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Time to watch his back and get to work
I don't think what I saw tonight was Barack Obama. That's not who he is nor is it who he wants to be. Obama is a mediator, a conciliator, a compromiser, an appeaser. He wants to find common ground and have everyone come together feeling good. He still thinks its possible. He doesn't want to call people out on their lies, even when its absolutely clear they are lying. I think he's uncomfortable doing it.
But tonight he was hard. He called the republicans out in their own house, albeit minority house. He laid out their three most prominent lies before them and clearly explained them. He even called them "lies."
He came out strong for the public option. And you know, I don't think he wanted to do any of this. I think he did it for us, for the liberal bloggers and readers. For the progressives on the web and progressives in general. We pushed him into it. And now we really need to watch his back and get to work. We're not going to get anything better than this and we're down to the wire.
I voted for Obama, but I didn't work for him or support him. I was hard core for Hillary, not going to say why, don't want to refight that battle. I'm for Obama now. He didn't say or do all I wanted tonight but for me, it was the first time he did enough. This is the final push. I'll work for him now like many of you did during the election. If this speech is going to pay off for him, and for us, we need to support him now.
Let's not get too sidetracked on Joe Wilson. That's useful to shine a light on how low the right has sunk, and to shame them into better behavior. But let's not lose sight of the goal, meaningful health care reform. We need to show our support, make some noise, in any way we can.
But tonight he was hard. He called the republicans out in their own house, albeit minority house. He laid out their three most prominent lies before them and clearly explained them. He even called them "lies."
He came out strong for the public option. And you know, I don't think he wanted to do any of this. I think he did it for us, for the liberal bloggers and readers. For the progressives on the web and progressives in general. We pushed him into it. And now we really need to watch his back and get to work. We're not going to get anything better than this and we're down to the wire.
I voted for Obama, but I didn't work for him or support him. I was hard core for Hillary, not going to say why, don't want to refight that battle. I'm for Obama now. He didn't say or do all I wanted tonight but for me, it was the first time he did enough. This is the final push. I'll work for him now like many of you did during the election. If this speech is going to pay off for him, and for us, we need to support him now.
Let's not get too sidetracked on Joe Wilson. That's useful to shine a light on how low the right has sunk, and to shame them into better behavior. But let's not lose sight of the goal, meaningful health care reform. We need to show our support, make some noise, in any way we can.
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We have been making noise. And we have been supporting this man, our President, for over a year now.
That said, I recommend your post anyway.
September 10, 2009 2:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Some of us have to be occasionally reminded. I think it was only yesterday that I was saying on here somewhere that Obama was tending toward spineless. I feel less so now, but sometimes it's easy to get to thinking that all the work that you did a year ago was for nothing. This summer has been a pain in the ass.
So, ok, there's a lot of work to do and we won't get everything we want. But if we get something just a bit better than what we have today, if people's lives improve--well that's something to get behind, right?
September 10, 2009 2:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, it is. And it's a hell of a lot better than we had with Bush, and it's a hell of a lot more than we would've had with McCain.
I, too, have felt misled and upset this summer. But....fall is coming.
Let's keep our eyes on the prize that's ours.
September 10, 2009 2:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain. Now that would have been a nightmare, wouldn't it?
September 10, 2009 2:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oy. And then some.
And also. You betcha. ;)
September 10, 2009 2:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Some have been supporting Obama all along but there has been a lot of anger and frustration growing not just among us little bloggers but also among the well known liberal pundits. His poll numbers have been dropping and some analysts suggest one of the reasons is a loss among the liberal base.
If my opinion is correct that Obama's hard line tonight is in response to that anger from the left and in response to our and major liberal pundits suggestions that he fight harder then its very important that we respond when he takes our suggestions.
I've watched other presidents do this before and unless there's a significant poll bump or significant positive response this speech will fade away and so will our chance for meaningful health care reform. We need to be seen rallying to his call for him to have the power to push his plan through, to put pressure on the blue dogs, and to make it harder for the republicans to push back.
The bigger our response the more likely that we will get the most comprehensive reform. I'm still pushing for that public option.
September 10, 2009 3:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well-said, Oceancat. I've been one discouraged by Obama's apparent dedication to bi-partisan solutions when they seem so obviously to be exercises in whistling in the wind. But, unless we provide strong support for him, now, and bump up his poll numbers today and in the coming weeks, nothing good will result in the future on this issue or any other. Thanks for your no-drama, constructive analysis.
September 10, 2009 7:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Obama's apparent dedication to bi-partisan solutions when they seem so obviously to be exercises in whistling in the wind."
I think it was/is something a bit more nuanced than that, Wendy. Maybe it comes from working with sensible, moderate Republicans (they do still exist ... just *very* silent these days ), but I think that what the left may see as fruitless dedication to bipartisanship has actually served a very useful purpose.
Obama's repeated efforts - and his courtesies - and the equally repeated rebuffs and rudeness from their own party have definitely gotten their attention. Reppublicans are far more reluctant to question or disagree with or condemn their own party than we Dems are (and that's *some* understatement!) .. but like water dripping away on a stone, Obama's repeated and seemingly futile efforts have been slowly dissolving the harrd coating of party solidarity, made them look at him more closely -- if only out of sheer curiosity. One co-worker, a former county chairman, is now talking openly about re-registering as an independent. I almost fell over! He didn't expressly tie it to the ugly treatment of Obama's civil and grown-up behavior, but there was disgust and outrage in his voice and he simply would never have done it if he could find some way to still respect his party.
Remember during the primaries and general election campaign, how Obama would ignore, deflect, not respond to something, some accsation or controversy, until most of us on the sidelines were jumping up and down and screaming at him to get a backbone, to return some of the fire?? ...... and then when we just about gave up on him and everyone was paying a lot of attention to his every word waiting for him to say *something,* he'd suddenly/finally pivot and take out the issue with a sharp, targeted attack? He did this repeatedly - with everything from Jeremiah Wright to lipstick on a pig. I figured out the pattern early on but, damnit, **still** got sucked in and started screaming with impatience the next time he did it!
I think this is his quiet, cool way of doing what the Missouri mule trainer dose more directly: hitting someone over the head with a 2 x 4 until he has their full attention and *then* starting the lesson.
Last night's speech simply would not have been as powerful or effective if most Dems hadn't become fed up, to the gills, with rude, uncooperative, ugly behavior on the part of the Republicans AND many Republicans having to admit there's been too much of that behavior and at least curious if he was going to respond in any way. "The time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed." NO ONE in America, on either side, is going to deny that there has been too much bickering and too many games. And any moment you have the audience solidly "with you" is a moment in which you may be able to persuade them.
Sometimes -- heck, often -- I think I may be being too Pollyannaish and guilty of convincing myself of wishful thinking when I think he's engaging in this highly irritating behavior for a purpose ......... but then, by gum, he does it again!
September 10, 2009 9:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think you're right about this tactic of Obama's. I think it's just the way he goes about politics and campaigning, which goes back to community organizing: to get lasting accomplishments and buy-in, you don't waltz in and tell a community what it needs to do; rather you let them work amongst themselves to discover what it is they really need and then offer them a way to achieve it. And this tacit has been successful for him overall (look where he lives), if not consistently frustrating for us supporters.
But as Swiftboating has shown us time and time again, in this country you can quickly labeled as weak if you don't come out swinging from the moment an opponent throws the first insult. So I think it will be a constant battle in the media to push back on the he's being weak meme.
But rather than ram the Dem's agenda through Congress, he allowed the Repubs show that the Dems really don't have a choice in the matter.
September 10, 2009 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hmm - hadn't thought about the community organizer connection, but you're definitely right. Interesting. Driving into work, I was still thinking about this and had the thought that with Obama, it may not be so much a tactic (like a deliberate Rope-a-Dope) but simply the way he's built: he has to be truly angry to deliver that kind of effective counter-punch and he's very slow to anger. Fortunately, very effective when he does get to that point. Which ... come to think of it .. isn't a bad trait for a nation's leader.
September 10, 2009 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Love this thread from here on up. Agree completely.
September 10, 2009 7:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your observation is well-taken, E2, a gentle reminder not to expect shapeshifting from one who is so sure of what approach works best for him. It is also true that we admired that very quality during the primary and election process; in that sense, in that circumstance, it worked for us, too.
The question, now, is this: will that steady refusal to rise to proffered bait, or to directly challenge falsehoods from the opposition by debunking them, work as well for him -- and, more to the point, for us -- in enacting critical legislation?
We don't know -- yet. I still have hope, but I no longer have faith that it will.
Or perhaps I no longer have faith, period end. I thought myself politically shockproof, yet I discover that Obama's apparent acceptance of corporate dominance in our democracy does, in fact, shock me. Maybe that's the lesson? Obama is a realist. Possibly more effective than idealism, than dreams of what might be.
September 11, 2009 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
"It is also true that we admired that very quality during the primary and election process; in that sense, in that circumstance, it worked for us, too."
Well, in that case, you were (not a big surprise) wiser than I. I remember too many times tearing my hair, throwing something toward the TV and yelling "DO SOMETHING, damnit!!" But, in hindsight, his timing and approach was pretty impeccable.
I hope it fits this new role as well, and am hopeful. I'll always remember the comment of some guest on the Tim Russert show (not MTP, the other one), describing Obama has having the "fastest learning curve in the Western world" or something like that, when contrasting his somewhat bumbling start in the primaries with the sleekness already evident by mid-campaign.
I'm sorry about the shock/disillusionment, however. While I suspect that he does share the dreams of what might be, he is - down to his very bones, I think - a thorough pragmatist. Andrew Sullivan once wrote that he suspected Obama might surprise everyone and become what no one was expecting: a very boring president. After GWB, however, I'll settle for competence, however boring or fascinating it may be.
September 11, 2009 7:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
That is just a great take on this. Great perspective, a friend of mine received an immediate email from the White House following the speech. Same here.
The WH has opened a type of communication never seen before. And somehow the numbers are totaled by the category of the email. Which way the wind is blowing is not just these damn polls where the issue is framed by a private company.
This way, I think, the writers are FRAMING THE ISSUES.
The WH might have a better hand on the pulse of the people.
BUT WE NEVER LET UP. The line of communication is there for us to use whenever we want.
Nice, nice post.
September 10, 2009 2:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Still pissed a bit about the behavior of some of the Republicans during the speech. After all, he is the president. The lack of respect was low class.
September 10, 2009 2:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/oleeb/2009/09/wilson-should-apologize-to-the.php
September 10, 2009 3:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm pretty pissed about the republicans, especially Wilson's, behavior too. I think its important to keep that story alive. The reason I mentioned not getting too side tracked with Wilson is that when I came on I saw two or three times as many blogs about Wilson as about Obama's speech. I'd like the top story in the news tomorrow and for several days to be something like, "Overwhelming positive response to Obama's speech," or, "Obama gets big bump in the polls after speech." Let Wilson be the second from the top story.
September 10, 2009 3:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know, and you are right. Wilson is a distraction. Probably intentional too for the very reasons that you mention.
September 10, 2009 3:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Joe Wilson will get his story next year.
September 10, 2009 3:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
karma?
September 10, 2009 7:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Supporting him means keeping the pressure on every day and every chance we get.
September 10, 2009 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
No Kali, I disagree. Yes, we should keep the pressure on, even more now as we approach the end game. But that's not supporting Obama. We can do both. I liked the speech. In tone and manner as well as what he specifically said. We need to give him some pay back for it. Giving him a pay off with out support as well as keeping the pressure on will do more to get what we want than just the pressure.
September 10, 2009 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Should be, Giving him a pay off with *our* support. Sorry, I need to watch those typos a bit more closely.
September 10, 2009 8:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks Oceankat, well said.
I got annoyed with all things considered tonight. They led off with a negative comment on the Presidents speech. You have pushed me to actually write and complain.
I'm tired of them championing the negative. It's time to let them know, LOUDLY.
September 10, 2009 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink