Monday Night Video – Melissa Harris-Perry Advocates for Obama
June 4, 2012 3 Comments
Sure, I defend President Obama against the idiocies and evil of politicians such as Mitt Romney, but I’m still fairly upset with Obama for abandoning the progressive base on a wide range of popular populist issues, from eliminating the chance for a public option, to watering down the stimulus, to hiring the very same idiots who helped create the financial mess. Melissa Harris-Perry tries to address the affirmative case for re-electing Obama, noting items such as his advocacy for the poor and his support of civil rights.
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I am of two minds about this discussion…like you, I have been unhappy with a few of his maneuvers and concessions, but I do agree that his accomplishments need to be spelled out and the nation’s memory refreshed about the things that were improved over Obama’s first term. I don’t like giving a free pass on things that he could have handled better, though. I think it’s necessary to support his re-election with real enthusiasm, but also to let him know we are hoping for bolder action on certain items if we help him get a second shot at the presidency.
I’m of two minds as well, which makes it four minds between the two of us. I frequently support Obama, but also don’t think it helps him if progressives back him blindly. It’s not like progressive silence allows him a pass to push more progressive legislation. Perhaps, if the progressives had been louder in their critiques, he would have pushed for a single payer option–how many Republican votes did he win by passing a more conservative health plan? Perhaps, if progressives had been louder in their critiques, he would have hired progressive economists and pushed for a bigger stimulus, and the economy would be in better shape, and his electoral chances as well. I’m also sympathetic to people who are complete Obama partisans, most of all because of the horror that is the conservative movement in this country.
Agreed, and the idea of choosing “the lesser of two evils” is never a good way to elect a government, but sometimes it does feel like that’s what it boils down to. I think you hit the nail on the head, progressives needed to be louder about their concerns. But timing is everything. They were too reactionary in their participation on the health care issue, and also on the stimulus and the compromise that was made to allow the Bush tax cuts to remain in place. Bitching after the fact is pointless, but paying attention and speaking up as the decisions were still being made may have been more useful.