Mike the Mad Biologist

Apparently, the Obama Administration is very upset with the “professional left”:

“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”

Actually, when it comes to the expansion of presidential power, Obama has been worse than Bush. After all, never claimed he had the right to assassinate U.S. citizens at will. Seriously, between that and Obama’s muddling on gay rights, Obama is to constitutional scholar as Newt Gingrich is to historian (Or intellectual. Or decent human being).

Moving on:

The press secretary dismissed the “professional left” in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.”

Of those who complain that Obama caved to centrists on issues such as healthcare reform, Gibbs said: “They wouldn’t be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president.”

That’s not true (I can’t stand Kucinich). But Obama said he was for a public option in healthcare, and, erm, no public option for everyone. He said we would withdraw from Iraq–not draw down forces–and….still there!

No one on the left expected that we would get everything (or even close to that), but we thought three things would happen:

1) We wouldn’t be demonized by our own political ‘leadership.’

2) On some issues, we would get most or all of what we wanted. That’s what it means to be part of a governing coalition. Instead, Co-Presidents Lincoln, Snowe, and Summers have tanked everything.

3) Democrats would stop talking like conservatives all the time.

Didn’t happen. By the way, weren’t all of the Obamabots telling us that, like FDR, we needed to “make him do it.” Well, that’s what we’re doing.

Also, this isn’t the way to rally your base before an election; in close races, everyone counts, even we Dirty Fucking Hippies. And if you had listened to us Dirty Fucking Hippies, you would have had better policies and outcomes and that would have helped your politics.

Then again, I’m just the amateur left. It’s not like I vote or anything.

Update: Amanda Marcotte has a must-read on this subject.

Comments

#1 jimspice
August 10, 2010

Amen, brotha!
#2 Left_Wing_Fox
August 10, 2010

Makes me wonder what would happen if everyone who heard this called the White House and their representatives, and told them if they did not need or want their vote, they will be happy to vote green this next election.

I wonder if even if the threat of that might shake up their complacency.
#3 D. C. Sessions
August 10, 2010

I think I’ve figured it out: Barack Obama is preparing for another historical first: he’s going to switch parties and run in 2012 as a Republican.
#4 Kele
August 10, 2010

I was going to vote third party anyway but if the Democrats want me to, I’ll be even more sure to do it!
#5 Mike Haubrich
August 10, 2010

Memo to Mr. Gibbs: I wanted to see Canadian style healthcare as an option. Your boss never even considered it a possibility. He conceded it without even presenting it. What he failed to understand is that even in appeasing the Republicans in hopes of negotiating for a sensible plan, he didn’t even give us a chance to make a case for it and he got vilified as the “most soshalist preznit EVAH!” anyways.

Should have at least given it a shot.
#6 ponderingfool
August 10, 2010

What he failed to understand is that even in appeasing the Republicans in hopes of negotiating for a sensible plan, he didn’t even give us a chance to make a case for it and he got vilified as the “most soshalist preznit EVAH!” anyways.
****************

He did campaign during the primaries on health care as to the right of then Senator Clinton’s plan, which was a centrist option. Right of center on health care is what he campaigned on during the primaries, right of center plan is what we got. In other words, the outcome is what he wanted. Politically, the administration probably could have run things differently to take less political damage.

Basically you have it wrong. He did not appease Republicans. His goal was to appease “progressives” who were happy with an attempt for a public option.
#7 BaldApe
August 11, 2010

For the record, I’d be delighted if Kucinich was president. Not that he’s get anything done with the Democratic party acting like they are in the minority, but what the hell.
#8 Sharon Astyk
August 16, 2010

Love this post!!!
#9 becca
November 7, 2010

I’m pondering a run in 2020 as a socialist. It will be most likely doomed to fail, but if it just shifts the damn Overton window back where *actual* socialists are called socialists, and not the rest of the jackhats, I’d be very happy.