Democratic Presidents and the (Professional) Left
Washington Post (Ezra Klein): ….a quote from Taylor Branch’s book, “The Clinton Tapes,” which recounts a contentious interview President Clinton sat for with Rolling Stone:
[Clinton] said Rolling Stone’s founder, Jan Wenner, had come to the White House with author William Greider, a former Washington Post editor … they had agreed not to discuss NAFTA because of Greider’s implacable opposition, and the president said all went fine until Greidier brandished a photograph of a destitute-looking American to mount a sudden, dramatic attack….
Greider confronted him saying here is one of the countless poor people who looked to you for leadership – you were their last hope. Now they feel utterly disillusioned and abandoned. Can you look into this face and name one thing you have done to help? Or one principle you won’t compromise ? One cause you will uphold? One belief you would die for?
“I kind of went off on him,” the president recalled. He told Greider that he had done things already that no other president would do …but liberals paid very little attention to these things because they were bitchy and cynical about politics. They resented Clinton for respecting the votes of conservatives or the opinions of moderates. They wanted him to behave like a dictator because they didn’t really care about results in the world….
…He said he had pointed at Greider to tell him the problem is you, Bill Greider. You are a faulty citizen. You don’t mobilize or persuade, because you only worry about being doctrinaire and proud. You are betraying your own principles with self-righteousness.
Clinton took a breath. “I did everything but fart in his face,” he concluded.
So, here we go again 😉
Full article here
The Obama Diary 
deja vu all over again…
Goodness. The Professional Left is certifiable. Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result?
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Well, at least they’re predictable? LOL. It ain’t funny, I know, but if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry.
The lament at the end of the article by Ezra Klein is total hypocrisy. The question I would in turn pose to the left:
Why isn’t the left as hard on the Republicans as they are on the President/Democrats? Wow, what a bunch of fragile egos!
Exactly! That so-called progressive bunch will criticize the President quick, fast, and in a hurry, but are very reluctant to call out the republicanS who are the ones standing in the way of true progress. They call the President all kind of disrespectful names, but in my opinion they are the cowards. And, until they start to relentlessly call out the obstructionist republican as loudly as they criticize PBO, I will not think anything differently of them. WIMPS!
You know what’s especially disconcerting is the outright disrespect and denigration by the liberal radio and t.v.hosts. The bizarre outbursts and explicit name calling and insults thrown at Obama have gone off the charts these past few days. Then on the same show and within minutes they are calling out some rightwinger for calling Obama something racist or disrespectful. Unbelievable and supremely comical the hypocrisy. I had no idea how insanely despicable, childish and juvenile people like Olbermann and Thom Hartmann were. This other twerp named Norman Goldman a wretched nobody creep, eager to join in, had the nerve to call President Obama inept. Yeah, a mosquito shrill sounding 3rd rate loser saliva drooping and spraying talkshow host and Ed Schultz caricature calling the President of the United States names from an obscure radio show on an obscure radio dial?
Question now is what next? Exactly where do these bastards go from here? Because the way I see it, they can’t undo all the harm they’ve done and they certainly can’t take back the awful insults and demeaning and condescending attacks on Obama now firmly imprinted.
How do people in their right minds do such grievious and irreversible harm that makes it impossible to ever take them seriously or even ever contemplate a serious discussion with them?
That’s why I know that this was never about holding Obama accountable or about the much thrown about requisite healthy criticism of the President.
Because what I’ve heard and read these past few days have NOT been criticism by any stretch of the imagination, but unadulterated and unrestrained personal insults, attacks and despicable juvenile name calling specifically aimed at President Obama.
The insults and knee jerk responses have been of the sort that are so deeply personal and cutting that it is clear at once that it was done for full effect and from such an ugly place that could never EVER have held any sort of good feelings or respect for this man to begin with. And these people want us to believe they actually supported this President?
You don’t teach a team mate or partner you purport to like a lesson by throwing acid in his face because he “disappointed” you!
“Disappointment” does not make supposedly smart people do the sort of crazy, wicked, destructive, petty, short-sighted and seriously irrevocably damaging things these jerks have said and done.
And when Shepherd Fairey who thoroughly exploited Barack Obama’s ascent and only for Shepherd’s own monetary gain and notoriety, goes on Colbert Report to disrespect President Obama, you then begin to understand why the world hates Americans.
Nothing’s different here, Audrey. Obama’s a black man and the left is acting like his ‘Massa.’ “Boy, do what we say or we gonna make you pay!” Liberals thought Obama would go in the WH and do their every bidding. Heh heh. Guess they didn’t know who they were dealing with.
Audrey, Thank you for writing in support of the President. What you have stated is absolutely the point being made by the “professional left.” The “professional left” did not always support this President. I am a liberal democrat. Most liberals I know never truly supported the President’s campaign in 2008. I canvassed with liberals during the primary and the general election. At best, my liberal friends indulged my support of then Senator Obama during the primary because I worked really hard for their local candidates. During the general election, we all worked for President Obama’s election, but there was always continuous fault-finding with the Obama Campaign by my liberal friends. I continue to work with Organizing For America. None of my liberal friends have stayed to support the President’s agenda through the organized efforts of this group. They discussed a primary challenge to the President back when Health Care Reform was on the table. At this point, there is unrest. But, hopefully, this economic deal will pass, and the economy will improve. We must support the President’s policies, and fight back against the “professional left” and their vitriol! Happy Holidays!
I completely understand how you’re feeling. I went to WeeSeeYou.com last night, and read an entry about the racism that has been exhibited towards this President. I was so disheartened by the pain and disappointment in the post and the comments, because this presidency has shown us some of the lowest forms of humanity, from the left and the right. And in their desire to attack this President, a lot of so-called Progressives/Liberals/Democrats have shown that they really don’t have any ounce of compassion for the people of this country, and are much more aligned with the value-less creatures on the right. They are just two different teams, each wanting to win. It’s so demoralizing – both what they have done to President Obama, and what they’re prepared to do to people who need the help, especially over the holidays. My heart actually aches.
I apologize for the rant and double post. Can you please delete the first post? Thanks.
Hey Audrey, that wasn’t a rant, that was magnificent!
“This other twerp named Norman Goldman a wretched nobody creep, eager to join in, had the nerve to call President Obama inept. Yeah, a mosquito shrill sounding 3rd rate loser saliva drooping and spraying talkshow host and Ed Schultz caricature calling the President of the United States names from an obscure radio show on an obscure radio dial?”
Audrey? You’re a legend, you had me roaring with laughter!!!
It was funny reading that Bill Clinton story, the Professional Left’s contempt for and abuse of grown-up Presidents who try to get things done really is tired – and comical. Of course, with some of them there is an extra edge to their loathing of this particular President – stupidly, I had a look yesterday at a site that is now overrun by the Professional Left. It’s amazing how the mask slips on some of these people when they get angry enough – one of them referred to the President as “boy”. I kid you not. And he was, of course, “arrogant”. I was just waiting for them to say he was uppity and didn’t know his place. Not one of the other Leftbaggers in the thread objected to the use of “boy” – when a non-Leftbagger called them out on it, the person who wrote it just laughed off the complaint and said if it made the President’s supporters angry then s/he was happy. These are the people who call themselves progressives and laugh when they’re accused of racism … and then they sneeringly call the man in the White House “boy”.
I ****ing despise them.
AUDREY…I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU…YOU SAID WHAT I HAVE FELT FOR A VERY LONG TIME…AND YOU KNOW IT HURTS DEEP TO SEE AND HEAR HOW THE AWESOME PERSON “OUR PRESIDENT” IS TOTALLY BEING DISRESPECTED!!! HE DOES NOT DESRVE THIS…I WOULD NOT BE MAD AT HIM IF DECIDED TO WAVE GOOD-BYE TO ALL THIS MADNESS…TAKE HIS WIFE AND FAMILY AWAY FROM THIS SH@T!!!
I REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ALL THESE WHITE PUNDITS ANYWAY STANDING IN JUDGEMENT OF THIS BLACK MAN!!
AS ALWAYS ,MY FAMILY AND I KEEP #44 IN DEEP PRAYER…HE KNEW WHAT HE WOULD BE UP AGAINST WHEN HE DECIDED TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT…HOW COURAGES THIS MAN IS!!!
I agree with you all, and Audrey’s writing is right on point. What makes all his worse, is when you hear grown-behind so-called black men doing the same to him. You’ve got Cornel West, the black people’s “genius” saying President Obama doesn’t care about black people (his Kanye moment?); Tavis Smiley joined to him at the hip, and who has always detested President Obama’s meteoric rise; Michael Eric “Tupac” Dyson chiming in; Jesse Jackson Sr. wanting to cut off his nuts,…and so on, and so on. Then you have this butthole Boyce Watkins who goes on Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio program everyday to falsely support the president, then gets on his blog and does just the opposite. Bullshit on it all. How does a man who is so smart, kind, sensitive, and strong get to be so maligned? I’ll tell you….pure evil is what it is. This country has fallen on its ass and doesn’t know how to get up.