“President Obama, Get a Spine”
The editor of The Nation, Katrina vanden Heuvel, said this. She said Obama needs to stand firm against these constant rightwing Wag The Dog fake news attacks (i.e. Breitbart and the rest of those shitwads), or risk “feeding the zealots.”
These relentless attacks against Obama are making him look like a substitute teacher who’s just standing there waving his arms helplessly while the whole class is throwing spitballs and paper airplanes and climbing all over the desks.
vanden Heuvel said:
“This White House needs to institute procedures, as President Obama said, and get a spine because it is feeding the zealots of our system by not standing tall and confronting the forces of hate and fear in a country that has a lot of economic pain.”
She described the Shirley Sherrod controversy (Breitbart’s latest prank) as:
“A testing moment for America ... Are we going to be an America that learns from Shirley Sherrod's tale of reconciliation, overcoming prejudice? ... Are we going to be a media system which is vetting and upholding standards, or are we going to be bullied as a country by a right wing media which peddles fears and slanders to, really, destroy President Obama's presidency?”
She also said: “It's about the mainstream media — with a few exceptions in this case — accepting Andrew Breitbart, a journalist who's known to have no credibility.”
And speaking of the Rightwing Hate Machine: here’s another grass roots organization made up of everyday concerned American citizens — American Crossroads.
Karl Rove is one of the cofounders of this group. Almost every dollar raised by American Crossroads has come from four billionaires. Ah, the Voice of the People.
Labels: American Crossroads, Andrew Breitbart, Karl Rove, Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation
posted by Tom Harper @ 8:16 PM
14 Comments:
You know when I say that at some other sites you'd think I was bringing down the whole Presidency.
Your absolutely right. Some see their responsibility as being just lemmings just as The Bushitts were to Bush.
The Great Appeaser strikes again. He seems like he can't wait to get done with his first term. Honestly I thought he was a fighter.Not so much. He's doing his community organizing as a tool.
It won't work. They think he's weak and are waiting to ponce.By being so weak he's pushing back Blacks in power.
I was one of the idiots that fell into blame Prez Obama for this when it happened. This was NOT POs doing. Let us remember exactly where the bame for this lies. It lies with Andrew Breitbart and Fox news for spreading it because they wanted to make it appear the scary black people of the NAACP were going after all the teabaggers for being racists. The NAACP did not say all baggers were racist just an element within the party. Frighfart has already said he did this to get back at the NAACP more than once over the last few days. Again, criticize the prez certainly but this was not his fault. This guy has to walk a fine line with everyone, more than any other president in history has ever had to do. Why do you suppose that is? Rachel Maddow has been doing an exceptional job of breaking this down since day one. If you haven't done so, I suggest going to MSNBC and watch the segments she has done on this so far. It has been stellar.
Obama has the instincts of a diplomat. I have a hunch if he were secretary of state and Hillary Clinton was president, McConnell, Boehner and Sen. Ben "Wrong Way" Nelson could tell you by now how hell hath no fury like a president scorned and screwed over.
I know this much. As smart, likable and thoroughly decent as Obama is, his talent and skill for being president at this time in our history don't square with his talent and skill at running for the office.
At this time, in our current circumstances, we need a president prepared to call out the other side early and often. We need a leader prepared to meet them head on and fight like hell when they spread lies and resort to dirty tricks. We also need a president who's through offering up the teeth of important, badly needed reforms before the bargaining even gets under way, then stands by while what's left of it gets shredded by backward bozos in both parties.
I've said it before: People will get out and fight like hell to support a president willing to lead from the front and give it all he's got, even when the odds are long and the going is rough. And, if after doing that it doesn't work out, people will understand and say their president did all he could do.
Roosevelt, Truman and Johnson did that and it worked for them and for the country.
A president who mostly stays on the sidelines until the battered remnant of what he wants to do is carried up to the finish line by others not that enthusiastic about it to begin with, people are likely to stay on the sidelines themselves.
Given that the man permits, amongst all kinds of other goodies, The Swarthy® to still get blown up on a weekly basis, he's no more decent than the average White House habitant, but then again, I'm a raging commie pinko.
That said, you're right in that he'd get more folks to follow him if he wouldn't be such a public candyass.
Meek Dum: goopers whine, call you a socialist, base hates you.
Angry Dum: goopers whine, call you a socialit, base hates you less.
Seems kinda simple.
SW said: I know this much. As smart, likable and thoroughly decent as Obama is, his talent and skill for being president at this time in our history don't square with his talent and skill at running for the office.
I'm agreeing with that assessment in this point in history.
A spine?!?!?! What Obama needs to grow is some BALLS!!
I sent the Rove story to a Conservative Friend, who insist that George Soros and his billions are buying the country for the Liberals, I told him not to worry that so far he is being outspent 4 to 1.
I think we give a president too much credit for power. Remember Bush was a weak president supported by a strong party and vice president. Kennedy would have been almost no where without Johnson to move things along. Even Eisenhower was surprised how little power his presidency got him as compared to general.
Strong Presidents like Roosevelt and Johnson knew the system and could work it well.
Anybody who remembers the Movie "The Man" in which James Earl Jones accidentally becomes the 1st black president who found himself almost choked by his advisers and congress. I feared that would happen to Obama and I suspect I'm right.
That's why I thought he picked Biden as VP but there are no Lyndon Johnson types in the Senate anymore, no real power brokers who can really move things along - I'm told Bob Dole was the last one.
Erik
Let's not forget, has anybody ever seen a president come into office with this much hate and organized dissent against him from the start?
Erik
Obama and the Democrats do not know which side they're on. They need to choose between appeasing the right and preserving the status quo, or representing the majority of Americans who voted them into office. They try to do both and that cannot be done.
The Reich Wing will continue its fascist agenda. Obama will either continue to cower from the onslaught or begin defending democracy. If he cannot take a stand the Reich has already won.
Tim: Obama's in a tough position, but he's got to find a better way to handle these attacks.
Jess: Unfortunately, sleazewipes like Breitbart and Fox talking heads are with us, and they'll keep getting louder and shriller. Rachel Maddow, plus thousands of bloggers, just don't reach as many people as Fox. And the mainstream media also keeps enabling people like Breitbart. If Obama says something to them (or Biden, or a high-ranking senator), it'll get a lot more coverage. These rightwing thugs need to be ridiculed and exposed for what they are; they seem to be totally unaccountable.
SW: Good point about Obama being a diplomat, which is the wrong set of skills for the situation he's in. I can't picture any previous president (well, Carter maybe) putting up with this constant barrage of attacks. If Obama doesn't have the personality type to respond to this, he needs a pit bull or a Karl Rove counterpart.
"A president who mostly stays on the sidelines until the battered remnant of what he wants to do is carried up to the finish line by others not that enthusiastic about it to begin with, people are likely to stay on the sidelines themselves." Very good summary.
Randal: Angry Dum -- the right choice.
Bee: Yup, a better candidate than president.
Lew: I'm afraid Democrats aren't allowed to have those.
Erik: George Soros and Saul Alinsky -- those 2 evil masterminds are responsible for all liberal ideas. I hadn't even heard of Saul Alinsky until rightwing bloggers started ranting about him, but apparently I've been under his spell for years without even knowing it.
I thought Joe Biden would be a pit bull when Obama picked him for VP, but it hasn't turned out that way. You're right, Johnson knew how to work the system. Republicans seem to be experts now and pulling all these parliamentary maneuvers out of thin air. If they can do it, why can't Democrats?
Dave: That's exactly the Democrats' problem. They're trying to appease the Right and represent the people who elected them (or at least make it look like they are). And they're failing at both.
Hang in there with him, boys, he's going to make you proud. Remember what we had before he came in. It'll all come out in the wash.
Bill,
Very comforting. "Remember what we had before he came in. It'll all come out in the wash."
That's the biggest pile of dirty laundry ever, though, and it is rat infested as well.
MMS comes to mind first.
Erik, you make a good point. I've written about how for various reasons Obama has much less leverage with Congress than many previous presidents. I've watched, listened, been patient and taken that into account.
The maddening truth is Obama is still not measuring up to what the people voted for and thought they were going to get. Not just progressives but a whole lot of irate independents. The need and desire was for an impassioned, determined reformer willing to be as tough as necessary to make solid reforms happen.
Obama doesn't have a lot of pork to work with. He does have the budget, the Democratic Party and the bully pulpit to work with.
He's already made me proud. He's a good person, not about to stoop to the Republicans' level. Unfortunately, there are those among us who decide that makes him weak. He's not. He needs to stand up and saying "Enough!" and I sure hope he will.
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