When you have a hammer, sometimes everything looks like nails.

[IsItJustMe]

My mind is kind of overwhelmed and numb right now after reading all of these Rick Warren posts. For some reason the above phrase just came to me, out of the blue.

I am not sure why it came to me; but none-the-less, I had the compulsive/obsessive need to share that with you.

I think I am going to take a break now from DU. My circuits seem to be overloading now.

Does not compute.
Does not compute.
Does not compute.
Does not compute.


FATAL ERROR

[Radical Activist]

1. That's a good way to think about how many activists are dealing with Obama.

For the last 8-28 years progressives have needed to use a hammer. Having a liberal President calls for using new tools but people have forgotten how to use anything besides a hammer. Every action Obama takes looks like a nail.

[dflprincess]

3. And when we finally get a liberal president, we'll use new tools (eom)

[stillcool]

5. How are you going to get a 'liberal' President?

I mean..how are you going to elect him/her in this country? And what is it that you expect your liberal President to do all by her/his lonesome?

[BzaDem]

7. I'm curious as well.

[dflprincess]

9. First, stop believing what the media tells you about the public and liberals.

I heard that "too liberal" song from my fellow party hacks and the local media during Wellstone's first senate race.

Obama never ran as a liberal, he's never claimed to be a liberal and his actions during the campaign and since the election certainly prove he is not a liberal.

[stillcool]

10. My question was...

How will you get the majority of people to vote for the liberal progressive whatever labeled candidate that fits your ideal, considering the reality of this country? And once your labeled President is installed in office, what do you expect him/her to accomplish with those who have differing views?

[dflprincess]

11. I believe that if the Democratic party had not sold out to the corporations

and was actually willing to back a liberal/progessive/populist (you pick the word) so the public actually got to hear the message, s/he could be elected. The problem is the party has allowed itself to buy into the DLC "liberal is bad, we must be Republican lite" line. The Democratic party needs to start standing for something rather than pretending they have to cave on everything, but don't worry, all will be well after the next election.

We'd also need to continue to be the majority party and have leadership in Congress that actually had some backbone. Change the rules back so all it takes is a majority, not a super majority to get something done. If the damn Republicans want to fillibuster it means they stay on their feet yammering away until the collapse or give up. I know there would be compromise, but compromise does not mean selling out and, if we had a liberal in the White House s/he could use TV time to take the case straight to the people when the Republicans stood in the way of the public good.

[stillcool]

12. Isn't that a pipe dream?

We elect a few people and send them into the cesspool that is D.C. and just expect them to do the right thing? We expect the media to tell us what we should know? We can just sit back and watch it like a game, and cheer for our team. Over and over and over and over. And yet, this time will be different. One person, all by their lonesome is going to change the world in what is it 7 days? And in the meantime people in their respective states have no power to get the 'liberal progressive populace' label elected, but they somehow expect DC to make it alright.

[dflprincess]

13. It is just sitting back that got us into this mess

No, we have to remain involved and we the people have to keep the pressure on those we elect. Maybe it is a pipe dream but why bother to be involved if you think nothing is going to change and that the way things are now are as good as it's going to get?

[stillcool]

15. I agree...and that was my point...

that it requires more than electing a person. It seems to me that elections are the beginning.

[chascarrillo]

14. Fine. I'll just give up then.

Thanks for allowing me to see the light so that I can stop wasting my time.

[stillcool]

16. fine..give up then...

My point was that it is not 'they' that need to 'change'..it is we. If 'we the people' can't even get the people in our own states to do the right thing, why would we expect someone from half way across the country to do anything different?

[Radical Activist]

6. Don't worry

No one ever elected President will meet your definition of liberal if Obama doesn't. He was a community organizer like Wellstone and he has a liberal record, even if he doesn't scream and shout to prove how liberal he is like Kucinich does.

[patrice]

2. And, some people, that's all they have: a hammer. nt

[hulklogan]

4. For some of us, we're just finding our hammer after having our rights stripped away.

And there's an awful lot of nails we've ignored for a long time.

[stillcool]

8. Does your state have a ban on gay marriage?