Know Your Enemies

[babylonsister]

Worth reading the whole thing.

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/8/2/214920/4633


Know Your Enemies

by BooMan
Tue Aug 2nd, 2011 at 09:49:20 PM EST

snip//

So, the problem we have is that even though we know how to use the federal government to stimulate the economy, we are not allowed to use any of those tools. Period.

That's the problem. It's not a problem that the president created. It's a problem created by a Republican majority in the House of Representatives. It's a problem exacerbated by the 60-vote rule in the Senate. The problem is that the Republicans are crazy, ruthlessly partisan, and too powerful in our system right now for anyone to overcome their effective veto power.

snip//


Meanwhile, the president churns along vastly improving women's health and establishing new gasoline efficiency standards, to little appreciation or applause.

I'll tell you what the president doesn't need. He doesn't need liberals nipping at his heels over shit he can't control. Go ahead. Make the case for Keynesian economics. Lord knows, someone needs to talk some sense around here. But stop asking the president to do things he can't do and blaming him for not spending all his time asking for things that will be simply and flatly denied.

It's not only tiresome, it's destructive.

[Kind of Blue]

1. KnR.

"So, Reich's correct that nothing can be done to improve the economy, but he's wrong to attack the president over it, because you can replace the president with Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Al Gore, or Bernie Sanders and it isn't going to make a lick of difference. The problem is the Republicans. And, no, it isn't because the public is deluded into thinking the Republicans are right about anything. The problem is that they were deluded about that last November. The public didn't appreciate the Ryan Plan. And they didn't appreciate the hostage situation over the debt ceiling. But we're stuck with these assholes."

[babylonsister]

2. Thank you for

picking out that paragraph! I had to keep chopping, but that one does stand out. :thumbsup:

[Kind of Blue]

10. Yes, indeed!

BooMan could sum it up with: It's the Republicans, stupid,

[OHdem10]

3. As usual you make excellent points and I am not going to be

nipping at his heels.

However, the President, the Conservadems and Republicans
have illustrated that they can together pass any legislation
they wish. The Debt Ceiling fracus showed us that. The
Conservative Wing of our Party (DLC Third Way and Blue Dogs)
rule. I believe the President natural inclinations is
to the more conservative philosophy. This is not an attack
just facing reality.

Most often my criticism is of Congress.

I think right now a lot of people are coming to terms with
the fact that when you get down to it, we are irrelevant
if we are Liberals. When in pain people lash out.

As long as activists think the Presidency is a Kingship
they will be disappointed. The Change will come when and
only when there is a change in Congress. Right now Conservatives
in both parties rule.

[Kind of Blue]

5. Yeah, we're all in the first few stages

of grief. Hopefully, we'll come together and take the first step in kicking out the obvious enemy. If not, then let the suffering continue.

[treestar]

9. They can pass what they can settle on

Why do we not get tax increases? Republicans. They will never agree to that.

For the life of me I cannot understand a board like this not aiming the ire at the Republicans.

[soleft]

4. 1000 +

[flamingdem]

6. exactly nt

[Grandrose]

7. Thanks for posting!

Great to have you and BooMan on the job.:) :thumbsup:

[lumpy]

17. I second that. We were hoping we'd hear from some sensible

posters.

[treestar]

8. Kick

And rec. There's no excuse for the posts that seem to presume Presidents are supposed to rule like monarchs.

[lumpy]

16. This shows how ignorance is helping the GOP to play their

filthy game in trying to bring down the presidency. All this shit going on fits in well with the GOP/Teabagger/Corporate party plan to continue their assault on the presidency.
I have to agree that some people here assume the presidency has unlimited power. Maybe this is the result of Geo.W.Bush's attempt to achieve his stated desire to be a dictator. I always thought his statement "it would be easier to be a dictator" came directly from his evil little desirous heart.

[politicasista]

11. Good kick

:kick: :patriot: :hi:

[Vattel]

12. How about if liberals just snip at his heels

for things he can control. That leaves plenty of snipping to do on issues ranging from border enforcement, civil liberites, lack of transparency, militarism, overstepping presidential authority, rendition, failure to prosecute war criminals, prosecuting whistleblowers, etc.

[FrenchieCat]

14. How about if Liberals start calling out the Republicans on their bullshit 24/7

without stopping to take a breath? How about that?

Cause when Obama is gone, it ain't like they'll be something else to do.
WHY NOT START NOW?

[lumpy]

19. Thanks for the level headed post .

v

[Vattel]

28. How about liberals do both?

People that attack the President for not being liberal enough won't cost Obama the election. They might even help Obama by making him seem less liberal to moderates.

[CakeGrrl]

13. Big kick and rec

The Professional Left blogs are really doing a number on their readers. There's enough speculation about the President's character and true motivations to make The Lone Gunmen salivate.

Ridiculous.

[AtomicKitten]

15. LOL. It's like a herd of teacup chihuahuas nipping at his heels.

k&r

[Cali_Democrat]

18. Unrec

Naked attempt to quell criticism of Obama's conservative policies.

[lumpy]

20. How about a naked attempt to try and pull the Democratic

Party together? This party is the only thing we have going for us. The GOP/Teabagger Party isn't going to do anything positive for this country and there is no savior in the wings. Sorry, that's just the way it is unless you know something us Democrats don't know.

[Ignis]

21. Dissent will continue to be expressed, whether you like it or not.

The no-magic-wand / 60-votes-or-nothing / "haters gonna hate" arguments that are made in an attempt to stifle legitimate concerns over (or even *gasp* disagreement with) Presidential policy decisions are what I would classify as "tiresome."

President Obama has done some great things. He has also done some not-so-great things. Pretending that he only had control over the former is disingenuous.

[babylonsister]

22. Dissent is great. For those who continue to thrash about

what wasn't in is perview to do, this one's for them.

[Ignis]

23. When people are in pain, they thrash about.

Why not focus on the root cause of that pain, rather than the discomfort that the thrashing about is causing others?

[babylonsister]

25. Teabaggers being the root cause? I'm all for that. nt

[Ignis]

27. The 'baggers are a symptom, not the problem.

One of the key problems is the inability of our national party leadership to effectively frame the debate by taking a stand on the LEFT, rather than in the middle.

People (especially Independents) have a tendency to vote for "strong and wrong."

[Cobalt-60]

24. we're losing. So it isn't good enough.

It doesn't matter what gains we make if fascists have effective possession of the nation.
There is no substitute for victory.
Anything less and the USA is the Fourth Reich.
Many of our supposed representatives are only loyal to the name on their latest bribe check.
Their identities are obvious from their voting records.
They need to be jettisoned at the next primary.
The only way to save our nation is to destroy the fascists.
We need to elect Democrats willing to get it done.

[Tennessee Gal]

26. Crazy and ruthlessly partisan. Amen. nt

[Major Hogwash]

29. Unfortunately . . . our memories aren't that short.

If President Obama didn't want this type of "debt deal", he had a majority in both houses of Congress last December that he could have used to increase the debt ceiling then.

So, we have no alternative but to accept the idea that this debt deal is what Obama wanted.

[OHdem10]

30. Businesses are not hiring. Government job Layoffs at high levels

No programs like WPA Public Works on my watch--President Obama/

The Plan sounds nice but there is a reality.