this is hard to put into words, but I'm kind of sick of the tendency to focus on a critical attitude

[BlancheSplanchnik]

SO much so, that praising a victory ( that has been preceeded by victory after victory ) is only permissible if it is framed parenthetically by negative disclaimers.
......As if these past several years haven't been a continuum of cause-->effect, cause -->effect, cause --> effect, up down up down up down. All connected and building that series of victories.

Yet every time the outcome is not yet ripened to public visibility, pundits here and in other media simply must scream outrage that events aren't fitting their idea of what the progression of events/responses should be.

And then, yet again: every time the outcome does turn out well, every time the decisions prove out well, there never seems to be an admission that maybe --just maybe-- a lot of the righteous outrage has been shortsighted.

It's just something I notice sometimes and wanted to note. Because I don't especially like the superficiality of it. Does a disservice to considering the bigger picture.

Guess I've really got that Charles Pierce editorial in my mind which considered many precedents and events leading up to the present. A well rounded assessment that gives a deep understanding which I find more useful than "he's succking! Oh that was good. But see? I'm right he's sucking again. Oh wait. OK that turned out good. Oh! No wait! Look he's sucking ! There! I'm right again!"

Yeesh.


I'm not sure I'm expressing this clearly, but when I read editorials and opinion where posters feel compelled to emphasize and even *brag* that they usually feel judgemental, even contemptful, of PBO's decisions but will in this one case, offer their praise reluctantly, it really makes me uncomfortable.

[NYC_SKP]

1. "he's succking! Oh that was good. But see? I'm right he's sucking again." Yeah, I see that too.

Oh, thank God, I was worried that it was just me!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

6. oh thanks! me too!

[NYC_SKP]

8. What's funny is that just now, on CNN...

...they were saying pretty much the same things!

[Pretzel_Warrior]

2. You are spot on. This should have over 200 recs

But my guess is it tops out at 50 if people keep it kicked. Many here get angry when you point their counter productive behavior and comments out to them.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

3. P.S. they will also say the tireless efforts of liberals forced Obama's hand.

He's afraid of big business and is at their beck and call, but he's even more afraid of liberals and he will do their bidding if only they can provoke enough angst about Obama on DU.

P.S. 95% of self-identified liberals in the real world approve of the job Obama is doing.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

5. yeah. when your ego is attached to your opinions, it's real hard to assess self-critically.

I know. I've felt that way myself. Hard to admit you maybe need to look at yourself.

[BlueCaliDem]

4. K&R! I thought I was the only one who felt that way.

Good thing I'm not.

[Southside]

7. Here, here I never take Obama for granted

When I think about life under George Bush, I never get unhappy with Obama leading our country. When I think about the Tea Party, I see Obama always upsetting them and that makes me feel good too.

Also life under Romney still scares me.

Goooo Obama, you make me proud.

[tblue37]

9. knr nt

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. Here, here!! You're not the only one! Self inflicted wounds, this sense of inferiority led to our

defeat in 2010! Liberals' inability to see the bigger picture and think rationally is our biggest shortcoming; it often makes us no better than the baggers.

[freshwest]

12. 'Self inflicted wounds, this sense of inferiority' Nailed it. Media a major factor. Fills up minds.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

19. I'd been considering an OP wondering if anyone here sat out 2010

Just to show how pissed they were....speaking of cause and effect.

It's important that liberals keep up the social critique and pressure on all the issues, of course, but any of us who gave up a vote out of despair (or spite?) was a contributor to the ascendancy of Boner.

[BluegrassStateBlues]

11. If we let our version of the baggers take over, we will be in the same shape as the GOP.

Their crusade against politicians and news organizations for not being "conservative enough" is destroying them.

[Skittles]

13. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3867990

[okaawhatever]

14. Agreed. But don't kid yourself, it's more than just liberals who aren't Obama supporters.

There are very active trolls who come on this website with the intentional purpose of spreadin ill will and misinformation. They have been caught commenting about it on a Ron Paul website, encouraged to visit here with the same motives on that website, and one right win website posts something like the idiot of the week post from DU. There are libs who don't approve of Obama, but there are also many trolls in libs clothing. They need to be tossed out on their cyber butt.


Obama has done a great many things that get no mention from msm or liberals. I'm already a big supporter, but I think others will look back and see how much he really accomplished.

[cui bono]

18. It's not only people who are critical of Obama who might be trolls.

There are people on this site who defend spying on Americans, drone strikes, Chained CPI... they could just as easily be trolls of the centrist corporate mindset. These things are things that no Dem should support.

[Cha]

15. Well done, Blanche.. and I thank you

for writing it because I know exactly what you mean.

That's just some people, pundits, what have you.. that's how they operate.. like breathing.
And, of course they have no idea of anything that resembles a "big picture".

Thankfully there are so many who don't work on that level.

[SunSeeker]

16. K & R

[cui bono]

17. Well, the thing is, a lot of us aren't happy with the way Obama has been governing.

I certainly hope he keeps doing as he did in this stand off. That's what most of us who are disappointed in him have wanted him to do from the get go.

Just as you say "cause-->effect, cause -->effect, cause --> effect, up down up down up down. All connected and building that series of victories", I, and I believe many others, feel that same cause-->effect, cause -->effect, cause --> effect, up down up down up down, except we see it leading not to victories, but to a move of the center farther and farther to the right.

The outcome in this situation only "turned out well" in that disaster was avoided and a terrible shutdown was rectified. That to me is not all that positive - I mean of course it is positive, but if that's considered a win then we have really set the bar so very low that I don't see how we will keep things we have in place (SS, Medicare, etc...) let alone get more that is sorely needed.

And while we were distracted by this crazy debacle, the TPP is still being worked on, Chained CPI (which has now been put into the realm of negotiation by a Dem) is still a possibility, the budget still has the sequester in it, drone strikes continue, etc...

So for me, that's why I will remain critical. I'm looking at the big picture. And in that picture I see a whole lot of work left to do and a whole lot of misguided policy that needs to be changed/stopped.

While the ACA is an improvement, it's not enough and what we really needed - a public option, let alone single-payer - was never really on the table.

In the end, I fear we're still being duped and being fed disaster capitalism. And it is my duty as a citizen to fight that and to criticize when necessary.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

22. thank you cui bono, this was a good read.

I just am sick of the coolness and ego factor attached to criticism and the avoidance of admitting misjudgement. I appreciate a "disagreeing" response when it's got points worth considering.

No i dont mean to come off as merely a fan-chick or an uncritical thinker. I don't advocate global approval of every action--I'm totally in favor of public dissent.

What I don't like is a stream of critical micro-aggressions on any particular issue or against a particular person and THEN, when we see that the strategy was slow and measured but resulted in a win for whats right, the response is begrudging. Disingenuous. Self serving, is what it seems like.

Kind of like the honesty I'd like to see in media. Mistaken hostility should be amended. I would like that kind of courtesy.

[Bluenorthwest]

20. Do you miss Meta Blanche? Seems many of you do. Badly. Got to preach those

sermons! Others are so flawed! It must be pointed out all the sinners. That's what DU is about, harping about the flaws of other posters?
I think they ended Meta for a reason.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

21. actually, I only went to Meta about three times in all.

Curious, you know? I posted there once regarding an egregiously sexist poster, iirc

But if you want to continue scolding me about what a bad poster I am and categorizing me as a harpy, have at it.