Is Senator Obama alienating the Progressive Democrats?
Posted 13 weeks 5 days ago byAs we all know, Senator Obama owns his victory over Senator Clinton during the primaries to the left of the Democratic party; AKA the Progressive Democrats.
They have they outlets in the form of the Daily Kos, Moveon.org, Code Pink etc, and a very specific agenda.
The core element of this political agenda is to end the war in Iraq. It is also to keep pushing for an impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, even so the timing of it would be ludicrous considering that the Bush Administration is.....out of time.
A common wisdom for most Democrats' political strategists has being, for decades, to follow the very same rule: You run your primary campaign to the left to satisfy your " base " than you move to a so call center in the hope of getting the " moderate " vote; either Democrats, independents or even Republicans.
Senator Obama has already made the move. He is angering, in the process, his left core support for two key reasons. Mainly his flip-flopping on the FISA court but also, to a lesser extend, his mixed position on the 2nd Amendment's Supreme Court ruling. The Progressive Dems feel somewhat betrayed by his casual back tracking on the topic, and namely this statement: " My view on FISA has always been that the issue of the phone companies, per say, is not one that overrides the security interest of the American People."
The main challenge for Sen. Obama is to try to unite the Democrats.
It is a tall order, considering that some of the Progressive Democrats call moderate Democrats (the one in favor of the last Supreme court's ruling on the 2nd Amendment and conservative on social issues) " Bush Democrats ".
It is time for the Progressive Democrats to understand that the Democratic party is a big tent ,and that Senator Obama is .... a pragmatic politician, above all.
On the other hand, however, if Senator Obama means, in his statement's today by " refining his Iraq's policy ", that he is not going to follow up on his corner stone electoral promise of withdrawing American troops from Iraq on a quick time table; it will be at his own expense with the Progressive Democrats. They will stay home in November and....... Senator McCain will be elected.
Note: I am a French filmmaker/photojournalist based in the US since 1983. To view my photo/editorial web site go to : http://www.digitalrailroad.net/Mercier
Thoughts
ON FLIP FLOPPING...
Submitted on July 5th, 2008 by Skye RiversMerc,
When you say McCain is an expert flip-flopper, I think Obama is not only a brilliant campaigner, but can flip your flop better than anyone. This is not to say I support McCain doing it. My feeling is that both candidates, all candidates, all politicians....... FLIP FLOP. That is just a part of running for Office. They will do, say anything to get the vote, even marry your first born if necessary.
Who the hell cares anymore who is flipping or flopping or swimming sideways. They are both full of crap!
AND KOOL..........
Obamas ties go far beyond Black Theology......... "THEY" want him in office so bad, that it seems NO ONE CARES what he has done, to whom he has done it to, he is a shoe in for President, and 'THEY" now have convinced the masses.
It reminds me of the movie Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler, when Sarah Jessica Parker was flying on her broom, singing the song..
Come little children, I'll take thee away; Into a land of enchantment... Come little children, the time's come to play; Here, in my garden of magic.
Obama is on his broom singing this song mesmerizing Americans...
Boy, are they in for a surprise.
MathMan
Submitted on July 4th, 2008 by koolmom21Sen. Obama being a Muslin may be debatable but Sen. Obama being a black Theology member is not debatable.
Everyone who knows me by now knows how I feel .
I WOULD NOT VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO WAS A KKK MEMBER NOR A BLACK THEOLOGY MEMBER.
Good points MathMan
Submitted on July 4th, 2008 by MercyphotographyThe news cycle is fast and furious and after all this is politic, and politic requires to adapt to ever changing circumstances....unless you are disconnected from reality like W.
However, I still think that Obama has to be held accountable as far as his commitment to bring the troops home from Iraq.
McCain, for his part, is such an expert flip-flopper that he makes one head spin.
A lot of garbage has to flow under the bridge
Submitted on July 4th, 2008 by MathManBeing realistic here, both candidates have changed positions and both will be frequently accused of such before the first Tuesday in November. For examples, look at McCain on the Bush tax cuts and immigration, and look at Obama on immunity for the telecoms.
Both will utter more than a million words before the election, and everything said is being carefully watched by the other side. Nearly every point jumped on will be minor at best, and likely irrelevant. But after what Rove did to McCain in South Carolina in 2000 and what Rove did to Kerry in 2004, both sides would be foolish to do anything but respond immediately.
The poorly chosen comments by general Clark are a good example. Even McCain has commented that his time in Vietnam is not what makes him qualified to be president; it is what he had done since then.
Partisans, on the other hand, will jump on every little thing that they can. There was that ruckus about McCain’s parents being in the Canal Zone. Irrelevant. There are billions of electrons being used to make the case that Obama is a muslim. False, and basically irrelevant even if true. But people who want to believe certain people are bad will jump on anything that supports their views. While their opponents may be the personifications of evil, not every bad hing said about them is true.
On the war in Iraq, both will appear to make changes in their positions between now and the election, but McCain will keep troops there longer, even though not 100 years, and Obama will withdraw them sooner, even if not on January 21.
We need to evaluate as these thing fly at us, especially on cable news networks, with their instant news cycles. Most of the time the relevant question is, “What is missing from this report?”
and a fly on the wall
Submitted on July 3rd, 2008 by John 2000to actually be privy to the real strategizing that goes on in the back rooms ...
and to compare with the words that come out. Obama has already gotten away with a lot of artfulness. In this Iraq case, how can he say/imply two opposing things to satisfy two opposing realities. What is the biggest risk? What and who can really trust what he would say?
This is part of big reason that I have been extremely disappointed with Obama's almost absurd reticence to really debate, even knowing that many debates are very wanting for satisfaction. These are the kinds of questions that might be addressed in a widely national sense. Somebody seems to keep protecting him from actual exposure. Heck, this goes back to HRC's debate offers. It's like valuable time keeps slipping away in endless distractions of trivial accusations and defenses ... month after month after month.
Ooops ... convention time ... kissy kissy balloons and happy faces and brave speeches and 8 years of Bush. Olympics, world series, new NFL and college football, hurricanes?, blah, blah, blah ... hey election day ... vote, count.
Mercy, I don't know if you (we) are going to know, and maybe they won't either. I expect he'll find a way to get plenty of funding with or without moveon and Kos etc. What he really needs is the votes on the Big Day.
Right now I am envisioning a high-wire circus act without a net and with 5 chairs and a balancing pole. One chair says Progressive Democrat.
The line in the sand, John,
Submitted on July 3rd, 2008 by Mercyphotographyfor the real left ( including myself) is the one of getting the troops out of Iraq on a quick time table.
This is why Obama had an edge on Hillary Clinton with the progressives...her vote on the Iraq war and the fact that she never said it was a mistake.
Right now, John, various political activist groups raising money for Obama have put him on notice ( since the FISA flip-flop)....and they are holding the money on an escrow account, and not releasing it as contribution to the campaign. The founder of the DailyKos said today that he was putting his own contribution on hold as a gesture of symbolic protest.
I can garantee you, John, that the activists in question will hold Obama accountable on the Iraq pull out issue...backtracking on this, would be a fatal mistake for his campaign.
There was a good Obama quote
Submitted on July 3rd, 2008 by John 2000in one of the blogs here the other day where the junior senator had said something to the effect that "he was like a reflective slate where people could see whatever it was they were looking to see". If someone remembers what it was exactly, please post it here as a comment. I have been reading about the reactions to all of the numerous Obamajustments lately, particularly in Huffington. I kind of refuse to go to Daily Kos anymore on general principle.
This all started immediately after Hillary was done in, and it has been stunningly remarkable. I know if I was on the Left that I would be extremely concerned just over what has happened already. And then when I got a whiff of his highest advisory people, well I knew it was a done deal.
All along for months his supporters, especially in the college age group, have been seeing and hearing what they thought they wanted to see and hear, and not really parsing the actual nuances of what Obama said or did not say. It was like a big pep rally, and they trusted in the mob and the Bush hatred. All of the controversies and HRC excitement kept the whole issues and positions in a state of secondary camoflage. This group has been greatly deceived and I expect they will stay that way. The real Left types though are literally seething already. They recall how WJC tossed em a bone or two back in the 90's and then pretty much abandoned them.
I read yesterday that Ralph Nader had taken a jump up to 6% in recent days and was looking to go higher. I think Obama has a lot to do with this.
Back in March I started to hear Barack edging out of the immediate pullout idea, and that was when HRC jumped into the immediate pullout claim. He has been all over the map with his statements on just about everything. He is not to be trusted by anyone except those that own him. Did you know that employees of Goldman Sach's are his number 1 bundled source of contribution?
I will go dig around for the entire list which I found recently. It was very interesting.
Whatever happens, he will hold onto his guaranteed black support, and most of his youth and Left. But, seriously Mercy, I feel somewhat for you in this case even as I often take issue with your positions or viewpoints.
Later -
But
Submitted on July 3rd, 2008 by Skye RiversIsn't Obama shifting on everything he says. He has been all along and really is am empty suit who can't be trusted. I agree that Obama has run a brilliant campaign. Messiah marketing has worked well for him. He talks but he doesn't say anything. He is a true wizard of words. That is just my take on this. As much as I hate to admit this, I truly do hope McCain wins because frankly I do not want to see Obama in office.
Good point Hamilton but....
Submitted on July 3rd, 2008 by MercyphotographyIf you read the little update I just posted ( after you wrote your comment), a drastic strategical mistake would be for Obama to shift on the Iraq war issue.
I am in contact with a lot of Progessive Democrats org...and this for them would be a point of no return. This I can garantee, he has to be very cautious, he would lose the support of the left for good.
Mercy!
Submitted on July 3rd, 2008 by HamiltonI think Brother this is the first blog you’ve written that we totally agree. I have maintained since the very being that instead of being an agent of change, Barack is the ultimate politician, maybe the best of our time. You are exactly correct in your assessment of SOP for primary and general election campaigns from both sides of the ideological divide. Barack has executed a hard right turn; he and McCain both understand that general elections are won with average America. Those hard working men and women that live by and appreciate common sense and moderation; those Americans that are proud of this country but sick and tired of the hysterical rhetoric of fringe elements from both sides. We are disappointed in our leaders but confident in our neighbors, ourselves and our country.
That said; have no fear, the progressive segment, as you call them (I call them radical, America hating socialist: we can’t agree on everything…that would be unnatural) will vote in-mass for the Messiah, they have no choice and hate Christians and conservatives too much to do anything else. On the other side, the religious right will continue to grumble (with good reason) about a lack of a true conservative candidate to be excited about; in the booth they will vote McCain, to afraid of socialism and rumors to do anything else.
Average America is lost; the political, corporate and Hollywood elite will continue to dominant and direct our society and culture.
B. Hamilton Langrehr:
The Hamilton Post: www.thehamiltonpost.blogspot.com
blangrehr@gmail.com
Republicans may be
Submitted on July 3rd, 2008 by janmbRepublicans may be demoralized but they are too loyal not to vote for their party.
McCain COULD win this if he picks the right VP. Someone young and charasmatic. McCain is dull.
DOn't get the impression I go for looks I'm talkin-bout the voters and the kind of mind-set they seem to have.
A vote for the presidency has become a high school type of popular vote.