Obama bails on the smog regs. Add a YES to the pipeline = a call for a primary challenger

[RiverStone]

I really hope it does not come to this, but if today's backtrack on the smog regulation signals a "trend" for President Obama - then there is not much hope for a NO vote on the Tar Sands pipeline.

If the pipeline gets approved, then the President I worked so hard to elect will have completed his transformation to republican-lite.

I have never voted for a republican and never will.

This would signal a call to action for some true DEM from within our party to run against him in the primary next year. I know, historical precedent suggests this is unlikely to succeed. Yet in my lifetime I don't believe we have ever had such a case of "bait and switch" from an elected president. At least with Bushco, nobody was surprised at his fuckups while running the criminal regime.

This is not (yet) a call to make it happen, but it's getting close. We all know that a divided party runs poor vs a united party. Yet there has to be a minimum standard of sensibility applied to what we expect from a candidate's campaign pledges - a YES on the pipeline suggests a total abandonment on Obama's commitment to fight global warming etc.

Maybe this smog capitulation was his way of setting the stage to vote NO on the pipeline, so he shows some compromise to Wallstreet minions. That's the optimistic view and it would keep my vote. Yet if it's a trend, finding a viable challenger from within may not win - but he or she might at least hold Obama accountable for his campaign promises, because apparently he is not beholden to those who voted for him.

There is still time to change this trajectory, but not much.

[Recovered Repug]

1. Placing a call is easy.

Having anyone pickup is the hard part.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Go ahead. Find a primary challeger who will make the ENVIRONMENT the number one priority

for 2012--and can win the general election. I am CERTAIN a tightening of smog regs--two years EARLY-- is the NUMBER ONE concern of all Americans right now.

[Ship of Fools]

3. Paging Al Gore...paging Al Gore

You're right, an environmentalist in the primary would be a no-win. However, I'll limp my way to the polls, choking and gasping, to vote for one.

Just one woman's REALLY ANGRY opinion.

[digitaln3rd]

6. The challenger wouldn't have to win..

But being in the race would cause the other candidates to take notice and shift their positions appropriately.

Unless they're completely tone-deaf.

[slay]

8. Exactly - we need someone who will publicly call him out in primary debates

on all his lies and betrayals to the american people as he embraced wall street, big oil, and the big banks.

[Lasher]

9. A shift to the left during the primary would be meaningless,

If followed by another shift back to the right during and after the general election.

[RiverStone]

7. Go ahead and find a candidate that keeps his campaign pledges!

It's just about saving the planet and it's habitat for our children and theirs + the multitudes of animal and plant species that are threatened like never before. No big deal eh?

[TwilightGardener]

13. OK. If you don't think Obama has kept his promises on the environment, then

you are well within your rights to vote for his primary opponent, or not vote at all, or vote Republican. Those are your choices. Myself, I understand why the administration would not want to burden local governments with new standards that they would have to meet during a bad economy, especially in advance of the standards having to be reviewed two years from now anyway. I am sure that if a Repub wins the WH in 2012, the air will most certainly get cleaner! I am also certain that no Republican President will allow the pipeline, either. Things can only get better without Obama!

[RiverStone]

Like I said in the OP - voting rethug would never happen...

But a man (or woman) can only maintain their integrity to their promises by keeping them. Myself, I don;t understand why Obama capitulated yet again! The Sierra Club says it well:

"The Sierra Club condemns the Obama administration's decision to delay critical, long-overdue protections from smog, an acidic air pollutant that when inhaled is like getting a sunburn on your lungs. By putting the interest of coal and oil polluters first, the White House seems to be saying that 'clean air will have to wait.'

"A healthy economy requires clean air and healthy people, and these protections from smog would have improved our communities and saved billions of dollars in health costs. Half of U.S. families live in places where it is literally unsafe to breathe the air, and kicking the inhaler down the road will do nothing to protect our children.

"We thank the scientists and public health professionals at the EPA for their commitment to science, and we look forward to the day when strong clean air protections will prevent thousands of premature deaths and tens of thousands of asthma attacks. The Sierra Club and the millions of Americans who have suffered through orange and red-alert air quality days this record-breaking summer will continue to push the Obama Administration to improve this protection in order to save lives and clean up our air."

http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=214701.0

[TwilightGardener]

20. Look at what the new regs would require, both from industry and from local and

state governments. Look at the states most affected (some headed by Democrats, who are not universally for this proposal). It all comes down to money, and the current economic picture. The pipeline is tough, because canceling it might look really, really bad in a time when high gas prices are squeezing people dry and jobs are scarce, even though it may have no impact on prices at all for the near term, even if not THAT many jobs are created. I personally am concerned for the Ogallala aquifer, but I see political danger in opposing this pipeline, as well.

[RiverStone]

22. Look at the added healthcare costs caused by dirty air

I believe that price tag over this and the next generation will exceed the cost of the new regs being implemented. Yet beyond whether we agree or disagree on the economics TwilightGardener - we both want to see a DEM in the White House vs a wingnut akin to Bush in Perry.

I believe Obama's actions are leading us to defeat and he needs to do an about face immediately or he will not garner enough support from his base to have a chance.

[Sugarcoated]

19. That's what I tought, too

Not happy about this, but I do see why he did it. Primary Obama and you might just get a Repub. How does President Prick Perry sound? No matter how centrist Obama is, no matter how passive, he's still not a wingnut, and as long as he's not weakened by a primary, candidate Prick Perry will not win because he's too extreme. Romney'd have a shot, but he's not smart enough, Obama would run circles around him.

[Zorra]

23. All we want is a primary challenger that is a Democrat who is at least genuinely concerned about

the environment.

As it stands, we get to choose between a moderate republican, Obama, who is currently implementing GOP anti-environment policies, or whoever his challenger in the GE will be, but will most assuredly be a much more extremist republican than Obama is.

[Bluebear]

29. Or one who will just keep his promises

[Llewlladdwr]

4. RiverStone, you're not seeing Obama's brilliance.

This is all part of the rope-a-dope, 11th dimensional chess game strategy that the President is using. It just looks like he's going repub-lite when any minute now he's gonna pivot and BAM!, knock those meanies flat on their ass!

This is what I hear on DU at any rate, so it must be true.

[RiverStone]

10. Nice storyline - are we the rope or the dope?

Knocking those meanies flat on their ass like Ali would have would be fantastic! We shall see. :hi:

[COLGATE4]

24. Yep. Any minute now.....a n y m i n u t e. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[Poll_Blind]

26. He's just...keepin' his powder dry!

While we continually get soaked.

PB

[Autumn]

5. The pipeline? That's my line in the sand.

I don't care if he has a challenger or not.

[theaocp]

12. +1

Always remember and prepare, for winter is coming.

[gateley]

15. It may be mine, too. Not sure yet, but it's a contender. nt

[Itchinjim]

11. Put your money where your mouth is RiverStone.

YOU primary Obama.

[gateley]

14. Have at it. Good luck. nt

[Blue_Tires]

16. The irony of it all is if even there WAS an honest challenge in the primary

I bet dollars to yen that the challenger would come from the RIGHT of Obama...That is the direction the party is heading...

All the people dreaming that some Democratic primary challenger would be a reflection of DU as a whole are way off the mark...

[WDIM]

17. I join that call

Kucinich now is your time!

It seems at every big decision Obama is a Republican.

Should of vetoed the Bush tax cut even if it meant raising taxes on everybody.
And Explained to us why it made sense for us all!

Should of Held out for health care for all! Not required corporate funding.

He is a Free Tradist

I think the Republicans already have their guy either way...

Words or Actions?

[Itchinjim]

25. Well you showed us your words, now let's see some action.

YOU primary Obama. Why wait for Kucinich of Bernie to do it? Convince me and America that the Democrats would be better off running you instead of Obama in 2012.

[blindpig]

18. Trend? It is of a piece with the Gulf Spill....

mountain-top removal, wolf de-listing.

[raouldukelives]

21. There will be no challengers

If by some miracle one does appear they will be just as much a puppet to Wall St as any of them. The environment will continue to be left on the back burner. Profits are more important than people or political parties. Seems like the only vote that counts anymore is the one you make with your wallet. It's far past time for us to stop enabling Wall St. and to start putting our money where our mouth is. If your against environmental destruction then a good first step would be to stop profiting from it.

[femrap]

31. A lot can happen in a year.....

I'd like to see the previous governor and Congressman from Ohio, Ted Strickland, primary Obama. He has been questioning Obama's policies in the press of late.

He grew up dirt poor in Southeastern Ohio and has more integrity than most who have worked in DC.

[swilton]

27. Keep in mind that a divided party now is not doomsday in

2012 - look at the Clinton-Obama primaries as an example of divide and reunite.

Finally, it has been shown that other issues external to party politics weakened LBJ and Carter in their respective general elections when Republicans took over....

I hope there is a primary challenge - the Democratic Party now looks pathetic.

[Historic NY]

28. Primary challenger.....really. Maybe Obama should do a Johnson...

just throw the election over to one of your favorite repukes. Your dreaming and you don't seem to understand politics as it really is. Put up or shutup is what most Democrats I know would say. Your not going to have progressive agendas when you have a divided government.

Look up Turnip Day & Truman

http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/detail/3346

[RiverStone]

30. What a wimpy attitude!

Damn good thing folks did not acquiesce this easily during the civil right movement. If Obama decided to go against against Roe v Wade, would you still vote for him? Or if he wanted to deport all the illegal aliens? Where do you draw the line Historic NY? IMO, his disregard for the planetary global warming crisis is on par with doing either of the above examples.

You think by marching in lock-step like the pukes we can win? I'd say your dreaming if you think President Obama can hold his base while trashing some of his most profound campaign promises. We are only talking about the future and health of the planet!

Where we do agree is we both desperately don;t want that rightie religious fanatic Perry in office. The difference is you believe if those of us who are "disappointing" in Obama shut up and get in line - he can win. Where I believe if he does not listen to his base who are leaving him out of anger and frustration - he will lose.

Believe me, I want to vote for him again and he has a choice to keep his base or further alienate them.


On Edit: I'm not advocating doing nothing, I'd be working hard to elect local Dems regardless. But I would suggest that any legit challenger that the progressive base can get behind will help Obama move back to center and would help him win!