Taking liberals under the bleachers

[xerox78]

Liberal Blogger Accuses White House of "Hippie Punching"

The White House yesterday beseeched liberal bloggers to help the administration rally Democratic voters this November, but instead, the Democrats' liberal base decided to let the White House know just how disappointed they are in the administration.

White House senior adviser David Axelrod

Comments

[emesieremonde]

"One of the Democrats' biggest challenges this November appears to be motivating its liberal base: polls consistently show that Republican voters are more motivated than Democrats to vote in the midterms."

Doesn't that happen with any election? I'm constantly annoyed that people on the right come out in droves to vote, yet some Democrats will complain and still don't show up at the polls.

"The exchange crystallizes the strained relationship between the White House, which has attempted to implement a liberal agenda without ignoring conservative ideas, and the liberal base, which is resentful of the White House for letting conservatives and moderates hold up important liberal goals."

umm liberal agenda?? Didn't President Obama run as a moderate? I wish some liberals would pay more attention to the power that Congress has with certain policies instead of blaming the POTUS for pretty much everything they wanted that hasn't happened YET. I can understand why Gibbs said what he said this past summer about the left.

[mollywobbles867]

No. Gibbs was so wrong for saying that. Yes, there are some people who are upset because they feel things are happening too slowly, but there are others of us who are upset because of the fact that Obama has kept some of the same policies that Bush had. It's not the things that he hasn't done, but some of the things that he has done that upsets us. And personally, I find it so freaking hypocritical that back during the campaign and at the beginning of his term Obama said things like "Let me know when I'm not keeping my promises," and when we do, he goes around taking jabs at us while bowing down to the bullshit that the right spews by giving THEIR complaints consideration. It's fucking bullshit.

I am so stressed right now because of a paper, so just thinking of Gibbs's comment from a couple of months ago apparently sends me into a rant.

[emesieremonde]

"And personally, I find it so freaking hypocritical that back during the campaign and at the beginning of his term Obama said things like "Let me know when I'm not keeping my promises," and when we do, he goes around taking jabs at us while bowing down to the bullshit that the right spews by giving THEIR complaints consideration. It's fucking bullshit."

I think it's fine to hold his feet o the fire, but when people (of all political pov's) expect 8 years of turmoil to be solved in 2 years and not also hold Congress accountable, that is where I have a problem. And I don't see where POTUS has taken "jabs" at liberals. I think he hasasked them to be patient, but he has never reacted the way Gibbs has, unless I am missing something. (I refuse to watch the crap they call news on CNN/Fox/CBS, etc.)

And GL on your paper! This semester of uni has been has been a big challenge so far.

[sasha_davidovna]

I think they're referring to jabs like these: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/09/17/obama/index.html

[emesieremonde]

I have heard about that. I guess I didn't see it as a jab because I think it's true. And because he was laughing when he said it, I didn't see the malice or attack behind that others see. When I do tune into liberal talk radio (Stephanie Miller, Alan Colmes, Ed Schultz), that is the kind of stuff I hear. Especially with the last sentence he gave, I don't see the malice. We just have different views on it, which is ok.

"Democrats, just congenitally, tend to get -- to see the glass as half empty. (Laughter.) If we get an historic health care bill passed -- oh, well, the public option wasn't there. If you get the financial reform bill passed -- then, well, I don't know about this particular derivatives rule, I'm not sure that I'm satisfied with that. And gosh, we haven't yet brought about world peace and -- (laughter.) I thought that was going to happen quicker. (Laughter.) You know who you are. (Laughter.) We have had the most productive, progressive legislative session in at least a generation."

[sasha_davidovna]

Well, to each their own, I guess. I consider it a jab because it's ludicrous to say that the left expected him to bring about world peace in 18 months, but it was, to pick just one of Greenwald's examples, a completely realistic expectation on our part that Obama not defend his right to order the assassination of a US citizen without due process of law. Acting like we expected him to end all wars forever and ever and that's why we're unsatisfied ignores the very real issues the left has with his policies.

[taiki]

Wasn't it Rahm? I wouldn't have reached in the ableist pocket of my asshole tool belt but the liberal media really doesn't get how fucked the left is.

The left doesn't take orders, it takes notes. While this is great when it comes to deciding policy, it sucks when it comes election season and they're in a malaise when they're not getting exactly what they want.

[haruhiko]

Lmao, these arguments again.

Just because Obama ran as a moderate (read: what any other industrialized nation would call right-wing) doesn't mean that he didn't co-opt a lot of the rhetoric and talking points of progressives and liberals in order to win support. Nor does it change the fact that many of those who organized for him were progressives and have every right to call him out on his bullshit. Hell, people who didn't campaign for him have every right to criticize him. If he didn't ~need~ the liberals and the progressives Axelrod wouldn't be on a conference call with a bunch of bloggers asking them to pull back on the punches. Because that's what a good media source does: Go easy on a politician when they're fucking up because you like their party somewhat better than the other one, amirite? @_@

Besides, if he ran as a right-winger "moderate" and is truly a moderate at heart, that is all the more reason for progressives to hold his administration's feet to the fire and call them out on their bullshit and clamor for more

[free_spoons]

The criticisms from the left have nothing to do with a perceived "betrayal" of some mythical progressive presidential campaign, or an inability to understand that ~things take time~. The criticisms come from a very real sense that the administration's priorities and values are not where they should be for a Democratic White House, let alone a progressive White House, which is all the more frustrating because a lot of things constantly dismissed as too progressive (read: politically unpopular) have strong MAJORITY support. As I said in another post re. DADT, no one's asking him to chain himself to a fence with Dan Choi, or to do the work of the House and Senate for them; we're just asking someone who says he's a ~fierce advocate~ to fucking act like one and make even a token effort on our behalf, perhaps calling a Senator before the vote instead of calling a sports team to congratulate them.

this times a billion-million

[lizzy_someone]

I'll just be over here rereading this comment and admiring it.

[jugglingeggs]

Basically. Amazing comment!

[sasha_davidovna]

Amen to this!

[fruhlings]

this so much.

[keithmex17]

brb, fapping to this comment

[chesari]

You can't take a page out of the Republican playbook and demean progressive media types as some elitist, out-of-touch/ivory tower "professional left" and then conference call them and ask them to help you make your case with voters.

Oh so agreed. If the WH wants the "professional left" to be respectful, then the WH needs to take the first step and be respectful themselves. And actually LISTEN to reasonable criticisms of their policies and DO something about the issues identified in those criticisms, or if they can't do something, at least explain why. And when they screw up, apologize, and then do better going forward.

[julieannie]

Thank you for this.