Obama attempts to bamboozle his critics in the party - again. Is this how to lead, Mr. Obama?

[JohnWxy]

.. A few days ago Mr. Obama addressed the Congressional Black Caucus at their annual awards meeting. Being quite aware of the dissatisfaction within (and without of) the Black Caucus with his performance so far, rather than respond to his critics, Mr. Obama does what he has done in the past, he impugns the character of his critics - as if they are the ones who have let the party down. He dismisses any criticism of him as without merit, not worthy of any consideration and necessarily debilitating to the cause. He further defends himself by accusing his critics of being disloyal or by impugning their commitment to the cause.

Mr. Obama, with self-rightous tone, inveighed upon the seated assembly:

"I expect all of you to march with me and press on. Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying. We are going to press on. We've got work to do, CBC."

Well, how about this guy? Criticized for not fighting for core Democratic values/programs, for opening negotiations, after every legislative initiative is announced, by signalling (the next day) to the GOP that he's willing to 'cave' on most of what he had just said was so important to achieve - he responds to his critics as if THEY are the ones sloughing off and not responding to the call to arms. As if they (claiming to be able and willing to LEAD the fight) are the ones letting HIM down. You're quite the Bamboozler Mr. Obama. Wasn't it YOU who was elected to be the leader? Wasn't it YOU who said you would lead the fight for a more fair, just society and system? {hell, forget fair and just...we'd settle for no more Trickle Down Disasters and an intelligently run, competent government.}

This rhetorical legerdemain may fool some but not everybody Mr. Obama. It just leaves many confused and disaffected - or angrier than they were before they were unfairly criticized and dismissed by the guy who made claims to be capable of leading the fight for a more just and rational society .... (and who many in the party have begun to wonder if he is a Democrat at all).

Many find it peculiar that you show a greater facility for venting your gall on members of your own party than you do for those who are doing everything in their power to see that you fail - and at extreme cost to the country (the Republican Dystopia). Many within the Democratic Party wonder why you are constantly trying to ingratiate yourself with the Red State Brigade instead of attacking them for their "Scorched Earth" politics (the same as those of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, who burned crops in the fields to create famine and add to the mayhem they caused in order to facilitate their seizure of power in Cambodia). (Perhaps if you had attacked the constant cacauphony of Republican disinformation a few people would be more aware of the unrelenting efforts of the Red State Brigade (RSB) to sabotage the Democrats efforts to repair the economy from the Republican Trickle Down Disaster. Perhaps then, people would have a better understanding of why the economic recovery is proceeding so slowly. (- not having spoken of their machinations before, bringing it up only now, will only look like disingenous campaign rhetoric.) Remember Mr. Obama, Presidential politesse is expendable where there is no 'loyal' opposition.) You, and your inner circle, maintain that the 'only way' to make progress is to plead with your malefactors for reasonable compromise. As if there is only one way to get to a negotiated settlement.

Accusing your critics of being lay-abouts and slackers is hardly a model of leadership Mr. Obama. I suggest you shape up YOUR own act before you take exception to theirs.

[emulatorloo]

1. His speech was well received by the CBC. Enough with the bullshit spin

All anyone has to do is watch the fucking video of the speech to understand the CBC responded enthusiastically to what he said. They were fired up.

[elleng]

3. THANKS, em!

:thumbsup:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. that happens often after his speeches. The PROBLEM

is not with his rhetoric, nor his superb delivery. It was, is, and unfortunately, might be in the future, with his actions after he gives such a speech.

The term caver in Chief was not created by Rush, Billo, Sean, or any of a handful of other paid GOp hit men. It was a reluctant, unhappy, but realistic description of his past 3 years. Soaring rhetoric, abysmal follow through.

[emulatorloo]

7. Bullshit. OP is out and out misrepresenting the speech. Nothing in OP

about " future actions."

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. I . . . R E A L L Y hope you are right, and I wrong.

[dflprincess]

28. The OP is based on past performance

The president has given lots of pretty speeches - especially when campaigning - following them up with action, not so much.

[texshelters]

11. How do you know it was "well received"?

Did you talk to all the participants? Did you do a poll? Was there more than polite applause? Was the applause for Obama the man and not his policies?

Really, how do you know.


The analysis of Obama blaming his liberal critics is correct though. It's not spin. It's an interpretation of Obama's words and actions.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[elleng]

18. Watched the speech; MUCH MORE than 'polite applause,' HUGE positive reaction.

AND NO BLAMING, 'Let's get going! We need eachother.'

[elleng]

2. This is b.s., mischaracterizes President Obama's actions, attitude, and public appearance.

[emulatorloo]

6. It is a craven attempt to spin a positive uplifting moment for Obama and the CBC into something

Negative, and I an damn tired of this bullshit.

It is basically a Huge Lie.

It is symptomatic of the modern DU. I have no idea why the moderators allow this kind of lying.

[elleng]

9. Yes, and you have more guts than I; I'm ashamed I didn't call the LIE myself.

Thanks AGAIN, em.

[emulatorloo]

13. Am afraid this is the straw that broke the camel's back.

Way too much of this kind of stuff.

I'll probably get my ass banned. Been great knowing you!

[elleng]

16. ...

:hi:

[texshelters]

12. It's an interpretation

that is valid.

How does it mischaracterize what Obama has said when it uses his words?

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[emulatorloo]

15. "Mr. Obama, with self-rightous tone, inveighed upon the seated assembly:"

Is a total mischaracterization of Obama's tone and the enthusiastic reception he got from the audience.

It is not " valid ", it is a deliberate distortion of the event.

[Bill USA]

19. what do you think of this quote, it is a quote... do you think this is not putting down

those who have been critical of his administration? seriously.

"Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying."

[texshelters]

39. Exactly.

It saying the left is misguided and lazy.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[texshelters]

38. Yes, it might be invalid in this case

but it is a good interpretation of Obama's attitude in general about criticism from the left.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Enthusiast]

40. I heard it.

I agree with the OP interpretation. This is the tone Obama should have used against the Wall Street thieves and Teabagger obstructionists.

[Swede]

4. You should watch the video or read the text,sometime.

Get back to us.

[Tarheel_Dem]

8. Bwwaahhh! I'm just sorry you spent so much time crafting this swill.

:rofl:

[Ikonoklast]

14. Unrec this steaming pile.

ODS in full bloom.

PBO 2012, stuff it in your shorts.

[emulatorloo]

17. Alert on it while you are at it.

[Bill USA]

20. Obama's fiery speech to CBC defended - CNN

I'm not surprised you are not responding to the 'critiques' of your piece which are little more than Bronx cheers(lol).


Here is a statement from Maxine Waters about Obama's "Stop crying" refrain, to CNN:

http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/28/obama-fiery-speech-to-cbc-defended/">Obama's fiery speech to CBC defended

Washington (CNN) - A White House official is defending controversial comments President Obama made in a weekend speech to the Congressional Black Caucus.

“It was meant as a rallying cry,” the official said.

~~

“I am going to press on for jobs,” he said, then telling those in the room, “I expect all of you to march with me and press on. Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying.”

Representative Maxine Waters, D-California, told CNN she found the comment “curious,” and she speculated that the president had gone “off script.”

the Huffington post had a bit more from Waters:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/26/maxine-waters-barack-obama_n_980832.html">Maxine Waters: Obama's Speech To Congressional Black Caucus Was 'A Bit Curious'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. Maxine Waters says she's not sure who President Barack Obama was talking to when he told black Americans to quit complaining and follow him into the battle for jobs and opportunity.

The California Democrat, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, says she found the president's language "a bit curious." She says Obama didn't address Hispanics in such a blunt manner and would never use that language in a speech to a gathering of gays or Jews.
(more)

http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/28/obama-fiery-speech-to-cbc-defended/">Obama' 'Stop Complaining' Order To Black Caucus Causes Stir

For some, it was another example of a tone perceived as patronizing from Obama when he speaks to primarily African-American audiences.

Courtland Milloy, a Washington Post columnist, http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/president-obama-courting-black-people-again/2011/09/25/gIQAXPTCxK_story.html">wrote:

“Shake it off. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying,” Obama preached during his dinner speech. “We are going to press on. We’ve got work to do, CBC.”

Funny, isn’t it, how Obama always gets the nerve to say shut up when he’s addressing a friendly audience?

... you are 'right- on' with the observation that he 'shows more facility for venting his spleen on members of his own party' than he does with those who are bending every effort to keep him from succeeding at fixing the disaster they in fact created.

....earlier remarks by his representatives: generalizing in referring to all his critics calling them "the professional left". Not good.

[opihimoimoi]

21. Obama s recent Position clarification reveals a common sense approach

to solving the Nations Woes,,,,DEFEAT THE GOPers

[markpkessinger]

22. I have been plenty critical of President Obama, but this is off base

The media lifted a couple of sentences totally out of context and characterized them as finger-wagging at his base, when that is not at all how it was received by the CBC in its full context. You've been had by the media. (And I say this as someone who, as many here well know, has had plenty of criticism for President Obama.)

[JohnWxy]

26. reactions to my OP (by a couple people) focused only on the CBC event. My criticism

goes far beyond the CBC event. IT is about how Obama reacts to criticism from within the party. He does show a facility for venting his ire at Democrats that he doesn't show with regard to those who would as soon throw him (and the country) off a cliff as shake hands with him. (I obviously think things would have gone better for him, and the rest of the country, if he had been a little less inclined to be so ingratiating with the Red State Brigade. He has rushed to compromise even before it was actually necessary at times. I am hardly alone in this appraisal. Many Democrats hold this view.)

As far as this particular speech goes, he could have 'roused the base' without saying "stop complaining, stop crying, etc". In my opinion that was entirely unnecessary. (keep in mind the unemployment rate for blacks is twice that of whites. Damn, I think they've got every right to bitch to him about that. Also let's not forget the CBC includes people who made Obama's presidency possible, such as John Lewis(risked his life for gains in civil rights).)


What he was doing was attempting to turn the tables on his critics. He was rejecting criticism of him that he is too ingratiating with GOPers and not committed enough, and accusing his critics of not being committed enough: "take off your bedroom slippers, stop complainng, stop crying". This might fool some people but not everyone. It just leaves a lot of people being disaffected and angry.

[Recoverin_Republican]

23. I think the criticism in OP goes far beyond the CBC. He is talking about how Obama reacts to

criticism from anywhere within the Democratic party.

Having not too long ago (finally) awakened (to the errors of my ways) and bailed from a group which doesn't tolerate too much criticism or thinking outside the approved doctrine ("Democrats Fall in love, Republicans fall in line.") I have been quite impressed by Democratic Underground and all the debate of issues that goes on here. It is quite invigorating for someone who grew up in a group that so values conformity and is suspicious of thinking that does not conform to the acceptable formula. I think it's important to NOT just dismiss or attack critics as being 'heretics'. (There is some very good quote out there about ignoring criticism being a prescription for disaster.)

Their is a tendency on the part of some followers to think that those who offer criticism are horrible people, who are 'enemies' to the 'cause' and therefor, deserve to be thrown out of the fold (if not off a cliff!). This is shallow thinking ..... due to my past experience I am somewhat familiar with this sort of thought.

..just thought I would share...for what it's worth.

[bvar22]

24. How many times did President Obama address the Blue Dogs...

..and "Centrist" Democrats with this type of tone and rhetoric when they were obstructing the Public Option?


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Fearless]

31. +1

[chill_wind]

32. Or hedge fund managers. Other than that,

in fairness, he talks to all his supporters like that, as folks were saying here.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=781889&mesg_id=781889

[rury]

25. Unrec...this OP is garbage...

The audience went wild for the president's address.
You are quite pathetic in your attempt to turn people against President Obama!

[Enthusiast]

41. No

We want to turn President Obama into an ally of the American working people.

You have it completely backwards.

[swilton]

27. K&R

Telling it like it is - All of a sudden Obama's talking about the right kind of shoes....It seems he couldn't find those shoes in Wisconsin in March to help the people who needed to have access to unions.


Obama should be worried about the black vote and his base regardless of the reaction to this source article by most of the posters here - there is ample evidence of his decline with black voters and at least the left wing of the Democratic Party.

[bhikkhu]

29. His speech was excellent - well spoken, right on the mark

and very well received. I don't think anyone who watched the speech will be taken in by the drivel in the OP.

Why would anyone want to turn an effective rallying cry for the party into an occasion to spread division, mistrust and malaise?

[donheld]

30. One more unrecommending bullshit

[Doctor_J]

33. I kind of noticed this after the speech

I'd like to see a tone more like, "I am going to lead us out of here. Make sure you've got my back, because I'm about to head into a monumental shit storm", and then immediately start firing on the real bad guys - the Cock Brothers, Hate Radio, Fox News, and Eric Cantor. But as usual the president scolded liberals.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. 
[link:www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules.html|Click
here] to review the message board rules.

[JohnWxy]

35. My OP is a criticism of how Obama reacts to critics within his party. I DO NOT AGREE with you that

..."anybody with just half a brain should be ready to send him to the unemployment line in 2012." This is misinterpreting my criticism entirely.

My OP is about the way Obama reacts to criticism from within the party, by attacking his critics and trying to belittle them for their expressed doubts about him. I think by doing this, he only makes himself look small (...in fact, this is how the Republicans operate). My criticism of him is based on my desire that he be the most effective, successful President as is possible. I disagree with his over-solicitous, ingratiating approach to the untrustworthy, devious (and deviant) Republicans. Since Republicans lack any decency themselves, they don't respect this quality in others. From the perspective of their ignorance they view decency warily and with suspicion (and in their perversity, they even consider it a weakness!). I'm not saying Obama should become a mean 'son-of-a-bitch'. Just that I think he's wrong to keep hoping for in-good-faith negotiations from people you cannot realistically expect to be reasonable. He should, I believe, come out more forcefully, and unapologetically, fighting for what is right for America.


I do NOT AT ALL agree that he has done anything AT ALL to warrant being sent to the "unemployment line" in 2012 - as you put it. I am confident that the electorate is not that stupid.

Obama has been dealing with the GOP, trying to get things accomplished for two+ years, in the way he thinks is the most effective. Over in Republican-land they have lined up a set potential presidential candidates that are the biggest twits I have seen for a very long time (like I have not seen since I last watched a Three Stooges movie). Handing over the reigns of the country to one of them would be like jumping off a cliff head-long into an abyss of incompetent, corrupt government (Republicans believe in Chrony-Government whose purpose is to serve those who paid to get them elected) leading inexorably to another TRICKLE DOWN - DEREGULATION DISASTER.

The Republicans like to repeat that old Reagan dictum that Government is 'the enemy'. I agree with them on this - when they are running it!

[blkmusclmachine]

36. I don't even listen to the WH anymore:

Done with the lies.

[yurbud]

37. the PR people here actually think they can spin away progressive concerns and convince

us policies that mostly protect the wealthy are the best he could do.