Maureen Dowd: No Love From the Lefties

[BootinUp]

A few snips from the article:

Robert Gibbs should be yanked as White House press secretary.

Not because of his outburst against the “professional left.” He was right about that. In an interview with The Hill last week, Gibbs once more proved Michael Kinsley’s maxim that a gaffe is just truth slipping out.

His colleagues tried to excuse Gibbs by saying he was suffering from a bug going around the White House. But the press secretary and the president are understandably frustrated over the asymmetry at the heart of American politics: Rand Paul and Sharron Angle aside, Republicans often find a way to exploit their extremes for political advantage, while Democratic extremes typically do damage to a Democratic president.

Obama got elected because of the clarity of his campaign and his speeches. But, surprisingly, he’s in some ways an incoherent president. He’s with the banks, he’s against the banks. He’s leaving Afghanistan, he’s staying in Afghanistan. He strains at being a populist, but his head is in the clouds.

He needs to communicate more clearly. And, in that department, Gibbs isn’t helpful. He’s often unresponsive and sometimes hostile to the press. His adversarial barking has only heightened tensions with a press that was once lampooned for fawning over his boss.

more

My opinion of the article? It has some valid points, but I don't usually take Dowd's advice too seriously so I won't now. The job of Press Secretary is not an easy one, and whoever is put in there is going to make a mistake if they are there long enough. Should Gibbs be replaced? I think it should be considered, but the decision should be based on his ability to perform the job primarily, and not as some quick knee jerk reaction of folks calling for his head.

[TheKentuckian]

1. He can stay, swapping him out is lipstick on the pig

[Clovis Sangrail]

7. INSULT!! INSULT!!

that was a totally transparent attempt to call Sar... oh wait ...

nevermind

[mmonk]

2. Let him stay.

Knowing what they think of us is motivating us to continue to fight for real change.

[glitch]

11. exactly :) nt

[DonCoquixote]

3. Best quote in the article

The lefties came to the defense of the centrist Clinton during impeachment. Now that Obama is under attack, however, they are not coming to his defense, even though he has given more to the liberal cause than the scandal-stunted Clinton ultimately achieved.

[mmonk]

4. Probably because it falls in the category of

fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

[glitch]

12. We've learned a lot since Clinton, that old ploy of attacking from the right so the left knee-jerks

their support, even though the left gets nothing but capitulation to the right in return, just doesn't work that well anymore.

Plus I don't recall Clinton's administration openly attacking the left. And don't tell us there have been no attacks, the attacks on unions and teachers (the traditional left, such as it is) is unprecedented.

[DonCoquixote]

16. your quote

"Plus I don't recall Clinton's administration openly attacking the left."

OK, not to sound like a smart ass, but ask yourself these questions:

Does the term "sista soulja" mean anything to you?
Did you get welfare during the times Clinton was in office?
Were you an Union Me,ber when N.A.F.T.A was approved?
Did you favor keeping the Fairness Doctrine?

If not, you were not attacked, and if not, the DLC has finally come around to you.

[glitch]

18. Damn good points, taken. I stand corrected, Clinton repeatedly and openly attacked the left.

Nevertheless, do you think we should just keep supporting DLC policies simply because the right is unfairly attacking our politicians? We supported Clinton because he was being unfairly attacked, where did that get us? Your post highlights the flaw in blind loyalty to a personality.

Forget the corporate kabuki, forget the personalities and focus on the policies being enacted.

[DonCoquixote]

19. Because

Because as much of a disappointment as Clinton was, I have no illusions about what a Bob Dole presidency would be, especially with Gingrich being on the ascent.

I do not support DLC policies, but I do not want the GOP to think that have one tenth of one inch of slack, because if we give them that much, they will take it. They sent money to Nader because they knew Nader would help them win Florida, and, regardless of apologists here, it worked. I live in Florida, I saw it happen, and I had to deal with the chuckles of talk-show hosts and rednecks who bragged bragged bragged about sending in money to Nader and getting exactly what they paid for.

[glitch]

20. My method is to expose policies that I think are conservative (euphemism) and work for progressives

in Congress and the White House. Exposing the games of the DLC/GOP is part of it.

As far as FL in 2000 goes, you really don't want to know what my dark conspiracy theory is on that. ;)

Let's agree to almost agree.

[democracy1st]

14. at least Clinton met with the so called left

[CBR]

15. I know exactly why. We all do. nt

[EFerrari]

5. Dowd calls the left extremists, people like Rachel "a tower of Babel", Obama incoherent.

There has to be a better use for that space.

[ixion]

6. No, Maureen, he wasn't 'right' about that

he wasn't even, more correctly, correct.

And you, Maureen, are a self-serving bimbo who can't write her way out of a paper sack.

[SpiralHawk]

8. The Villagers are whiney

Mo leading the whine brigade. As usual. She has nothing worthwhile to say, so just spews her whines around and about.

Thanks for nothing, Mo. You and the other Villagers are just so precious. In your own minds.

[KharmaTrain]

9. A Shell-Shocked Administration...

Ever since this administration took office it's been under relentless attack...first by the rabid, unhinged right and then the rest of the corporate media piled on. A lot of this was to be expected. The rushpublicans from the outset wanted this President to fail and handed him a collapsing economy, overbloated defecit and two wars for profit to tie him down (mission accomplished)...then when the administration attempting to compromise..."reach across" the corporate media piled on saying they weren't compromising enough and playing up every administration gaffe or faulter. Add to that their fascination with the teabaggers and other malcontents and there's been precious little breathing room inside the White House.

While they got lambasted right and left on a growing list of issues...either they went too far or not far enough...they're socialists or is that corportists...any way they turn they loose. And when there is an accomplishment...the praise is fleeting at best and few seem satisfied. It's led this administration to become extremely reactive...lashing out in all directions, including at the "professional left"...a sign of frustration and distraction.

Ms. Dowd...like a broken clock...has gotten something right for once...the communications need a lot of clarity and focus.

[TheKentuckian]

13. Trying to please the right is foolishness. They aren't happy even if allowed to write their own

ticket because that is how they roll.

They have only themselves to blame for playing the bipartisanship and "centrist" games. What did they expect to happen?

[stevenleser]

10. I agree with MoDo on this one 100% n/t

[Fumesucker]

17. "The clarity of his campaign"? Whaaa..?

Obama's campaign was a brilliant masterpiece of bafflegab and "selling the sizzle rather than the steak"..

Hope..

Change..

What, exactly, do those two words mean?

[BootinUp]

22. I think your point is valid

I hope I didn't give the impression I agree with her too much. I find her articles to be low on facts almost all of the time.

[HughBeaumont]

21. I read this and MoDo can eat a dick.

While she's right about Robert Gibbs, she's kind of being an asshole about our political positions. Yes, Mo, the wars HAVE to end and America NEEDS Universal Health Care. What part of "both will be better for Americans in the long run" do you not get?

[BootinUp]

23. It will never cease to amaze me

how some of you think its smart to campaign continually. There is a time to campaign and set the agenda, and a time to govern.