a rant, if you will (don't click if not in the mood to read one)

[steve2470]

DU is a political board, first and foremost. I think we can all agree on that. Therefore, one would think people would be somewhat knowledgeable and savvy about how things work in Washington (good or bad or neutral).

When was the last time an idea went from the people and was enacted into law 100% the first time and was done so very quickly ? I'm scratching my head here. The one that pops into my head is the World War II legislation. The American people were 99% behind that (or a higher percentage than that). We had been attacked, and we wanted revenge, fast.

Come on people, reality. It's a thing in Washington. It's a thing amongst the voters. Obama got the ACA passed ! It was huge. I'm no political expert or former congresscritter or political scientist/political consultant, but geeze louise...let's not be naive people.

GOTV 2014 ! GO DEMS ! You rock President Obama !


Steve

[sheshe2]

1. Good rant, steve.

I agree. Let's GOTV 2014!

[steve2470]

2. thanks sheshe, GOTV ! nt

[mcar]

3. Yes to this

People are so intelligent on this board but they can be so blinded by ideology. They twist themselves into pretzels to deny PO credit for any achievements.

[steve2470]

4. it's just unreal

I admit, when I was 16 and 17, I was very young, very naive and very idealistic. However, I got very disillusioned by Nixon, Watergate and the Ford pardon. Watergate was a crash course in the sometimes sordid ways of Washington. You lose your naivete quickly if you pay close attention. It's great to be idealistic but hey, reality bites.

[mopinko]

5. i find it outright mind boggling. its a wonder

this party wins as much as it does with friends like these.

[Aristus]

6. BUT HE DIDN'T GIVE ME MY UNICORN THAT FARTS RAINBOWS!

Yeah, I get tired of the bullshit, too.

President Obama rocks! He's done an amazing job. And I'm behind him 100%!

[steve2470]

7. I DIDN'T GET MY PRIVATE BEACH ON THE ITALIAN COAST....

but I did get a nice room at the Holiday Inn on Daytona Beach That works for now.

[freshwest]

16. Still waiting for my socialist paradise! I'm not kidding! Really! Where is it? Where?!! I want!!!!

BTW, if that was a 'rant' your real name must be Clark Kent.



You know, the mild-mannered reporter and all of that...

[Cha]

8. People don't have to be somewhat knowledgeable and savvy about how things work in Washington

(good or bad or neutral)." All they have to do is repeat lies.. get a whole bunch of recs.. repeat, rinse, repeat and it turns into "common knowledge".

Muchas Gracias for your Rant, Steve

[1StrongBlackMan]

9. To be fair ...

it's: All they have to do is repeat lies speculative opinion about what could've/might/should've happene(d) ... get a whole bunch of recs.. repeat, rinse, repeat and it turns into "common knowledge".

[steve2470]

11. oh so true

IF ONLY PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD HELD A GUN TO THE HEAD OF JOE LIEBERMAN !!!!!!!one!eleventy (to get him to vote for single payer, calm down people, just being hyperbolic to make a point)

If only President Obama had fought ONLY for single payer !!!!!!!!!! Yeah, right....great idealism but shitty politics.

I feel like telling people, YOU CAN DO IT BETTER ? GO RUN FOR PRESIDENT ! Holy shit. President Obama is a fucking political Einstein compared to so many on this board.

[1StrongBlackMan]

12. I've said before ...

the "bully pulpit" is just a romantic notion of what politics used to be. I use the example of someone really wanting to borrow your friend's car ... you can ask your friend to allow that person to borrow his/her car; you can beg, threaten, cajol, your friend, but at the end of the day ... it is your friend's car and his/her decision. So it is with the President ... he can propose, ask, beg, threaten, or bargain with republicans and this band of Democrats (that have suddenly found the need to express their independentness); but at the end of the day, the votes are theirs, and theirs alone.

That is not even to mention the change in the way politicians of today handle themselves ... In the past, a President could call a legislator into his office a give him/her the "LJB Treatment" (or, the "Reid treatment", as a recent example ... remember the dam project Reid gave McConnell in exchange for the debt ceiling vote?). That was the past, now before the meeting was over ... aides (on both sides) would have tweeted about the meeting, and the "pressured" legislator would already have a press conference called to exclaim (read: whine about) how unfair it was for the President to pressure them.

And I won't even mention the sh!t-storm that would arise, in the above environment, should a Black President ... whom they have a reflective "that Black guy is not the boss of me" attitude with from the gate ... attempt to strong-arm them.

[steve2470]

13. agreed

In today's environment, there's only so much a President can do without looking silly or desperate or (fill in the blank with some other unkind word). He can only do so much bully pulpiting in public. People get the hint, they either vote or not, either call Congress or not, etc.

We have people in this country who really want 1776 all over again: the whole nine yards... slavery....white men supreme....private property rules all.....repeal the New Deal....get rid of labor unions....get rid of feminism.....etc.... Some people really don't get it here on DU. Some of us do.

I have no patience with the uber-unrealistic DU'ers. I refuse to argue. You keep on dreaming. I'd wager that 99.999% of those DU'ers have never engaged with the general public on political matters. Unless you live in Berkeley California, you find out fast that it's not that easy.

rant off

[Cha]

14. That is true.. it starts out so much of the time as "speculation, opinion.." coulda shoulda

woulda and eventually some of that gets turned into bald-faced lies, imv.

[steve2470]

10. de nada and mahalo Cha ! nt

[steve2470]

15. oh the latest shitfest in GD

used car salesman, my ass

jesus