Obamapologists Just Don't Understand How Politics Works

Obamapoligists are so caught up in apologizing for a disappointing presidency that they have resorted to Bush defender's tactics. So contorted over defending this President that they can't even see how many things Obama himself has compromised away. From mandates, to torture, to wireless wiretapping, to taking a stand on how Washington works, we were promised a bold pragmatic progressive agenda. Instead we are getting passionless wishy washy policies and roll over pragmatism. With an unwillingless to fight for any progressive values its frustrating because its doomed to fail. The American public who isn't dogmatic in support does see it. He Is Better Than McCain Frankly white liberals apologizing for this Black President by saying he is better than the "alternative" are allowing this President to suffer from a "soft bigotry of low expectations." We true progressives understand he is better then John McCain, but "just better than a Republican" isn't the transformational presidency we were promised. If we wanted corporate mediocrity we could have just voted in another Clinton administration. The Clinton's do Corporate Democrats better than this president anyway. Its About Failure, Because We Have Seen This Presidency Failed Before Obama has admitted to being a Democratic Leadership Council corporatist Presidency. He called himself a "New Democrat," which despite its repackaging is the same Clinton product. Think I am being unfair? the DLC's magazine was called "The New Democrat," I know I used to have a subscription when I was in middle school. Its a politics that is about getting reelected not fighting for those who need us most. It was an ok stance in 1994 when the Republicans controlled everything, but when Democrats control the House and Senate by large numbers it just disgusting. Its the Best We Can Do We didn't vote for mediocrity, we were mobilized in such numbers because we were promised a President who finally understood how these policies are effecting the American public. We were promised a President who would marry his pragmatism with a truly progressive understanding of why and how things will can get done. Instead we get a President who starts off from positions of weakness and then gives all of it away for votes he doesn't need. While telling the intelligent left to just shut up and stop being selfish. As if our complaints are about us, and not in defense of the communities we come from. Again that's the "soft bigotry of low expectations," this President ran an amazing campaign with positions and a message that resonated with a disaffected populace. Where is that Obama? Why Do Democrats Criticize? Can't we just unite? If I wanted to blindly support a candidate I would just be a Republican. The President needs to head the wake up call we who hear the American public clearly. As Open Left writes: Right now, I'd say the number one short-term problem facing the Democratic Party is sheer tone deafness (longer-term problems include corporate cronyism, cronyism and lack of vision). We've seen this from the Obama administration in its gentleness towards the financial industry and we've seen it from Congress in its coddling of the health insurance industry. It's as if it's the late 1990s and Information Age hagiography was still (falsely) explaining a supposed economic boom. We Are Frustrated Because We Know We Can Win We can win, that is the worst part. We can push a progressive agenda in this climate. This President is so obsessed with appearing bi-partisan that he is running a losing strategy for passing his agenda. Despite the apologizing and settling for failed compromise no one is better positioned for victory than this Presidency. Strong majorities, an American people thirsty for real leadership and the oratory skills to deliver that message. via Kos: As you can see, our base is demoralized and tuned out, and plan on sitting out the 2010 elections at rates that will absolutely fuck us if they don't improve by November. But again, African Americans, Latinos, and young voters aren't tuning out because we failed to build bipartisan consensus with Olympia Snowe, or because MSNBC or the blogs made them angry. Making such claims is patently absurd. They're tuning out because we wasted 2009 "negotiating" with bad faith actors like Snowe and Mike Enzi. The tools were available to quickly pass a health care bill, yet Democrats were too incompetent to do so. And on issue after issue, they've proven completely ineffective Is the Problem You? I see a lot of the disconnect comes from a privlege to not have to see how this failure is playing out. What do I mean? The bubble leftists often traffic in don't allow themselves to see most Americans: via Alternet: They tend to enjoy certain privileges and have fairly good access to health care, etc. In another group are those who are truly hurting from the breakdown of the economic system. Levine suggests that the more privileged progressives may be in denial about the difficulties that working-class people experience; young people who can't find jobs and are burdened by heavy debt from college loans; older people who saw a lot of their savings evaporate when the stock market fell or their companies ended their pensions. It is Dangerous To Our Future This is a generational moment that Obama is squandering. And the effects is another confirmation for a majority of Americans Democrats need, that voting doesn't matter. More importantly, we are losing the American middle class. We cannot continue to squeeze the majority of Americans with lower pay and longer hours. We are struggling and we need real leadership to lead us out of this.