Obama deals with protests in Connecticut

[Turborama]

Source: USA Today

President Obama, who is having a hard enough time with the Republicans this election season, had to deal with putative supporters today in Connecticut.

As Obama launched into his stump speech at an arena in Bridgeport, a group of protesters began heckling him over funding for the global fight against AIDS.

"Excuse me ... excuse me," an irritated looking Obama said before he could finally talk over the shouting. "We're funding global AIDS (prevention) and the other side is not -- so I don't know why you find this a useful strategy."

As some protesters kept shouting -- and presidential backers began changing pro-Obama slogans -- Obama told his critics, "you guys have made your point, so let's go ... C'mon, guys."

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/10/obama-deals-with-protestors-in-connecticut/1

[activa8tr]

1. It's really unfortunate that Obama hasn't cured AIDS yet, didn't he...

promise to do that and that's why we elected him??

He promised to reverse the worst Bush-caused recession since the 30's. He promised to fix THAT, too, within 2 years, right?
And then there's those Republicans, he promised to tame them and make them all love him, too,right?




:sarcasm:

Sometimes Obama just has too much evil and horrible out there in the real world so that all the good he does looks like he didn't do much at all in the last 700 days.

[rsmith6621]

2. At Least These Ill Informed Persons.....

....will leave there hearing from their President and wont need weeks of Chiropractic care to feel normal again...

[joanski0]

3. He should have hired someone

to stomp them on the heads! Then we'd really hear them crying "Nazi".

[Bitwit1234]

4. It certainly is odd that these people protesting about these

subjects are AFRAID to protest the ones who are stopping funding. The must be so afraid of the republicans they run like hell when someone mentions the name. Why don't the go to Cantor, McConnell, Bonehead, Coburn, Grassley or Inafuddle. Or are they thinking they might get a head stomp. That's what the tea bags and republicans do you know stomp your head.

[The Philosopher]

5. It’s a shame, the President’s response. It’s also a shame the response many here have to the protest

The President is hypocritical when he confronts situations like this. In calmer places he tells us, “Push me, make me do my job.” From the beginning he’s said that, he’s said it over and over again. Then when people do that, he gets irritated, tells them, “I’ve done lots of things, now shut up and go away! I’m talking here!” Everyone supports the STFU, saying, “Why don’t they wait until AFTER the election?”

The President missed an opportunity and we all should be upset about that. Instead of telling the protesters to basically go jump in a lake, he should told thanked them and told them they were right. “We haven’t done enough. We aren’t doing enough. We need to keep working, to keep being reminded of what to do. When we aren’t putting in our 100%, which every human being succumbs to every now and then, we need to be pushed. “ Then go into the platforms of what he PLANS ON DOING, not WHAT HE’S DONE. Any jerk knows you use what you’ve done as an excuse to get out of doing something. It’s hurting him doing that.

Instead of agreeing that not enough is being done, we’re told to shut up. Great.

[Divine Discontent]

6. Clinton would usually tell you who to speak to about your concerns. I think Obama was disturbed by

the fact it was right before the election. His mind is in campaign mode, but I agree, he could have just said some of those things you said. It's not easy to talk with people shouting, though. They could hold up signs and be respectful after a minute of chanting.

[LawnKorn]

7. President Obama made a good point about who is and is not funding the fight on AIDS

He missed a good opportunity to point out it is the Republicans who keep blocking additional funding.

This should have been immediately followed up by stating voting for Republicans in this election will further restrict AIDS funding.

[MadMaddie]

14. He did not tell them to shut up

He has to respond to certain groups like children because they are acting like children.

If they want to protest their cause why didn't they protest with Junior in office? Oh, that's right hecklers and the opposition were caged.

They made their point and he acknowledged them and that should have been the end of it.

If Reagan would have not ignored the Crisis when it began the disiese could have possibly been erradicated. Let's not forget this important point.

If these and other voters want to vote for the Republicans on Tuesday and they are surprised that funding is cut because the Republicans control the purse strings well....I will have absolutely no sympathy for the individuals because those supposed supporters of the cause only had immediate gratification on their minds instead of long term vision.

For the cause I will mourn.

So flame away....Some of these Democratic cause supporters are becoming their own worst enemies.

[AndrewP]

18. +1

[ThomCat]

21. You are wrong.

They are keeping the pressure up. It is people like them who will demand that the AIDS research and international aid budgets keep getting funded.

Pressure like this works, whether you like it or not.

If they weren't out there, over and over again, then Presidents (Every President) would not feel the pressure to keep funding AIDS research and international AIDS relief efforts. Those budgets would have dried up.

Activists who put pressure out there where it is needed are the reason issues stay a high priority. People who complain about them and wish they would go away aren't doing anything to help sustain that funding. You can't replace their effort.

[ThomCat]

20. Hey, he got another chance to bash the left.

He told us to hold his feet to the fire. So when activists do exactly what he wanted, exactly what he said to do, he throws a hissy fit!

It's another chance for him to yell at his base on the left.

He spends so much time meeting with corporate lobbyists. He has so many Goldman Sachs people, and other former Corporate Execs among his advisers. He's inside a nice conservative bubble.

He's insulated from the AIDS activists, the LGBT activists, the Environmental activists, and the other lefties he used to claim he supported. So the only way anyone can get his attention is through this rallies, where of course, he'll dutifully insult anyone standing on his left who wants him to actually accomplish anything progressive.

His point that he does more than the republicans would. Geez, it's the same loser point we keep hearing here that totally misses the point. It's not that the republicans would do less, it's that he could and should be doing more. And on so many issues, he promised to do more.

Doing more than the republicans is a the lowest possible standard to beat, and that's not an acceptable standard. We demand better than that.

[The Stranger]

26. Bullshit. You're cutting off your nose to spite your face.

And you're barking up the wrong tree.

[Winterblues]

27. There is something called civil society

You don't push anyone by heckling them.. There are ways to provide pressure without being rude and just a bunch of louts...Republicans do not seem to understand that very basic thing..

[BlueIdaho]

8. Yeah, I thought the protesters really taught the republicans a lesson today!

I'm sure the'll back global Aids legislation just as soon as they get back to Washington after the elections...

[EFerrari]

10. This probably happens where ever he goes every time.

The media chose to highlight this. Selective perception and distribution.

[CatWoman]

9. and this is news, why?

i guess they are trying to make up for all the stories like this they didn't report while Bush was president :eyes:

[EFerrari]

11. Seriously. I wish I had the fundling to just track what the pressitutes underline

every day of Obama's presidency. There's a big fat book here.

[No Elephants]

22. Maybe grant money would be available? (not joking--ya never know).

[DavidNYC]

12. "putative supporters"... not really!

I was at the rally with Pres. Obama in Bridgeport today (excellent event, large fired-up crowd), and watched this very minor fracas about global AIDS spending play out. About 20 "putative" advocates for AIDS spending shouted at the President for a few minutes, and Pres. Obama addressed their purported concern deftly and cogently.

The President did not speculate publicly on why they were there, but I will. It seemed clear that the protesters had no genuine interest in AIDS spending at all, but were Republican operatives annoyingly advocating a fringe left demand ($50 billion for AIDS) to accomplish three objectives: 1)disrupt the President's speech, 2)alienate some Democrats who may be uncomfortable with the AIDS issue or the $50 billion price tag, and 3) garner press coverage about heckling and disunity at the Obama event. To some degree, they succeeded on all three counts.

I got a close look at these protesters, and they resembled Mormon missionaries much more than AIDS activists. Karl Rove and his ilk must have had a hand on this.

[Turborama]

16. Thanks for your personal observations. You could well be right about them being agents provocateurs

If so, I hope they and their organizers are quickly exposed.

Welcome to DU. :hi:

[No Elephants]

23. Could well be. Republicons seem to have targetted gays and Hispanics for wedge driving this time

around.

Not that folk don't have legitimate beefs, but the targeting has been fairly obvious.

Good point.

[Blue_Tires]

28. that was my suspicion from the start...

[struggle4progress]

13. The wedge-drivers are busy driving wedges

[still_one]

15. what fucking morans. If they end up with a repuke congress you can expect very little funding for

aids research

[Democat]

17. Shortsighted idiots or Republican plants?

Either way, people with AIDS will do a lot worse if these protesters help to get Republicans elected.

[rayofreason]

19. Shame on Obama.

The protestors were rude, no question there, but they have a point

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1944554,00.html

[nalnn]

25. Indeed.

Indeed. More can still be done.

[Name removed]

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