“This may bring my Presidency down”

[VeryConfused]

A reflection, in light of these words, on those who have characterized Barack Obama as "weak" or a "sell-out":

Ahem.

Wake the hell up, you craven, tactically clueless fools.

This man has principles, and character, and spine. Today he put everything on the line to protect the American people from the disastrous delusion of Republican economic theory. He said it out loud: Maybe this'll help you beat me in 16 months, but for right now, you can't make me move. I'm not going to let you kill the United States of America so you can keep shoveling money at the rich. I shall not be moved.

Obama is more moderate than I am, but to be honest, I'm sure he's a lot more INFORMED than I am on the issues he's making decisions on, and so his decisions are probably better ones than I imagine making in my abstract theorizing from the comfort of my computer chair.

Undermining this President with nitpicking and fault-finding and paranoid conspiracy theories has zero effect but to hamstring the only damned horse we've got to ride. He's doing the hardest job in the world at the absolute hardest time to do it, with a phalanx of certifiably insane opponents ready to render our money worthless and our families homeless for the sake of advancing an economic theory that has been proven false.

Barack Obama is a man of character, and thought, and tremendous political skill, and values genuinely committed to the interests of the ordinary people of this country, and its future. We are unbelievably lucky to have him, because a leader like him hasn’t been seen in this country for a generation.

Give him a goddamned break, and get his back. He deserves no less.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/14/994481/-%E2%80%9CThis-may-bring-my-Presidency-down%E2%80%9D?via=siderec

[FSogol]

1. K & R. n/t

[WI_DEM]

2. He's held news conferences in the morning or afternoon, what he should do is hold a prime time

oval office address to the nation on the debt negotiations and what he and Dems have been trying to do and how the GOP is unwilling to compromise so to protect millionaires and corporations. There are a lot of people worried right now, my disabled sister among them, if they will get their social security or SSI checks next month.

[newfie11]

3. as irritated as I am about SS & medicare being included in this discussion

I am still waiting to see what happens. I will not vote repig and will vote for whom ever the next democrat running is, Obama or someone else. I do wonder where this talk would be now if the bush tax cuts had been allowed to die.

If this was mccain as president now God help us.

[pnwmom]

6. If the Bush tax cuts had been allowed to die

millions of unemployed Americans would have lost their unemployment benefits, in the very depths of the recession. Those UI also provided a needed stimulus to the economy. . . . not enough, but we would have been a lot worse without it.

[ProSense]

4. Here's what Pelosi had to say:

<...>

Pelosi also cast aside concerns that the talks are floundering.

“I don’t see it that way. Perhaps to an inexperienced eye that might be the case, but what I see it as is an elimination of some possibilities. And that’s progress,” she said.

Pelosi added: “I think that the president has led the discussion in a values-based way with specific knowledge of what is possible and is eliminating some paths to focus on others, and that is what I would call progress.”

<...>

Posted here

Of course, some in the media are busy trying to portray a conflict between Pelosi and the President.

Pelosi is standing ground against Republicans.

[pnwmom]

8. Pelosi has his back. That is clear. n/t

[VeryConfused]

18. " the media are busy trying to portray a conflict between Pelosi and the President."

Sadly the PF is helping them

[pnwmom]

5. Thanks. That was an excellent piece. Very, very true. n/t

[my2sense]

7. K & R

[Ineeda]

9. Exactly. Great, short piece. n/t

[elocs]

10. Sorry, I don't subscribe to the "my President, right or wrong philosophy.

One which wants people to STFU if they disagree with the President.

If one believes that the President's words or actions deserve praise or credit, then they should give it.

Likewise if one truly believes that criticism is in order, then they should feel free to criticize.

I wonder, who exactly is it who gets to determine if, or what kind, or how much criticism of the President is allowed? :shrug:

[ProSense]

11. Isn't it wonderful

that this is a free country?

The OP has an opinion and you have yours!

[Palmer Eldritch]

15. let the bitterness go. join the party.

[VeryConfused]

16. Who are you quoting, because none of that is from the article

nor does the article suggest the "my President, right or wrong" philosophy. Is this one of those straw man arguments where you build a fake talking point so you can then tear it down?

[Divine Discontent]

20. +1

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Confused is right!

Think about it. The idea is that the President is playing 'poker' and yet the 'supporters' do not say 'let us help him bluff and close' they say 'let's announce that he's bluffing, call attention to that so that if it works, everyone will know we predicted it correctly!'.
When a negotiation is going on, unless you have been asked by those on your side to say and do particular things, you should assume that you are needed to act naturally. That is, if the President or your agent or whatever offers some concession you do not like, you should say so, for that person probably needs to say 'well, I'd go for that, but my client does not like it, so no.'. If the 'client' hears a bad concession and says 'whatever' the principal has no backup. The President says 'This will upset my side' and in return, his side says 'not really, we know you got it, we are chilled out'. The President gives them a cue, and they do not take the cue, because rather than play the part of the people, they want to play the part of 'the poster who was right in advance'.
Being right is nothing. Helping attain the goal is all. If the people should not like a concession, and you are the people, tell them you do not like the concession, that is what serves the guy in the room, to have his back you need to look like you are pressing him hard. Announcing that 'he's got it, so chill' does not serve the man who has to do the work at all. Not a bit. It is in fact a dereliction of duty done for reasons of petty ego trips, so that a person can say " I was right". They long to say 'I was right' when they should long to say "We got it all" We. Got. Not I. We.

[VeryConfused]

17. Do you refuse to compromise in any way?

If you don't what do you consider reasonable concessions?

[Cognitive_Resonance]

13. Truth! K&R nt

[Palmer Eldritch]

14. Obama proves his critics are fools on a daily basis.

[Fire1]

19. Hey, history has already been made. If you want out

I can't say that I blame you. You've done a remarkable job and whatever you decide is alright with me.