Progressives criticize White House, Democrats - AP

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

Ignore, ridicule, or chastise the Left at your peril.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100607/ap_on_el_ge/us_progressives_democrats

WASHINGTON – Progressive activists who helped elect Barack Obama president complained on Monday that the administration and congressional Democrats have been too timid and too willing to compromise.

Even though Obama's major first-term achievement — an overhaul of the nation's health care system — passed without a single Republican vote, progressive leaders who gathered in Washington criticized the president for failing to create a government-run insurance option to compete with private industry.

They faulted Obama for the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the slow pace in repealing the ban on gays serving in the military and last year's economic stimulus package, which they described as inadequate at $787 billion. They also criticized his handling of the Gulf oil spill.

Democrats already face an angry electorate this November. The frustration among the party's liberal base could make the midterm elections even more difficult for Democrats and Obama's own re-election bid.

[Deep13]

1. If they lose in November...

...it will be because "the base" feels like they have been duped.

[Catherina]

3. Odds are they will lose in November. The passion is gone

I'm not writing a single check and not making a single call.

[ProSense]

9. The media doesn't give a shit about progressives, and the GOP

have their own problems: NRCC recruits face added scrutiny after string of losses.

I love the dog whistle in the OP article:

Even though Obama's major first-term achievement — an overhaul of the nation's health care system — passed without a single Republican vote, progressive leaders who gathered in Washington criticized the president for failing to create a government-run insurance option to compete with private industry.

[sabrina 1]

36. Dog whistle? Progressives did not support the Health

Insurance bail-out while handing over more public funds to private insurance. There was no reform, we still have a for-profit health insurance system. The only real reform was saving that corrupt industry from going out of business. A real progressive majority would have not only let them fail, they would have helped out the door.

Did you really think people were going to forget that whole debacle? Did the WH think that? How they excluded the base from the whole process while allowing the corrupt insurance industry to basically write the bill?

If Democrats lose in November it will be their own fault. When a party insults its base over and over again, this is what happens.

[rudy23]

13. They WANT Dems to lose seats in November. Would make their lives a WHOLE lot easier.

Then they can pass their right-wing, corporate agenda because they are "forced" to. They can be the good guys, keep their cush jobs, not be expected to fight the military industrial complex or disaster capitalists, and act like they're fighting the good fight.

Why in the world would Obama and the other corporate Dems want to gain seats this fall? So they can make their lives harder?

[jaxx]

18. If they lose there is no base.

All there will be are Democrats who got duped by "the base".

[Dinger]

33. It'll Be Link . .

"Can you hear us now?"

[ixion]

2. Yeah, progressives get thrown under the bus once the election is over

:argh:

[ProSense]

4. The media suck

Although leaders still spoke with admiration for Obama, it was clear he's not as popular with unions, bloggers and other progressives.

Democrats already face an angry electorate this November. The frustration among the party's liberal base could make the midterm elections even more difficult for Democrats and Obama's own re-election bid.

Although no one seriously suggested a primary challenge to Obama, activists said they would take on congressional incumbents and they cited Arkansas, where the Progressive Congressional Campaign Committee has sent $250,000 to Lt. Gov. Bill Halter's bid against Sen. Blanche Lincoln, which will be decided in a runoff Tuesday.

Also when the hell did Arianna Huffington become a progressive?

"It's clear that hope is not enough," said Arianna Huffington, the founder of the online Huffington Post. "We need Hope 2.0."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Before Obama, who has yet to become a progressive and shows no sign of doing so.

[ProSense]

10. Sorry

I just don't buy that

President Obama might not be the perfect progressive, but to pretend that nothing has changed doesn't take his achievements into account.

[Ardent15]

21. Oh things have changed...

...for the worse.

[ProSense]

23. "...for the worse."

Bring back Bush?

[Ardent15]

28. Yeah, that's exactly what I said.

:eyes:

[William Z. Foster]

26. you massively contradict yourself

All day long you aggressively argue against A,B,C and D in the most hostile and relentless fashion imaginable.

Then when people say they are unhappy with the administration for not doing A,B,C, and D, you claim that the administration DID do A,B,C, and D and that this is why you "support the administration."

Which is it?

[laughingliberal]

11. Yes. Interesting she was considered progressive under *. nt

[Smashcut]

42. I bet you LOOOOOOVED Arianna when HuffPo was a shamelessly pro-Obama tabloid during the primaries

My how times change. :eyes:

[Warpy]

5. History is repeating itself

Unless Obama turns to the left the way that FDR did, then both parties will continue to turn to the right. With a rightward march meaning a march toward luancy and then irrelevancy for the GOP, they will disappear as anything but a minor local party within a decade. With no alternative left for progressives, they will likely to split to form their new party.

Unfortunately, those new parties are small and ripe for takeover by the Hamiltonians as soon as their stated purpose has been achieved and the left slides into apathy and complacency.

Nothing can stop the progression but a leftward turn by the Democrats and I honestly don't think Obama is capable of doing that. I know Congress isn't.

[xchrom]

7. indeed.

[MzNov]

6. Time for the really really progressive candidate to stand up

and challenge the corporate congress. We might not know who that is yet, but I'm putting it out there that the right person will appear for 2012.

[bvar22]

20. Not from within the Democratic Party.

"Progressive" Democrats are excluded from the Party Leadership who will use the Party Apparatus to crush "Progressive" challengers.

At the very best, you will be given a choice between:

a)A Pro-WAR, Anti-LABOR, Free Trading, Big Corpo Democrat...

OR

b)A different Pro-WAR, Anti-LABOR, Free Trading, Big Corpo Democrat

[MzNov]

30. Yes, I agree. It will never be a known Dem.

It has to be a new breed, yes a Liberal, yes an anti-war progressive. But no known run of the mill Democrat from the ranks of the Dems, Inc. we have known so far.

[kctim]

12. Scary

Anybody know President Obama's approval numbers amongst Democrats? 20%? 30%?

[county worker]

14. I get it now, Obama is so bad that we need to put Repubs in power.

[Individualist]

27. Fail

DLC really needs some new talking points.

[county worker]

29. Who really judges what is fail and what isn't? You replied.

[emilyg]

34. That line doesn't work anymore.

[Lorien]

37. Never did. "You don't like a Dem who acts like a repug, therefore you must want

a repug instead of the Dem who acts like one." Uh huh. :eyes:

[tomp]

39. the differences are superficial at best.

lots of window dressing, not much change. and bush and cheney are still free men.

[Ramulux]

15. They are just figuring this out now?

Our media sucks so fucking bad when this can be a news story. We have been pissed for a long time now and have made that anger very clear, I guess as long as you dont belong to a far right fringe movement then what you have to say isn't important or news worthy.

[donco6]

17. Well, we don't go out waving misspelled, racist signs.

That must be our problem.

[Orlandodem]

16. I hope unions tell Obama that unless he pays attention, there will be no

endorsement, money, or foot soldiers for the GOTV.

[Ramulux]

19. Dude you think he doesnt already know this?

Him and his administration have gone after the left at every chance they have had. If its one thing Obama has made clear its that he does not give a shit about the democratic activist base. Its sad, but its like he is purposefully attempting to marginalize and piss off his base while angering the other base as much as he can making them more motivated.

I just dont think he understands that he was not voted into office as a member of some non-existent centrist party, he was voted in as a democrat and in order to win elections and get anything done you have to have the support of the people who fucking voted for you. Its like he thinks he can piss off both sides of the political spectrum and just hang out in the middle.

[bvar22]

31. !

Fuck the Democratic Wing.
What are they going to do?
Vote for a Republican?
Hahahahahahahahahaha!

[Laelth]

44. That's exactly what he thinks.

It seemed to work for Clinton.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Mari333]

22. knr. glad to see it in print.

[joeybee12]

24. I love how the media is calling the health-insurance scam an "overhaul"

as if its something progressives are as stupid as the media are to believe it's "change."

[tomp]

40. no, no...the media said it's "overhaul", so it must be. nt

[William Z. Foster]

25. irony

Saying that Democratic party politicians "have been too timid and too willing to compromise" is an extremely compromising and timid statement.

[treestar]

32. How do they know they could have done anything without compromise?

Why do they think their hard line would have achieved anything at all?

Even Sanders and Feingold voted with the POTUS.

[amborin]

35. K&R

[disillusioned73]

38. The Democratic leadership..

has known this for some time. They really don't give a shit - which begs the question... why?? It seems the only rational explanation is to afford them some political "cover" for their right-leaning legislation. Huge majorities in both houses have seemed more like a bourdon than a welcomed tool( go figure). The corporate media will help them out with the false meme that the people have pushed back on this administrations far left agenda (lol) rather than the reality that they are loosing the base. And the facade of democracy will continue until enough people wake up from their slumber - I only hope that it isn't too late.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

41. Major first-term achievement?

Bwa, ha ha ha ha ha. ROFLMAO. You couldn't make this stuff up.

[newtothegame]

43. The shock!! The horror!! NOBODY SAW THIS COMING!!!!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XLsmYse0MCw/SWN9ieWydPI/AAAAAAAAAaw/nDafvoX6yLg/s400/jesse+jackson+crying1.jpg

[branders seine]

45. Damn right.

Our party has been shanghaied by a bunch of rapublican shills.