Liberals Hope To Push Obama Left

Democratic Base Pressuring President-Elect To Come Through On Campaign Promises; Frustration With Cabinet Picks Surfaces

(AP)  Barack Obama promises to steer the nation straight again. He better be ready for a strong force pulling left.

The president-elect drew plenty of support from moderates, but the liberal side of the Democratic Party followed him most resoundingly: labor unions, influential Internet blogs and legions of grassroots volunteers. He won almost 90 percent of the liberal vote, more than the previous two Democratic presidential nominees, John Kerry or Al Gore.

Now the same millions of left-leaning voters who worked relentlessly to get Obama elected want results. That means ending the war in Iraq, ushering in universal health care, halting harsh interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists, making it easier to form unions and aggressively tackling global warming.

"We'll see," said Eli Pariser, executive director of the liberal powerhouse Moveon.org, about what Obama will deliver. "If they turn out to be all disappointments, we'll have a good three years to storm the gates at the White House."

Already, the liberal blogosphere is showing its influence.

John Brennan, Obama's top pick to head the CIA, suddenly withdrew his name from consideration under pressure this past week. His potential appointment had raised a firestorm among liberal blogs that associate him with the Bush administration's interrogation, detention and rendition policies. Within hours, blogs that raised concerns about Brennan's career claimed victory about their successful exercise in free speech.

The debt is starting to come due on Obama's promise of "change we can believe in." Except he meant "we" in a broader sense.

He promised to lead with a bipartisan spirit, the kind that could unify a country and allow him to get deals through Congress. From the moment he won, he implored people: "Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship."

And then he set out to take his own advice.

Obama's courting of Republicans - for ideas, legislative support, and potential roles in his Cabinet - is drawing cautious attention from the liberal base of his Democratic Party. The concern, to the degree that it exists this soon, is that Obama's emphasis on governing from the center may undermine the left.

He still pledges to wind down the war in Iraq, but everything comes second to fixing the staggering economy right now. He has stood up in defense for Sen. Joe Lieberman, a virtual Democratic outcast these days, and sought help from his Republican presidential foe, Sen. John McCain.

Obama is building a government with several Clinton administration faces, a move that has underwhelmed some liberal voices who are eager for a more dramatic sense of change.

In one posting that seemed to echo in the Internet community, liberal blogger Chris Bowers wrote, "I feel incredibly frustrated. ... Isn't there ever a point when we can get an actual Democratic administration? Why isn't there a single member of Obama's Cabinet who will be advising him from the left?"

Christopher Hayes, the Washington-based editor of The Nation, offered his own lament about a lack of progressive candidates for prominent leadership spots. He said the left has been right about Iraq, financial deregulation and global warming, and yet "no one who comes from the part of American political and intellectual life that has given birth to all of these ideas is anywhere to be found within miles of the Obama Cabinet so far."

Obama pushed back a bit this past week, saying his advisers will blend "experience with fresh thinking."

Of course, he is not done picking his Cabinet, let alone occupying the Oval Office yet. Any rumblings of discontent at this point show that expectations for Obama are enormous within his party. Labor unions and liberal groups spent big money and knocked on countless doors to help get Obama elected.

The undercurrent of concern is not that Obama, granted the title of most liberal senator in one prominent ranking, will suddenly abandon the people who helped elect him or change course on core causes. Rather, it is that liberal side of his party may have to wait longer for victories, and accept smaller ones.

That is the reality of governance right now.

"I think he's moving center-left, rather than left-center. It's fair to call him pragmatic," said Paul Light, a public policy professor and presidential historian at New York University. "I think labor is going to get a lot from him. I think his liberal supporters are going to get a lot from him. But they're going to be disappointed if they want all liberal all the time."

The economy is in such remarkably dreadful shape that Obama may get a pass on other matters while he tries to fix that one.

An early test will be how Obama's team works with congressional leaders and appropriations committee chairmen on his first priority, a massive bill to stimulate the economy. If Democrats go too far left on it, they may lose some conservative members of their own caucus and give Obama some fits.

The left could get early legislative victories on expanded health care for children from poor families, and looser restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research. Obama's stimulus plan is bound to include spending and jobs supported by labor.

As for the anxious anti-war crowd, which helped propel Obama's campaign in its early days, Obama adviser David Axelrod said the new president will not renege on winding down the conflict in Iraq.

Obama says the challenges are simply too huge for the politics of labels; Democrats and Republicans must work together. Pragmatism rules.

"I think what the American people want more than anything is just common sense, smart government," he said. "They don't want ideology."

[ausus-2009]

Unfortunately, most Americans, including the writers of this article don''t understand what liberalism means. There are a number of dictionary definitions, and none of them include the ideology of the American left. One of many definitions is: "Not narrow or contracted in mind; broadminded". That is what I believed when I went to school.

The left agenda includes universal health care (forcing doctors into a socialist system), greater regulation of business, regulation of our daily lives through global warming legislation, adoption of various UN charters that would further regulate our lives, restrictions on freedom of the press and closed-shop trade unionism. There is nothing liberal about that.

[treknutz]

The Barbra Streisand Bunch can shhit in one hand and wish in the other too.....


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Posted by FloydZeppd

Your mother had to be sniffing glue and smoking crack during your short incubation. You had to be premature and dropped at birth. Your capacity for intelligent response is somewhere between a slug and a cecada.

Another poster child for pro abortion!

[bobnjersey]

[Now the same millions of left-leaning voters who worked relentlessly to get Obama elected want results. That means ending the war in Iraq, ushering in universal health care, halting harsh interrogation tactics against suspected terrorists, making it easier to form unions and aggressively tackling global warming. ]

leading from the center is exactly as it should be ... regardless of the party.

[hypnotoad72]

President-Elect Obama has come across sincere AND getting people of various persuasions to work together.

He''s not even in office yet and people are whining like little infants.

Grow the frig up.

Please.

[opedanderson]

I am not an Obama supporter but the lefties have to lay off this guy. He is in an almost impossible situation. We have to give him the leeway he needs to give him the best shot at getting us out of this mess that, yes, my people got us into.

There will be plenty of time later to implement the changes you guys want done.

[hypnotoad72]

..."Not narrow or contracted in mind; broadminded". That is what I believed when I went to school.

Posted by ausus at 05:41 PM : Dec 01, 2008

Try going to some "liberal" websites; the ones where they freely bash people in news articles that have abstained until marriage. To them, "liberal" means to be in lock-step with their beliefs, which is a far cry from being open-minded and looking at others'' viewpoints. These myopic twerps have bastardized the Democratic party more than any other faction within the Democratic party.

Plus, for the same people to say they voted Obama because they trusted him and he''s putting in people who were "hawkish" and such regarding foreign affairs and war -- they can''t be bothered to fathom the thought that maybe, just maybe, some of this stuff is REAL and not a fantasy conjured up by previous leaders?!

Heck, youtube has a great clip of Al Gore from 1992 which talks of Saddam, WMDs, his plan to get nukes, just like how GWB said Saddam wanted. Maybe I''m missing something, but let''s get real -- the far left jumped off the cliff and jumped the shark too.

[slateman2]

Thank you ausus, for pointing out the literal difference between political Liberalism and the adjective word liberal. I do think we all needed a nice little piece of irrelevant minutia to brighten our day.

[ausus-2009]

slateman2,

Would you call yourself liberal or leftist. If your answer is liberal, why?

[louiville2]

Liberal: a power worshiper without power- George Orwell

Kind of a Oxymoron term "Liberal"

[slateman2]

I''m a liberal when spaghetti is being served, because I like a liberal helping of it.

Hope that answers your question.

[downsteamjim]

Moving Obama to the left is about as hard as getting a cannonball to sink.

[louiville2]

Hopefully. I want Obama to sodomize the Republican Party until they squeal like the piggies that they are.

Posted by Ace_Face1

because hey that''s how you liberals roll

[ausus-2009]

slateman2,

From your answer it sounds like you are a person with a weight problem. Does this mean you want someone else to pay for your medical care?

[questionnews]

Hopefully. I want Obama to sodomize the Republican Party until they squeal like the piggies that they are.

Posted by Ace_Face1

because hey that''''s how you liberals roll

Posted by louiville2 at 07:00 PM : Dec 01, 2008


Ba-Zingggggggg!

[ghwab1949]

This guy is the most leftist of anyone who has ever been elected president. He is far to the left of the majority of the American people and of his own party. Now the kiddies (who not only have never had to make a payroll, they have never even been on a payroll)and other wishful thinkers who voted for him will learn that he is out for one guy -- himself. Everything he has done shows that to be the center of his universe. Had he been in the Senate, he would have gotten exactly the same intelligence Sen. Clinton and Sen. Kerry got and he would have voted exactly the same way they did. He will increase taxes on everyone, increase the size of the national government and prolong the recession if not turn it into a long-running depression. One can only hope that he disappoints the likes of MoveOn.org (which apparently does not care about law enforcement officials lying under oath)and his most vocal supporters. There is no such thing as a free lunch and he cannot create one. "We are the ones we have been waiting for," indeed. Only the most gullible among us would believe that claptrap.

[paris1969]

Liberals have a right to expect change from Obama, that is what he ran on and why they supported him.

[McHineguy]

Liberals have a right to expect change from Obama, that is what he ran on and why they supported him.



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Posted by paris1969 at 07:31 PM : Dec 01, 2008

If he gives in to the kind of liberal thinking I see on this web site he will have a terrible experience. I 2 years the center majority will give him a Republican congress and in 4 years they will show him the door. It happened to Clinton and it will happen to Obama. This is a center or even center right majority in this country. Mad at Bush and anxious for change, they voted with the far left for a charaismatic new start. That doesnt mean to capsize the ship with everyone sitting on the left.

[ausus-2009]

Ace_Face1,

Trust a lefty like you to lower the political discussion into the gutter.

[McHineguy]

Trust a lefty like you to lower the political discussion into the gutter.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ausus at 08:05 PM : Dec 01, 2008

Hey, its not his fault, you think with what you got.

[solarrays247-2009]

"We are the ones we have been waiting for," indeed. Only the most gullible among us would believe that claptrap.

Posted by ghwab1949 at 07:21 PM : Dec 01, 2008

I suggest that we give the guy a chance. Were you gullible enough to vote for Bush? Once? Twice? I never voted for Bush, I could see right through him from the start. Perhaps you see something in Obama that many have missed? Time will tell, I guess.

[ausus-2009]

Those of you who call yourselves liberal still don''t get it. Last time I gave you a Webster''s definition of liberal, this time I will give you the leading Oxford dictionary definition: "Willing to respect and accept behaviour or opinions different from one%u2019s own".

I am sick of those of the left saying they are allowed to spew forth their venom because of the actions of others of the past eight years. There is no excuse for closed-minded arrogance.

[krescera]

It is crystal clear to everybody now that Obama''s camaign rhetoric was strictly for the campaign and for nothing else.Those who believed otherwise could blame only their gullibility.It is easier said than done that the president-elect could be pushed leftwards.

[solarrays247-2009]

Those of you who call yourselves liberal still don''''t get it. Last time I gave you a Webster''''s definition of liberal, this time I will give you the leading Oxford dictionary definition: "Willing to respect and accept behaviour or opinions different from one%u2019s own".

I am sick of those of the left saying they are allowed to spew forth their venom because of the actions of others of the past eight years. There is no excuse for closed-minded arrogance.

Posted by ausus at 08:18 PM : Dec 01, 2008


I agree with you! I have seen enough closed-minded arrogance throughout the last eight years to last me a lifetime!!

We are so overdue for a breath of fresh air!! I''m a moderate Independent, so I have nothing to gain by commenting. The "Liberals" do themselves an injustice by imitating the Bush-Cheney crowd. And I don''t think the majority of the Liberals would approve of such actions, do you? As a matter of fact, how many "Conservatives" do you think would vote for Bush again if they would have had access to a crystal ball?

We all need to band together for the good of all right now. And that takes teamwork....putting aside the egos...and making this world a better place for the future of our children and grandchildren.

[tiredofthebs]

To the LIBERALS of our party: YOU BEEN HOODWINKED & BAMBUZZLED. Barack did what he had to to get elected. It obviously worked. Had I known he was more of a moderate/centrist, I would have voted for him (NO ... I didn''t vote for McCain either. I wrote in Hillary.). Funny I don''t see his USUAL SUPPORTERS posting anymore. Maybe they are too embarrassed that they BELIEVED EVERYTHING they heard. I know I did.

[McHineguy]

Those of you who call yourselves liberal still don''''t get it. Last time I gave you a Webster''''s definition of liberal, this time I will give you the leading Oxford dictionary definition: "Willing to respect and accept behaviour or opinions different from one%u2019s own".

I am sick of those of the left saying they are allowed to spew forth their venom because of the actions of others of the past eight years. There is no excuse for closed-minded arrogance.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ausus at 08:18 PM : Dec 01, 2008

I am a conservative, but I fully agree with you, from both partys. You have my respect, no matter what policy differences we find, we love our country and look for ways to make it better. Good luck to you.

[thedvirgil]

President Elect Obama is doing exactly what he said he would. He''s always said that this isn''t a Red America or Blue America but the United States of America. He is a man of conviction who realizes that all Americans must be allowed to join in at the family table and provide their perspective. But let there be no confusion, he will be at the head of the table and giving the last words. It''s not about being left or right, it''s about being smart and doing what''s best for the country and not being tied down to a political ideology. I''m tired of politician who are shackled down by an allegiance to an ideology to the point that it paralyzes them from making the wise decision. That was Bush''s problem. We have change coming to the White House so no more business as usual guys. I voted for Obama because I hoped he would do just as he''s doing. Setting the prime example on how to be inclusive.

[alphaa10000]

Especially in a time of great political change, political labels can mean a great deal.

Labels can represent a political program, an agenda and plan for reform. Political labels are not easily devalued currency for "business as usual".

Which makes understanding of labels and what they mean all the more important.

Obama was swept in on a tide of hope and high expectation of change. This surge among all voters cannot be ignored, whether called "liberal" or "progressive" or "populist"-- it is a political fact of life.

To dismiss yearning for change as merely fashionable political thought is to misunderstand what made the Obama campaign possible, and succeed, despite all the pundits.

[mrmeatspin]

Liberals and Terrorists has big plans for Obama...

[lmartink]

I hope the extremists of both sides don''t sway him from the moral High Ground in the center. That''s where most of us live.

George Bush swung way to the Right, and look what happened to him. It worked for awhile and then the door slammed shut onto his worthless rear. That''s known as the pendulum.

As long as rabid right wingers, and rabid left wingers are duking it out -- we can expect the pendulum to swing .

I think Obama''s amart enough to realize that. And if he stays in the middle his legacy can be awesome.

[ausus-2009]

alphaa10000,

Obama was elected not because great sections of the population became "liberal" or "progressive" or "populist", he was elected because he convinced enough moderates at this time that he could best handle the problems that faced America.

If his methods are unsuccessful or if a leftist agenda is pushed down the moderates'' throats, they will look elsewhere in 2012.

To say that an election win heralds a shift in the ideological beliefs of the population as a whole is a mistake made by both the left and the right.

I never believed there was a significant shift to the right in America when President Reagan was elected. The only major shift in the past 100 years was when FDR was elected because of the sheer trauma of the Depression rather than an ideology that was some form of enlightenment.

[harp1963]

If Obama is smart he''ll pretend the far left doesn''t exist. Conservative Americans put Obama in office out of disgust for Bush, not because they didn''t like McCain. Shove the far left agenda down our throats and watch the Republicans win the next election.

[perk235]

Push left, raise taxes,impose governmental regulations, blame Republicans for everything...
Posted by wtlib at 12:16 AM : Dec 02, 2008
----------------
Pay attention to the middle class, pay the bills (debt and deficit), reign in financial institutions, figure out where things went wrong...

[antizion]

If Obama continues to do what he has ben doing and that is bring in corrupt insiders, he will be lucky to have a full first term. The crazies hate him and the democrats are tires of being duped. No place to run.

[jculveroh]

If they can push him any further left he will hit a wall

[reaganitegop]

After Obama telling us he %u201Cquestions her judgement%u201D, and that she %u201Clacks experience%u201D diplomatically, and his staff calling her a %u201Cmonster%u201D%u2026 Hil%u2019s OK now?

All other presidents lacking diplomantic experience have brought someone who has such a background to State%u2026 Reagan w/ Al Haig, Carter w/ Cyrus Vance. But Obama doesn%u2019t feel the need, for some reason%u2026 hmm.

And Bill%u2019s consulting for the UAE, while his wife was bashing them on the Senate floor.. basically fixing a PR debacle from the Dubai Ports deal that was much Hillary%u2019s own creation%u2026 or the other millions he%u2019s recieved from Morocco, Kazahkstan, etc%u2026 no problem there?

Any chance of controlling this loose cannon Hillary? LOL, of course not, the Clintons can%u2019t even control each-other.

The only logical explanation for this this terrible choice is the fufillment of a political deal struck during, or after the Convention- in exchange for her support, of course. Shouldn%u2019t surprise anyone who%u2019s done any real DD on this disengenuous serial opportunist Obama.

These choices betray a total lack of self-confidence from a man who knows better than anyone what a scam %u201CObamamania%u201D really is. He%u2019s clearly afraid of a political collapse following such an overblown charade.

This guy is in way, way over his head- and he knows it.

http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/

[earache4]

Liberals and Terrorists has big plans for Obama...
Posted by MrMeatSpin at 11:14 PM

Hope it includes funding for a better education for right wing posters....

[promaclaura]

Conservative Americans put Obama in office out of disgust for Bush, not because they didn''''t like McCain
Posted by harp1963

I agree, I still voted for McCain, but a lot of conservatives voted for Barack winning him the election. There is no mandate for the far left and I think Barack knows this based on his cabinet picks.

[assemblyofso]

CHANGE WE CAN BELEIVE IN

How dare they accuse the Messiah of not keeping his campaign promises

[promaclaura]

No, McCain was Bush III. That''''s why he lost. Americans were disgusted with the entire Fake Republican Party. The current GOP is about as Republican and Dustin Hoffman. That''''s why they were trampled.


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Posted by FloydZeppd at 07:24 AM : Dec 02, 2008

No, I don''t agree, conservatives knew that McCain was in no way like Bush. I voted for Romney in the primaries for fiscal reasons, he didn''t win. McCain seemed like the only chance in the current environment for too many. Then the financial crisis hit and I thought, "great, Romney would have had better answers for a financial crisis". Oh well, hopefully Barack stays in the center.

[armydog2]

Ending the war in iraq responsibly is a good thing. Forming unions ia a good thing. combating Global warming is a good thing. Ending torture is a good thing. First and foremost is dealing with the recession we are in and fixing the economy. This country is really f@cked up after eight years of extreme right control. It will take a while to fix this mess and going dead center is the only way.

[promaclaura]

No, McCain was Bush III. That''''s why he lost. Americans were disgusted with the entire Fake Republican Party. The current GOP is about as Republican and Dustin Hoffman. That''''s why they were trampled.


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Posted by FloydZeppd at 07:24 AM : Dec 02, 2008

I''m not disagreeing with you, McCain has always angered a lot of conservatives, but I know way to many who really never gave McCain a thought, it was all about Bush. Bush did a lot of spending on the military, which I have no problem with. I tend to be more socially conservative as I am sick of societies idea of a "Hollywood" lifestyle. Maybe everyone wouldn''t be in sooo much debt if they didn''t go for "bling" on credit (everyone want''s the good life without paying cold, hard cash). With that said, I still liked Romney because he is a business man with a value system embracing "family". I voted for *** Devos in Michigan as well, I can''t stand Jenny Granholm, yikes!

[monty_4]

It might be that the ''change'' he was talking about was putting SMART people in positions of responsiblity. I sure as hell don''t want a bunch of ignorant outsiders coming in and turning things upside-down before they finally learn their job...that was the MO of the Bush admin. I don''t want to see that *** again.

[wtcmedic911]

It always amazes me the snobbery of liberals. If your a conservative or rep. your considered uneductated. If your liberal your considered educated. How about this... If your conservative you are logical and think things threw. if your liberal your emotional and think with your emotions. Even thou there have been studies that have proved this doesnt it sound snobbish and demeaning? Bushs and McCain are not conservatives and often RINO''s. I for one am pleased to see perhaps Obama will be a centerist. The left will destroy this county if left to their own devices.

[walt1944-2009]

There has been much complaining about the choices that Great Emperor-elect Barck Obama has been making for his court.

Obama keeps babbling that he is creating "change" but liberals and progressives don''t see it that way. Neocon Fascist Nazi Republicans are happy about Obama''s choices, claiming we are getting a 3rd term of the Great Emperor Bush II. They are in fact, excited that Hiliary Clinton, whom they see as a Republican in Democrat''s pants-suits, has been made Secretary of State, and Bill Gates has been kept on as Secretary of "Defense", claiming that only neocon Fascist Nazi Republicans can run the military!

If Obama is pushing "Change", he has a funny way of achieving it. When JFK took over the White House in 1960, he got rid of everyone even remotely connected with the Eisenhower era and brought in younger people with new and fresher ideas. JFK might have had a weakness with the "babes", but he knew the future of the country belonged to the young, not the fossilized policies of the ancients.

If Obama wants to compare himself as another JFK, he better read his book and talk to those who knew him!

SIG HEIL, I''LL GET MY 3RD TERM YET!!! BUSH!!!

[nothappyatall]

I think it''s a mistake to keep Gates on, you never know how many RATS, turncoats or spys there are in the walls- he should dump EVERY Bush cartel appointee or Bush connected person and start with his own picks.

[dbaker13-2009]

thank god he is centurist and leaning a little right.peosli and her cronies must have smoke coming out thier ears.

[actornaught]

The right-wing water carriers & hate-radio comedians were chanting about how liberal Bill Clinton''s presidency would be. Then he proceeded to build the most successful Conservative record in the last 50 years, 90 years if you didnt like Ike.

[bobnjersey]

[Now the kiddies and other wishful thinkers who voted for him will learn that he is out for one guy -- himself. Everything he has done shows that to be the center of his universe.]
[Posted by ghwab1949 at 07:21 PM : Dec 01, 2008]

really ... all he does is just all about him?

so ... say you have a law degree from harvard ... you''re a black man ... you were the first black president of the harvard law review ... you have an iq in the range of 120 or so.

what job do you think you could get with these credentials? what do you suppose you''d be making in a couple of years? isn''t this the thinking of one who only is looking out for himself? what did obama do when he graduated with the credentials listed above?

just because this is the way ''your'' world view appears ... meaning you''re projecting how you think of things on others ... doesn''t mean this is the way others think.

[bobnjersey]

[It always amazes me the snobbery of liberals. If your a conservative or rep. your considered uneductated. If your liberal your considered educated.]
[Posted by wtcmedic911 at 09:10 AM : Dec 02, 2008]

you need to get out more. the general mantra from those on the right about liberals is they don''t work ... they sit at home watching jerry springer ... they''re collecting welfare indefinitely ... and they''re the cause of all the worlds problems (which of course, can only be resolved by conservatives).

[How about this... If your conservative you are logical and think things threw. if your liberal your emotional and think with your emotions. Even thou there have been studies that have proved this doesnt it sound snobbish and demeaning? ]

what studies are these? is this from the limbaugh institute ... or maybe it''s from the colter foundation ... or possibly this came from the hannity hallucinagenic study group. post the reference to this phantom study that supports your claims.

[The left will destroy this county if left to their own devices. ]

looks to me like there''s plenty of snobbery to go around.

[actornaught]

Posted by bobnjersey at 12:51 PM : Dec 02, 2008

It''s very likely you have ''dic911 nailed. The rightwing water carriers are obsessed with the strawman tactic, always wanting to be the ones to define people and situations. AKA, Lying.

Every sentence that rush, hannity, et. al., uses with the word "liberal" is a lie.

The only truth they ever offer is in fragments, to support their Big Lies.

By the way, ''dic911, if you don''t want to sound uneducated, learn spelling and sentence structure. Any 4th grade teacher would flunk you.