The biggest mistake Obama can make is try to be a Republican. We are not going to give $$$'s or time to re-elect him if he doesn't treat us the way Republicans worshipped the FAR RIGHT when Bush got SELECTED as President. Obama was put into office by a great many of us progressives and he ignores us at his peril. This is NOT a Center - Right Country!!! Democrats in power better wake up and realize it. As far as JUDGES go, we better damned well see some REAL PROGRESSIVES on the bench!
AND... I'm not saying HE WILL ignore us... its just a warning. I think many of us progressives have learned to be FIGHTING PROGRESSIVES and we aren't going to just sit there and watch our country continue to be led in the wrong direction by conservatives. They LOST and LOST BIG in the last election. Elections have CONSEQUENCES.
ray
· 11 months ago
Wake up little Brokeback Mountain Boys you get what you pay for! Man+power+money=politician=your screwed. To you libs, he he he he he
cowboyneok
· 11 months ago
and you think you conservatives are triumphant? Hell, at least McThesuleh wasn't elected and selecting judges! You conservatives lost and LOST BIG, and you know it. We have four years to see where Obama goes with all this. THEN, you can snark. Until then, we've had eight years of being stuck with you conservatives thought would be a good President, so I wouldn't be gloating if I were you. I'd be ashamed to call myself a conservative unless the disastrous results of Bu$hco. is what you wanted ALL ALONG...
kingtut
· 11 months ago
You are so right cowboy. I don't understand them. lol. There is nothing at all for them to be proud of.
RevDrBillyBob
· 11 months ago
"Progressives deserve a place at the table" ? Try taking that suggestion and filing it under "S" for ... "Seduced and abandoned".
cmpnwtr
· 11 months ago
Ah, the cult of victimization plays out once more in the blogosphere. The more "pure and the brave" throw stones, the more marginalized they will be. But the really important thing is this, "we are pure, and we are superior. "That's what really matters.
Steve_in_CNJ
· 11 months ago
wow that is such BS. obama is not above criticism.
Steve_in_CNJ
· 11 months ago
right now, conservatives seem more pleased with obama's picks than liberals. in fact, there's been some taunting from conservatives, and some liberal bloggers, like chris bowers at openleft and Jed ( http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/12/3/105... ), are bending over backwards to avoid taking the bait.
to imply that liberals can't be part of a braintrust is pretty insulting, especially since liberals financed obama's candidacy. joseph stiglitz is a nobel laureate and a liberal, robert reich has clinton credentials like rubin but is a liberal. wesley clark is as qualified as gates except he is liberal. etc, etc.
at some point you have to try to understand obama's rightward bias instead of pretending it's not there. i still think he is liberal on most issues, but you can't see it in his staff.
Bush Bites
· 11 months ago
Yeah, I'd like to see a few more progressive economists.
Galbraith might be a good pick too (son of John Kenneth Galbraith). He's at one of the big Texas universities. He's progressive, but has also served with conservatives, so he can get his point across without turning it into a blood feud.
Now's the time to experiment with solutions, so you need all the tools at your disposal.
Also I'm worried that Obama's going to pick some Factory Farmer for Agriculture. Also, we haven't heard about Dept of Energy yet, have we? What gives there?
I'm pretty happy with defense/state appointments, tho.
Ted
· 11 months ago
No offense John, but Obama was running in the primaries as the candidate most to the center. It should not be any surprise that he is now filling cabinet positions accordingly.
I personally would like to see what legislation he proposes before I criticize him, since he could usher in some really progressive changes with moderates in his cabinet (and vice versa)...
Benji
· 11 months ago
Folks, I hate to break it to you, but Obama has to rule from the center. Clinton tried universal health care in 1994, and it completely screwed his administration, giving the GOP the Congress, and then an Impeachment.
If Barry rules from the center - at least until the next election, or even 2010, he's doing what he needs to do to fix economic and international problems. Let's not get to hasty about this. DADT will eventually come, and so will universal health care, but we have to fix the REALLY bad stuff first, and most importantly govern appropriately.
I'm a Lib. Lib's... quit your bitching. All good things to those who wait. We can correct this nation. Just don't go all crazy just yet.
Surely you don't really believe that Clinton's healthcare plan brought on the impeachment. Clinton's inability to keep his fly zipped brought that on.
As for where Obama has to "rule" from, I'd like to suggest that he "govern" from whence he ran: the center-left! He won by nearly 7 points and that's a pretty clear mandate to bring change. Change that includes universal healthcare, equal rights for all, a new energy policy, a clean environment, and a HUGE economic package. We can't afford NOT to do healthcare now. Many of these things will save money over the long run: Universal healthcare, green energy, a clean environment, and equal rights. Yes, getting rid of DADT will save money. Our government has spent a TON of money discharging gays and lesbians while struggling to recruit enough straight people to fill the ranks. The bonuses they're paying are obscene. Obama said he would build consensus around this issue and since then we've learned that at least 20 generals have signed a letter stating that DADT doesn't work. It's looking as if consensus may be on the way.
cowboyneok
· 11 months ago
Have you seen the polls on DADT? There is a MAJORITY of Americans who are against the policy and want it changed IMMEDIATELY. Changing "Don't Ask / Don't Tell" IS ruling from the center. It needs to go as soon as he takes the oath of office. The only people for keeping it are right wing haters. Again, the MAJORITY of Americans are ready for the change, including MANY, MANY GENERALS AND ADMIRALS. Besides it isn't even economically feasible to keep the screwed up policy.
Bubbles
· 11 months ago
Well Reich is a member of his transition team, and he certainly is a progressive.
LeftCoastOracle
· 11 months ago
But he isn't in the cabinet.
LeftCoastOracle
· 11 months ago
How about Russ Feingold? He's a true progressive.
Mike_in_the_Tundra
· 11 months ago
No one can deny that I'm far left, but Obama is doing exactly what I thought he would do. He definitely is left of center, and I think that's a lot better than Bush's or McCain's far right. Bush's administration shows that an administration that leans too far one way or another is doomed to failure. It's going to take Obama and the congress several years just to undo Bush's mess. I would love to see the Dems undo DADT, DOMA and create universal health care. I truly believe that they will undo DADT rather quickly and move on to healthcare. Nor, do I beleve they will ignore the needy. Of course, the economy has to be their first priority. Right now, I would be happy to see some financial relief given to the middleclass.
horsesenseman
· 11 months ago
What makes you think that DADT or DOMA were policies of George Bush? Both were were in force before he arrived, and the Dem's were not seriously debating either issue during the campaign. Obama has moved away from his tax relief pledges, and kept Gates in charge of the military.
CHANGE!
cowboyneok
· 11 months ago
Clinton tried to integrate the military with gays and lesbians and got screwed by Southern Conservative Democratic Senator Sam Nunn! He had to compromise with HIM and all the Republicans who threatened to destroy his Presidency if he dares integrate the military. Public opinion was against it. Times have changed. The American public is now COMPLETELY for it. Clinton should have just FORCED IT through like the integration of races in the military and it would have worked itself out. The time for changing the ridiculous costly policy is NOW. If DADT can't be changed then I don't see how other issues will ever be enacted, especially when the American people are READY for the change.
horsesenseman
· 11 months ago
Thanks for proving my point, we shouldn't be linking DADT to Bush, it was there before him.
BTW, DADT was very much alive during the Vietnam war, and there were Democrats in charge then. It really isn't a political issue so much as it is a military standard that needs to change.
Mike_in_the_Tundra
· 11 months ago
Ahem, DADT was not a policy until the Clinton Administration. Before that the policy was smear the queer. If they suspected you were gay, your ass was pretty much grass.
Mike_in_the_Tundra
· 11 months ago
Well, either I need to work on my writing skills, or you need to work on your reading comprehension. Where did you see me say that DOMA or DADT were policies of George Bush? Since I have a friend who was the subject of a witchhunt before Bush's administration, I was sort of aware of that. I was offering an opinion that I would "love" to see them undone. I also gave an opinion that I believe DADT will be undone. The only reference that I made to the Shrub was that he falls a good deal right of Mr. Obama. Do you feel he is not? If you want to fight with me, at least have your facts correct about my post.
dula
· 11 months ago
It's a bit of a red flag that the Right Wing is pleased with Obama's appointments. The baby steps of a Centrist are not gonna cut it.
Smarmy
· 11 months ago
Could someone name one aspect of American society that is conservative!
Mike_in_the_Tundra
· 11 months ago
Please don't edit your posts after someone replies to it.
horsesenseman
· 11 months ago
The overwhelming majority of us that actually have our finances in order! The millions that believe in gun rights. I could go on. Maybe you need to get out of the big city once in a while.
kingtut
· 11 months ago
I hear a lot about conservatives and how everyone is in agreement with them blah blah blah!!!!! Well how come they lost the election. I personally think that the young people that went out to vote don't want the negativity and divisiveness that conservates live by. I think they are fnished, and this election was just the start of the end for them.
horsesenseman
· 11 months ago
Keep in mind, that this election, like the two before it, show a fairly evenly split population. This time, the economy and "new" voters swung it Obama's way.
As Obama is clearly showing by his quick change of tune regarding some of his pledges, the economy is not 100% controlled by the President. Most of his campaign ideas will not help one bit.
As to the "new" voters...pushing hard to register as many people as they can, regardless of whether or not they truly understand the issues at hand, does not change the overall political landscape. Most of these people are one issue voters at best. Obama carried almost all of the black and hispanic voters, which given his slight overall lead means that a majority of the rest of the voters actually voted for McCain. Just like it was incorrect to say that Bush had any sort of mandate, Obama does not truly have one either. Stop listening to only one side of the story. I read Liberal blogs, conservative blogs, and I watch more than one TV station.
caphillprof
· 11 months ago
First of all, forget the labels for a moment, for his economic team he has appointed a handful of people who are directly responsible for creating the economic mess we are now in. I don't think these folk have a clue how to undo the world they created. I'm not sure the folk who correctly predicted the economic debacle are "progressive" but they certainly are smart enough to lead us out of this debacle, more so than the folk selected.
If he thinks he can solve the country's problems by shutting out the progressives, he will find himself a one-term president.
Prentiss
· 11 months ago
John, I agree with you almost all the time, Americablog is the first place I visit each morning (right after the NYT and Wash Post) and I quote you often. So, as the former school teacher I am, I am pointing out to you one of my pet grammatical peeves: using "importantly" when it is really an adjective and should be written as "important". In this piece, you wrote, "Just as importantly, Obama's cabinet should be . . . ". You are referring back to "what" Obama's cabinet should be, so this would be an adjective not an adverb. Many fine writers have been using this word incorrectly for some time. You just happen to be the one I have landed on before my coffee has taken full affect.
satyr9us
· 11 months ago
Prentiss, I agree with you almost all the time, there is nothing I love more than remarking upon the myriad ways in which our colleagues and peers persistently fumble with the language. So let's move past the comma splice in the previous sentence to get to the real meat, shall we? Homonyms! The word "affect" is usually a verb, meaning to impact or alter-- as in the sentence "None of this pedantry affects anything whatsoever." A homonym is "effect", meaning result or fulfillment-- as in the sentence "My coffee has yet to take full effect." "Affect" isn't always a verb, however, and "effect" isn't always a noun-- it's actually pretty thorny! So for space considerations, let's simply say that I was demonstrating a flat affect until I read your comment, which effected in me a desire to respond, and the effect of that activity is this comment, which I doubt will affect anything whatsoever. ;)
farang
· 11 months ago
Steve Hildebrand would be well served to remember the old adage: "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" when he tells progressives and liberals concerned by the appointments that "Obama is not just president of progressives, he is president of all the people", because "all the people" didn't vote for him. Gee, not implementing the policies he ran on, and backsliding already before inaugeration, and WE get targeted for criticism for simply pointing it out? Something about "messengers" and killing" come to mind.
He is "debasing his base", and having Hildebrand upbraid us is just throwing fuel on the fire. Perhaps it is you that should STFU, Stevieboy. Sorry we think we have progressive ideas, and that appointing status quo appointees is not the "correct" direction to take. We apologize so much for "disturbing" you, Hildebrand..
horsesenseman
· 11 months ago
Why are you surprised when a candidate that spoke using vague terminology throughout the campaign doesn't do what you had hoped for?
We're a month away from him taking office, but already the CHANGE has changed.
The man obviously understands who butters his bread every morning. During the campaign it was the left base, now it is the Washington political machine.
You got what you prayed for, maybe you should have been more specific.
Solid_Jedi_Knight
· 11 months ago
Wow. Guys, let me say this once. CHILL OUT! Obama's making the best decisions possible. What the heck do you call Hillary Clinton? Last I checked, she has a D for progressive democrat by her name. Its not like he's nominated John McCain or Dick Chaney for any posts in his cabinet. Instead of George Bush crony-ism, he's picking the best qualified people for the job. Everyone regardless of their political persuasions can be proud of the intelligent, experienced, and diverse team he's put together.
There are plenty of cabinet picks to be name. Just like I am telling my fellow Hispanics, just relax and let the man do his job. Instead of jumping the gun and dividing this coalition, BEFORE IT EVER GETS STARTED, sit down and enjoy the freaking holiday. We got a lot of work to do in 2009 and every hand will be needed. So get your rest while you can, quit worrying about the cabinet, because 2009 is going to be a very rough ride.
smallhandff
· 11 months ago
Interesting that this observation was originally made by some R.N.C. drone a few weeks ago & was strongly criticized by TPM & Americablog. Back then it was called a Republican attempt to fracture the Democrats. So why has this gone viral?
Linda
· 11 months ago
As a Republican who bought into Obama's rhetoric of change, I have been upset because he has brought so many Clinton people into his team! If I wanted Hilary to be in the White House in any way, I would have voted for her! And that guy who orchestrated Bill's last minute pardons, pulease!
So, you liberal people just need to "suck it up" and realise that none of us get to be completely happy. I still think Hilary was integrally responsible for Vince Foster's alleged suicide, and I have to put up with her.
Linda in northeast Iowa
kingtut
· 11 months ago
I don't understand all of the concern. First of all he is not President yet, and secondly, he said that although he has a wide array of people in his cabinet, that they will be impementing HIS vision and not their own. I think that he chose the most intelligent group of individuals that he could find, and I as a liberal don't have a problem with this. Some choices were things that he needed to do, such as keeping Gates on as Secretary of Defense. It would have been a dumb move to bring a new person in just because they were a liberal. He needed to have the input coming from someone that has the knowledge first hand about what has been going on in Iraq. With regard to raising taxes, he has no choice except to let the Bush tax plan expire. Anyone with any brains understands that the economy is bad, and that raising taxes at this point would be the WRONG thing to do. There has never been a team of people so diverse and intellectual in the White House. As a liberal democrat, I believe that we are on the right path and I do not feel letg down by any of the selections that he made. I never expected his cabinet to look like the givernment of the City of Berkeley where I grew up. That is totally unrealistic.
mirth
· 11 months ago
Keep this in mind...
The media and their mouthpieces will be complicit in the rightwing efforts to destroy the Obama administration. It has begun with this "he's sold out us Liberals" crap. Whether or not we like his cabinet picks, ignore the media and ignore their flunkies who are already stirring dissension. Let O pick the cabinet he wants and if later on they don't do what we want, then we speak up. And act up.
Until we have reason to do otherwise, let's support the good man we elected.
Ronsch
· 11 months ago
If Obama picks Raul Grijalva for Interior as Politico suggested, we would be getting a real progressive in the Cabinet. Maybe it would be better to get such a person somewhere else, but I think it would be great not to get a "sportsman" in Interior and actually get someone strongly environmentalist as Raul is.
brett
· 11 months ago
well I am glad he was smart enough not to pick an all liberal cabinet. The country is still largely composed of center to center right thinking people. Those that saw this as an opportunity to turn the executive branch over to Stalinists just were not thinking very realistically. But then again when do far left liberals ever think pragmatically?
All Comments
DODD ON GM: WAGONER SHOULD RESIGN CHICAGO (Dec. 7) – An influential senator drafting a multibillion-dollar bailout for Detroit's Big Three automakers said Sunday that the head of General Motors should step down, while President-elect Barack Obama accused car industry executives of a persistent "head-in-the sand approach" to long-festering problems.
Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Banking Committee, said GM CEO Rick Wagoner "has to move on" as part of a government-run restructuring that should be a condition of financial life support for the auto industry.
AND... I'm not saying HE WILL ignore us... its just a warning. I think many of us progressives have learned to be FIGHTING PROGRESSIVES and we aren't going to just sit there and watch our country continue to be led in the wrong direction by conservatives. They LOST and LOST BIG in the last election. Elections have CONSEQUENCES.
to imply that liberals can't be part of a braintrust is pretty insulting, especially since liberals financed obama's candidacy. joseph stiglitz is a nobel laureate and a liberal, robert reich has clinton credentials like rubin but is a liberal. wesley clark is as qualified as gates except he is liberal. etc, etc.
at some point you have to try to understand obama's rightward bias instead of pretending it's not there. i still think he is liberal on most issues, but you can't see it in his staff.
Galbraith might be a good pick too (son of John Kenneth Galbraith). He's at one of the big Texas universities. He's progressive, but has also served with conservatives, so he can get his point across without turning it into a blood feud.
Now's the time to experiment with solutions, so you need all the tools at your disposal.
Also I'm worried that Obama's going to pick some Factory Farmer for Agriculture. Also, we haven't heard about Dept of Energy yet, have we? What gives there?
I'm pretty happy with defense/state appointments, tho.
I personally would like to see what legislation he proposes before I criticize him, since he could usher in some really progressive changes with moderates in his cabinet (and vice versa)...
If Barry rules from the center - at least until the next election, or even 2010, he's doing what he needs to do to fix economic and international problems. Let's not get to hasty about this. DADT will eventually come, and so will universal health care, but we have to fix the REALLY bad stuff first, and most importantly govern appropriately.
I'm a Lib. Lib's... quit your bitching. All good things to those who wait. We can correct this nation. Just don't go all crazy just yet.
fishbowlamerica.com
As for where Obama has to "rule" from, I'd like to suggest that he "govern" from whence he ran: the center-left! He won by nearly 7 points and that's a pretty clear mandate to bring change. Change that includes universal healthcare, equal rights for all, a new energy policy, a clean environment, and a HUGE economic package. We can't afford NOT to do healthcare now. Many of these things will save money over the long run: Universal healthcare, green energy, a clean environment, and equal rights. Yes, getting rid of DADT will save money. Our government has spent a TON of money discharging gays and lesbians while struggling to recruit enough straight people to fill the ranks. The bonuses they're paying are obscene. Obama said he would build consensus around this issue and since then we've learned that at least 20 generals have signed a letter stating that DADT doesn't work. It's looking as if consensus may be on the way.
Both were were in force before he arrived, and the Dem's were not seriously debating either issue during the campaign.
Obama has moved away from his tax relief pledges, and kept Gates in charge of the military.
CHANGE!
BTW, DADT was very much alive during the Vietnam war, and there were Democrats in charge then.
It really isn't a political issue so much as it is a military standard that needs to change.
The millions that believe in gun rights.
I could go on.
Maybe you need to get out of the big city once in a while.
This time, the economy and "new" voters swung it Obama's way.
As Obama is clearly showing by his quick change of tune regarding some of his pledges, the economy is not 100% controlled by the President. Most of his campaign ideas will not help one bit.
As to the "new" voters...pushing hard to register as many people as they can, regardless of whether or not they truly understand the issues at hand, does not change the overall political landscape. Most of these people are one issue voters at best. Obama carried almost all of the black and hispanic voters, which given his slight overall lead means that a majority of the rest of the voters actually voted for McCain. Just like it was incorrect to say that Bush had any sort of mandate, Obama does not truly have one either. Stop listening to only one side of the story. I read Liberal blogs, conservative blogs, and I watch more than one TV station.
If he thinks he can solve the country's problems by shutting out the progressives, he will find himself a one-term president.
He is "debasing his base", and having Hildebrand upbraid us is just throwing fuel on the fire. Perhaps it is you that should STFU, Stevieboy. Sorry we think we have progressive ideas, and that appointing status quo appointees is not the "correct" direction to take. We apologize so much for "disturbing" you, Hildebrand..
We're a month away from him taking office, but already the CHANGE has changed.
The man obviously understands who butters his bread every morning.
During the campaign it was the left base, now it is the Washington political machine.
You got what you prayed for, maybe you should have been more specific.
There are plenty of cabinet picks to be name. Just like I am telling my fellow Hispanics, just relax and let the man do his job. Instead of jumping the gun and dividing this coalition, BEFORE IT EVER GETS STARTED, sit down and enjoy the freaking holiday. We got a lot of work to do in 2009 and every hand will be needed. So get your rest while you can, quit worrying about the cabinet, because 2009 is going to be a very rough ride.
So, you liberal people just need to "suck it up" and realise that none of us get to be completely happy. I still think Hilary was integrally responsible for Vince Foster's alleged suicide, and I have to put up with her.
Linda in northeast Iowa
The media and their mouthpieces will be complicit in the rightwing efforts to destroy the Obama administration. It has begun with this "he's sold out us Liberals" crap. Whether or not we like his cabinet picks, ignore the media and ignore their flunkies who are already stirring dissension. Let O pick the cabinet he wants and if later on they don't do what we want, then we speak up. And act up.
Until we have reason to do otherwise, let's support the good man we elected.