Paul Rosenberg at Open Left:
It's now clear that we're looking at a failed presidency. Regardless of whatever else happens, even if he wins re-relection, Obama has utterly squandered the promise he held out for us all. He empowers the haters and evildoers of the world by only opposing them academically, while giving way to them in every practical sense.
And the longer we refuse to see this obvious fact, the more complicit we are in betraying his promise as well.
The obituaries have been written. Obama has failed us all! Quit with this melodramatic crap because what's failing is the "professional left." Want to know why no one is energized to vote in November? This nonsense. Sip your free trade latte, simmer down and get over yourself. It is time to get out, mobilize and vote. It is not time to write anything on any wall, not even the public bathroom where this belongs.
I am Frank Chow and I approved this message
2 comments:
No, the reason why nobody's energized to vote in November is because Obama set high expectations and then failed to meet them. He went out there and promised things he was incapable of delivering. Whether that was him being naive, or part of his political strategy, I do not know. But people voted for what he claimed he stood for and then he delivered none of it.
Now, I get that ultimately this is more a fault of the Senate than Obama, but the problem is that the optics of it look bad too. He never gave any impression that he cared to fight for what he claimed he stood for. He said he was going to go in there and not do more of the same, but that is EXACTLY what he did.
In the end I think he was naive about Washington. His failing though was to get to DC, and not change his game plan based on the reality. He didn't change his rhetoric. He didn't give any sense that he was fighting at all.
So now he's making a call to the public to keep fighting for "change". Change my ass. We didn't get change, and the sooner he fesses up to that, the better off he will be. Because we all know what happened but he keeps pretending that they accomplished everything they set out to do. They didn't.
Instead he's using the same messaging as he did in 2008 but with ample evidence available to suggest he's full of shit. That's not going to fly and that's what's going to hurt us in November.
Having said that, Obama's a big fan of the rope-a-dope, and they may yet come out with messaging as we get closer to November that fires people up. He may still come out and hammer Republicans and finally give up on this bipartisan bullshit. He could point to Republican failure after failure and how much they've obstructed and make that the conversation rather than the economy, or the latest on the mosque planning commission.
Will he do it? No idea. I've always given him credit for being a smart politician. What I'm curious to see is if the DC bubble has so insulated him from his instincts that he can't turn the ship around come November.
Passed Stimulus.
Passed Health Care.
Passed Financial Reform.
Changed many, many many facets of our government to work for the benefit of the people. Little things that matter a lot like the Lilly Ledbetter Act and rights for federal workers who are gay.
Yes, there have been slips and failures according to our great progressive wands, however a failure of a presidency? My ass.
And since when was Obama the only one behind the message? If I recall I heard more from MoveOn and various organizations throughout the campaign more so than OFA. It was about people giving a damn and believing shit could change.
Guys like Rosenberg have their heads so far up their asses they forget that things have changed in a lot of positive ways. It has been harder than Obama thought, but also harder for the Left. Both are guilty of being naive. The Left, however in this is projecting failure which perpetuates a lack of enthusiasm. Change isn't done by one president or one party it's done by people. A collective movement.
Obama since day one has said that's not his job and I agree it's OUR job. The Rosenberg's don't do any sort of help, that's my point. November isn't going to hurt because of Obama, it is going to hurt because people let it hurt. They make a choice that petty and pithy arguments outweigh the bigger picture. And as you and I know the bigger picture is, if the GOP wins back the House. We are all screwed.
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