Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Obama loses the progressive left
He lost Karen and me months ago, soon after we realized he was caving on his campaign promises and selling America out to the banks, Wall Street, etc. But for a very long time, a very vocal majority shrinking majority minority on Daily Kos continued to beat the drum for Dear Leader. Trust Obama! He’s smart, just because you don’t understand his maneuvering doesn’t mean he lacks a brilliant plan! At times, it’s been hostile for Obama’s critics. You know, those of us who wanted to see the previous administration’s criminals brought to justice, the black sites scotched, the Iraq War brought to a close, true health care reform brought to fruition, an aggressive gay rights agenda (drop Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell for starters) etc., etc. . . .
But now he’s lost the left — over health care reform. In case you’re apolitical, the health care reform package now needs to be called the health care “reform” package, i.e., it’s been neutered to the point where it is now a blessing to the insurance industry and a curse upon the rest of us. (Well. Except for me. I suspect the current bill would be very good for my employers*.) Howard Dean called them on it, spoke the truth about a crappy bill, and now the President and all of those Democrats who were eager to sign a bill and declare victory (no matter what was in the bill) are savaging Dean.
If the Daily Kos crowd loves anyone more than Obama, it’s Howard Dean. Big time. You don’t go after Dean and retain the Progressives’ love.
Proof: in a matchup against the fictitious amphibian Hypnotoad, the President currently takes only 13% of the votes. He’s losing Keith Olbermann, too: Olbermann brought up the prospect of Obama getting primaried in 2012.
Let’s hope the Teabaggers aren’t the most organized political movement in ’12. President Palin, anyone?
D.
*And if I make partner, I WILL BE PART OF THE EVIL CABAL!
Well after seeing the man as the new Messiah, there’s bound to be some disappointment once it’s clear he’s only mortal. I had seen even from across the pond that the bloom is off.
Seems like a combination of overpromising, the difficulty of turning a huge organization around quickly, and that most of these hard issues are just that, hard. Plus he’s inherited a particularly bad set of circumstances – the financial crisis, two existing wars, global warming, a huge deficit, any of which would have challenged a veteran president. I think people should cut him some slack, it’s only been a year and this stuff isn’t amenable to waiving the Presidential pen and fixing with Executive Orders.
He also had a popular mandate and overwhelming popular support for the programs he supported during his campaign. He’s come close to breaking every one of his campaign promises, in fact. How much of this do we have to take with a smile?
that’s why i haven’t been reading daily kos for months now, you know? he lost me ages ago, probably when he went back on his campaign promise to have guantanamo closed by the end of the year.
your employer wouldn’t have me as a customer. i tried. i tried before i had the mass in my parotid and the piriformis syndrome, and they wouldn’t have me. so no matter how great it’s been for you being employed by them, fuck em.
i’m losing weight. not so the kize will finally want something to do with me, but so it won’t suck so much schlepping around my bulk. ultimately, my goal is to get the hell out of the US.
fark fark fark.
He lost me when he advocated merit pay for teachers and had no plan to replace No Child Left Behind.