“I was in love with the idea of Obama.” [New]
Another day, another political email, this one from the Progressive Campaign Committee:
The White House announced that in a big speech tomorrow, President Obama will do what no Republican President has been able to do: Put Medicare and Medicaid on the table for potential cuts.
Many former Obama volunteers, donors, and voters are deeply disappointed. A Democratic Congressman said on MSNBC last night that Obama needs to “act like a Democrat.”
and this bit:
Below are some amazing notes from Obama volunteers who worked passionately for the President in 2008.
Many people still want to believe in President Obama. But the White House needs to understand that their actions now will have real consequences for 2012. The level of grassroots enthusiasm will be determined by whether the President fights for bold progressive change — and takes cuts that hurt grandparents, the disabled, and kids firmly off the table.
…
NOTES FROM ACROSS THE NATION:
Susan Carpenter, Obama volunteer from Ohio:
“Like many volunteers on his campaign, I was in love with the idea of Obama. I haven’t given up on him quite yet, but I’m mustering the energy to work on the resistance. He needs to know who we are.”
John Rotolo, Obama volunteer from Florida:
“I’m almost too heartsick to comment…I’m at a loss.”
Barbara Louise Jean, Obama volunteer from Nevada:
“It’s ludicrous to cut Medicare for seniors when Wall Street created this mess without being held accountable. At 69, I’ll be in financial trouble if Medicare benefits are lowered.”
Joelle Barnes, Obama volunteer from Pennsylvania:
“This is like a knife through my heart! This is a Republican thing!”
Suzanne Fair, Obama volunteer from Maryland:
“I know he has to compromise sometimes, but it seems that he is caving to the Republicans far too often. We elected him for real change and I would like to see him stand strong against the corporate rich.”
Margaret Copi, Obama donor from California:
“I contributed more to Obama’s campaign than I have to anything else in my life, but no more dollars from me and definitely not a moment of volunteer time, unless he makes huge shifts and starts to fight for the peoples’ interest.”
You can sign, tweet, and Like their petition here. If you want to be heard (hah!) individually, you can send the same message through the White House Contact Us page.
What struck me were the putative voices of Obama supporters, not the Obamabots but real people who supported Obama thinking he would challenge the status quo to some degree. Not cut Medicare and all the other Republican policies he has pushed.
[BTW, I do think Obama "joining the deficit debate" is the endgame Pete Peterson and his kind have been building for and dreaming of for decades. We're about to see the deficit become an official fetish with the ability of the government to create jobs abandoned, much needed social programs cut then gutted. The media is practically salivating all over themselves this week on this issue. You'd almost think the American public backed deficit reduction over creating jobs, punishing Wall Street, and making corporate deadbeats pay their fair share of taxes.]
What Do You Think?
11 Responses to '“I was in love with the idea of Obama.”'
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Emocrat [New]
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 9:50 am
Methinks OFA is in for a surprise when they try to recruit the grassroots. If they intend to raise a billion dollars this time, it will have to be 90% corporate money. With any luck, their most talented organizers from the last round will be out doing something useful instead this time.
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 10:16 am
Obama is toast in 2012 if he continues to tack right and doubles down by cutting Medicare. And Truman was correct: Republicans won’t fund, support, and vote for a Democrat if they can vote Republican. The last President also proved stupidity and extremism is not a bar to looting. Worst case, Republicans will surround Palin with wise heads who will make sure the status quo stays the same.
I also don’t think Obama can even count on Democrats holding their nose to vote for him. With Obama cutting Medicare, he’ll run as a Republican under the Democraric banner against a real Republican. When you have no choice, alot of people don’t vote.
Emocrat [New]
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 10:32 am
While the principle alone will piss off Dems, Indies and even some Republicans of advancing age, the economy is already heading south again and the austerity measures haven’t even kicked in yet:
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/g-d-p-forecast-for-first-quarter-slides/?hp
Now, given the WH has been telling the media that everything is okie-dokie in the economy, they seem pretty willing to walk the plank by cutting spending at precisely the wrong time.
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Actually this highlights another interesting aspect of Obama: is he really incompetent? Many people (maybe most) when given a difficult task to accomplish will be somewhat open minded as they define the problem, assess resources, then try to actually solve the problem in a mostly methodical way. You’d have to be pretty deluded to ignore Keynesian economics in the past 2-3 years, to harden the economic status quo (don’t break up the banks, don’t change the flow of wealth in the society to benefit more people), don’t get at the root of government spending (out of control health care costs), don’t create jobs any way you can, and then claim victory and try to get re-elected.
Of course, the house of cards will fall sometime in the next 1-5 years. It’s baked in. That Obama and his handlers don’t see that, and didn’t do more to ensure a great economy, I find amazing. Probably it’s another sign that, deep down, Obama’s policy leanings are far more Republican than Democratic, far more towards enabling elite power than enabling the power of the majority of Americans.
William Timberman [New]
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 5:46 pm
I’d say it’s just technocracy in action. If you wear purple and ermine long enough, and everyone around you is in the habit of deferring to it, you’ll inevitably come to think that maybe there’s something to this King stuff after all. Human nature.
Even a smart fella like Obama can be forgiven for thinking that winning the Presidency against the odds being quoted at the time probably means something. Not that he’s infallible, exactly, but that he’s better suited than most to decide things, and that the other smart fellas around him are equally well-suited.
It’s about managing things for people who don’t know what’s good for them, and if they get in the way, the people themselves. The trouble is, none of the smart fellas, despite all their self-confidence, really do know the way to the next whiskey bar, and we really should ask why — whether they appreciate us asking or not.
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 7:14 pm
Well said. And I’m up for Doors references any day, even if it shows my age.
William Timberman [New]
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 9:57 pm
From Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, first performed in 1930. It was old when the Doors did it.
He’s old, and his skin is cold… I know the feeling.
William Timberman [New]
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 10:03 pm
I should add that I’m only a couple of months older than Jim Morrison would have been, had he not had the grace to die while he still had some juice left in him.
SpitBall [New]
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Those folks make Travis D. seem almost satisfied with Obama and the Democratic Party.
jlars [New]
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Hey all, it’s only April of 2011 here. That means we have 9 months before primaries in 2012 and 19 months before the general election. Is it time to start informally nominating primary challengers yet?
I’d like to nominate Elizabeth Warren.
What else can we do to try and right the ship? Something that keeps Obama from giving Medicare and Medicade away.
Wednesday, 13 Apr, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Matt Taibbi, on his Rolling Stone blog, mentioned in passing that there’s a rumor Warren is thinking of running. It’s still a long shot. But the country seems well primed for someone who speaks up for the forgotten majority in this country. The question, in part, is whether that leads to someone like Elizabeth Warren (or Alan Grayson) or someone on the other end of the spectrum, a Rudy Giuliani or Mike Bloomberg, an il Duce type who likes the trappings of democracy but doesn’t really believe in democracy.
I’d also add that Obama cutting into Medicare and Social Security is part of the grand design for the Pete Peterson’s of the world. They need a putative Democrat to do the actual deed. Or at least get the party started. Obama’s December tax deal, if you recall, included cuts in the payroll tax that funds Social Security. We’re already headed down their road.