Liberal Base "Worried" About Obama Agenda
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Hamsher compared the current situation to the 1994 elections, when, she said, the Democratic base (including union members) was demoralized and disengaged following the passage of The North American Free Trade Agreement. Republicans took control of both the House and Senate in that contest.
She argued that the Obama administration is paying little attention to its base even as the opposition gins up support among the Republican base with events like the Tea Party protests.
"If you're suppressing your base, and the other side is revving up theirs, and midterm elections are all about turning out the base, I sort of question what their strategy is here," she said.
Hamsher has signed on to a financial boycott of the Democratic National Committee, Organizing for America (the DNC-run operation to mobilize Obama supporters) and the Obama campaign. The boycott was organized by Americablog's John Aravosis and Joe Sudbay over what they see as President Obama and his party's failure to keep its commitments to the gay and lesbian community.
"LGBT Americans, our families, and our friends kept our promise at the ballot box, we now expect President Obama to keep his in the White House," they wrote. In addition to Hamsher, cosponsors include the liberal blog Daily Kos, writer and editor Dan Savage and radio host Michelangelo Signorile.
The boycott will be lifted, Aravosis and Sudbay write, when legislation is signed enacting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act. During the presidential campaign, Mr. Obama pledged action on all these issues but has not pressed them since entering office.
"We respect the right of anyone to express their views and always are willing to listen," a DNC official told Hotsheet in response to the boycott. "And, we recognize that there is much more to do. We do, however, take pride in the historic accomplishments which we have been able to achieve with the help of the community just nine months into the president's term and are we going to continue to work for greater equality and justice for all Americans."
Accomplishments cited by the official included signing into law an extension of hate crimes protections for LGBT citizens, extending benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees, hiring record numbers of LGBT Americans, and extending the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act.
That's not enough for some on the left, however – and LGBT issues are not the only ones generating anger. Separate from the Americablog effort, another boycott is being organized by Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos. He is calling on his readers not to donate to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee because it is supporting candidates who voted against the health care reform bill. "Instead, give to those elected officials who best reflect your values," he writes.
In addition to signing onto the Americablog boycott, Hamsher pushed her readers to unsubscribe to the Organizing for America mailing list, which is believed to include 12 - 13 million names. Liberals have been unhappy with OFA for not doing more on progressive causes like the gay marriage referendum in Maine.
"They don't want to go out on issues that would make supporters of that list happy," said Hamsher. "They're triangulating against that list."
The DNC official counters that the president remains popular with liberals (and "across the political spectrum") and notes that Democrats have won all five special elections this year – evidence, the official suggested, that the base is not demoralized.
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If you don't like American-style Freedoms, move. We don't need more Palin fascists.
Yet this President, nine months into his term, has failed to push for the repeal of DADT, the passage of employment and housing non-discrimination law, and has missed yet another opportunity (Maine) to speak out against discriminatory ballot propositions.
Other than hate crimes legislation, which has taken the Democrats over a decade to pass, there has been no significant support of LGBT Americans by the political party that claims to best represent them. Well, we've given and given, and gotten nothing in return. Why on Earth should we funnel money into the DNC or a pathetic excuse for "fierce" advocacy from the White House, President Obama's OFA? It's not like the Republicans did any worse for us over the last decade. Maybe another few years of them in Congress and the DNC will start keeping its promises.
GOP politicians and operatives continue to dishonestly and deceptively say that they cannot support a public option, they claim that they want to keep costs down for the American people! Really? This they claim all the while knowing that a public option/competition is the only way to really control cost and to bring about true reform thereby putting a definite Halt to the ?out of control? medical costs and premiums crippling people and businesses today, making it harder and harder for average Americans and young people to realize and take advantage of the slowly, slipping away American Dream. One could ask themselves, If you happen to lose your job today or tomorrow in these unstable economic times and at a time when we currently do not have healthcare reform for all, who would pay you or your familiy's health care costs, that is, if you are lucky enough to be able to see a doctor without insurance? This American Dream, now being called Socialism by the GOP has slowly been slipping away, and is in the last throes of dying, if we do not forge a new path onwards toward inclusion and cooperation for all. This dream of America will die to be replaced with just another third world country -- only to go by the wayside and into the history books as another failed experiment.
Who cares?
By not allowing himself to be dragged into their ultra left wing causes, Obama has been able to stay on the side of the people and govern effectively. I would rather have this, than homosexual marriages, drug legalization, more abortions and a failed president.
I don't know if your post references mine, but I will reply to yours.
I am not a member of any political party, so of course I have no issue with people switching from one to another...
I do have a HUGE issue with the whole "constant election cycle" thing.
Sure, Lincoln, Bayh, Nelson etc. should be held accountable for being seemingly more (R) than (D) while they retain their seats within the Democrat majority party.
But -- and this is a tough one, they are from districts where primary challenges COULD bring more liberal/left wing Dems on as the candidate ... but would this candidate win? Personally, I don't want to see a Republican majority again for long enough to correct the past mistakes made by that team.
There is value in holding the majority in Congress, even though it is totally frustrating to those of us with expectations that when that majority is called Democrat, we aren't going to have Republican ideology making the laws.
So, I get annoyed at the special interest voters, because it seems those who think like this tend to be the loudest and in that, the driving force towards the "endless election".
We're supposed to be the actual majority (the country is either called center-right or center-left depending on who says it), but it is sometimes very difficult being in the "does anyone hear me" center.
Is it asking too much for those who have been elected -- to take a break from being elected again and ...govern?