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

[actourdreams]

letting conservatives and moderates hold up important liberal goals.

I believe they mean, capitulating on real progress in order to have the appearance of bipartisanship.

[doe_witch]

I feel like there has to be a better phrase than "hippie punching."

I mean, it's essentially correct, but for some reason it cracks me up.

[rhonan]

Well, contrary to the article, if the Whitehouse was trying to implement some even remotely liberal policies, we wouldn't have any of these problems. What we have seen time and again with this administration, even worse than with the Clinton administration, is that the Left is expected to be the party's water carrier, and willing let ourselves be thrown under the bus at every turn. I'm just hoping someone in the Democratic party has enough back-bone to primary this centrist shyster who seduced us whit promises of change we could believe in.