The President's policies aren't progressive enough?

[ProSense]

Although:

• Health care reform, according to Trumka is "historic," achieving a "a goal of the labor movement since the 19th century."
  
  
• Student loan reform made "the single largest investment in federal student aid in U.S. history, and delivers on many of President Obama’s key education initiatives."
  
  
• The Credit Card Act continues to benefit Americans and "will save U.S. consumers from being charged at least $5 billion in fees this year alone."
  
  
• Financial reform, if preserved in its current form will represent "hallmark regulatory reform — marking the end of an era of mindless deregulation."
  
  
  • It will significantly cut into Wall Street's profits.
    
    
  • It includes "tough derivatives regulation provision that has Wall Street even more frightened."
    
    
  • Don't forget Hamsher on financial reform.
  
  
• The President is reversing Bush's energy policies.
  
  
• And before Bernie Sanders called for a repeal of oil subsidies, President Obama proposed it in his 2011 budget, calling for it again a week earlier.

See nothing progressive here, move along.

It's hard to know why, despite the President's efforts and achievements, some people are determined to mischaracterize everything he does, comparing him to Bush and trying to label his Presidency a failure.






Edited link.

[Peacetrain]

1. The man cannot do anything right in some peoples eyes.. Just can't

[vaberella]

7. Agreed. n/t

[frylock]

9. The man cannot do anything wrong in some peoples eyes.. Just can't

[ProSense]

10. So you object to the OP?

Why?

[frylock]

27. it's the same tired shit..

we've seen this. great. i'll praise obama when he does the right thing and i'll continue to criticize him when he doesn't. the next time that you except any level of legit criticism of obama will be the first time. it's time for you to get some new material already.

[ProSense]

48. " i'll praise obama when he does the right thing"

Did you praise him for the accomplishments in the OP or have they always been the "same tired shit"?

[frylock]

52. yep..

the accomplishments that deserve praise. so-called health insurance reform is not an accomplishment that i praised however. have you expressed concern or leveled any criticism for some of the bush policies that remain in place?

[Raine1967]

77. Are you joking?

I hope you are because you appear to be attacking the OP.

This is exactly the kind of thing people are upset about in this forum. This is GOOD news.

that people cannot see it as such is rather sad.

[treestar]

13. Why is that any worse than not doing anything right?

And keep in mind this is a Democratic Board.

So you actually expect Democrats to go out of their way to find fault, post about that only and never say anything positive?

This is a President from OUR party. Of course we will defend him. And we don't have to go out of the way to talk of our disagreements where it might arise. We want him to stay in office, not some Republican.

Even Hillary buried the hatchet, saying she did not work so hard to see a Republican in the White House.

[ProSense]

19. Defend him?

Preposterous! Why would Democrats defend a President, such as the one described in the OP, when Greenwald, Hamsher and a few other malcontents proclaim him a failure?

[frylock]

28. i'm not a democrat

[dionysus]

56. no shit! i never could have guessed!

[muffin1]

17. +1,000,000 nt

[MissDeeds]

36. Agreed n/t

[Cha]

69. Don't be so bitter and jealous..it's really unbecoming.

[treestar]

15. And when they are Republicans, it at least makes sense

When they claim to be Democrats, or even to the left of Democrats, it is a sign of unreasonableness. Bernie Sanders votes with the President. The rational left knows politics, and does not want to court Republican power.

[Bobbie Jo]

54. +1,000,000

I've noticed 'big' numbers carry more weight.

[tridim]

2. The answer is contained in the expansion of the P-acronym

And the massive unrecs you're getting prove it.

[phleshdef]

3. And still hasn't even been in office a year and a half yet (9 days away)

[Lil Missy]

4. But, .... but .... he doesn't pass the purity test!

[lillypaddle]

5. Seems like things have gotten very personal

here on DU. A positive OP about the president and a rec doesn't even register. What's this about?

[Name removed]

6. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProSense]

12. " A positive OP about the president and a rec doesn't even register. What's this about?"

I suspect they expect the negative nonsense to be taken as facts, which they have an aversion to. Fortunately, history isn't going to be written based on the opinions of a few people with agendas.

[muffin1]

18. And a thread the other day about

more hate being thrown at the gay community was unrecced into oblivion before there was even a handful of replies. One would think that all Democrats would be against all discrimination. :shrug:

[frylock]

31. the problem is that the OP posts the same list of accomplishments week after week after week..

and she posts knowing full well what the response is going to be.

[ProSense]

42. As opposed to posting the Obama is a "sellout" week after week?

Week after week, the facts are ignored. Nothing wrong with reiterating a point.

Oh, and are the opinions on financial reform weeks old? The information on the Credit Card Act?

[Bobbie Jo]

55. A real head-scratcher, no?

[Greyhound]

67. Consider the source. n/t

[vaberella]

8. DADT review too. But it's whatever. Obama will never do enough or the way some want it. n/t

[dmallind]

11. He's just like Bush. NO change at all.

And if the dripping icon is needed, check your IQ.

[impik]

14. Some "progressives" need to look for the word "progress" in the dictionary

And to answer your final point: Those people never supported this president.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[frylock]

37. i've hated the guy from jump..

hated him so much that for the first time in my life i donated cash to a presidential candidate. i hate obama so much that i bought three prints from his website. i despise the man with a passion, that's why i purchased the shep fairey designed "PROGRESS" shirt and wore it proudly. my hatred for him is also why i purchased sam flores' "HOPE" shirt and wore it to work on election day. my loathing for obama runs so deep that every time sticker robot released a new decal i would buy a 50 pack and distribute freely among my friends and co-workers.

yep, some people just never ever supported him.

[uponit7771]

46. Then your expectations were unreasonable...Obama hasn't been perfect but doesnt deserve the hate ove

....the willingness to get him some congressional help

[frylock]

50. how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would support unions..

how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would investigate the war crimes of the previous administration.
how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would help to enact meaningful healthcare reform rather than watered down health insurance reform.
how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would look to put an end to DADT.
how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would put working families interests above those of wall st.
how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would not continue bush's bullshit phony wars against terror.

[treestar]

73. I think you're putting the worst possible interpretation on what

he's done.

And put a maximum ability on his powers to get it done.

You want a left wing decider? Other times you could have a right wing decider? Why not just a President?

[BzaDem]

81. Before you vote for a candidate, you should see what some of his positions are.

"how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would investigate the war crimes of the previous administration."

He basically said he wasn't going to do this before he was elected.

"how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would help to enact meaningful healthcare reform rather than watered down health insurance reform."

He campaigned for insurance reform and against single payer.

"how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would look to put an end to DADT."

Wake up. He is doing this, with Congress.

"how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would put working families interests above those of wall st."

Again, wake up.

"how unreasonable for me to expect a democrat would not continue bush's bullshit phony wars against terror."

He campaigned on continuing the war against terror.

[oviedodem]

16. GOOD. So in 2016 you can get an even LESS progressive one. Maybe then they will be happy

[Jennicut]

20. He is a moderate Dem. We are fighting here on DU over and over again

about moderate vs progressive Dems.

I pointed out today the hyperbole of calling Halter a progressive. I feel like I need to draw a political spectrum scale for the United States or something.

[VMI Dem]

21. See what I meant?

[Jennicut]

24. Oh yes...except many use hyperbole for their own reasons.

Obama has some progressive policies but overall his a moderate Dem. Remind me that he is a neo conservative again?

[ProSense]

29. I don't agree.

As I said before, picking at one thing or another to claim the President is a moderate is a flawed exercise. His record as a Senator compared to those being held up as progressive or populist (Brown, Dorgan, Feingold, Franken) is progressive. He is now the President, a role that is completely different from being a Senator. He's not Bernie Sanders, but measuring Obama against any of those Senators, he is equally progressive. They've all had their what-the-hell moments in terms of voting or supporting an issue. For example, Feingold has criticized the President on spending because he is a deficit hawk.

[jenmito]

23. Thank you for (another) factual thread! K&R.

[SoFlaJet]

25. You have a lot of fucking nerve ProSense

saying something good about Obama-don't you know that all some here can see is what HASN'T been done yet. Fuck these people around here. I at least have been here long enough to know whose threads to click on now. Your name is one of those that I know will at least always be reasonable and FAIR.

[JTFrog]

26. K&R!

[WI_DEM]

30. Valiant try but you will never convince the perfection crowd even though they could never get

anything passed.

[mzmolly]

32. Thanks for the reminders.

It's important to keep perspective. K and R.

[Laelth]

33. No. They're not.

What good does it do to call out (or bash) those to your left?

Yes, Obama's still better than McCain, but that's nothing to be proud of.

:dem:

-Laelth

[WI_DEM]

34. He's more than better than McCain--but it's okay for you to bash Obama?

but make sure nobody says anything critical about a progressive or so-called progressive who attack this president daily?

[Laelth]

39. Yes, it is OK to bash Obama here, among allies who are on the same team.

It has to be. Otherwise, the only purpose of this board is to enforce Party message discipline. That would make it a very boring place.

I stand by my point, as expressed in my sig. line.

:dem:

-Laelth

[ProSense]

44. Is it OK to reject everything positive he has done?

Look at the reaction to this OP.

[Laelth]

47. I freely acknowledge the positive things he has done.

But I will not be silent about the negative things either.

Your OP asks if the President's policies are "liberal enough," and I answered by saying that they are not. I do not appreciate this call-out thread whose only apparent purpose is to bash those to your left who might dare to criticize the President or the Party. The purpose of this board is not, as I understand it, to enforce Party message discipline.

:dem:

-Laelth

[ProSense]

51. "call-out thread "?

What exactly makes this a "call out"? Posing a question and responding with the facts?

[treestar]

74. If party message discipline is boring and so evil

We can leave it to the right wing, who will, of course, take complete advantage of that.

[impik]

59. He will go down as one of the greatest presidents ever. Not that

you'll never admit it. But you'll know.

[Laelth]

62. I hope you are right, and if you are I will not only admit it, I will celebrate it.

On the other hand, he may go down as one of the worst Presidents in American history. The jury is still out on that.

:dem:

-Laelth

[quaker bill]

61. actually, it is.

there was not a more progressive and viable candidate for the office. Getting this one elected was quite an accomplishment.

[Laelth]

63. If you think the President's policies are progressive enough, you are entitled to your opinion.

You are either not a liberal or you have very low standards.

:dem:

-Laelth

[flamingdem]

35. And he did all of that in an atmosphere of extreme hostility and noncooperation nt

[TheKentuckian]

38. I'll give you the student loan deal, even if I think it was thrown in to get

the math to work for the bullshit Wealthcare and Profit Protection Act that you insist on touting as health care reform.

The rest of it is between mediocre and outright crap like the credit card bill. The criminals are now ripping off folks even worse but they at least have to advise us of the fuckings,

Trojan reform and rehashed Republican policy doesn't impress. If you are enamored with it then fine but trying to force feed it 24/7 is not going to work.

[ProSense]

40. "Poll: 3 in 4 credit cardholders say their accounts are better off today"

Poll: 3 in 4 credit cardholders say their accounts are better off today

I know, every opinion that runs counter the facts is the truth.

"Trojan reform and rehashed Republican policy doesn't impress. "

Such as ending oil subsidies?

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProSense]

43. Debatable. Fact: Nixon didn't deliver health care reform, Obama did. n/t

[old mark]

49. Not very much, though, did he? I admit it is a start, so that's one good thing...

He is the best Democratic president many young people have yet seen...It is a shame he is such a conservative.

mark

[Name removed]

80. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tranche]

53. And Nixon's plan was better then Dean's

Where would you start...

[lillypaddle]

58. Not only that

he's not even a US citizen! :eyes:

[Greyhound]

66. He is more conservative than Nixon was.

And he doesn't even try to do anything that helps average people except as an incidental (or unavoidable) side effect of accelerating Corporatocracy.

[uponit7771]

45. FUCK FACTS!!!!!! /sarcasm

[Bobbie Jo]

57. No kidding, this is getting ridiculous.

...and predictable.

[donco6]

60. I see people bringing up specific objections to specific actions.

Not blanket condemnations.

But if lists make people feel better, go for it.

[Wandawilkerson]

64. Obama described the health care reform bill as "centrist"

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/89731-obama-health-law-is-a-centrist-measure

I tend to not equate centrism with progressivism.

[ProSense]

65. This

On a day when President Barack Obama will sign a package of fixes to the healthcare law, he said the reforms are a "middle-of-the-road, centrist" measure.

No Republicans voted for the bill, and many called it a "government takeover" of health insurance, but Obama said that the bill is full of GOP ideas, a claim that Democrats made throughout the debate. He added that the Republicans opposed it for political, not policy-related, reasons.

...is exactly accurate. This is another example of taking rebuttal to Republican talking points literally.

The country nor Congress is progressive when compared to socialism.

[Cha]

70. It's still progress..it doesn't matter what word games you

want to play.

[spoony]

79. Why do you hate Obama?

He says something and you call it word games. Why can't you support our President?

[Cha]

83. President Obama is doing an amazing job and it

makes some anonymous interneters so crazy. I love it.

[Cha]

68. Thanks for wrapping all this

up in your OP and enlightening those who want it and reminding those of us who realize it.

[Bluenorthwest]

71. Obama opposes equal rights for all Americans

because he claims some of us are not 'sanctified' by his particular brand of God. So on that basis alone, he is by no means a progressive.

[boppers]

72. Is that an exact quote?

Or are you making that up?

[VMI Dem]

76. He believes marriage is between a man and woman.

His religious belief is the reason he gives.

[BzaDem]

82. If you think he really believes that

I have a bridge to sell you.

He says it because (at the moment) you must say it to get elected in this country. Of course, when it matters (like with Prop 8) he was on the correct side, but you like to ignore things like that.

[Cha]

84. Not sorry I missed what

ignored has to say.

[volvoblue]

75. There is a disconnect for those on the far left and what honest criticism means.

For more then a few on the far left, they are in need of feeling like they 'fit in' with the kewl kids.
So, they take their cues from opportunists like Hamsher, who bilks this for her own personal glory.
Any camera will do.
Including the ones on Fox.

Her good buddy Greenwald has let his angry rants twist his undies so tight he no longer can tell the difference from honest criticism and hatefilled, angry rages.
He seems, and surprising for an attorney like Greenwald, exactly what a president does.
He's gotten so twisted that even commentors on the left are starting to make reference to his losing himself to excessive rantings and claiming they are honest critiques.

Those on the left who are so fearful of becoming like the rightwing, and think trashing someone all the time and lending zero support is how to act. They have very confused notions of what is real critiques and what is out of touch, rightwing assisting and outright hate rants for the sake of thinking they are being kewl.

In other words, Hamsher and her firebaggers, along with Greenwald are little more then tiresome children

[Mosaic]

78. The President listens to progressives,

and he does what he can given a tough corporatocracy we live in. On the other hand the pentagon trumps, in his mind, progressive anti-war ideology. For that I can not forgive him. What we do to the world is equally important to what we do for ourselves, and unjust war and death are a far greater negative than the few positives listed above. I wanted to like him, but I can't because he is too timid to do what is right and end wars, prosecute war criminals, and truly act like someone that won a peace prize, which was given to him as wishful thinking more than anything.