Are you more sympathetic or unsympathetic toward critiques of the WH from the left?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

Are you more sympathetic or unsympathetic toward critiques of the WH from the left?

When the administration is criticized from the left I usually...

(Not always on every possible issue, but usually... a general sensibility)

[Ken Burch]

1. First rec.

Before the "Unrec EVERY thread" brigade shows up.

[jgraz]

2. Where's the "Shh!! Even asking this hurts the Pwesident" choice?

I'm betting a lot of people are looking for that.

[TheWraith]

14. Where's the choice for "I wouldn't mind criticism if people weren't being pricks"?

VALID criticism should be separated from the blind, kneejerk shit-slinging that so many DUers are in love with.

[jgraz]

15. That's the same choice.

Just translated into DLC.

[Ken Burch]

33. And, of course, only those who OBJECT to any criticism are qualified to say

What's "valid" and what isn't.

[jefferson_dem]

3. OTHER: It depends on the nature of the critiques, from those on the left or the right.

Legitimate criticism of the regime is always welcome, from my perspective.

However...

Most of the criticism we see here from supposed lefties is irritatingly asinine, and no more legit than the pablum Hannity parrots on a daily basis.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. Understood. That's why I worded it that way... to not box you into one of two absurdities

Everybody must have a left-critique they're sympathetic to on some issue.

And everyone can surely think of some left-critique of the WH that's nonsensical.

[Clio the Leo]

8. +1

And to that I would add, "repeated criticism that never shows support calls the critic into question."

[Cha]

12. Very other..it's not black or white.

The left can criticize all they want just don't lie to get their way..and do it constructively which is suppose to be the way it's done around here.

[roguevalley]

21. I wonder if you would post a link with that sort of criticism. I would

like to see it. I seem to miss the threads that cause such offense. THX!

[freddie mertz]

31. Example maybe?

You guys make a lot of accusations.

Now back it up.

Startt with, say, ten unambiguous examples.

Or... you know...

[Laelth]

4. Good poll. k&r n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[gleaner]

5. I chose more sympathetic ....

if the criticism comes from the left because I think that someone else from the left may have started with the same hopes and expectations that I did. I think the left worked hard to get Obama elected and repudiate the Bush administration and its policies and that it cost us a lot in many ways.

I am unsympathetic when people from the left tell me that I must not or cannot criticize Obama's policies or his broken policies or actions he takes which more closely resemble conservatism than liberalism. I don't like being told what to think or feel. We all have a right to our opinion, but no one has a right to dictate mine.

I gave you your second rec.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

7. All this shit we hear about the so called left. But guess what. We were right on many

of the big issues during the Clinton years. All this deregulation and triangulation did nothing more than fuck us.

During the Boy King administration being a so called centrist meant going along with Dick Cheney's insanity time and time again on the big issues. We were right then too. I don't know what the fuck is going to take for people to realize that the so called middle in this country has moved way to the right as we keep sliding towards the abyss.

Didn't Obama say make me do it. Well, how else are you supposed to if you don't tell him when you think he's doing something wrong?

[FatDave]

9. We've been right on most things in modern history.

Vietnam, global warming, civil rights, The New Deal, Iraq (we even knew there were no WMD's!). It's mazing that everybody considers us the kooks, especially compared to the historic conservative record of failure. And what's "left" in America is the rest of the world's center.

[Go2Peace]

20. +10

[treestar]

10. Unsympathetic

But because of the content. I consider them mostly to be unreasonable, because they really don't like anything. They get on a high horse about dissent as though it is just superior to ever supporting anyone - then whine they are "being told to shut up" - and no one is telling them to shut up or that they can't criticize - they just don't want counters to their criticism.

And most just happen to dissent about every single thing and are looking for new ways to "dissent." Or they let a headline and a few snippets of an article send them off onto another frenzy of "disappointment," "discouragement" or snide comments and then get committed to that even when more facts are added that show there is no dramatic "betrayal."

I find this disappointing, too. At least it's what you expect from right wingers. And right wingers have the excuse that they have no brain cells. One thing I will say for the right - they don't tear down their own.

[Raineyb]

18. It sounds like you're not at all interested in hearing other points of view.

I suppose if one were carrying pom-poms and declaring everything Obama does correct without any critical thinking you'd be more sympathetic. That's not a discussion that's cheer leading and it doesn't do a damn thing to improve things. There's no way in hell to get what you want if you don't make any once and declare what it is you want. You seem to prefer that people just shut the hell up and trust politicians to do the right thing.

The track record of most politicians does not warrant that at all.

[LooseWilly]

19. "One thing I will say for the right - they don't tear down their own." - Neither does the left.

I've never torn down Barbara Boxer, for instance. She's convinced me that she's one of "our own".

Once Obama begins to be more like Boxer, and less willing to continue Bush policies (Refused to sign on to the Landmine Ban Treaty?... Really?)... then na'ry another "unreasonable" criticism will you hear.

Until then...

[sudopod]

25. Careful, that's a mighty broad brush you're painting with there. nt

[HughMoran]

11. unrec - not the questions I had expected at all

terribly worded poll - a poll with a bias is no poll at all.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

29. How would you have phrased the question?

[Vidar]

13. K&R

[Kaleva]

16. The poll options don't match the question asked.

I generally don't feel sympathetic towards critiques from the left but I don't wish they would refrain from doing so. Debate and arguing about the issues is what it's all about but that doesn't mean my shoulder is available 24/7 for someone to cry on with every issue.

[boppers]

17. Criticism that accomplishes nothing masquerades as useful thought.

Talk radio morons come in all flavors, but they're still morons if they equate endless carping with accomplishment.

[Go2Peace]

22. Actually, most on this board have been very clear. Admit it, you want us all to have the same

political view as you do. That is just not going to happen.

I really think the more the cheerleading club tries to put others down for being disappointed the more people fight back, and that is really what leads to most the heated discussions. There are far fewer OPs about "cheerleaders", but there are daily a number of posts complaining about those who are disillusioned.

[boppers]

23. I like having thoughtful arguments with people who have positive ideas.

"I AM DISAPPOINT" is not a positive idea. It's an internet meme to mock those who think that expressing their personal unhappiness is a useful contribution to dialog.

[Go2Peace]

26. Yep, thought so.

By the way, you just posted negative thoughts twice, so i don't think it is "positive (ohmmmm) thoughts you are after, more like you only want to hear opinions that match your own. You won't see that as much in a "democrat" board friend. Only place to get that is on a freeper board. So might as well get used to people with independant thought who won't necessarily agree with you or your optimisim about a particular representative.

[boppers]

27. Bitching isn't "independant thought". It's childish complaining.

Here's an idea: Posts from people frequently un-Rec'ed should be allowed to post less, and less, often, to discourage chicken-little and the endless "I HAVE A NEGATIVE OPINION THAT IS UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL" copy-cat posts.

[Go2Peace]

28. I wasn't "Bitching" in the posts you responded to. Quit your crap at me will ya

[sudopod]

24. Depends on the critique.

These things are complicated. :p

[vaberella]

30. This is a thread to start drama. Where is the neutral on it post. Why is it one or the other?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

32. Because it's a sensible poll structure for this question

The option "it depends" would gain 100% of the vote if people thought about it.

And that doesn't tell you anything at all.

Binary polling is hardly a push poll. "Do you approve or disapprove of the job President Obama is doing?" That's a standard poll question and many approval polls do not offer a "mixed/not sure/no opinion" slot because the poll question is implicitly "If you had to pick one answer..."

What if more thoughtful nuanced people are Obama supporters and thus likelier to chose "it depends"? Then the approval poll could show relative disapproval of Obama simply because one side of the question is likelier to take a third option.


The usual way to register no opinion in an online (voluntary) poll is to not vote in it. Simple enough.