What's gained from Democrats publicly ridiculing & embarrassing Obama?

[Drunken Irishman]

I'm not talking about disagreement. I get there are Democrats who disagree with Obama. Coming out and saying that is not an issue. If you disagree with one of his policies, fine.

But then there are some Democrats who aren't afraid to openly demean Obama to the point where I question their overall motives.

Pete DeFazio is the latest Democrat to come out swinging against Obama, saying he lacks the will to fight and will lose Oregon in 2012.

Okay.

Great, Pete.

What do you think you're going to gain from such comments? If you don't think Obama has the fight, why not tell him privately instead of giving the right even more fodder this election?

I can see it now: "Even upstanding Democrats, like Oregon's Pete DeFazio, thinks Pres. Obama lacks fight. If even his own supporters think he's not fighting for America, why should you - vote Perry, a real fighter..."

To me, this type of criticism does nothing to benefit our side. It just continues the notion that the left (and now Democrats) are abandoning the president, something the media has been pouncing on since 2010.

Worse, it undercuts Obama even more and makes it that much harder to fight, since we're now asking him to fight his own.

Honestly, I don't know how Obama wins with so many high-profiled Democrats openly bashing him at every turn. I don't ever remember Democrats or Republicans being this critical toward their party's president.

[sandnsea]

Our district has high unemployment. Half of the area relies on logging jobs. The town just south of me, even though it's on the coast, is nearly a ghost town. I've never seen anything like it. They never did a thing to try to transition to a tourism, or some other kind of economy. A few years ago the hills around the entire town were chopped bare. Nothing says 'welcome tourists" like a 360 degree clear cut.

So DeFazio is putting his election strategy on steroids. He's always run as "Independent as Oregon", not as 'your favorite Democrat' or some such. He plays both extremes against the middle, knowing there's nowhere else for the sensible middle to go because we're not going to the likes of Art Robinson. It's what he does.

I'm afraid this year it might backfire on him. He's proposed a logging plan that allows old growth to be protected and everything else to be logged, even second growth. Neither extreme is going to like that. I've also heard rumblings that indicate the right has caught on to his game too.

He just does this, he did it to Clinton too. I'll never understand why. I'd go ask, but he's not coming to my town this month. lol.

[Cha]

That's just stupid. I don't know what else I can say. I'm not in Oregon and I don't know much about him but if he hasn't noticed how President Obama has been fighting for almost 3 years for the American People under extraordinary circumstances..when will he open his eyes and ears?

My sister in California told me this morning that she saw Maxine Waters on tv saying the President wasn't doing enough for Black People and she got mad at Maxine.

hamsher is using the Tar Sands pipeline to hate on Obama and of course make it all about her.

http://www.angryblacklady.com/2011/08/21.../#comments

Where as Mark Ruffalo as you will see in the clip at the link has an ad out on The Tar Sands Pipeline saying that they will be Protesting at the White House to show President Obama he has support to stop this." That's the way you get things done!

[Fire1]

(08-21-2011 05:44 PM)Cha Wrote:  That's just stupid. I don't know what else I can say. I'm not in Oregon and I don't know much about him but if he hasn't noticed how President Obama has been fighting for almost 3 years for the American People under extraordinary circumstances..when will he open his eyes and ears?

My sister in California told me this morning that she saw Maxine Waters on tv saying the President wasn't doing enough for Black People and she got mad at Maxine.

hamsher is using the Tar Sands pipeline to hate on Obama and of course make it all about her.

http://www.angryblacklady.com/2011/08/21.../#comments

Where as Mark Ruffalo as you will see in the clip at the link has an ad out on The Tar Sands Pipeline saying that they will be Protesting at the White House to show President Obama he has support to stop this." That's the way you get things done!

Well, that's odd. B/c just this past week I saw Maxine saying, they were going to support the president in his jobs bill and vow to fight the obstructionist!

[Julie]

Spot-light, bitches, spot-light.

Julie--who has long had issues with serious attention whores

[KonaKane]

(08-21-2011 06:01 PM)Julie Wrote:  Spot-light, bitches, spot-light.

Julie--who has long had issues with serious attention whores

Me too, Julie. It seems we are as cursed with them as the others are.

[noel711]

Look at how the conservatives use buffoonery and bombast to get attention...
the most outrageous get the most press. How did Sarah Palin get to be a
household name? OPen mouth.. insert foot... Oh everybody... look at Sarah?

maybe DeFazio is hankering for some headlines... how's that gonna work out for him
down the road?

[jaxx]

I think the Democrats who are complaining will rue the day they opened their mouths. Where are their solutions, what are they doing about jobs? Are they writing bills? Are they working with local businesses to hire? Or are they expecting one person to do his job and theirs too?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

(08-21-2011 06:40 PM)jaxx Wrote:  I think the Democrats who are complaining will rue the day they opened their mouths. Where are their solutions, what are they doing about jobs? Are they writing bills? Are they working with local businesses to hire? Or are they expecting one person to do his job and theirs too?

It seems like more of the latter than the former, unfortunately. What the hell are we paying these people for if they aren't doing their jobs? I think they've ever forgotten that Bush is no longer POTUS and/or that President Obama isn't trying to be the "Unitary Executive" that Bush was and that he actually expects Congress to do THEIR jobs again.

[Cha]

(08-21-2011 06:40 PM)jaxx Wrote:  I think the Democrats who are complaining will rue the day they opened their mouths. Where are their solutions, what are they doing about jobs? Are they writing bills? Are they working with local businesses to hire? Or are they expecting one person to do his job and theirs too?

Here's a solution the CBC came up with that is actually being helpful but instead of blaming President Obama they could state that he can't do it alone and they're there to help. I know..strange concept.

Quote:The general inefficiency in Washington is precisely the reason why the Congressional Black Caucus launched the fair, said Mahen Gunaratna, a representative for Florida congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who will host Miami's Job Initiative fair.

"The Congressional Black Caucus decided to take matters into their own hands," said Gunaratna. "They are tired of Republicans' inaction that prevents bills from moving forward. This is a real tangible opportunity for our constituents."

>the rest of the story<
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/thousands...d=14336519

Course, there's a republicon in the article blaming it on the "lack of leadership in Washington" when everyone with a brain knows it's the repub Congress who is thwarting the jobs.

[Number23]

(08-21-2011 07:36 PM)Cha Wrote:  

[quote]The general inefficiency in Washington is precisely the reason why the Congressional Black Caucus launched the fair, said Mahen Gunaratna, a representative for Florida congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who will host Miami's Job Initiative fair.

"The Congressional Black Caucus decided to take matters into their own hands," said Gunaratna. "They are tired of Republicans' inaction that prevents bills from moving forward. This is a real tangible opportunity for our constituents."

>the rest of the story<
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/thousands...d=14336519

That picture has literally brought tears to my eyes.

[Cha]

(08-21-2011 11:22 PM)Number23 Wrote:  That picture has literally brought tears to my eyes.

I know, number23

[Proud Liberal Dem]

I couldn't agree more with what you are saying DI. With both Republicans and Democrats attacking him PUBLICLY, I wonder whether or not that makes some Americans sit up and wonder if maybe there's something to all the criticism. After all, when you have Democrats attacking him publicly too, it's harder to just blame "partisan anger" for President Obama's falling poll numbers. Things would be worse if the Republicans were in a stronger position going into next year's election but if the Democratic Party doesn't find some way to build some unity and sideline some of the more vocal critics (esp. the PL), I'm concerned that we won't be as united as we need to be to ensure a good turnout to not only ensure President Obama's re-election but to keep the Senate and maybe even flip the House. We can win big in 2012 but it seems like some Democrats and the PLers aren't happy enough and may be self-destructive enough to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory". President Obama and his team will do what they can but if the rest of the party can't/won't get his back, then we could be in for some dark times indeed. Hopefully, a lot of this is transitory and will fade as we go into next year's election. We are standing on a rocky precipice and what happens next year could be the difference from more regression and more mess and continued steady progress forward.

[Treestar]

I agree, and it makes the party weaker. When they go on about how the Republicans get what they want while we don't - while lockstep is not desirable either, there's a point where we have to stick together.

I guess Pete thinks Obama's going to lose and is going against the coattails? He just wants his own seat back.

Though since Dems refuse to support their own party's President, what do they expect?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

(08-21-2011 07:20 PM)Treestar Wrote:  I agree, and it makes the party weaker. When they go on about how the Republicans get what they want while we don't - while lockstep is not desirable either, there's a point where we have to stick together.

I guess Pete thinks Obama's going to lose and is going against the coattails? He just wants his own seat back.

Though since Dems refuse to support their own party's President, what do they expect?

A lot of Obamas critics on the left demand that he support their agenda 100% but they don't ever acknowledge anything positive about anything he does or they find some way to diminish anything positive. I'd be pretty frustrated myself if I were in Obama's shoes right now. All I seem to be hearing nowadays is how some group or another is dissatisfied with Obama and how they may not support him next year. I seriously hope that so many of these people are not so shortsighted and self destructive that they would make it easy for the Repubs to get back in.

[jaxx]

I'm glad they are having job fairs. But these were set up and they still bitched about the President.

[Cha]

(08-21-2011 07:51 PM)jaxx Wrote:  I'm glad they are having job fairs. But these were set up and they still bitched about the President.

Just unreal why they can't work together instead of going the Peacock route.

[jaxx]

I know, it really is a shame.

[Number23]

(08-21-2011 05:21 PM)Drunken Irishman Wrote:  To me, this type of criticism does nothing to benefit our side. It just continues the notion that the left (and now Democrats) are abandoning the president, something the media has been pouncing on since 2010.

Worse, it undercuts Obama even more and makes it that much harder to fight, since we're now asking him to fight his own.

I agree. I don't understand how in hell anyone thinks that a Democratic party that is so damn unstructured, undisciplined and incoherent can be a force against the right-wing Crush and Destroy machine. With a "base" so fickle, unreasonable and unsupportive, it's a wonder than any Democrat has ever won the White House, and definitely in the last 30 years.

Defazio's comments are just stupid. He makes himself look like an unprincipled ass. Wonder if he's one of those manic progressives that lives at FireDogLake? That may explain some of his stupidity.

[KodiakDon]

I'm with you D.I. - You don't have to like him, or agree with him, but public bashing and ridicule?

[Sheepshank]

I've aske the same 'why' question repeatedly. I've asked that question directly to those claming to be Dems. I ask what is the the goal or purpose. All I ever get is the same talking points over and over and holdg feet to the fire, and the emocreatic process. Then after I repeat the question..."But what are you accomplishing?" I get the red herrings, the diversions the moving goal posts.

I've decided that there are only two options when someone seems hell bent on causing dissention of this sort.
1. They are trolls
2. The PL.....anything, one smidgeon to the right, or negotiated, or compromised means it's far a RW action and they froth at the mouth.

[NJMaverick]

There are certain self centered Dems who will try and play to the crazy professional left by selling out our President, but in the end the only ones that benefit is the GOP and the Tea Baggers.

[Ikonoklast]

Time to build a smaller tent...if 'Democrats' think that attacking real Democrats will get things done, maybe they need to join their own party and see how well they fare running for re-election on a $4.00 budget and no help from a national political organization.

[NJMaverick]

(08-22-2011 10:33 AM)Ikonoklast Wrote:  Time to build a smaller tent...if 'Democrats' think that attacking real Democrats will get things done, maybe they need to join their own party and see how well they fare running for re-election on a $4.00 budget and no help from a national political organization.

I don't know about a smaller tent. What they need is some old fashioned party discipline. A guy like this should be punished by the Dems in Congress. He should lose his best committee seats.

[Ikonoklast]

(08-22-2011 12:46 PM)NJMaverick Wrote:  

(08-22-2011 10:33 AM)Ikonoklast Wrote:  Time to build a smaller tent...if 'Democrats' think that attacking real Democrats will get things done, maybe they need to join their own party and see how well they fare running for re-election on a $4.00 budget and no help from a national political organization.

I don't know about a smaller tent. What they need is some old fashioned party discipline. A guy like this should be punished by the Dems in Congress. He should lose his best committee seats.

Can you imagine a guy, say, like LBJ and how he ran roughshod over the Senate back in the day, doing the very same thing nowadays?

The screaming coming from the membership would be deafening.