by Tally
CALL TO ACTION: PLEASE READ THIS PIECE IN ITS ENTIRETY. IT’S IMPORTANT.
(Yes, that means click the link after the snippet.)
I know everyone is frustrated at the level of incompetence, ignorance, and outright stupidity of the American public, and their preference for ALL THINGS LOHAN over things that personally make their lives better like Affordable Healthcare, and actually, I don’t know…VOTING. I get it. Me too. However, I have to say that I for one, am sick to death of hearing, “The White House/President Obama’s messaging on the ACA <or insert your pet topic here> has been horrid…. waaaaaaaaaah…”
Stop. Take a deep breath. Now THINK: Has the Press/Media ever, in your lifetime, so actively ignored and mislead the public on a Presidency and the legislation it’s trying to bring forward? (Of course, it doesn’t help that the Media™® is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GOP. Forget that fact at the peril of us all.)
– Since when did it become okay to shirk your own personal responsibility to learn and gather information you are lacking? Wasn’t that the Prime Directive you learned in school – if you don’t know something, you know how and where to look it up?
– Since when is the Executive Branch of the US Government in the PRESS/MEDIA business? Where does it say in their job description, they must communicate all details of what is happening to the American public and by-extension, the GLOBE, personally, to every US Citizen? Isn’t that our “Fourth Estate’s JOB”? Isn’t that really, the true job of our “PRESS”? Isn’t that exactly WHY they were given the licenses they were given in the first place? If you’re going to call someone out for lack of communication, shouldn’t it be the PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY?
Read full post here
The Obama Diary 
First!!!
BOOYAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And now I’m off to read Tally’s commentary.
Insider information.
Insider Trading! 😆
aww Congrats ut 🙂
congrats on 1st! This is has close to the top as I’ve ever been. Feels good.
Winner!!!!!
I totally love that picture of POTUS and FLOTUS.
Congrats on #1 ut!
I agree 100% with Tally. I am indeed tired of the “WH is bad at messaging” meme, when in actuality, this WH is one of the best in messaging – which is why the MSM is working their hardest to drown out the message. Koch brothers are spending billions of $$ and still it’s not as easy as they thought it would be because the administration has found some very innovative ways to get around the media.
Tally, I so totally agree with what you said. We KNOW the mee-dee-ya has a blackout on all things President Obama but yet, we still KNOW about ACA. That people choose to be actively ignorant of information that is out here to read and share makes me crazy. I am having this same discussion on a FB page and folks are shocked, shocked I tell ya, when I refer them to WH.gov or Healthcare website. They come back with “oh, I didn’t know this or that, why didn’t the president tell us”. I respond, “you just read it, why does he have to hold your hand to learn about something that benefits you and yours’……gawd. All of this makes me more determined to send out info, GOTV, talk to folks, share information and do what I can to help the president and better Dems.
Next time they ask….. “why didn’t he tell us blah….?” Remind them, “He’s FIXING the fucking BUSH MESS. Have you been asleep?” 😉
Like you, hopefruit2, I totally agree with Tally. As always, she hits the nail on the head! I also thank you because in all your commentaries I have read you have clearly and consistently voiced the same message as Tally. As some one who has been around for some time, I know of no other President who has tried so much to directly communicate with the American people as President Obama has. Yet, the media has done everything to prevent his message from reaching the people. I am always surprised when I read comments from people who are frequent participants of TOD, or those who were followers of BWD, complain about White House failure in messaging. Did the White House prevent the so called mainstream media from transmitting all the information that both Chipsticks and BWD routinely covered? If it hadn’t been for the open mike incident, would the American people have known that the President was attending a summit with world leaders about nuclear safety? Did the failure of WH messaging prevent the media from covering all the town hall meetings that the President held over ACA and the Jobs bill?
I am very thankful that Tally, one of the most fearless and sane voice I’ve run across, decided to speak TRUTH about what we as citizens should be responsible of in seeking out real information. I am equally thankful that you also have been a consistent and fearless voice in calling on us to stop blaming the WH and the Democrats about messaging, and instead to focus on the real culprits: the mainstream media, which has done everything to filter, obstruct, and ignore, President Obama’s message and achievements.
The fact that the Americans supposedly oppose the ACA, but are overwhelmingly in favor of many of it’s major components has nothing to do with the WH’s or the Democrats’ messaging. Rather, It has to do with the media’s failure (I actually think it was the media’s deliberate refusal) to communicate the information to the people. Yes, Like you, I am pleased that the administration “has found innovative ways to get around the media.” Our task, as Tally’s call to action so ably stated, is to join in going around the media to inform, educate, and mobilize our neighbors to come out in large numbers to stop the right wing Supreme Court, and the media enablers of right wing ideology, from turning the country backwards. And if, God-forbid, the right wing Supreme Court does decide to strike down the
ACA, then we must mobilize to defeat right wing GOP’s in Congress and re-elect the President to ensure that we find ways of nullifying the Supreme Court’s decision. The only way we can do that is stop being seduced by the idea that it’s all about messaging. The fact of the matter is, it’s all about who controls the venues through which the message is transmitted. The White House Press Corp., which is preoccupation with asking GOP talking points of both the President and the Press Secretary is clear proof that it’s not about messaging. The same is true of Sunday mainstream media shows that always favor Republicans over Democrats.
“If it hadn’t been for the open mike incident, would the American people have known that the President was attending a summit with world leaders about nuclear safety? ”
Best Point EVER.
Well done Tally ~ couldn’t agree more.
Excellent Tally. Love your enthusiasm too.
Amen. I agree completely. I guess we need these little pep talks from time to time.
Yes, Tally, it is OUR responsibility. That’s kinda the whole deal in a democracy, as you know.
As you note, “the Media™® is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GOP. Forget that fact at the peril of us all.” That should be in bold. In any event, it’s been leveraged to bring attention to your message:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/03/30/a-word-from-tally-call-to-action
Anyone doubting that 2012 is any less a pivotal moment in the Republic than 1861 definitely is not paying attention.
#AmericaThisIsNotATest
#PRESSON
Correct link:
#PRESSON
I’m thinking that the White House probably knows already what the SCOTUS vote was today. And how will they respond to that information to help the cause?
I’m thinking they’re not voting on this for over a month, because in spite of what Douchbag Scalia™® said, yes, they DO need to DOTHIERFUCKINGJOBS and READ THE FUCKING BILL, and give it out to their legal clerks. Not just vote on a whim when they don’t know fuck all.
Tally – Not a funny subject, but your registered trademark made me laugh hysterically! 🙂
Thank you for this righteous rant Tally. You are so on point. I get so fucking tired of people on this blog and outside of this blog who bitch and whine endlessly about “PBO and his team having a message problem.” They have done everything they can. I will repeat this: THEY HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THEY CAN. Have you seen their impeccable white house facebook page? Have you seen all the twitter accounts the white house has? Have you seen PBO’s facebook page? Have you seen how many updates they churn out hour after hour after hour. Have you seen how many of his surrogates who have twitter accounts and flood us with tweets about what the campaign is shaping up to be? Have you seen how many events PBO conducts every damn day? How many videos his white house team releases, how many fact sheets they send out? It is NOT their fault that we have a fucked up largely rightwing media.
You should ask yourself before you begin whining: What Have I Done To Advance PBO’s message today? What Have I Done To Help His Re-election Efforts? Am I on Facebook? Do I spread his Youtube videos to friends and family? Am I on Twitter? Do I email all his accomplishments and educate those around me? Enough of the whining. PBO cannot continuously spoon feed you. It’s bloody 2012 be pro-active or shut the fuck up. This might be harsh but it’s the truth. It’s 2012. Stop whining about PBO not supposedly selling ACA well or his team botching the job. He held multiple town halls with crowds large and small, he held question and answer sessions, he held online events, he held press conferences, all of which C-SPAN covered in its entirety and all the supposedly objective news media chose to air was screams of death panels by illiterate teabaggers. What more do you want from him? Seriously, what fuck more do you want from him? His white house and campaign team are heads above the rest in disseminating information but they need our help in fighting roadblock that is the media. It’s all hands on deck. November 6th fast approaches so no more whining, no more wringing your hands, no more bringing your senseless panicking based on gossip from pundits over here. Do as Tally advices and be PROACTIVE. Once again: Are you IN or OUT? I’m IN and I have no plans of looking back.
RIGHT EFFING ON TO YOU TOO UT! PREACH!
Ut my dear, you are a colourful word force to be reckoned with, when annoyed and aggravated.! Keep telling it as it is.
But seriously, every now and then your voice needs to straighten out the fainthearted, the worrywarts and the negative nellies. Go girl….and thanks.
“You should ask yourself before you begin whining: What Have I Done To Advance PBO’s message today?”
Essence.
#AmericaThisIsNotATest
#LandslideOBAMA2012
Yes We Must
bob: apologies. I’m simply plagiarizing this and tweeting it.
Go for it Alice!!!
#PRESSON
Man the rail for Tally and utaustinliberal. They are our visiting dignitaries today.. All I can say is “Hand Salute”.
And let me add this rerun:
To most of us nothing is so invisible as an unpleasant truth. Though it is held before our eyes, pushed under our noses, rammed down our throats- we know it not.
Eric Hoffer (1902 – 1983)
Excellent! I’d like to write that quote on a piece of paper and ram it down the throats of some Republicans out there!!!!
Fired Up!
Go for it. Maude. I’ll explain later in the mail.
Ha! Uh, okay. 🙂
HELL YES UT!
You and Tally are so right. It makes me so mad I want to spit when I hear that shit about PBO’s failure to communicate!!! It is SO.NOT.TRUE!!! I am tweeting like crazy, I tweeted Tally’s comments, and I’ve tweeted the White House’s page on healthcare, also Linda’s WhatisWorking page on healthcare.
“standing up and clapping” Abso-fuckin-lutely ut! ENOUGH of the whining, folks need to read, research and learn for themselves. Yes WE can was not just a slogan only…..smh!
Right on! Could not have said it better.
Bravo, Bravo, UT! We really must stop buying into the media meme! The same media that are doing everything in their power to obstruct this president have the audacity to blame WH messaging. Sadly, some well meaning people quickly buy into that because they’ve been convinced,by some progressive Gurus, that it’s all about framing and messaging! I don’t care about the myth makers who try to suggest that Ronald Reagan, and even Bill Clinton, were better communicators than President Obama. It’s just not TRUE! The people who attend his events know it is not true. Foreign leaders repeatedly demonstrate that it is not true. Only hostile pundits keep repeating that. The same way they repeat the mantra that he is aloof and cannot relate with the average person, in spite of all the pictures on this site that tell a completely different story. Sometimes I wonder if many people in the media are not being spoon fed by Karl Rove, the master of attacking the opponent’s strength through negative framing.
“Karl Rove, the master of attacking the opponent’s strength through negative framing.”
Everyone needs this burned on the inside of their retinas….. and as soon as I figure out how to do that, I’ll let ya’ll know.
RIGHT EFFING ON TALLY. PREACH!
Good job Tally. I agree on the MSM getting a pass, while the WH is blamed for lack of messaging. Just look at the Sunday line-ups. Does anyone believe that Dems are refusing the invitation to appear? the other day there was someone on defending ACA (or attempting to) as they talked about the SCOTUS hearings. it went something like this:
host: thanks for coming on and talking aout the advantages of ACA and what happens if it’s struck down.
Dem: you;;re welcome this will be historic in that there are millions who will be removed form some healthcare already in place, for instance…
host: oh look a shiny object! What do you think about the shiny object, did PBO shine it up like that?
Dem: There are over 2 million young people already on their…..
host: so where did the shiny object come form and who put it where it is now?
Dem: The donut hole for seniors on…
host: well, that’s all we have time for, more after the break when I interview the rep from the shiny object brigade
Host: well, we’re back (turns to shiny object rep), tell me, why do you think the WH can’t seem to get their message out on ACA?
Excellent and on point. I scream and scream at the TV when this goes on.
cookemom – You nailed it again. It’s all so very sick-e-ning.
Let’s remember, the MSM is not about journalism, not about informing the public, but about infotainment. PBO and his campaign understand that, and as much as possible bypass the filter of cable news and the talking heads. They are not interested in any sense of duty to the public. They are only interested in creating drama and trying to improve ratings. So, as much as possible, they need a slap up side the head when they pull the crap about PBO’s supposed “messaging fail.” The public hates the media, and rightfully so. Best to grab them by the lapels from time to time, people like Chris Mathews, and get in their face on their real failure. I try to do that on Twitter and other media.
We call them #NEWSTAINERS for a reason, don’t we, Bill!
“The public hates the media, and rightfully so.” So, true.
We are going to get this done. We must.
#AmericaThisIsNotATest
They’re about ‘making/influencing’ news and selling personal books. In short, job security and book sales=$$$.
Tally, I think you’re missing the distinction between the substance of the ACA and everyone’s responsibility to learn relevant provisions versus political messaging. Personlly, I think the campaign and WH staff gave the American people too much credit in thinking they would learn the most important parts of the ACA which many failed to do. Add to that the outrageous rants, slangs, lies and money put in by opposition forces and the Repub message won the day on this. But all is not lost, for many it has finlly sunk in that they really do have a huge stake in this law as various provisions have taken effect. In the meantime, we all just have to keep spreading the word as much as possible. I don’t believe stating facts equates to whining. Even Axe has conceded that the messaging wasn’t the best. For me personally, it’s more a matter of frustration on messaging because PBO has done soooooooo much more than he gets credit for. When you truly dig down into his accomplishments, it is nothing short of astounding what he has done in the last three years particularly given the opposition.
ok. I love you. But This is what I’m talking about.
“Political Messaging.” Tell me please, exactly what you mean by that, and HOW they should have done it differently.
*******Tell me what they should have said instead, if you think that their “political messaging” was lacking.********
I don’t care what Axe or anyone else has said. As far as I’m concerned, those comments are just validating “we hear you whiners.”
If you feel it was lacking in some way, then you must know WHY. Let’s hear it. How could it have been better?
I can tell you “why” but I am not into marketing so can’t tell you how it should have been better. The “why” is easy, anyone who was the least bit skeptical about health care reform ended up thinking it was bad for them rather than good. That is the why, and how the repubs won this. For those of us who have followed this for years, going back to the Clintons’ attempt, the way they did this made eminent sense and understood how hard it was to do. But I was explaining all the way through (and still am to this day) to even usually educated people how this benefits them and millions of others in this country. If every statement that you perceive as remotely critical is considered whining by you, that’s fine but it doesn’t do much to help any of us figure out good responses. Instead of ranting about this as whining, how about some of the very talented people in this group give suggestions on how better to explain this? I sure don’t feel that I do the best job. So how about a group session on slogans, ideas, etc as to how better to explain this to those people who will not be bothered to go the websites to find out about this?
I will even start this by saying that when I hear negative things about the ACA I focus on the three things that will have the most meaning to many: children staying on parents’ policies until they are 27, closing the donut hole on prespcriptions for seniors and the elmination of pre-existing conditions denial. If I can keep their attention, I then add no lifetime caps, limits on admin costs to keep premiums down and the maximum amounts that can be charged as a percentage of the minimums for those with serious, chronic illnesses. I’d love to hear how others on this board sell this, particularly the individual mandate!
Great answer. 😀
Just because youre not in marketing doesn’t mean you don’t know what would make sense to YOU. 😀
A partial list of GOODIES in the ACA you can find if you click my WORD FROM TALLY box Chips has put on the side bar —-> and then click the link to my last rant on the ACA:
http://theobamadiary.com/a-word-from-tally-the-affordable-care-act/
(It’s actually 26, not 27. They stay on through 25, and are off by their 26th bithday.)
The reason that everyone thought the ACA would be bad for them is because of the GOP MEDIA. Period. Seriously, you have to think of the US in terms of the CCCP/USSR. They are PRAVDA pretty much. The Fairness Doctrine is dead. And most people don’t care unless it’s about American Idol.
We have a hard job ahead of us.
The Individual Mandate – The NO MORE FREELOADERS MANDATE
Does that work? They obviously can’t call it that because so many Anerican’s sensitivities are just too precious, but that is the truth. The FREELOADERS are the ones breaking the system, which is THE SAME REASON MANDATING AUTO INSURANCE IS LEGAL. THEY BOTH AFFECT INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
So if every person on the SCOTUS who feels that they have the right to call themselves a SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, then the vote on the ACA should be 9 – 0 in favor. PERIOD.
Atually somewhre in the last couple of days I saw a suiggestion to turn thia back on the GOP by calling it the “pesonal responsibility”provision rather than the individual mandate:-) I love it! Best suggestion I’ve heard or read on this.
What makes sense to me isn’t necsssarily where I need the help or suggestions. I know and understand the ins and outs. It’s the idea of explaining it to people who don’t much care unless there is something in it for them that I find more difficult. And frankly, I have been shocked on occasion by the lack of understanding by even some smart doctor friends. It is a tough job which is why I think it is helpful to find out what is working best for others.
FoxfireTX,
Here is a “pocket card” on ACA highlights that Tien Le, one of our talented people here at TOD, created. It’s been posted several times here at TOD over the past couple of months in various posts. I’ve been using the hell out of it. Got a printer at home/work? A pair of scissors? Print it out, cut up the cards, hand them out. It’s something tangible; small enough to carry around, stick on a bulletin board, monitor, medicine cabinet! No need for the people who couldn’t be bothered to go to a website to actually go to a website. Forward the pdf link far and wide. I’ve sent it to friends and family who have also handed them out, published it, posted it somewhere in their community, and also forwarded it on. Old school, grassroots, ripple effect, simple, done! 🙂
Click to access aca6upcard21.pdf
I think it’s hard to “get your message out”, and with the ACA there was nothing but noise. Cookemom gave a great example of how “news” show host distract with “shiney objects”. You may appear on a program and NOT be asked the right questions, and shut down or at least drowned out when you try to slip in your message. This president has been out there, on news shows local and national, entertainment shows, whatever more than any president. Weekly addresses, twitter, youtub, townhalls virtual and real.
I will say the support of the house reps and senators was seriously lacking. The house reps in particular should have been selling it on local shows. We all remember how Koch money distracted and massacred the town halls held by many democratic house reps and HHS Sebelius. I can tell I watch many WH. state department, Pelosi briefings and the jackals are all about bogus arguments, and carrying water for the GOP! Our media is bought and paid for, not here to inform but to entertain!
Yes! This president and his team has worked wonders, fighting media lies and obstructionist repubs all the way! Someone posted earlier Karl Rove made a comment about spending millions to get one man- Bin Laden! Come on, if President Obama was a republican we’d hear nothing but a listing of his many accomplishments ALL darn day long!
Personal responsibility says YOU need to find out the truth, educate yourself on what concerns you and your family! I know some could give hoot about the truth! I’ll never forget the old geezer at teabagger rally, sheepishly smiling about it ” I know I’m on SS! Come on! My saving sanity is knowing we were smart enough to elect PBO/Biden in 2008! I know despite the noise now we will do it again.
April asked Josh ( WH press briefing) a couple of days ago if the president is ” listening to what’s being said on the hill” and making contingency plans for ACA. Josh tauntingly smiled and said ” no. we are definitely not listening to what being said on the hill.” We went on to voice confidence in the constitutionality (?) of the law. He reinterated SEVERAL times that they are focused on implementation for the American people!
I’ve donated way more than 2008 ( 5.00 then) NOW I have to get out and register some folks and talk to people. We have got to cut through the noise.- OBAMA/BIDEN 2012! Thank you Tally for your inspiring “rant” I needed it!
Hi TOD! Ms. Chips, there’s another “Word from Tally to add to the rest of the Word From Tally links. It was on Nov. 4. 2011. “Facts for Everyone Who Claims to Be A liberal Progressive”. I just sent it the other day to a Colleague who was still bitching about Gitmo, NDAA and their disappointment in PBO..
http://theobamadiary.com/a-word-from-tally/
Hiya purpleshoesla, thanks a million – I had that post in the list of links, but had the wrong date on it 😳 Corrected, thanks again!
and thank you for consolidating all of them in one link! Makes it even easier to circulate & educate! 🙂
Purpleshoesla, I’ve been meaning to do that for – ooooooh – about 100 months, finally got around to it today! Whenever you want to see the list, just click on the ‘A Word from Tally’ link in the right sidebar.
Chipsticks ~ Supergenius
😆
Supergenius? I like that. 😆
Hey you, Wonder Woman – thank you again for your energy/truth/positivity-packed posts, you are a whirlwind of magnificent let’s-do-it-ness. Oi, I just made up a shiny new word 😎
I don’t like that ‘A Word From Tally’ icon I have in the sidebar – have you any preferences for a replacement??
uhm……. You can use my photo thingie, until I get new headshots in a few weeks.
I’m thinking a stilletto and a riding crop might be a bit much. 😀
Uh, no, they wouldn’t. 🙂
Make it so. 😀
Hey Chips. Lest you think me rude. Thank you sooooooooo much for my winner pictures. It felt good being rewarded for coming in first. 😀
You are most welcome UT!!!! When was your last first? For a while there you were neck and neck with VC for hopeless fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths……..
And a hearty congratulation to you on your 1st placement, UTAL!
.
.
.
Really, CC, I don’t understand you anymore, ever since you have gotten ‘changed’ by this award distribution thingy. Is it a fault that SOME OF US are considerate of the other members of the family? That we don’t push ourselves forward all the time. (**downcast eyes**) That we are not trying to take it all for ourselves, but are willing to allow others to step forward and be acknowledged? You ought to be proud that we are validating the values that PBO keeps reminding the country about – we are our brother’s/sister’s keeper. I for one am exceedingly happy with my recent prize and would like others to have the experience. Indeed, another prize right now might actually dilute the pleasure of the last and I can’t have that. When souls like UTAL and I step back it opens the way for others. If I can only convince Tally and a couple of other regular winner of this, we’ll have a truly open field.
**eyes remain downcast and demure as I move off to the right with dignity** [ Gawsh, how I wish there was a stick-your-tongue-out smilie ]
Some of you younger folk may not have made the connection that #AmericaThisIsNotATest is meant to convey.
As a child of the 50s, every 1st Friday the air raid sirens would wail, the radio would announce ‘this is a test’ and hum for a min, you’d get under your desk, or whatever, and you’d awake screaming in the middle of the night from the mushroom cloud video clips they’d shown you in school. Talk about a national scale induction of PTSD – you betcha.
Now, putting that into 140 characters … and having it be relevant …
Look everyone, we are truly in the ferment of a tectonic event in the history of our Republic. Tally is bang on correct – it is for every citizen to get into this struggle right now because come 7 Nov 2012 and we have not re-elected President Obama our experiment in democracy will be crushed because that is just what, by their words and deeds, guys like Norquist, Koch, Cantor, etc intend. They are not bluffing.
#PRESSON
Tally, my thoughts exactly. I have followed every inch of this presidency. He has inundated as many airwaves as possible with his messaging.
I don’t see what else they could have done, Axe not withstanding.
I have sent your commentary to all my friends. May it travel far and wide, and have a multiplying effect!
As Joe Biden said, the repubs are not hiding the ball this time.
Thank you for bringing a Joe Biden quote here, to remind me all’s right with the world! Love that man. 🙂
Not sure which one of those two guys I love more 🙂
Damn. Is it my birthday?
Love you, Chips!
Jacquelineoboomer, you do be very welcome! 😉
Yay! 🙂
I have two new voter registrations in my purse….I am organizing something for the 22nd of October down the street from my house…Lynn University….
I am going out tomorrow for the GOTV efforts here in Palm Beach County Florida.
Be sure you turn it in, 48 hours after the voter signs it.
I got certified by OFA last month to register voters. They give courses, with all the information available.
Otherwise, good luck.
I have been doing this for years. Thank you Jovie
And thank you, proud, for all of your involvement! #PressOn
Thank you too Proud M & Jovie.
Biden is on, he will stick up for womens rights.
I don’t think that was her point. The shows have regressed and display little diversity. 12 white men going on tv and telling this big, diverse country this, that and the other isn’t very smart.
It’s fucking imbecillic.
Yes, that’s a nice way to put it, Tally 🙂
Fully concur, btw.
#AmericaThisIsNotATest
And …
#PRESSON
And another thing- it’s very difficult getting you message out when POTUS gives a speech and-
First- before the speech- every pundit and their Mother tells us what he should say, or the networks don’t show it, or they only show parts of it, or they show the entire speech, but the Pundits come on afterwards saying what he should have said again!
Exactly. So when the President does give a speech, I watch only the speech, then mute the rest of the good-for-nothings! Had to learn that the hard way, like everybody else, but it’s the only way.
THIS! Jovie, you totally nailed the problem why the American people are so misinformed about President Obama’s message and his impressive achievements in his first term.
It took a little while, but Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has finally decided whether or not he will run in the upcoming recall election.
He’s in.
In a Friday afternoon email to supporters, Barrett, who has twice run unsuccessfully for governor, announced that he will be making a third bid for the state’s highest office as part of the recall election of Gov. Scott Walker.
“We need to bring our state back,” Barrett wrote in the note. “Wisconsin needs a governor who is focused on jobs, not ideology; a leader committed to bringing our state together and healing political wounds, not pitting people against each other and catering to the special interests.
“This is the governor I will be for the people of Wisconsin.”
Barrett’s candidacy will have an immediate impact.
http://m.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/barrett31-mk4qdt3-145223335.html
THANK YOU JOVIE & MAYOR TOM BARRETT!!
Thank you Tally, I TAKE UP YOUR CALL TO ACTION. I know that I will be VERY VOCAL and ACTIVE if the Corporate owed SCOTUS Five rules against ANY part of the ACA. This is pure activism because it is NOT those bastards job to tell Congress they CAN’T CONTROL and REGULATE COMMERCE. These bastards won’t know what hit them if they do this. I am sick and tired of the GOP and all their bullshit spewed against this president…almost calling him a n-i-g….People need to wake up because those fools that want to go back to paying the high cost of insurance are just stupid. I am a public worker and I just received a letter stating that the Gov and Legislature wants to increase our deductible from $150 to $300 for single people and for a family it will be $1200, what the hell?! They want to change our pensions to a 401K to be at the mercy of Wall Street.
Tally, tell us what you really feel. And I am going to add a suggestion, something I just started doing the last few days. I think we all have received those mass emails with RW talking points, usually lies. In the past, I would just delete them, but I have realized that that is conceding the messaging to the RW. So, yes, we send out emails, but it is also important, when we have the opportunity, not to let their lies go unchallenged.
So now, whenever I get one of those emails I hit the Reply To All button (I know I am not going to be able to convince the person who sent it initially) and put the truth in front of all the people that received the original email, with links if possible.
I can’t make people believe something, but I can at least give them the opportunity to make a choice based upon the truth.
By the way, as I mentioned on another thread, I did this a couple days ago and got several responses thanking me.
And you can be a voice of dissent instead of just another sheep.
To post or not to post? It will end my relationship at TOD. Do I say what I feel and what I know? Or just shut up?
When my choice is to shut up, then I feel I must speak. I hope that TOD will at least consider what I’m about to say.
I have watched this President change the narrative on jobs, manufacturing, taxes, the debt ceiling, Republicans in general, and returnto a progressive narrative that is inspiring as I’ve never seen. He will do so with his amazing gifts throughout this campaign like no other politician in my 62 years on this planet. On ACA, this administration did not do the same stellar job. It’s true. It doesn’t mean I don’t love him. And Tally, it doesn’t mean that I don’t tweet, email, ‘talk to strangers’, and work my ass off. It is not JUST the media’s problem, it was a miscalculation on the part of the administration, despite a continuing campaign on the part of Republicans to use ACA against this President and against the American people.
I deal with seniors all the time, of various income levels, almost all of them Democrats. I work and work and work, print out articles and info and charts. I talk to these people over and over. If I can get them to a computer and get them on FB, every day I am posting links. They don’t listen to Rush, but they do listen to the President. To say that people who don’t know a gigabyte from a gila monster is an understatement (as I’m trying to teach my 72 year old husband how to use a computer and find information on his own. Tally, my love, to send seniors to ‘whitehouse.gov’ or healthcare.gov’ is not an answer to an existing problem that a majority of Americans, and the majority of seniors, don’t have a clue how ACA is helping them or will help them in the future. MSM didn’t want the President’s message to get out on the debt ceiling, on taxing the 1%, on fairness, on decency, on jobs, on manufacturing but he got the message out. Even after the disaster of 2010, ACA was an afterthought in the messaging priorities. It doesn’t mean I’m a lazy slob for saying so. It means I’m frustrated as all hell because even after 2010, Americans do not know how vitally important ACA is to not only the health of every American citizen, but to its economy and the jobs and security this law will create. This President has been able to effectively message on damn near everything else; and although there are a number of people who don’t think ACA will be important to the 2012 election, I just can’t agree.
Yes, the Medicare booklet, arriving 5 days before the 2010 election, did mention that ACA had provided new benefits. Every senior I know had already voted, and voted on fear. We did not get mailings that focused on how vitally important this law is. It is frustrating to keep re-informing so many people, over and over. I use all of the tools the adminsitration and the campaign provides. But how ACA is interwoven into the ‘freedom’ Americans will have to become entrepreneurs, to start businesses where health care will be affordable to employees, to have the security of affordable health care no matter what your employment status, and the ‘freedom’ from pre-existing conditions that lock us out of the system — this should be conventional wisdom by now and it is not. That’s not my fault for being a lazy whiner. The administration did not make that message a priority until a few weeks ago and I hope and pray it is not too late.
This does not make me disloyal and I resent being labeled that way. Does it make me concerned? Yes. Does that mean my feelings mean I’m disloyal and trying to hurt the President? Am I defined by my one area of criticism instead of the mountain of positive feelings and comments and efforts I try to do every day to support him and help him be reelected? Is not my experience out there in the trenches, instructive? Or should I just shut up and be yelled at because seniors aren’t going to healthcare.gov?
I’m a ‘downer’. I’m ‘destructive’. I’ve written the campaign, the WH about folding ACA into every speech on jobs. I’m not saying they should listen to me, but I believe that weaving it into the fabric of President Obama’s message for America would be immensely productive and helpful to not only his reelection, but a realignment to sanity and the vision of America that I was raised to cherish.
I believe with my entire heart and soul that Barack Obama is one of the finest Presidents in history and has been fought by the most horrific obstruction and disrespect this country has ever seen. It is a disgrace of massive proportions that rips my heart apart every day, and yes, Tally, I turn that energy for good and positive action. I am saddened that there is no room for any criticism of any kind, and that in itself will end up being destruction.
Bye, guys. You are the best, hardest working family I have ever seen. But I no longer belong here.
I have work to do in my own way. You have work to do in your way. I will be very lonely without you but I can’t be told to shut up any more. It’s just insulting and hurtful.
Don’t leave, please. There is some truth to what you say as there is truth to what Tally says. The administration has said they could have done better. At the same time there were many on the left that were also critical and they did nothing to take what the administration was saying and spread it around.
Day after day you wuld hear about polls saying 60% of the American public was against ACA, but the media never pointed out that half of those people were against it because they didn’t think it went far enough. If those idiots (which is exactly what they were) had just out there and said, yeah, we’re unhappy that it doesn;t go far enough but for it because it represents a great first step, it would have been 30-35% against it and 65% for it, which would have quickly changed the narrative.
True, I don’t think the administration aniticipated the viciousness of the attacks from the RW and the out and out lies, but I do believe, since they were dealing with several other crises at the same time, that they expected their “allies” to take up some of the burden of bgetting the message out.
Agree a bazliion %.
Please don’t leave 57.
Hi 57andfemale, thanks a million for that thoughtful response.
I’m going to ask you, with all my heart, not to leave. I appreciate, so much, what you contribute here, and I would be desperately sad if you stopped commenting.
Tally’s post was an opinion piece, you are just as welcome to post your opinions here – and if you ever want your thoughts on any issue to be posted, like Tally’s, on the ‘front page’ just let me know. The only people I don’t want posting stuff on the blog are opponents of the President, and you most certainly do not fit in to that category.
What I want more than anything here are supporters of the President slugging it out with different opinions on how best to get things done, and how best to get him re-elected. So please stay, and slug it out.
For what it’s worth, I’m torn on the messaging issue. I honestly can never decide whether it’s the fault of the administration for not doing better spreading the word about the immense benefits of the ACA, or whether they simply could not break through the incessant media effort to portray it negatively. Even now I’m still not sure which it is. I suspect it’s a bit of both.
My suspicion is that there was some over-confidence on the administration’s part after the passing of the ACA, because it was such an enormous, historical achievement, and because it would clearly change people’s lives for the better, they felt it would sell itself. I think they underestimated the ability and willingness of the opposition – the GOP and their allies in the media – to spin lie after lie about the ACA and distort the facts at every turn about its positive impact.
I understand what everyone is saying, that the admin did make big efforts to spread the good news about the ACA, but I do, honestly, think they needed to work harder on it. As 57andfemale said: “We did not get mailings that focused on how vitally important this law is… the Medicare booklet, arrived 5 days before the 2010 election”. That’s just crazy.
Hey everyone, let’s not break up over this, we want the same thing, we just have differences about the messaging.
Again 57andfemale, please keep commenting here. Thanks.
I’m a ‘downer’ too. I think they totally fucked up the ACA message, I think that most of PBO’s advisors are way way below his league, and I have no problem saying it. I’m secured enough in my love and support of the man. And I think that you are too. I hope you’ll stay, there is no other place like what Chip created here and we need every voice from now to November.
I have disagreed with you before on this messaging thingy and I disagree now. Obama and OFA did their parts splendidly but the msm’s undue and completely one-sided coverage of teabaggers and emoprogs drowned out their voices.
I know that we disagree about that. 🙂 It’s okay, we agree about many other things.
Of course, bwd. Unity in diversity and all that. 🙂
57andfemale,
I understand how you feel. If someone post something that most on this blog is and will disagree with, they are called names and automatically their support for President Obama is questioned. It has happened to me.
Brit, I’ve never had any problem with the thoughts on issues that you’ve posted here, I know you support the President, even if you are unhappy with him on several fronts. If I did have a problem I would have blocked you, long ago. All I ask is that you be a little less ‘hostile’ towards those here with whom you disagree, and I’d ask those who disagree with you to be the same.
What?! Where are you going? Who told you to ‘shut up’?! Look 57, it’s fine to disagree with the methods and yes, some people do get upset when we start saying that PBO’s admin didn’t do something as well as they could have. The point is, that stuff is in the past. It’s over, ACA messaging or whatever the fuck people wanna call it, is likely one of the few regrets PBO has but at least the admin started to hammer home the message as soon as they realized the Repugs were hijacking it. Let’s not rehash the past but find ways to help PBO get the message out. Also, it’s true, sometimes we don’t want to hear negative stuff in this one place we have that’s safe from all the naysayers who always bring bad news and doom and gloom for PBO. That’s fine. That’s what TOD is supposed to be. Doesn’t mean we bury our heads in the sand, it just means that we don’t let the negative narrative of the outside take over and defeat us. You don’t need to go anywhere, it’s just a matter of respecting everyone’s boundaries. The unofficial rules here from my perspective are:
1. No emoprog talking points
2. No trolls/ trolling or undercover bs
3. State your opinions but be mindful of others
4. TOD is a PBO site, its a safe haven so don’t corrupt it and turn it into Old Orange or Huffie Puff
In regards to the last point, if people want to lament and wring their hands they should take a few minutes and go to the aforementioned sites to piss and moan, then come back here once it’s outta their systems. No one’s asking you to go, 57. Infact, you should stay, but we all have to keep in mind those unspoken tenets. It’s okay to speak your mind or worry about PBO and the admin. it’s not okay to go on and on ad nauseum about what he or she did wrong and how we are doomed (I’m speaking generally here, this part has nothing to do with you.)
Ps- I wasn’t being facetious about going to Old Orange and Huffie Puff to worry excessively over stuff concerning PBO. I’m being very serious and sincere. It’ll help people who are very concerned blow off steam and it limits any damage to the relationship between the individual and TOD. It’s like a marriage, you get frustrated and angry so you take yourself outta the situation before you say something damaging. You go unwind in whatever way you need to, then you come back, state your concern, engage in a conversation, if the other person can’t see it your way or they can’t empathize, you agree to disagree and move on. So I hope you don’t leave for good. I hope this is the point in the disagreement where you walk away for a few minutes, get everything together and come back to the table. This issue, whatever it is, is nothing to fight about. It’s nothing to drive a wedge between us. The how’s and wherefores of ACA messaging pre 2010 is frankly over and old news. No use crying or fighting over spilt milk. Let’s just re-group and do our best to fight TOGETHER for what we believe in. So, I– as a member of TOD — will give you your space–for now– but I expect to see you back here rearing and ready to go sometime soon. That’s all I have to say about that. Much love.
1. Don’t leave, we need you. We need your strength. We need your passion. I’m not on here every day, and I don’t read every post, and to be honest, coming from you, I’m surprsied that you would see yourself in what I wrote and think this was in any way directed at you personally.
2. I never told YOU to just shut up. I never told ANYONE to just be silent. And I certainly never called out you or anyone speciifically. I said, to please frame it another way instead of saying “OBAMA = FAIL @ [insert here]” Being negative, and saying it again, and again, and again, reinforces in many simlpe minds that very negative. Especially when coming from anyone who is as well informed as people here are. These people count on you to understand the bigger picture, and trust you. So negativity + Faux News + infinite GOP MEDIA = stay at home voter. THIS IS THE SAME REASON WE HATE ON THE PUNDITS LIKE MATTHEWS…… HE GOES NEGATIVE. Bill Maher does it, Stewart does it, “WHY CAN’T THE PRESIDENT… blah blah blah????” And we scream back at the tv – HE IS YOU STUPID IDIOT!
3. You said, “it was a miscalculation on the part of the administration” In what way specifically? If you could explain that, it would be helpful. Just saying FAIL isn’t.
4. I knew about the goodies in the ACA from the President’s mouth, long before it was signed into law, which was 8 months before the election. I also got mailers before that. I’m surprised to hear these seniors only received their first one 5 days before the election. If you said, “The WH should send out MORE MAIL INFO, And WAY IN ADVANCE OF ANY ELECTIONS – on POSTCARDS with bullet points on them, in LARGE, EASY TO READ FONT, so it’s CLEAR, and SIMPLE, instead of in an envelope that might just get thrown away.” That would be helpful. That is my point. You might not feel you’re being negative, only constructively critizising, but it does come off to many people who don’t think like we do, in a negative way, and coupled with the rest of the endless negativity only adds up in their brains as “even the Obama supporters are unhappy with him.” That is bad. That makes people stay home, or worse, vote for anyone else.
5. Who said “downer”? I guess I missed that.
6. Once upon a time I wrote and did a part of a radio show for another liberal website. The guy who runs it was a Hillary supporter and he never got over it. If you want to see negative reinforcement on the left, you can go there – send me a DM in twitter, and I’ll tell you the site. It’s as bad as ORANGELAND – which at it’s worst, is a prime example of what I’m talking about. Anyway, this guy has lost MOST of his readership, and donations. People tried to tell him over and over and over, including me, until my fingers bled, that he was doing more harm than good – like Ed telling people in 2010 to STAY HOME AND SEND A MESSAGE. He still hasn’t gotten the message. I wish he’d wake the fuck up.
I’m asking you and everyone here to step up, and to be more sensitive of what you’re saying and HOW you’re saying it. Basically, I’m asking ALL OF YOU to BE AS GOOD AT MESSAGING as you want the Adminsitration to be. Our President is a prime example of this:
STAY POSITIVE x INFINTY.
This.
ALL OF YOU to BE AS GOOD AT MESSAGING as you want the Adminsitration to be.
Critics are dime a dozen. Whiny blogs are dime a gross. GOTM if you care. Then you can see how hard it is. I see people complaining how their own messaging doesn’t get across to other people even if they are very good messengers. Exactly. Every admin has the same problem. Many people are willfully ignorant. Them is the reality. So plaints about admin’s messaging doesn’t help a whit. Monday morning quarterbacking is just that. Including my post.
57andfemale..I will be 62 in December, I work with seniors. I do hope you will stay here on TOD with us. In our work,we have learned nt to take things people say personally. PBO says it’s not about him. We all move forward as a group. Each voice has its own tone and pitch, but together we create the music that is the choir; some of us hit the wrong note sometimes, but we practice, we learn to blend our gift. Few of us have the strength or talent to fly solo. President Obama needs all of us, together. Please take a break, but then, when you are ready, please come back to us. You are loved.
President Barack Hussein Obama’s “messaging” resulted in us even having the historic ACA to debate in the first place. You are acting as if they passed this incredible legislation, which clearly will lead to single-payer if the general public stays engaged, in a vacuum. He got it passed. It was signed into law. The political minefield he transversed to get this signed into law is quite literally breathtaking. The Administration’s “messaging” is filtered by the MegaMedia, which is 100% owned now by a few billionaires who bought it all up over the last few decades specifically keep Liberal legislation from being passed (i.e. raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires). This is the context they operate within. The positives from the Obama Administration are so immense that any possible critique any real Liberal might have of them is so minor that it shouldn’t lead to such division. That’s exactly what those MegaMedia owners want.
As Bobfr continually points out, these next several months are about literally saving the great “American experiment” forever. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s not about President Barack Hussein Obama as a person. It’s about saving the Republic from a fascist takeover. That’s not hyperbole. If you’ve done those things you mentioned in terms of spreading the word about President Obama and ACA, then good on ya. Please continue doing that, but if you can’t get over your own personal ego and continually insist on making the same point over and over in place of realizing the stakes involved here, then perhaps you are correct – this isn’t the place for you in my opinion, but of course, it’s not my place nor my call.
Is this the 3rd or 4th time now you’ve expended considerable time and energy leaving a post like this announcing that you’re leaving, which results in so many of the nice people here trying to talk you into staying? It’s a big Internet, and you and Jovie, who has also done this several times and even gets insulting towards many of us here when this happens (kudos to you for not doing that at least) can start your own place or find another where no one will ever challenge your opinions. I’m sure saintroscoe would be happy to join you two. You know how they say, “No Drama Obama?” You might be able to learn something from that.
Thank you for this dose of blunt reality Bonkers. I agree with your sentiments. It’s 2012. Enough with the whining. Enough. This election is not about 57andFemale. It’s not about her ego. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about saving the soul of America. President Obama said it best today: “This is not just another election. This is a defining moment for the American people.” 57andFemale has written three posts about how she wants to leave the site and we all beg her to stay, then she stays, then she does the same thing again. It’s not fair on us. We’re thankful for her hard work but she never acknowledges the fact that despite the so called “bad messaging” PBO passed a historic bill called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. She never offers concrete evidence of the “miscalculation on the part of the administration” How does one live life continually griping about the past? How does one succeed in life continually whining about the past? You live life by getting up everyday even if life kicked you hard the day before and you keep on fighting. This was PBO’s message today: Fight, fight, fight. Press On. Stop whining please. Just stop the whining and fight, fight, fight.
Co-sign bonkers. You’ve hit the nail on the head. What’s the point of repeatedly talking about the failed messaging when it only results in the same back and forth each time. It seems this topic is introduced by the same folks every few weeks like clockwork. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. It’s like groundhog day over and over again and it’s pointless.
Where can I get that T-shirt ? 🙂
I’m with you bonkers. Change, especially in a rightwing country like us of a (fuck the polls that are constantly flaunted by dkos saying it’s a center left country), is hard. Deal with it like Obama is doing.
Amk, I wish I knew. It’s just an expression. 🙂
57: ppl have written way lots better things than me so i’m going to keep mine short – you not a downer or destructive. you are a hard worker and passionate in your belief about PBO. You contribute thoughtful things and of course you can do as you wish but I hope you continue to find things to write on here. I always stop to read what you write.
anyway. that’s all. I hope all will be well with you and all here at TOD
Please, please don’t leave 57. We are all of us trying hard to get a big job done and we need all voices, all hands working together. I have always found your perspectives to be thoughtful and have appreciated your courage in expressing yourself. We have many low points in the months ahead and we’ll need to rely on each other for help and support. Sometimes we get frustrated because we feel we’re such tiny drops in big oceans of poison and the task just seems too great. But we can each make a small difference with the people we know and talk to and hope that they, too, will be empowered the carry the message on to their friends and neighbors. What we can’t afford to do is lose each other, so please stay and hold your ground. It takes all of us.
The president poured all that he had to get the massive health care bill through the impossibly hard-headed and contentious Congress and I’m talking about Democrats. The 2700 page document is a massive achievement that frightened the R’s silly, which is why so many millions have been spent to undermine and smear it. I think the administration always knew that the bill had to be felt to be understood because it was just too complex. I think that’s why he pushed for a rapid SCOTUS decision so that he could get the constant carping and lawsuits about the mandate behind him and let the bill work its magic on real people. Our regional OFA director talked to us about that and he said that when people get on the phone and tell personal stories about themselves or friends it makes a huge difference in understanding. I think that’s our actual role on the ground–talking one on one and sharing stories about ACA. We need a place where we can share out successes, fears and frustrations and Chips has provided us with this Godsend of a site. We all need your voice and your talent here, just as we need Tally’s passion, and Bob’s tweeting genius.
Please, we must also help communicate as broadly as we can about the wholesale purchase of voter suppression tactics by the RW Super Pacs. Ed Kilgore (the blogger who took over Steven Benen’s spot at WaMo) writes about it today:
Super-Thugs
In a New York Times op-ed, Progressive Policy Institute executive director Lindsay Mark Lewis and PPI senior fellow Jim Arkedis (disclosure: I’m a PPI senior fellow as well) put us all on notice about one of the implications of the advent of Super-PACs that hasn’t much been discussed: they are an ideal mechanism for election-day shenanigans, particularly money-driven voter suppression efforts.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_03/superthugs036390.php
Meta, this disturbs me deeply and keeps me up at night. The only thing we can do is have monitors lawyers, watchers at work everywhere to nip misinformation in the bud and make sure officials are doing their jobs. This is an all-hands on deck effort. Every Obama supporters, every OFA volunteer is also en election watcher and reporter.
Just as an OT note: I was just checking the tote board and collegekay still has a large lead. Not to get complacent, however, I will make sure I don’t let her drop out of the lead. But, scrolling down the list, there was also an entry for The Obama Diary with 3 contributions. How did that happen?
I wouldn’t worry about that japa. Chips has a link to her fundraising page on the sidebar. So some folks may have donated to her as well. No worries.
Ah ha, Collegekay, that link has led to your fundraiser since last night 😉 You can do it, I’ll post another gentle reminder in the morning.
You’re the best. I just got off the phone with OFA about an hour ago. They’re going to do a short post about this challenge.
I’ll be out registering voters tomorrow until mid-afternoon. Hopefully those donations keep rolling in while I am gone.
Hiya Japa, usually some ridiculously lovely people donate through the blog’s own OFA fundraiser most weeks, so that’s what happened there. I changed the link in the sidebar last night so it would lead to Collegekay’s fundraising page, so hopefully that will add a few more donations.
Speaking of PBO’s teeth, from the last thread.
I used to be a Dean Koontz fan for light reading. That is until I read in one of his books, about 2 years ago., a small section where his hatred for this president nearly knocked me over. He did not use the president’s name, but I believe he referred to his office, and he definitely referenced his perfect teeth.
He has invested heavily in the Republican party, and that is fine. But, I had to stop buying his books, not because of his party but because of his obvious hatred. Broke my heart, because I like the “Odd” series. However, I can’t support someone who exudes hate. If he feels like that about PBO, he’d feel like that about me.
Wow! I had no idea. I used to love Dean Koontz to until I got a reprint of one of his first books. I think it was called ‘Iceberg’. Horrible, I never even finished it. Never let your publisher push you to reprint a dud 🙂
I used to love Koontz, until all his books started to be the same damn formula with different characters. zzzzzzzzz
He lives in OC, CA which is basically Redneckistahn South. Fuck him. He wants to be Stephen King, but hasn’t the soul, or the talent.
@Tally
The location says a lot (yech!!). And you are right, he will never, ever be S.K.
I read a few of his books — can’t even remember their names– when i was in middle school– for fun, it wasnt assigned reading. I stopped once I discovered Michael Crichton, Pat Conroy, David Baldacci and started to sneak and read my mom’s Sidney Sheldon books and my aunts Jackie Collins books. Who here remembers ‘The Bitch’?! oooooh! And there’s another book I remember. I went to visit my aunt the summer I turned 12 and she had this book I snuck and read. Can’t rember the title or author. It was about this girl who was crazy about the boy next door and something happened so she moved away and got caught up in some bad stuff that she was ashamed of and deeply regretted. She then marries some famous guy, but she’s still in love with the rich guy next door from her teenage years. The famous husband to into some accident and lost his legs and she had to take care of him. But by this time, her first love has come back into the picture and she is still really into him. The husband drowns in the swimming pool but all this time, he’s known she doesn’t love him and that she resents him. Can’t remember if it was an accidental drowning or if she loosened the breaks on his wheel chair and ran him into the pool. She then goes on a cruise with her first love, but the husband has the last laugh because he has video footage of all that stuff she did in the past and both the wife and boyfriend see it on a theatre screen on the yatch/ship whatever. I think she was so wounded, she jumped into the ocean and committed suicide. I think I remembered the author writing that the moon light reflected off the water and she could see her husbands face in it before she jumped. Not exactly light reading for a 12 year old. Thank god my aunt never found out what I was doing at midnight with a stolen flashlight and too much nosiness.
That’s OK. I was about 12 when I snuck and read Harold Robbins in installments from my sister’s sock drawer. Did he also write ‘The Happy Hooker’? Also a spicey rendition of ‘Lady Chatterly’s Lover’. I read some heavy insightful books at 12 too, like James Baldwin and Margaret Mead, ‘A Rap on Race’. 🙂
That almost sounds like an updated verions of Wuthering Heights on steroids…… 😉
Thanks for letting us know, Eve. I never got into his books but I always have a book handy to take to the beach and now I know it will never be one of his. I will not give money to support idiots.
“unless you can say it in a “we should do specifically this to achieve this outcome” manner, instead of “why haven’t they done/fixed/solved this” way, kindly STFU.”
Tell it Tally. Tell it.
If you are not a part of the solution, you are part of the problem. So please.. . . kindly STFU.
Kudos on this piece Tally.
I don’t get the messaging thing either. Never did. You can go to Whitehouse.gov and select areas of interest where you receive DAILY updates on a particular issue that you care about. After the initial set up, you don’t have to search again. All you have to do is log into your email and there it is. So to say messaging is this administrations problem is just silly.
I have to admit, I was gobsmacked to find out SCOTUS Justice Scalia played the part of an ignorant Republican congressman with poor cognitive function or reading skills when Scalia referred to “the Cornhusker kickback” as if it was part of the ACA.
Then, related to the confession of 57andfemale above, I happened to think, if Justice Scalia is that uninformed, how can we reach the people who aren’t armed and savvy about computers, notebooks, smart phones or have easy and ready access to television, newspapers that will feature ACA information as “the public’s right to know” like they do the latest gory accident?
This would be why the GOP is so anxious to defund the Post Office. But it might behoove the Obama Administration — in the next 7 months — to mass mail easily understood and fun-to-read (cartoons?) informational flyers about the ACA to…everybody in the USA…
Of course, if SCOTUS scuttles the ACA, or even just the individual mandate, I’m sure the GOP has their YAY, WE WON!! propaganda machine all ready to go.
Uh, Scalia may not be uninformed, but mearly looking to mislead! Think about it, if you are a “conservative activist republican SCOTUS” knowing you will have to give the democratic president a stamp of constitutionality on his signature piece of lesgislation, the ACA aka Obamacare you might try to throw in some republican mud too.
I too like the idea of the mailers! Again I say some folks choose to be “misinformed” It’s like republicans liking a mandate until this president! They were for it until against it!
57 and female while I do not agree with your stance on WH messaging for healthcare just becoming a priority I certainly have agreed and always appreciate your posts. Please reconsider, take a breather for a day or 2 if needed. Your presence would sorely be missed 🙂 I rarely post, do not tweet, mostly I think because it takes really putting yourself “out there.” It’s hard not to take it personally when there is disagreement or a difference of perspective. No, no one here should ever shut up. As FLOTUS is always saying to the young ones she mentors, use your voice. That’s what so many of you do on here everyday. Please don’t make us loose your voice here at TOD. Peace!
This. Scalia’s not uniformed..he chooses to play the fool when it’s written all over his ugly face that he needs to mainline Broccoli.
I don’t believe for one minute that Scalia is uninformed. He was acting a part, essentially mugging for his Republican audience.
I’m at Winstar casino in Oklahoma waiting for Ralph, Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike & Johnny.
Getting ready for some N.E. Heartbreak
Who is Ralph, Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike & Johnny?
57andFemale,
I wish you would not go. You will be greatly missed.
I hate it when this happens. Once Yardarm almost left; I was so glad he did not.
My take on what Tally was saying, I directed to people who are not on TOD. The only problem I had with Tally’s post was the language, not that I’m self-righteous, but I had to pick and choose who to send this to because of the language, because I know my friends.
Other than that, I thought it was spot-on, for I have felt the same way.
I could spout off the majority of ACA’s benefits, and I learned them from PBO’s speeches, I followed every televised forum he did on the ACA, and I feel very well-informed, even without going to the web-site. I, personally, don’t know what else he could have done.
I’ll miss your insight.
I think you guys will like this little tidbit from OFA-
http://www.barackobama.com/news/entry/45-organizers
Every 32k donated is another paid staffer…
Very cool. I love that this is so transparent and we know the money isn’t being wasted on garbage consultants and doughnuts.
I hope you all get to see Maddow’s piece on Romney’s FP.
Tonight?
ooooh. I just realized I’m on that channel, so I hit record, and now have almost the entire show. go. me.
What part??
The last one. The first 10 minutes were very good too.
57, I’m relatively new here, cause it’s taken me awhile to find a new blog home that I feel comfortable coming to. I never expect 100% agreement with everybody about everything, but I do know that the folks here are of like mind most of the time. I’m always open to other’s opinions and their call to action, tweets, twitters and twats. It’s up to me to decide if it matches my political view and whether I’ll heed the call. In most cases, because we’re on this site called The Obama Diary, the viewpoints and actions will be ones that I share. I would never think that a like-minded person on something as critical as this next election would intentionally try to upset me. I’m sure Tally wasn’t trying to make any one of us feel a personal affront. Your point is well taken, as is that of others. It takes a lot for me to clutch my pearls, chicken little, or feel defeated, but even if I did, no way do I take my valuable marbles and leave. This is probably not going to come off as intended. The innertubz has a way of devoiding emotions, but my intent is not to admonish, but to offer that you realize your value/worth to a site like this and work for the greater goal of the re-election campaign with us here. I guess I’m just not that easily roused and I don’t see slights from friends. With all of the hard work you described in your post, how is it that anything like a post on a blog could turn you away from the entire site? Maybe that’s why folks say I have to be hit in the head with a brick….or that I’m the last one to… you get the picture.
TTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSS
thisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisthisx∞
Robney is giving a speech at the University of Vermont, Saturday. Just kidding…
😆
A sneak preview of his audience:
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Exactly. Good one.
BBBWWAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!
If I’m not mistaken, that really is an image from one of Willard’s previous audiences! And these two look like they’re just trying to get inside from the rain. 🙂
lol
Haha. It does sound like something he would do and then FAIL.
He can’t even sell t-shirts!
He’s probably fired the t-shirt salesman!
57 andfemale…the Obama umbrella is big enough for all of us. I left the OFA site and came here about a year ago (after first going to The Only Adult In The Room), for similar reasons as you are now expressing. If any of us expressed disappointment in the WH (at OFA site) we were labeled “trolls”. I couldn’t take it, and there was no wonderful monitoring like we have here with Chips. I don’t agree with everything our President does, nor do I agree with every person on this site, but what I do know is we all agree that this President has the best interest of our country as his driving force.
Please don’t leave us, I rarely comment, but I do enjoy the pictures, the information Chips gives us and the “naughty mat” moments > I’m 57 too, 1955 girl, and my hot flashes seem to be made worse by those “naughty mat” moments. 57, where else will you have first knowledge of our President singing Al Green! Stay please!! we need the balance, and we do take care of one another, even when we disagree.
Yes I too believe the messaging from the WH on the ACA could of been better, we lost control of the narrative and never got it back. I am very disappointed that our lead physician, our Surgeon General, was not out doing town-hall meetings and explaining what the ACA was and more importantly, what is was not. As a physician myself I was angered the the narrative was being driven by politicians and not physicians. I believe she has not done well in this regard and her lack of voice on the birth control debacle also left me angered.
So 57…take a break from us if you must, but please come back. I am hoping for a lighter tone and more naughty mat moments that make us smile and keep us focused…the next few months will be a challenge, but lets work together, with a smile and knowledge that history is on our side. We have the best President and First Lady, we are lucky indeed. If Americans can’t see that come November, well then we don’t deserve such a transformative couple.
What I think happens on all blogs is, sometimes people will be on Twitter or Facebook, or done other Liberal blog.
They will end up defending the President, until the get tired and leave the place.
Then, without knowing, they will come here and start reading posts.
Still simmering, from being over at some other blog!
Before you know it, that same person is being aggressive toward a poster on this site, unnecessarily. And that is how a lot of this bitterness starts.
Me thinks, this happens all the time.
Just saying!
Jovie, you are so right, OFA was so frustrating. I stayed until it no longer provided me with the information that I needed. Too much negative information and trolls.
This place is great. I don’t expect the President to stop what he is doing to become the p.r. department. His job is too important. I try to educate my family and friends on the message that they must get out. My facebook and tweeter connection always spread the information. It’s better than emails.
“Compassion is a mental quality that can bring us true lasting inner peace and inner strength.” ~HHDL 30 March 2012 (@DalaiLama)
ZEN!
Did anyone catch Ed Shultz tonight? They did a piece on the Ryan/Romney bro-mance and it turns out that the darling of the GOP is a died-in-the-wool Ayn Rand diciplie. OMG! I think we have peeled the onion to it’s core. Is it just me? Or does this explain the underlying mindset of the GOP/Tea Party? Or as I like to call them…the party of STALE, MALE AND PALE. Thoughts………?
Oh you didn’t know that? Ryan loves him some Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand who ended up financially dependent on the evul guvmint. And let’s not forget that Paul Ryan also relied on government funds while growing up.
I really thought I was on top of all the GOP diseases. I know some people who are of that ilk, but never know Ryan was hard core Rand. Maybe too far down the rabbit hole, but this could be tied to Romney as well and keep him pushed right for the general.
oh yes. Ayn Rand and her go f-yourself philosophy can surely be tied to Romney.
Oh yes, the hypocrite, Paul Ryan, loves the hypocrite, Ayn Rand.
Hi Chips! Are we back to normal now? Been rolling past comments the past week on every blog I visit.
@karen503
This ” …to mass mail easily understood and fun-to-read (cartoons?) informational flyers about the ACA to…everybody in the USA…”
should be tweeted to OFA, Axe, Gibbs…somebody. One flat card saying this is what you will lose if ACA is overturned!
New post everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/03/30/hey-8/
This is an interesting board. Excuse me for saying this but I found myself chuckling quite a bit while reading it. Somehow the essence of what Tally said got lost. I agree with her 100%. Here’s how I see what happened.
Tally says enough with the hand wringing. It’s bringing people down and this admin can’t be the only one working for change while we cyber vent in angst waiting, wishing and admonishing him to fix it. (yeah EVERYONE wants daddy to fix it). We must find ways to at least assist and help the change along.
Interestingly enough -without Tally pointing to anyone- 57 takes it as a direct attack on her. 57 that seemed to come from within you. Did you see yourself so explicitly in Tally’s piece? We all have choices. It was an interesting choice you made in the way you reacted. Oh well.
Here’s where the concept of what Tally was saying got side tracked. Instead of at least letting what Tally said digest to the point of creativity and soul searching the board descended into the netherworld of blame, or trying to soothe hurt feelings and of apologies where I didn’t see any were needed.
So imagine if 57 had let the power of Tally’s words sink in. In that alternate universe the more fitting response would be to ask HOW she can get the info out to the seniors she works with daily, who cannot access the wealth of info on the net and hidden from view by our corp owned media.
Someone ( I believe 57?) suggested post cards from the admin or HHS. So perhaps we can all send letters to HHS and to our non-hostile reps and senators alerting them to this problem and suggesting this solution. But more immediately, Tien Le and WiW both have cheat cards that can be printed out and passed around or put on a table in a common room where the elderly live, socialize or eat.
I have done this and leave them at random at all kinds of places: a library table, in grocery carts, at my mechanic’s waiting room, shelves at book store, tables at restaurants. lol It feels good and if half get read then they may pass it on to those that don’t know.
I’m not saying I have the answer, but that response would have presented a solution to a problem instead of taking the post as a personal attack. Which was the antithesis of what Tally was suggesting. Think about it.
So thank you Tally for that post. I just hope people are able to take the time to reflect on what you were saying and try what you are suggesting.
Agreed.
Bright idea about randomly leaving cards about. I mean I plan on printing some out when registering voters, but this is even better. Sowing the seeds of change. I tell ya, constantly working to out fox our inept and corupt media.
yeah, I always get great pleasure in imagining the reactions of those that find them.
“Cyber Vent” – love it!! 🙂
“It’s bringing people down and this admin can’t be the only one working for change while we cyber vent in angst waiting, wishing and admonishing him to fix it. (yeah EVERYONE wants daddy to fix it). We must find ways to at least assist and help the change along.”
WORD!
I love the way you put that. Are you a community organizer?
lol no, but I can play one on TV
Thank you.
❤❤❤⁷
😆 ditto
Thanks LunarSea for this thoughtful comment! Your reception of Tally’s message was exactly the same as mine. I am really sorry that 57andFemale took this personally because she is indeed a valuable contributor on this site. Nevertheless, if she feels compelled to criticize the WH messaging failure, then she should be open to contrary opinions. Obviously, when it comes to messaging, all of us wish that most people would have learned about the benefits of the ACA. The question of course is how come people, who in opinion polls, show overwhelming support for the most important components of the ACA, then turn around and register opposition to the whole law. 57andFemale and others, apparently including my beloved BWD, put a great deal of blame on the failure of White House messaging. Tally, Hpefruit2 , and many of us disagree. We put the blame for the misinformation on the Corporate media, which, undoubtedly, is carrying the water for the Republicans. Here is my reasons why I support Tally’s contentions. First,normally, the media would have done special reports to analyze, and explain fully to the people, what the ACA entails. They never did that. If I missed that somebody please correct me. Second, and most importantly, both BWD and Chipsticks have extensively covered President Obama going around in town hall meetings and private homes, not only explaining the benefits of ACA, but also having people who stood to benefit from, or were already benefiting from, the ACA, give testimony to it’s importance. Sadly, of course, the mainstream media chose not broadcast these events. Consequently, if you not a member of TOD or BWD’s the only adult in the room you never had the chance to learn about the benefits of ACA. The reason was because the so called 4th Estate chose to cover the ACA with emphasis on politics. The media told you that the teabaggers were against it because it was taking away your freedom because of the individual mandate, cutting medicare, and instituting “death panels” for seniors and the disabled. Then they told you that Democrats disagreed with Republicans and thought this was a good law that would eventually cover people who were not insured and promised government assistance to those who could afford insurance. Bottom line, according to the media, the law was unpopular.
I wish I could go back and post the unrelenting efforts of this administration, from the Secretary of HHS , to the Vice President and to the President to try to explain to the American people about the benefits of ACA. And how did I learn about these efforts? Certainly not from NPR, PBS, CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and MSNBC! On top of that you had DKos, Firedoglake, and HuffPost trashing the ACA from the left. How in the world could the Administration get through all these fire walls?
For me, I learned about Administration efforts to communicate to the people the benefits of the ACA from the videos posted by BWD on the Only adult in the Room, by Chipsticks on TOD, by the folks who run We-See-You and the successor POU, and by Deaniac and the incredibly smart people who posted on TPV!
I wish 57 and Female, and my heroin BWD, would inform us how exactly the President and the WH would compel NPR,PBS, CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and MSNBC, to report the important benefits of the ACA. What exactly was the missing message that would have gone through the media fire walls?
It would indeed be sad that 57andFemale, a valuable member of this family, will leave this site, because of some disagreement about messaging; especially if she genuinely thinks that the only way to save the President she supports is to convince us that we have to focus on messaging.
Exactly. Not to mention he actually was running a major superpower country, dealing with one international crisis after another and ‘getting stuff done’ while he was trying to get this passed. To think that he should have had to do more appearances, more press conferences, more marshalling of the medical community and private citizens -all by himself- I don’t know what more he could have done.
Example, I saw the media flock to and report on the 1 teabagger who appeared at a pro-reform rally and totally ignore the thousands present AT THE SAME TIME in support. The lone teabagger was broadcast 24/7! It was a classic ‘shiney object’ syndrome that someone described above.
The average voter is not visiting political blogs and going to the White House website daily. The average voter is not a political junky. They go to work during the day, tend to the kids then watch the evening or nightly news. It is not about the President making the media talk about the healthcare law. IMO they have messed up messaging by not getting out there to talk about laws he has signed. Yes, voters do clear up misinformation, but it isn’t the same coming from a man who signed the law. The WH advisors are missing on the TV and on radio. IMO they wait too long to get out the facts, they assume that eveyone will know the facts. In 2010, they waited to about two months before the election, to encourage people to vote. Is it there fault turnout was low and some voted repub, no, but waiting to tell voters what you have done isn’t good. Look at the gas price talking point repubs are using against him. This is where he and his advisors should clearly state that he has nothing to do with gas prices at all. I really feel that people shouldn’t brush off how the WH messages, especially since SuperPacs are a factor now.
Brit, have you actually paid attention to what the President said about gas prices in Virginia, in North Carolina, in Texas, in Oklahoma, in Nevada, in Ohio, and his News conferences? What prevented the TVs and Radios from transmitting the President’s message? You state “The WH advisors are missing on TV and on Radio.” Do you know why? It is because they are not invited to be on TV and radio. The President, Vice Presidents, and his advisors whenever they are given a chance by the media have done exactly what you are accusing them of not doing. In fact the President has purposely courted local media to try to go around the media fire wall that would not allow people to know what his administration is doing, or has so far accomplished. But somehow you end up blaming the WH because the National mainstream media denies them access to the people. I am sorry but I totally don’t buy this claim about WH messages being responsible for the failure of the media to tell the American people the TRUTH about the President’s record. The White House cannot order the media to fully cover the President or order them to tell the truth about his record. There is no reason for the average voter not to visit the blogs or go to the White House website daily since most people are now routinely on the internet. There is no reason for us who visit political blogs not to communicate the Truth with all the people we know. It’s is the last point that was at the heart of Tally’s call to action!
Thank you so much, Tally, for this righteous “Call to Action.” We, as informed citizens, have an obligation to refuse to bow down to, or buy into, the lies, misinformation, and the utter failure of the media to do their job of properly informing the public. Thank God, we have sites like this one, that people can come to learn the TRUTH. But even more important we have people like you who can utilize social media and thus by pass Corporate media.
TALLY, YOU TOLD IT!
If I ask you to stay, and you really want to go it is just a matter of; when will you leave. Leavers, leave. They don’t warn you directly. They become emotionaly detached and when you realize, the exit has taken place. Are you warning TOD, 57? We should not ask anyone to remain if it is their desire to go. They go anyways. You must know your self worth. Are you overwhelm? If you feel that you can no longer contribute in a meaningful way, step aside, rest, recuperate and get back in the fight. Bite off small pieces and chew for a long time. The work is too great; we have got to see the big view. We have got to overfill our hearts and minds with positivity and there with be no room for negatives. Feed what you want to grow.
57 and Female, breathe and keep working. Some of us require more communication than others and we tend to look at life from the way we learn best. We don’t all learn in the same manner. And if you feel you are not getting it then you may think others are not getting it. But keep working no matter what. Change of scenery, might do you some good. I guarantee, this is one of the most sane and informed sites on the web.