I'm trying to imagine Fleischer, McClellan, Snow or Perino saying Democrats "could gain control"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

I admit that I haven't taken the time to read all of the reactions to Gibbs' remarks. I just thought that they sucked on an epic scale, and in politics, it's just something you do not want to do unless your intention is to encourage and empower your opposition.

:rant:

Robert Gibbs: There Are Enough Close Races For GOP To Take The House
First Posted: 07-11-10 11:27 AM | Updated: 07-11-10 11:27 AM

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs acknowledged on Sunday that there were enough closely contested congressional races that the Democrats could potentially lose their majority in the House of Representatives in the fall.

But in an appearance on NBC's "Meet The Press," Gibbs also insisted that the party had a compelling case to make to voters that might help them hold onto power come Election Day.

"I think there is no doubt that there are a lot of seats that will be up, a lot of contested seats," Gibbs said. "I think people are going to have a choice to make in the fall. There's no doubt there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control -- there is no doubt about that. This will depend on strong campaigns by Democrats."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/11/robert-gibbs-there-are-en_n_642166.html

[villager]

1. Some unreccer seems to like Gibbs' defeatism...

n/t

[MadMaddie]

2. I was stunned

WTF? Who thinks this is a smart tactical move?

The attitude is we are in it to win and nothing less....this weak bullshit is driving me crazy.

[Skidmore]

4. There is truth to it....

and some on the left are doing their best to undermine the Democratic Party as well.

[Wilms]

7. Some on the left are doing their best to undermine the DLC is more like it.

Just sayin'

[Sebastian Doyle]

24. And the DLC is not the Democratic Party

anymore than cancer is a natural part of a human body.

We had a doctor who sent that cancer into remission for a few years, but sadly, as cancer often does, it came back. And has since metastasized. :evilfrown:

[villager]

8. Yeah, that caving in to Republicans sure hasn't undermined anything!

n/t

[Amerigo Vespucci]

20. "Truth" exists in the exact moment that you bend over....

...and declare yourself a victim of the Republicans.

I'm not bending over.

Yeah, they "could" take those seats, if we behave like COWARDS.

And in that scenario, all I can say is "Hail our new ant overlords."

We need to fuck or BE fucked.

Sorry...that's the Republican playbook. We will bend them over or we will be BENT OVER.

No in-between.

[Skidmore]

25. The Rs are being helped in bending us over...

by some on our side (theoretically).

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. Rallying the Democratic troops from their sleep

I think there has been complacency in the Democratic Party - we need to kick it up a few notches.

[Radical Activist]

5. It's like constantly predicting that Obama won't do anything progressive.

Or that he won't get out of Iraq on time etc. It adds to the likelihood of those outcomes occurring.

[villager]

9. We shouldn't have predicted he'd really change things a lot! That was our mistake!

If we'd just kept quiet, he'd govern like the candidate he was on the campaign trail

The DLC is right -- it's all our fault!

[Radical Activist]

12. Or we could have attacked Congress for not passing Obama's progressive agenda.

It would have encouraged both Congress and Obama to be more progressive. Obama would have the added power that comes with higher approval ratings.
I'm not telling anyone to keep quiet so put down the talking points. Just because we speak up doesn't mean we have to follow a dumb strategy.

[villager]

17. So are you saying speak out? Or keep quiet?

Or just speak out against Congress, but not Obama? :shrug:

What about the times Congress has been to the left of the White House, and they are "talked down" in their legislative aims? Granted, not a hell of a lot of those instances, but it'd be nice to see the hope/change folks support such efforts...

[Radical Activist]

19. We live in a complex world.

There are more options other than "keep quiet" and "attack Obama all the time to push him left." The inability to think creatively and strategically about what those other options are is probably the left's biggest problem right now.

I can't think of any issue where Congress was likely to pass something to the left of what Obama proposed. That may be possible in the House, but not the Senate.

I'm thinking about some items Obama proposed that were to the left of Congress:
Senate blocked closing Guantanamo
Senate removed public option
Both houses watered down wall street reform
Senate is blocking the House's watered down version of climate change laws

I could go on but it's pretty obvious where the biggest problem exists.

[villager]

23. well, the White House wanted the derivatives regulation watered down...

...as one example, but yes, the Senate is a bigger problem to overall advancement and evolution than the House...

The White House also tends to support conservative candidates rather than progressive ones, as in Arkansas (and earlier, in Connecticut!)

So -- what do you suggest, strategically, if not speaking out to push this not-really-changing-things White House to the left?

[Radical Activist]

28. We could start with positive reinforcement

by recognizing and celebrating progressive achievements. It influences members of Congress when they hear voters praising liberal votes.

Progress is progress even if it's not everything we want all at once. Saying that nothing is really changing sounds out of touch with reality. I can't get past that statement enough to write about anything else. Do you really think Congress is going to pass a stronger bill if the only reaction to the last one is for progressives to piss all over it and completely ignore anything good it does?

[villager]

30. Well, if there were more liberal votes, I would praise them. It's harder to praise selling out, alas

...and therein, I think, lies the problem...

[notesdev]

14. Right

because Obama listens to us when we say he won't do the right thing, but completely ignores us the rest of the time when we're begging for him to do the right thing!

Seems either way, the outcome is predetermined whether we are shouting from the rooftops or got our mouths sewed shut.

Maybe if we can scrape together a few mil between us for some campaign cash, we can really make a difference?

[Radical Activist]

16. Its not about one person listening to us.

There are people in government other than Obama who actually have some power.

As the OP wrote, "it's just something you do not want to do unless your intention is to encourage and empower your opposition." Constant negative predictions help create a conventional wisdom among the public and a feeling among Congress that progressives will lose legislative battles. It empowers our opposition instead of promoting the idea that major change is inevitable.

One of the reasons Bush passed so much was the perception that his agenda was unstoppable. You can't do that for a progressive agenda items if everyone starts with the assumption that we're going to fail.

[Sebastian Doyle]

6. Gibbs is not on our side

He proved that in December 2003, when he ensured Chimpy would continue his illegal occupation of the White House for another 4 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1DqOwP3Xzc

what a piece of shit :grr:

[Uzybone]

10. You tell the truth you get attacked

you spin you get attacked.

What do people want?

[DJ13]

11. What do people want?

Someone to attack.

[Hansel]

22. [phone]

[Amerigo Vespucci]

15. What do people want?

People want to be on the winning side.

Sorry, but if I lie, I fucking die.

People want to WIN. They don;t want to hear a motherfucking coward piece of shit say "Oh no, the sky is falling, the Republicans are going to regain control."


Anyone who disagrees with that can, with my permission, get on all fours and present their moneymaker to President Palin, President Romney, President Huckabee, President Gingrich, President (Jeb) Bush...

The truth MY ASS.

The seats are up for grabs if we lie down, purr like a motherfucking kitten, expose our soft white underbelly, and FUCKING SURRENDER.

THEN...we deserve what we get, and DU can bitch and moan 24/7 over President Palin, President Romney, President Huckabee, President Gingrich, President (Jeb) Bush.

SPIT in the eye of ANYONE who calls you their superior.

Gibbs can **** my ****.

That is all.

[Scurrilous]

21. LOL

:thumbsup:

[OHdem10]

13. Even a Republican I know was surprised. He said--I would have

thought he would have pushed back harder--just for PR Reasons.

No Republican would have permitted any comment against their
chances to go unchallenged.

Gibbs and Axlerod believe in non-confrontation to a fault.(IMO)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

18. There is NEVER a reason to surrender

Surrender = coward.

If Gibbs is in fact a coward, then Barack "Audacity of Change" Obama, pull another mouthpiece out of your ass. NOW.

[doc03]

26. He is just acknowledging facts

"I think there is no doubt that there are a lot of seats that will be up, a lot of contested seats" What is untrue about that statement?
"I think people are going to have a choice to make in the fall." What is untrue about that, there is an election and people have a choice to make?
"There's no doubt there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control" That's true isn't it?
"This will depend on strong campaigns by Democrats" Well he is right isn't he?

He is a traitor because he tells the truth? This is going to be a tough year thinking it is not is just whistling past the graveyard. Democrats should take his words seriously and get out and vote.

[agincourt]

27. A lot of the polls don't look good,

hard to get an economy rolling when we live under an oligarchy that stifles it so their pet GOP can win in November.

[Arkana]

29. The article title is grossly misleading.

Gibbs said what every Democratic strategist is thinking but won't say--unless we start working to beat those fucks now, we're gonna pay for it in November.