President Obama sends clear message to Bernie or Busters ...

[salinsky]

... from his speech at Howard University yesterday ...

The point is, you need allies in a democracy. That’s just the way it is. It can be frustrating and it can be slow. But history teaches us that the alternative to democracy is always worse. That’s not just true in this country. It’s not a black or white thing. Go to any country where the give and take of democracy has been repealed by one-party rule, and I will show you a country that does not work.

And democracy requires compromise, even when you are 100 percent right. This is hard to explain sometimes. You can be completely right, and you still are going to have to engage folks who disagree with you. If you think that the only way forward is to be as uncompromising as possible, you will feel good about yourself, you will enjoy a certain moral purity, but you’re not going to get what you want. And if you don’t get what you want long enough, you will eventually think the whole system is rigged. And that will lead to more cynicism, and less participation, and a downward spiral of more injustice and more anger and more despair. And that’s never been the source of our progress. That’s how we cheat ourselves of progress.

We remember Dr. King’s soaring oratory, the power of his letter from a Birmingham jail, the marches he led. But he also sat down with President Johnson in the Oval Office to try and get a Civil Rights Act and a Voting Rights Act passed. And those two seminal bills were not perfect — just like the Emancipation Proclamation was a war document as much as it was some clarion call for freedom. Those mileposts of our progress were not perfect. They did not make up for centuries of slavery or Jim Crow or eliminate racism or provide for 40 acres and a mule. But they made things better. And you know what, I will take better every time. I always tell my staff — better is good, because you consolidate your gains and then you move on to the next fight from a stronger position.

I'm gonna miss that guy.

[Adrahil]

1. He is SOOOO right. NT

[ViseGrip]

2. Like TPP?

[bahrbearian]

25. I think he meant the Public Option.

"I had to sell you short because of compromise"

[KPN]

35. You too bahrbearian ... + a bazillion!

[Mnpaul]

54. and negotiating drug prices

he negotiated that away from the start. The President clearly did not have the best interests of the public in mind.

[Eleanors38]

60. God, my eyes! I thought you wrote "pubic onion."

[Recursion]

78. Sure; it's better than the bilaterals we currently have with those countries

So, yes, it's better.

[Trust Buster]

3. He nailed it. The "compromise is a bad word" crowd should remain the specialty of the Tea Party.

[TCJ70]

6. It's not that compromise is bad...

...it's when the compromise is the starting point that things go off the rails.

[salinsky]

7. Sitting out the election because you didn't get your favorite candidate ...

... is pretty damned uncompromising and off the rails.

[beedle]

19. No, it's compromise

you get to win the battle, we continue on to win the war.

All Hillary Democrats are doing, at best, is slowing the steady march to the right .... all this 'compromise' that Obama talks about didn't move anything forward in any meaningful way. A heath insurance plan from the 1990's Republicans? A plan to deal with Climate change that kicks the can down the road well past the point of no return (and then doesn't even bother to deal with the effects,) poverty that continues to grow, wage gaps that continue to grow, more and more wealth being transferred from the poor to the already super wealthy.

Compromising, on absolutely necessary and immediate issues is not 'compromise', it's surrender.

[salinsky]

28. Even when you're 100% right ...

... you're going to be living in a world where a lot of people are wrong.

And, you have to live with them and work with them and try to make the world a better place despite that unfortunate fact.

[beedle]

70. If I'm 100% right that fish is healthier than red meat

then yes, I can compromise on what meal we are having for diner.

When the issues is a matter of life or death, then that's a totally different story.

Obama started his heath insurance 'compromise' by appointing fucking Max Baucus to lead the 'negotiations' .. that wasn't 'compromise', that was a straight out betrayal. Fucking Benedict Arnold couldn't have 'compromised' any 'better'.

[salinsky]

75. Are you under the impression that he could've gotten universal single payer ...

... if he only he wouldn't have been so darn compromising.

[KPN]

46. Exactly!

Surrender and capitulation. That's all it is at this point.

BERNIE or BUST!!!

[Fawke Em]

23. No one is sitting the election out.

They're just not voting for the war hawk or the dummy. There are more people running. Heck, there's another woman running.

[Armstead]

24. Stop jumping to conclusions about millions of people and 40 percent of primary voters

That is not helpful

[Phlem]

29. Again with this shit.

[KPN]

43. Yep!!!

Ignorance (or privilege) is bliss!

[cherokeeprogressive]

12. It is when you use it in conjunction with ABORTION, like Hillary did.

[KPN]

40. Here we go again.

Enough is enough. Fuck the so-called "compromise" of the past 40 years. Fuck the status quo.

Compromise is compromise when both sides share in wins and losses -- otherwise it's capitulation. On the economic front, the Dems have repeatedly and consistently capitulated over the long haul, trading minor wins for huge losses.

You people who support doing more of the same have either personally benefited from the bargains of the past 40 years, been insulated from them, or you are just plain ignorant of their irrationality.

No more acceptance from this registered Democrat for the past 44 years.

BERNIE OR BUST!!!!

[Mnpaul]

58. When you start negotiations from a center position

and compromise with the far right you get RW policy and the Republicans win. Remember when Boehner admitted he got 98% of what he wanted? We are not buying your silly third way word games.

[whatchamacallit]

4. Too bad authority opinions have so little influence on free thinking people

Oh well, keep trying.

[salinsky]

8. Free thinking or gullible and uncompromising?

[Armstead]

26. We';re neither gullible nor uncompromisng

We're millions of individuals.

I'm 64 years old and I know my way around the block, thank you very much.

[Phlem]

34. OMFG. You joined in March 1 2016 and your calling people here

gullible? Are you fucking serious? Just take a fucking second and see if there's anything wrong with this picture.

For fucks sake.

Projecting much!?

[whatchamacallit]

37. Lol

'Gullible and uncompromising' better fits acolytes of the Shrine of the Holy Shapeshifter.

[KPN]

48. Just free thinking and, at this point, ...

uncompromising.

And proud of it!!!!

BERNIE or BUST!!!!!

[CrowCityDem]

5. That's the problem with running on change as an issue unto itself.

Obama has done a great job, which I think we would all be more ready to acknowledge if he had run a different campaign at the time. By focusing so much on hope and change, he created an atmosphere where people were expecting to get everything they wanted. What he's saying now is absolutely true, and it's the right position to have. But because young voters were swayed by big promises, that strategy got taken up by Bernie, and now we're once again seeing a generation being convinced that they don't have to compromise. That's just not how politics work.

First and foremost, that's the reason I didn't even consider supporting Bernie.

[KPN]

53. That is so much crap.

Do you even realize that what he ran on is the basis of what he got elected on???!!!

Obama would not have been elected had he run a different campaign.

So the issue today for many people who voted for him is TRUST.

And obviously many (45%) of Dems don't TRUST Hillary -- nor should they based on her record or the record of the Party the past 35 years.


By the way -- I suspect you are just a Hillary/DNC/corporate troll. Only seen you here the last month or so -- and you're all anti-progressive from what I've seen.

[CrowCityDem]

61. Yes, he did get elected on what he ran on...

and that's the problem. He knew, even then, that he was selling a vision of the future that was never going to come to pass. The disillusionment that came from his coalition learning what politics really was only after he was in office is the main reason why you see such a lack of trust in any politician or government entity among younger voters. It's no coincidence that the only person they seem to trust is the one telling them what Obama did back then; you can have everything.

[KPN]

65. So its a problem when the majority of people expect something then?

Your logic doesn't make sense to me. He got elected because he said he would do what the majority of people wanted the President to do. If what the majority of the peoplke doesn't matter, then it's time to change the system.

And that time is now in my opinion. Too many peoples' lives have already been ruined and tens of millions more are on the brink. Anyone who can't see that is either not paying attention, paying attention to corporate media, or blissfully happy with the benefits they've received from our current corporatocracy.

[CrowCityDem]

68. He sold them unrealistic expectations that could never happen. Bernie's doing the same.

[SwampG8r]

80. Now bernie= obama?

Hillarians are now.tossing obama under the bus
Nice

[CrowCityDem]

81. In terms of being realistic with campaign rhetoric, there are similarities.

[Armstead]

9. I am sick of this shit -- Everyone agrees on the need to compromise

the question is how far do you compromise. And what is the end goal?

[hellofromreddit]

13. It's especially odd in light of attacks on Sanders' willingness to compromise.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/10/5-times-hillary-clinton-has-played-fast-and-loose-with-the-facts-on-bernie-sanderss-record/

[Armstead]

14. Cultivating Cognitive Dissonance

[salinsky]

18. He wasn't talking about Sanders ...

... he was talking about a rather vocal contingent of his supporters who are threatening to sit out the election or worse.

[Fawke Em]

27. Again, no Sanders supporter is threatening to sit out the election.

They're either writing him in or voting Green.

https://citizensagainstplutocracy.wordpress.com/

[salinsky]

32. Trump thanks you ... nt

[Fawke Em]

38. No, he's thanking you.

Bernie beats Trump in every poll. Hillary does not.

[salinsky]

47. Bernie can't even beat Hillary ... nt

[KPN]

62. We shall see.

Bernie certainly has had an uphill battle .. with the playing field sloped in Hillary's favor as it was set up to begin with regardless of who challenged her.

Success at calculating and triangulating does not equate to meaningful (significant) progressive economic gain, as we've seen from the last two Democratic administrations.

Winning on those bases isn't winning on the basis of Democratic principles in my book.

[puffy socks]

51. Which is the equivalent of sitting out the election.

and yes there have been many who say they will not vote.

But then Sanders supporters don't believe in spoiler candidates.

or care about the SCOTUS nominees.
Heck one of you didn't even have a clue who she was.
It says a ton about this "revolution" .

[KPN]

63. I don't care about the SCOTUS nominees!!!!

I'm sure that will get your panties in a bunch!

Why? Because my 31 year old gay son and 29 year old daughter convinced me that 20 years from now, their social issues won't matter when most of humankind is at risk because of run-away corporate governance and associated global warming.

I'm siding with my kids. And they say write in Bernie!

So it's Bernie or Bust for me!!!

[puffy socks]

69. Nah, getting all in a tizzy never helps anything.

The SCOTUS doesn't just decide social issues. It was the SCOTUS that broke up Standard Oil monopoly, for instance.

If you truly care about your kids you had better take the SCOTUS as the ultimate important issue in this election because it means we'll have more run-away corporate governance and associated global warming.

It is the SCOTUS that took away freedom of speech in 2006 Bong Hits for Jesus.
It is the SCOTUS who allowed the Citizens United funding to continue.


I really can't understand how the rage of some people prevents them from seeing this.



" If you think that the only way forward is to be as uncompromising as possible, you will feel good about yourself, you will enjoy a certain moral purity, but you’re not going to get what you want. And if you don’t get what you want long enough, you will eventually think the whole system is rigged. And that will lead to more cynicism, and less participation, and a downward spiral of more injustice and more anger and more despair. And that's never been the source of our progress. That's how we cheat ourselves of progress." ~Obama


This is the Progressive's biggest problem. It keeps us from being unified.

[KPN]

72. I understand you viewpoint but respectfully disagree.

We need to elect Bernie now. If the Democratic Party doesn't see that, then I don't think the Democratic Party represents the interests of the average American any longer.

A vote for Hillary now will only insure that the interests of the average person continue to get bargained away. I will not be held hostage by SCOTUS when our entire future is at risk regardless.

Sorry .... that's the way I and many others see it.

Continue to rationalize supporting corporate candidates if that pleases you. I cannot -- any longer that is.

Oh, by the way, I find your characterization of my -- and many others' viewpoint -- as "rage" offensive. You can get off your high horse now.

[hellofromreddit]

31. A contingent that has already shown its ability to accept politicians who compromise.

There's compromise, and there's justifying compromise. Sanders and Clinton have both compromised. Sanders has taken the time to explain and justify his compromises to voters who expect explanations, so those people support him. Clinton has NOT taken the time to explain and justify hers, so those same people are not compelled to support her.

The voters aren't demanding some impossible degree of purity--they're demanding respect. Show respect, get support.

[brush]

44. That vocal contingent would be the first to attack him once he got in office . . .

and couldn't get all the free stuff through — or even half of it if he compromised.

[KPN]

57. They are all Hillary, DNC or corporate trolls. Ignore them!

Bernie or Bust!!!!

[ViseGrip]

10. I had hope for him as a constitutional lawyer, until he tried to undo a part of it.

The supreme court stopped him. It was awful to watch him take it that far, as an attorney he knew better. He also took an oath, to uphold and defend the constitution of the united states.

Then he continues to push oil drilling, keystone, TPP.

I will not miss him, much.

His hope campaign was hopeless, once we watched his continued capitulation and no public option for our healthcare, while the elected's have theirs.

The banks were not held accountable and with a recession, as a family they sure spent a lot. Those things matter to me.

[CentralMass]

11. Doesn't he have a trade deal to cram down our throats that he can focus on ?

To keep himself occupied instead of piling on Betnie Sanders suppprters ?

maybe he can help DWS shore up the Pay Day lending industry or put ElizaBeth Warren "in her place" on trade deals or haul out Barney Frank to chastise her for trying to reinstate Glass Stegall.

[polly7]

45. Imo ....... those trade deals are what makes him need to do all this.

I used to think he cared about people a lot more than he seems to.

[salinsky]

16. Wow, that's really sick .... nt

[salinsky]

20. I seriously doubt that you are really a Sanders supporter ...

... you have all the characteristics of a paid rightwing troll.

[MH1]

22. I just got called to a jury for that one. Yikes that was a sick puppy.

"Troll" is too nice for that one.

Glad the autoban kicked in so quick.

[Fawke Em]

41. I reported it.

That was no Bernie supporter.

[salinsky]

49. That was the worst thing I've seen posted on DU ...

... and no, he was not a Sanders supporter.

[Fawke Em]

21. I don't consider Hillary as progressive enough to make any progress, so I'm just

gonna ignore Obama on this one.

[Armstead]

30. This............

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511923170

[Kelvin Mace]

33. "And democracy requires compromise, even when you are 100 percent right."

Some things you NEVER compromise on. To do so, is at the price of your soul. At the price of becoming the very monster you are fighting. The line is bright and obvious, and once crossed, can never be uncrossed.

Obama crossed that line several time. People can either condemn that, or excuse it.

[salinsky]

39. "Obama crossed that line several time."

Every single President in the history of the Republic has.

It's why I don't understand why anyone would even want the job.

President Obama is the best President of any of our lifetimes, and history will look kindly on his term in office.

[Kelvin Mace]

52. No, he is not.

And that anyone would utter those words simply demonstrates how thorough the rot.

Some bright lines cannot be crossed. You are willing to look the other way when they are, I am not.

[AgingAmerican]

36. Obama's compromises with the GOP were disasterous

Sequestration is a prime example

[salinsky]

55. Allowing the U.S. government to default and crash the global economy ...

... would've been more to your liking?

[bettyellen]

73. I think a lot of people are hoping for revenge. Like in Flint, with SBS's vindictive response- fire

the bastard! So very helpful to the people of Flint. HRC rolled up her sleeves and went to work for Flint. SBS pointed fingers.

[kcjohn1]

42. Comprise is fine if we agree with the ultimate goals

Sorry to modern democrat party (including Obama) does not have the same goals as your average citizen.

Their world viewpoint is from the perspective of the elite that fund their campaigns.

[Peregrine Took]

50. ignore. n/t

[Hoyt]

56. I agree with Obama completely. Unfortunately, Sanders' supporters don't/won't get it.

[azurnoir]

59. would MLK have settled for a civil rights bill that still allowed discrimination in public employmen

not in public housing?

[Agony]

64. IOW it doesn't really mean shit, what you say to get elected.

President Obama has been OK…kinda so so... that is the best I can say cuz I'm compromising

[aikoaiko]

66. MLK didn't stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and say we must compromise with racists.

You compromise on legislation, but not your principles.

[Blue Meany]

67. Is this what democracy looks like?

I completely agree that Democracy is better than the alternatives. Indeed the biggest advantage to democracy may be that averts the need for violent revolution to achieve change. My question, though, is the extent to which we have a democracy when:

Policy positions favored by the vast majority of citizens are not undertaken.

Most electoral discourse is controlled by corporations and the 1% either through contributions or by control of the media.

The two-party system concentrates power and limits choices of candidates and platforms to those that are acceptable to elites.

The overarching economic model favored by most candidates in both parties--neloiberalism--generates wars and chaos abroad and unemployment and depressed wages at home. The trade deals and the war on terrorism are the flip sides of the same coin and neither one of them benefits the 99% in this country or anywhere else.

There is blatant--and apparently legal--voter suppression and indications of the election fraud that are either not investigated or not remedied when they are taken to court.

Popular movements for change such as the occupy movement, Black lives matter, and environmental movements are monitored, infiltrated, sabotaged, and repressed by government agencies, sometimes in collusion with corporations. (As an aside, I expect there to be renewed efforts to exert more control over the Internet, since it is internet media that has made it possible to mobilize many recent movements including Bernie Sanders' candidacy).

You tell me, is this what democracy looks like?

[sadoldgirl]

71. I wonder whether he is rationalizing his presidency already this way.

[salinsky]

74. Why would he need to "rationalize" his presidency ...

... he has been remarkably successful, against daunting odds, and history will remember his presidency with high regard and affection.

[highprincipleswork]

76. Yes, you need allies. How about members of your own Party?

[CharlotteVale]

77. Obama's idea of "compromise" is starting to the right of center.

No thanks. I'll never forgive him for trying to compromise away Social Security.

[Broward]

79. He subscribed to right-wing framing of a runaway debt problem.

There was /is no urgency. Rather, he created a solution for a problem that didn't exist and in the process tried to "compromise" to cuts on SS. Obama has proved himself to be a fighter for the rich and powerful. The TPP is just the latest proof.