The President's Unseemly Attacks On Progressives DEFY LOGIC

[Segami]

Wow! President Obama is finally taking the gloves off and focusing like a laser on publicly demolishing his opponents in so far as he is able to without literally throwing tomatoes at them. Great news, right? Isn't it about time? Who can even begin to explain how he tolerated the birth certificate crap, the "he's a Muslim" stuff, the planning to take over Texas coup, and all the other completely bogus charges that have been leveled at him by the Right over the years without blowing a gasket. Ummm. . . . see there's the problem. The people that President Obama has determined deserve the full brunt of his finally unleashed frustrations are not, as it turns out, the Right and the obstreperous, recalcitrant Republicans who have blocked his every move. No, the people on the receiving end of his derision, ridicule and contempt are his fellow Democrats, specifically those "Progressive Democrats" who are refusing to get with the program and pass what apparently is supposed to be his final signature, legacy cementing piece of legislation, the TPP and his ability to fast track it. Someone explain this to me, because it defies logic and common sense and plain old-fashioned political horse sense. How has the President managed to align himself with Republicans on this trade agreement and to be on the wrong side of the majority of Democrats and labor and workers and environmentalists and consumer advocates?

Seriously, what the heck is going on? befuddled Democrats would like to know how things came to such a pass. The internecine food fight among Democrats is not going unnoticed:

Obama mocks the opposition

(The following quote is President Obama describing TPP opposing Democrats):

"Their arguments are based on fears, or they're fighting NAFTA, the trade deal that was passed 25 years ago - or 20 years ago," he said with a laugh. Sighing, he added, "I understand the emotions behind it, but when you break down the logic of their arguments, I've got to say that there's not much there there." He said one of his Democratic critics' arguments "doesn't make any sense," another is "pure speculation," and others are "made up" or unrealistic.
"There's no logic that I think a progressive should embrace that would make you opposed to this deal," he said, accusing those who disagree of taking the "not smart" position of trying to "ignore the fact that a global economy is here to stay" and of acting to "shrink the overall economic pie just because we're mad about some things that have happened in the past."

The rhetoric suggests that Obama has given up trying to persuade Democrats to join him in supporting "fast-track" approval of the emerging Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and that he's lashing out at them in anger. Without Democratic support, the fast-track legislation faces a tough slog on Capitol Hill, especially in the House.

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/20150513_Obama_mocks_the_opposition.html

The Prez was overly verbose as is occasionally his wont. He could have been more concise by simply saying ,

"You see, these so-called "progressives" are fearful, ignorant, grudge-carrying Luddites living in a fantasy world where they are still tilting at NAFTA windmills. Sadly, they refuse to recognize my superior logic and won't just trust me to negotiate this global agreement with long-term lasting economic, environmental, and legal impacts without some input and supervision. Can you believe that?!"

Gosh, I don't know, but maybe some of the Democrats recall how they were sandbagged on the public option in the ACA or maybe they have memories of quick the President was to put chained CPI on the table during budget negotiations in 2011 and how they had to fight him on that as well. One hates to voice the thought, but perhaps some Democrats have learned that the President hasn't been exactly the best negotiator, often asking the least and ceding the most in his so-far failed efforts to forge bi-partisan consensus that have failed to move the implacable Republicans. Until now. Incredibly, the President has found an issue that has completely unified BOTH the Republicans and the Democrats, just not in ways that one would expect.




cont'

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/13/1384435/-The-President-s-Unseemly-Attacks-On-Progressives-Defy-Logic