And the Wisdom to Know the Difference

[NanceGreggs]

There is a difference between saying you have disappointed me on one issue or more, but my ears are still open – and saying because you have disappointed me once or twice, I am no longer listening to anything you have to say.

There is a difference between the dream of hope and change, and the reality of how much change can be effected quickly and easily - along with recognizing how much hope on the part of the citizenry is part of the mix.

There is a difference between what is desired now and what is possible in the days to come.

There is a difference between what can be accomplished today with expediency, and what can be accomplished tomorrow with patience and perspective.

There is a difference between a sense of immediate popularity, and a sense of long-term purpose.

There is a difference between being a pastor who caters to the choir – and a pastor who speaks to and for the entire congregation.

There is a difference between being all things to all people and bringing something of value to everyone, one small step at a time.

There is a difference between being determined to unite while so many are clamoring for a deepening of the divide.

There is a difference between justice because it is warranted and vengeance because it sometimes feels just.

There is a difference between focusing on what is wanted and setting your sights on what is needed.

There is a difference between getting it right and getting even.

There is a difference between what needs to be fervently shouted from the rooftops and what needs to be whispered in fervent prayer.

There is a difference between what was wrong in the past and what can be made right in the future.

There is a difference between how we got where we are and how we get to where we need to be.

There is a difference between who we were yesterday, who we choose to be today, and who we will be tomorrow.

There is a difference between giving up and giving in and promoting the concept of just pure-and-simple giving, because it benefits us all.

There is a difference between compromise between two warring factions and compromising ideas and ideals.

There is a difference between them and us – and it just might be time to start thinking not about how we differ, but how we are the same.

One Country, Indivisible – standing behind one President - who has the Wisdom to know the Difference …

Amen.

[Hekate]

1. Let me be the first to kick this.

Thanks, Nance.

Hekate

[bjobotts]

90. A difference between ignoring reality and having the courage to change it

[bjobotts]

91. The divide is not of our choosing but freedom is.Democracy is.So is complacency.

The wisdom to know the difference between what can be changed and what must be accepted comes only after we try everything within our power to change what we do not want and still cannot change it so we accept it. Enough times of doing that and we grow in wisdom so we don't waste the effort trying to change what we know we must just accept. Seems to older I get the less energy I have to change what would be difficult to change.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. K/R

!!

[Political Tiger]

3. Amen and Hallelujah!

:kick:

[FrenchieCat]

4. There is a difference, and I say poo to those who believe that there isn't!

Thank you Nance for your eloquent words.

[Binka]

5. Hell Yes!

Kick ass sister.

[empyreanisles]

6. "There is a difference between getting it right and getting even." - Bravo

[NanceGreggs]

7. Welcome to the DU family ...

... empyreanisles.

:hi:

[empyreanisles]

8. Thank you, Nance! :)

[Control-Z]

9. That's the one that stood out for me too.

I've never been a big fan of vengeance or getting even. Even as a child, if someone intentionally hurt me, my first instinct was to try and get on their good side. I figured if they liked me then the odds were in my favor that it would never happen again. It has worked for me many times throughout my life.

edit to add: Welcome to DU!!

[monmouth]

10. I think Nance should be head speech writer for POTUS..Brava...n/t

[terisan]

11. Back to Medieval Monarchy or Forward to Modern Democracy--I choose the latter.

[tavalon]

12. Wow, just fucking wow!

[Dystopian]

13. KandR. Thank you, Nance....

This made me think...I felt like you wrote it just for me.
I imagine that there will be many of us who feel that way when they read it.
I can't tell you which strikes me more...the message, or how you penned it.
I'm in awe....

Heartfelt thanks...


peace~

[lamp_shade]

14. Bravo !!

[ekwhite]

15. K&R

Well written, as always.

[madamesilverspurs]

16. Exceptional as always.

In a nutshell, there is a difference between private motive and common purpose. We're resolving the consequences of one while working toward the results of the other. God grant us the necessary patience.

[pipi_k]

17. That was the thing that made me dread

the start of Obama's presidency...

the people who wouldn't know the difference.

I knew they'd be out there in whatever numbers they happen to be, whining and complaining about how totally disappointed they are because their own issues weren't being address and fixed immediately. Or maybe Obama and his administration have other ideas on what needs to be fixed, and whether it's important enough NOW, and, if so, what is the best way to fix those problems.

People who voted for him expecting the little change fairy to come flying down from wherever such creatures live, waving a wand, and POOF! The world is changed before our eyes.

Forgetting, of course, that it took eight whole years for things to get as bad as they are now, and, let's face it, some things are just going to have to wait until the larger mess gets cleaned up. In other words, you don't ignore someone with spurting blood while you rush over to put a sling on a sprained arm.

[MadMaddie]

87. pipi_k you are right

but it goes back further than 8 years it goes back 28 years and the rise of Reagan and the domination of Repugs in the Congress for most if not all of those years.

[Political Heretic]

18. Opening sentence best ever. Proud to Rec.

That really cuts to the heart of it right there.


You've disappointed me once or twice, but I'm still listening - that's me, or I want that to be me.

In fact, even more than that its more like I'm worried that what you are doing will end up disappointing me, but its unclear so far and I'm still listening....

That's also true. Only a couple concrete disappointments. More of is sincere concern over things that haven't fully played out yet.

[LWolf]

19. I had the wisdom to know the difference

between Obama's stated policies and what I wanted for the nation 2 years ago.

Which is why my "disappointment" is now about 14 months old, and I'm left with the futile

I TOLD YOU SO.

[CBR]

20. But if we are not disappointed you are not telling us anything...

"I told you so" to whom?

Great OP!!

[LWolf]

23. So, I think what you are saying is that

"we" is a construct of all those who agree with you, and none of the rest of us, lol.

[CBR]

31. If I am speaking for myself and those of us not disappointed

then of course that is to whom I am referring. Arguing over the use of pronouns was not the point of the statement but, hey, if that is critical analysis, go for it.

I just wanted to know who you are saying, "I told you so" to because the majority of users on this thread were complimentary of the OP's sentiment so saying, I told you so, did not make any sense in the context. What were/are you so right about anyway?

[LWolf]

33. To answer your question:

I'm saying "I told you so" to every DUer who told ME, during the primaries, that Obama was "not dlc," was a "liberal," etc..

With 68 posts, unless you lurk way more than you post, you probably weren't here for the primary wars. When the field was narrowed down to two corporate/centrists, before 44 states got to weigh in, Obama got all of the "not dlc!!!!" support.

It was vicious, it was ugly, it was brutal, and I wasn't even on one of the teams, being equally disenchanted with both choices. Obama supporters then did not want to hear about his centrist/corporatist/dlc/3rd way/"new dem" agenda.

Those that ARE centrists, that always wanted that agenda, got what they wanted. My remarks are not directed towards them, but towards the many who were telling me that Obama was the great liberal hope a year ago.

Every thread on DU is for ALL DUers, not just those that agree with the OP.

[CBR]

37. Thanks for answering...

I was a heavy lurker during that time and remember it not so fondly. I do think the President will, however, be successful in moving us towards a center-left mindset.

[LWolf]

42. I can, and do, join you in that hope. nt

[geek tragedy]

22. Do you hope he fails? n/t

[LWolf]

25. That's a loaded question, lol.

Do I hope Obama's administration "fails?"

It depends on what you mean when you say "fail." Do I hope that he fails to improve the nation, and that we fail to keep republicans in washington in the minority? Absolutely not.

Do I hope some of the agenda fails? YES.

I hope his, and that ass Arne Duncan's, agenda for education fails, and he is forced to move the agenda left.

I hope his plans to continue the war on terror indefinitely fail, and he is forced to move to the left. Before we spend any more blood or dollars.

I hope his plans for private health insurance fail, and he is convinced to move to the left with universal single-payer, not-for-profit health care.

I don't want the MAN to fail. I don't want the nation in any worse condition than it already is. I want his center-right agenda to fail, forcing him to the left.

Which, in my opinion, will benefit the nation and his political future.

Please note that I took your question seriously, and answered it honestly and thoughtfully. Agree or disagree, can you do the same?

[geek tragedy]

29. You just gave the Rush Limbaugh answer.

Thanks for confirming your agenda.

[LWolf]

32. It's news to me that Rush wants to move the nation to the left.

Can you provide some evidence of his conversion?

[geek tragedy]

48. He wants the Obama administration to fail, you want it to fail.

Your motivations are superficially different, but your agenda in the here and now is the same.

[LWolf]

52. .

[Brucie Kibbutz]

59. .

:rofl:

[Donald Ian Rankin]

53. That's like saying that the NIF and the Minutemen are the same

because both of them opposed Bush's immigration policies.

Or that Wellington and Napoleon are the same, because both of them fought at Waterloo.

"Believing that Obama is too left-wing" and "believing that Obama is too right-wing" are really, really not the same thing...

[acmavm]

39. Don't bother with this guy, he's nothing more than a broken record.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5347136&mesg_id=5351831

[LWolf]

44. I got that figured out.

Yesterday I was declared "the enemy," but that got deleted.

Today I'm Rush. :eyes:

[acmavm]

45. And tomorrow? Bill O?

What makes this so fucking frustrating is that's pretty much all they've got, want him to fail, only 60 days, same old shit another damn thread.

Someone here has a FANTASTIC graphic that covers it all:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8295552#8298826

[LWolf]

46. I saw that.

It's the best graphic I've seen since last November. Maybe we ought to all put it in our sigline, lol.

[saltpoint]

21. Sadly, this post is necessary. Happily, this post gleams.

Recommended.

[stillcool]

24. I had to log in, just to rec this..

I've decided not to play in the sand-box anymore, and not logging in helps me with those occasional urges to play silly games. I am working on knowing the difference between what is a worthwhile use of time, and what not only has no value, but is detrimental to my ability to contribute in any meaningful way to this world I inhabit. Thank you for your post. It gives me hope.

[Undercurrent]

26. Breath of sweet, fresh air!

:kick:

[Terri S]

27. Amen! k&r

Thanks Nance. You were one of the main reasons I ever came to this site, and still one of the main reasons I continue to support it.

[cliffordu]

28. K&R

Brilliant, Nance, as per usual....

:hi:

[BlooInBloo]

30. Ah another lockstepping, dissent-censoring Obamabot, I see.

:P

[Laurab]

34. K&T nt

[mr1956]

35. Thank you!

As always your eloquent posts (even the expletive laden rants) say what I wish I had the skills to say. This one speaks to me and for me.

[depakid]

36. Wow- getting a flashback to the 1990's and the Clinton Administration

[classof56]

50. Just what I've been thinking.

I recall about two weeks after Clinton was inaugurated he was getting slammed every which way because he hadn't fixed the economy. Of course Rushbo had started in on Bill long before he took office, as with Obama, and I clearly remember how Rush declared his number one goal was to shoot down Clinton's health plan. That accomplished, he (Rushbo) then proceeded on his non-stop crusade to destroy Bill and Hillary, peace and properity be damned. How often I heard from dittoheads I knew, "The American people have chosen the economy over morality!" Ah, for the good old days! Sigh...

Once and Future Tired Old Cynic

[depakid]

51. One thing you do have to say about Bill is that he never got a break

much less a honeymoon. It was smear after smear from day 1.

Yet he still went along with deregulating the media- even going so far appoint Micheal Powell to the FCC. Go figure....

[GeorgeGist]

38. There is a difference between indivisibility, 50 States ...

of America, and 195 Countries of the World.

Wisdom isn't as blind as you think.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

40. Just when I think you couldn't possibly get any more eloquent...

You up and prove me wrong...

And how glad I am to be!

Such creativity I am honored to stand in the presence of...

Thank you!

K&R

:patriot:

[yowzayowzayowza]

41. Amazing the number and types that get caught in blinding...

dichotomies. K&R

[tjwash]

43. Fuck that Nance...

...I'm voting for <insert politician who has not got a snowballs chance in hell because they are actually batshit crazy here> in 2012. Until you can show me a perfect, incorruptible, intelligent politician who believes the exact same things I do, they do not deserve my vote.

And I shall snivel, and cry on every internet message board in the tubes until I get my way.

In all seriousness though...the whole wailing and gnashing of teeth here, sounds a lot like our politicians who say such idiotic things such as...""Sure, this plan is helping millions of families in poverty. But I found three examples of people abusing it. We need to scrap the whole system."

[Castleman]

47. Damn......

I've said it once, and I'll say it again, when you gonna write a book?
Incredibly eloquent, wise, and gets right to the heart of the matter.
You are a treasure to this community.

[HopeOverFear]

49. Thank you. Many people don't have wisdom. n/m

[guruoo]

54. Awesome. Definitive. A must read. K&R n/t

[MasonJar]

55. There is a difference between accepting what is not right because

my guy does it and speaking out for real change from my guy.
There is a difference between spending money on war and the military budget when saying there is no money for universal health care and on eliminating much unnecessary military spending and providing Americans health care without insurance companies getting rich.
There is a difference between pitting teachers against each other with merit pay and making teachers the scapegoat and changing the outlook of Americans toward the value of education so that parents and society teach the value of education to the children.
There is a difference between looking forward and refusing to punish admitted war crimes, torture and diminishment of the Constitutional rights of American citizens
There are many good things to welcome in the Obama administration, not the least of which is tha he is not Bush or McCain, but there are major issues for which we, the progressives, must demand a better response. Obama has not shown so far that he is open to varying opinions, as he promised during his campaign.

[OneGrassRoot]

56. I didn't think it was possible, but your rants keep getting....

better and better.

Thank you, Nance!!!

:yourock:

[SeattleGirl]

57. Amen, Nance!

:applause:

[dcindian]

58. The difference between right and wrong?

Oh wait it's a Democratic president so we can ignore right and wrong.

[OwnedByFerrets]

60. IF in "getting even" you are

talking about investigating war crimes, then I say its NOT about getting even Nance. Its about holding those who may be guilty of horrible crimes accountable. There is a difference in the two.
If I misinterpreted your meaning in that phrase, accept my apologies.;-)

[empyreanisles]

66. I took it to mean the uproar about helping out the banks.

Some people trash Geithner's plan simply because there is the possibility for Wall Street & the big banks to make profits with the help of tax payer dollars. They ignore the nuts-and-bolts merits of the plan and the fact that it actually may work in delivering healthier bank balance sheets.

This need for short term blood-letting versus common sense long-term strategy could be thought of as "getting even instead of getting it right".

[NanceGreggs]

69. No, I am definitely NOT ...

... talking about war crimes. Investigating and prosecuting war crimes is not "getting even" - it's getting justice.

[OwnedByFerrets]

74. Thank you for clearing that up.

[NanceGreggs]

76. I would personally like to see the torturers ...

... those who participated, those who signed off on the "legalities" of it, those who KNEW and looked the other way, rounded up and put on trial.

And while I am not an advocate of capital punishment, once convicted - I would gladly throw the fuckin' switch myself, without hesitation, or a modicum of regret.

[bjobotts]

92. Seems Spain and England will pressure Obama into investigations/prosecutions huh

[babylonsister]

61. Just superb, Nance!

:fistbump:

[saltpoint]

62. A kick for anyone who appreciates presidents who use complete sentences.

[sandyj999]

63. Thank you, as always! n/t

[Fire1]

64. Sorry to say, it appears from some of these threads, you lost

alot of folks on the word, 'wisdom.'

[Divine Discontent]

65. what a wonderfully supportive and 'coexisting' message on how to live. God bless/good vibes! eom

[saorsa]

67. Same Old Sermon in a Shiny New Bottle, or Don't Rock the Boat, children, from Platitudes R Us

I should be more charitable, after all, this lofty message, which we have all heard before, shows clearly that the author drank the kool-aid when it was handed to her, and now she must do her part to admonish the rest of us against feelings of disappointment, anger & despair, especially if those feelings lead us to voice our concerns, and worse still, act on them.

Or is this missive a secret strategy designed to really piss off the progressives and liberals by insulting them, and talking down to them and maybe push a few more of us to stop being manipulated by the patronizers, and pacifiers of the Go Along to Get Along Crowd that sadly runs our Party?

There is a difference between saying you have disappointed me on one issue or more, but my ears are still open – and saying because you have disappointed me once or twice, I am no longer listening to anything you have to say.

As if progressives and liberals actually stop listening when they hear things they don't like, and sing la la la I can't hear you! Do you do that, guys?

There is a difference between the dream of hope and change, and the reality of how much change can be effected quickly and easily - along with recognizing how much hope on the part of the citizenry is part of the mix.

Uh, not sure about this but let me try: As if we don't know that we can't fix this tragic mess overnight, and we better realize that the people must have hope too....seems to me the less real reform people see the more their hopes will fade.

There is a difference between what is desired now and what is possible in the days to come.

That is an excellent statement, because it should lead to the most obvious next question, what was desired, what was promised or assured to us and when will it happen? And most of all, most of all, since as Americans we are all told over and over again we are a can-do country and we have highly trained people to advise us on EVERYTHING we do, WE can and should all know what is possible and what is not possible, instead of just meekly giving up when someone else tell us it can't be done.
How many years have the powers that be told us, no, we can't do this or that because we don't have the votes or the money, when all along it was their double-dealing with us or their cowardice that denied us the votes while they positively rolled in our money.
How many years?

There is a difference between what can be accomplished today with expediency, and what can be accomplished tomorrow with patience and perspective.

Read, " Expediency" as being portrayed as not possible here, or bad for us. Remember "Justice delayed is Justice denied" ? Or is it that they save "Expediency" for themselves, when they need it to pass some legislation or fiat of monstrous compromise and damage to our Democracy?
Read "Patience " as "don't hold your breath, not in your lifetime" .
Read "Perspective" as - " your view will be eliminated from the final product".

There is a difference between a sense of immediate popularity, and a sense of long-term purpose.

Oh God, what does this mean? Have we not waited & worked long enough for the change we seek to be recognized as having a serious sense about the "long-term purpose"? Why are we being lectured to as if we were fickle-minded fans running after this or that new star? The Right Wing mouthpieces come right out and accuse us of being for Peace, Human Rights or Environmental Justice, or Civil Rights only as fads that we pick up and drop as part of our craving for peer acceptance. Here is another case of one of our own saying the same thing to us, does she know that is what she is doing?

There is a difference between being a pastor who caters to the choir – and a pastor who speaks to and for the entire congregation.

Here I start to get steamed, as this canard is used to quiet people very successfully, since it appeals to our love of our community and country and our desire to be part of the solution, all for one and one for all. If you stand up and yell and fight against the dirty wars, for the Bill of Rights, or for Freedom of Speech, and your neighbor does not, does that make you a bad choir member? Are you doing damage to the group? Some people have trouble with the concept that liberty for all begins with liberty for one. So should the pastor ignore the call for justice because the congregation does not follow the choir?

There is a difference between being all things to all people and bringing something of value to everyone, one small step at a time.

One small step at a time, read that as take your crumb, frame it and be prepared to wait a long time for the rest. When you hear the term " all things to all people" you are about to be chastised for demanding accountability from your own leaders.

There is a difference between being determined to unite while so many are clamoring for a deepening of the divide.

Okay, who's this clamoring for a deeper divide now? Is that us, the health care movement, the justice for all seekers, the lovers of the Constitution, the defenders of human rights and dignity, those who fight daily for economic justice, or the people who fight to save the very ecosystem that supports us? Are we, have we been the problem?
Take that, again, if you can.

There is a difference between justice because it is warranted and vengeance because it sometimes feels just.

Jeez, what an insult. Heard this one before too? Have we asked for anything more than "warranted " justice?
This statement assumes that we don't know the difference between the two. Iraq, 'Unwarranted' wiretaps, Torture, Rendition, Enron, AIG, Katrina, the Exxon Valdez, Uncountable examples of Environmental Crimes, the deliberate looting of our Treasury, the degradation of our Institutions right and left. Crimes by the 1000's, who's victims ask for simple justice, the kind our Constitution tries to deliver, but our government has actually sat on it's own prosecutors to prevent them from doing their jobs.
But we are labeled as a lynch mob right out of the gate by the author. What did we do to frighten her, demand Congressional Hearings?
We are so vengeful.
This statement is right out of the mouths of the Neo-Con's and their apologists.

There is a difference between focusing on what is wanted and setting your sights on what is needed.

We don't need that universal health care, we just want it. We don't need a decent job, we just want one. We are too dumb to know what is good for us, an iPod or a secure retirement account....hmmm, which one should I choose?

There is a difference between getting it right and getting even.

SO VERY, VERY WRONG, getting it right is EXACTLY the same as getting even, no sorry it is better, it is actually the ultimate in getting even, we peaceful, justice seeking liberal types have been saying that for years and THAT is what the far right FEARS MOST. How could you not know that?

There is a difference between what needs to be fervently shouted from the rooftops and what needs to be whispered in fervent prayer.

In other words, keep your complaints to yourself, you could damage the fragile administration? Who decides which issue we should shout about?

There is a difference between what was wrong in the past and what can be made right in the future.

This is another meek and mild sounding statement that masks a disdain for anyone who seeks to right the wrongs of the past and seek justice for crimes they have been subjected to. Promises to do 'right' in the future are made of smoke, if there is no justice.

There is a difference between how we got where we are and how we get to where we need to be.

I'll second that, but I suspect the author has a different idea as to how to get there than I do, and anyway, she is okay if we don't actually get there, see above.

There is a difference between who we were yesterday, who we choose to be today, and who we will be tomorrow.

Only if we know what the hell actually happened yesterday, which is where justice comes in. It seeks the truth.

There is a difference between giving up and giving in and promoting the concept of just pure-and-simple giving, because it benefits us all.

This is a statement that sums up the Democratic Leadership's attitude towards it's base during elections; give us your vote, your precious time and your hard-earned money, and then we will win the election and then you go home, and you stay there, you're done until we say otherwise.

There is a difference between compromise between two warring factions and compromising ideas and ideals.

Who is this message meant for? Us? Tell it to our fearless leaders who do not know how to do anything but compromise our ideas and our ideals....

There is a difference between them and us – and it just might be time to start thinking not about how we differ, but how we are the same.

Another stock statement that is pulled out again and again, year after year, supposedly in the name of bipartisanship,but underneath it again, is contempt for us, the liberals, the democrats, the progressives of all kinds, the people, as if we are the ones who are the problem, with our pesky hopes and dreams for the future of our children, our country and the world. If only we would stop instigating divisive partisanship by asking for ways to make those dreams and hopes become REALITY.

One Country, Indivisible – standing behind one President - who has the Wisdom to know the Difference Amen.

This is a Democracy, or it is supposed to be. We have already seen the results of a Unitary Executive and a Compromised Congress. Now it is up to us to save what is left of the Fourth Estate, our Civil Structure, and our Educational Systems. We need them in order to be a Democracy. We are facing a serious deadline on every front, as decline seems to speed up and expand everywhere. We don't have time to wait and see. We don't have time to take your word for it, Nancy, nor anyone else's.
We used to ask a simple question in this country, the question was " Says who?"
Who says we can't have good jobs Now?
Who says we can't have justice Now?
Who says we can't make the massive changes needed to slow climate change NOW ?
Who says we can't end the Iraq occupation Now?
Who says we can't have universal health CARE Now?
Who says we can't restore our educational system Now?
Who says we can't end poverty Now?

We have in this country, experienced, educated, trained experts on every aspect of our society and our world at our need, people who can provide the advice we need for our informed consent. The right wing and others have worked to diminish or eliminate public access to our own resources, in order to dumb us down, so they can just pat us on the head and say " We know what you want, and we know what is do-able and we know what is best. Trust us" and hope that we poor confused, overworked and anxious Americans will leave them to it.
The only thing standing in our way are those in positions of power and privilege, who say, we can't do it, or we have to start small, don't rock the boat, wait and see, one step at a time, blah blah blah.
The truth is they have no desire to try, because it might affect their bottom line, they 'serve' to serve only themselves. Otherwise we would have seen results long ago.
The measure of accountability to use for this administration is the number of results, actual outcomes. Not promises of what will come someday.

It is only because so many have left the work of democracy to so few, that we live like this.
After 8 years of misery, the result of 40 years of sabotage and undermining of our Democracy, do your job, support the brave ones out there who risk their jobs and their lives to bring you the truth, don't just cover your ears when they tell you what you don't want to hear.

[saltpoint]

68. Wow. As first DU posts go, yours is one of the rudest in recent memory.

The OP has been at this game a damn sight longer than you have and knows what she's talking about.

[NanceGreggs]

70. Who knew it took that much verbiage ...

... to demonstrate the fact that you have missed the point of the OP entirely.

[saltpoint]

71. LOL!

:thumbsup:

[saorsa]

77. Speaking of verbiage

I think I got the point, I think I was spot on. If not, please feel free to spell it all out for me. I read a suffocatingly patronizing post full of thought-terminating cliches, canards and the kind of platitudes that have in the last 8 years plus been used variously by DLC middle of the road types, smug right wingers with 'MSM' credentials and the power elite to silence dissent or put progressives down or mark them as trouble makers depending on the user, but most of all to shut them up. Your statements either ascribe attitudes to liberals & progressives which are false or misleading, a well-recognized right-wing tactic, & pitt them by comparison against attitudes that you think that we should have, with regard to the new administration. You are using the language and the style the right wing, including the right wing of our own Party, uses to describe liberals, positing one attitude as representative of some liberals which you then expose in comparison to another as detrimental to the goals shared by all liberals, or vice versa, in false dichotomies. Your post uses terms and phrases that are used to shut down debate. In my opinion, you used them in the same way, with a halo around your head and harps and heavenly hosts singing background, because, well - you meant well.

If that was not your intent, maybe you got carried away with your own prose and forgot about the rest of us out there who might read it and say, excuse me? Were you speaking of me ? My objection is to how you characterize the viewpoint of the 'other'; in your ' this way or that way' you are speaking in your post to us, liberals and progressives I am simply telling you the characterization is false. You could say I object to your 'framing'. Does that help?

And Wow! the fact that this is my first post and I am so rude as to talk back to one so lettered seems to rattle some right off their chairs. I've been reading the blog for a while, and it says something about your post that I gave so much time and emotion to it. If no one gets the reason why, oh well, then there is no danger is there?

[saltpoint]

78. You're on a small chunk of drifting ice learning to use your blow torch.

It ain't workin'.

[NanceGreggs]

96. First off, sweetie ...

If you think you got the point, and you're spot on - why do you need me to validate what you think you read?

And what you think you've read was never implied nor inferred - was never lurking in the shadows between the words, was never there.

"If that was not your intent, maybe you got carried away with your own prose ..." Maybe you got carried away with your own desire to respond to an attitude that only exists in your own mind.

Talking back to "one so lettered"? I don't see any letters behind my name - do you? Just askin' because you seem capable of seeing all kinds of things that are not there.

"There is no danger, is there?"

No, none at all. Never was - like so many things that never were ...

[saorsa]

100. Thanks for the help, Sugar

Never asked for validation, don't need it. Do you really think I did, or are you just throwing that old personal insult at the wall to see if it sticks? Didn't need you to tell me what I thought either, but you could not help yourself. That was what your post was all about, telling us all what to think, warning us off from going down the wrong path, insult and condescension wrapped up in the group think jargon our politicians and their apple polishers use to manipulate us with.

[NanceGreggs]

102. You persist in arguing ...

... not with what I have actually said, but what you have decided I said.

Example:

Read, " Expediency" as being portrayed as not possible here, or bad for us. Remember "Justice delayed is Justice denied" ? Or is it that they save "Expediency" for themselves, when they need it to pass some legislation or fiat of monstrous compromise and damage to our Democracy?
Read "Patience " as "don't hold your breath, not in your lifetime" .
Read "Perspective" as - " your view will be eliminated from the final product".

You have parsed my entire OP, added your own "read" on what I've said, and now you want me to debate the point.

As I've said here before, I am happy to defend what I say - but I will not waste my time defending what I didn't say.

I am truly perplexed how you took anything in the OP as an "admonishment" to anyone to behave or react in any particular way. Again, that's your spin - and has nothing to do with what I've written here at all.

You know, there's a difference between jeans and a sweatshirt and a tuxedo. Now go off on a diatribe about how I'm telling people what to wear.

You totally missed the point of the OP - that's not an insult; that's just the fact of the matter.

But please feel free to continue discussing this with yourself ...

[Baltoman991]

72. WOW!!!!

Thats 3 minutes of my life I'll never get back. Your first post here on a message board and it is filled with enough bullshit to last a lifetime.

[saltpoint]

73. On the bright side, though, that much bullshit could fertilize half the

Great Plains.

You farmers get those manure-spreaders oiled & ready, by god.

[bertman]

75. Saorsa, welcome to DU. I applaud your first post with a standing ovation.

:applause: :applause: :applause:

I have to admit that I read this post and I thought to myself, Nance is in her usual, fine, lyrical and eloquent form EXCEPT that this time I don't agree with her. You summed up nicely what was lurking in the background as I was trying to put my finger on why this post bothered me.

Don't let the negative comments discourage you. (Somehow I don't think that will happen.)

[ro1942]

85. front man

obama was hand picked by the oligarchy. they couldn't have made a better choice, it;s almost like jim jones leading his flock.

[bertman]

93. That comment I DO NOT agree with, ro1942. President Obama cannot do the impossible-

undo the corporatist machinations of the last 50 years in a few months. There are many things about his centrist approach to governing that I roundly disagree with, but I think he really is for a more democratic America with fewer constraints on the rights of the people to have a say in government. He is not a populist or even a progressive and that's why we need to keep his feet to the fire. Left to its own devices his DLC-driven administration would govern as Republican-lite. It's up to the liberal/progressive wing of the party to push, push, and push the agenda WE want to see adopted.

There are some folks on DU who sound like they've adopted the Obama's America Love It or Leave It philosophy, but I think the majority of us see the value of citizen/voter-directed governing vs. corporate-shill-directed governing. The Jim Jones analogy is a bit over the top IMO.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

97. You're a freeper hellbent on destroying the Obama admin. !

[PassingFair]

98. Welcome to DU!

I agree with you.

Where are the WHISTLE-BLOWERS?

The people who stood up to Bush
have been ignored, when they
should have been rewarded.

[cyberspirit]

79. Thank you for your wise, sane voice

If it weren't for you and a few others I would find no positive reason to stay attentive to DU.

[inna]

80. rec # 80. :)

[mecherosegarden]

81. Thanks Nance.

Amen! K&R


:yourock:

[ArchieStone1]

82. very poetic, but when I disagree with my President, I'll let it be known

Amen.

[NanceGreggs]

84. As you should ...

... amen.

[Pisces]

83. Thank you for the great post.

[MadMaddie]

86. Nance you have nailed it!

K & R

[HughMoran]

88. "compromise between two warring factions and compromising ideas and ideals"

If one more person confuses the former with the latter, I'm going to fucking scream!!

Excellent post BTW - thanks.

[donheld]

89. K & R

[Land Shark]

94. and sometimes "the choir" needs the preaching the most, because they must SING WITH HEART. nt

[Richd506]

95. K & R!

[TexasObserver]

99. QFT.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

101. this is something deeper than a rant, I think...

just brilliant. Thank you.