealed. And when any issue is 'taken off the table' during an election season, that means a deal has been made already and there is no point in the little people discussing it.

Just think for a moment what issue was taken off the table, which issue were we told 'will not be discussed during the election' and you might understand why Democrats are extremely worried about this talk of compromise. We've been there before, this time we are organizing, Democrats from all over the country, to make sure we don't fall into this trap again, and to make doubly sure they understand that the people are not as naive as they used to be.

[SidDithers]

60. ...

Sid

[sabrina 1]

61. Did you vote for him?

Not to worry, this time the people 'got this' and one encouraging thing he did state that this time he 'heard' the people. So I'm optimistic.

Anyone in this country who meddles with SS learns, as others have, that no matter what party you belong to, you are stepping on a 'third rail'. Bush learned it, Paul Ryan learned it. Up to now no Democrat has even attempted it although a few Third Wayers have hinted at it.

So with the huge support for making sure Republicans do not try to use this Lame Duck session to bring up SS as even part of the Deficit discussion and the majority of Americans totally opposed to mixing SS in with the Deficit, it would be political suicide, as it always has been, for any politician to even try it.

And anyone who cares about this President is advising him not to fall for any Republican attempts to force SS into the Deficit discussions.

Of course Right Wingers would love to see him be the first Dem to do so because they know what that would do the Dem Party. Therefore they WILL push to use SS and this President will need all the support he can get to resist those tricks. That's the job of US citizens.

[SidDithers]

63. Alrighty, then...nt

Sid

[morningfog]

64. How does that answer the question of SS and Medicare benefits?

[Skidmore]

20. Oh, for pity's sake, here we freaking go again.

Not one solid set of proposals is out there for discussion. Negotiations are tentative and DU has already gone into The Sky is Falling mode.

At least, get some solid detail come out before the meltdown occurs.

BTW, there will be compromise, whether you like it or not. We share a country with a whole lot of other people.

[morningfog]

65. We should talk about what compromise is acceptable.

[Peregrine Took]

23. He's already sending up trial balloons about SS cuts.

http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/obama-sends-trial-balloon-social-security-cuts-through-lying-citigroup-bankster

[SidDithers]

34. Yves Smith. LOL...nt

Sid

[warrprayer]

25. I for one

... had hoped to never hear the word "compromise" or any of its similies come out of our Presidents mouth, especially after this mandate victory. It gave me that sickening "here we go again" feeling in my stomach.... who the hell is he listening to?

[Junkdrawer]

28. Pressure to NOT compromise was building on the Left....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1773280

Hence today's speech.

[kentuck]

27. Instead...

if the tax rates on the top go up, the President is willing to cut corporate rates, and he has said so, to a much lower level to compensate for any higher taxes.

[Nye Bevan]

29. OUTRAGEOUS. UNACCEPTABLE.

At least, it would be if President Obama had a Democratic House and Senate with a filibuster-proof majority.

Sorry, but we are going to be seeing a lot of compromise, until 2014 at the earliest.

[Autumn]

44. If we see too much compromise, 2014 is really going to suck.

For the Democratic party. Now Obama is a pretty smart man, if he doesn't get that it's because he doesn't want to get it.

[gravity]

31. It's called good politics

Don't be fooled by the political posturing.

Boehner is doing the exact same thing when talking about fiscal cliff. You BS about compromise to get the public behind yourself.

The fact is that Obama still has the upper hand in the negotiations. He is just showing that he will be open to work with both sides of the aisle, which gives him political capital he needs to get what he wants.

[warrprayer]

35. hope you're correct n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

36. That's the way. The 3rd Way.

Sellouts, posturing, triangulation, compromise....and giving the real bosses what they want.

[Aristus]

43. I'm cool with him saying it, at least.

It's a way of announcing publicly that he is asserting that "I'M the one trying to be bipartisan here, you fucksticks!"

'Cause you know Boner & McTurtlechin will go to their graves insisting that the President didn't try to work with Congress.

[Cha]

54. Exactly Aristus.

[Aristus]

55. Hey thanks, Cha!

My wife and I were on Kauai just a few weeks ago. Beautiful! I picked up some of the local coffee; it's wonderful!

Our tour bus driver was a bit of a right-winger, though. Very anti-union...

Other than that, glorious...

[Cha]

57. "Bus Driver".. OMGoodness! Was it really hot when

you were here? 'Cause it's been hot forever it seems!

Where did you stay? I'm in Kapa'a on the Eastside..love my location. Don't have a car and so much is in walking distance..but, when I do want to go somewhere else I hop on the bus.

Aloha

[Aristus]

58. We arrived on a cruise ship, and just did a day tour of the island.

Including the Waimea Canyon. Wow!

[tjwash]

46. toot toooot.....here comes the chicken little train to the station...on time as usual

[sabrina 1]

48. Good, it's at least trying to be on time this time. Last Lame Duck session it was nowhere to

be found as we were told to 'trust' and be quiet. We learned, no more being quiet on important issues especially issues like SS and Medicare and Medicaid.

Last Lame Duch session brought us an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts in a deal that was made before the election. Which is why two issues were taken off the table during the election. We learned from that. This train should have been at the station during the election but better late than never.

[LWolf]

49. That's been the problem since '08. nt

[Hippo_Tron]

50. I suspect they work out a deal where they raise an amount of revenue equivalent to...

Repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, only they do it through a mix of rate hikes and loophole closures.

I'm not even sure the Republicans would accept Medicare and Social Security cuts in exchange for the tax increases.

[RepublicansRZombies]

51. okay how about ' You selfish greedy hypocritical jerks start working for the country...

or I will expose you as the corrupt bought off corporate whores that you actually are?'

That kind of compromise?

[PoliticAverse]

53. All he has to do is literally nothing and the Bush tax cuts expire... n/t

[LisaL]

67. That's not the problem.

The problem is sever cuts to federal budget.