‘the disillusionment addicts of the left’

Michael Grunwald (Time): There was a telling confrontation at last week’s Netroots Nation gathering …. a bisexual volunteer for President Obama reelection campaign approached the stage to hand a flyer to Dan Choi ….. Choi dramatically ripped up the flyer and declared that he wouldn’t support Obama.

And why should he? What has Obama ever done to help gays serve openly in the military? Other than repeal don’t-ask-don’t-tell, so that gays can serve openly in the military? Ah, “the professional left,” never happy unless it’s unhappy…..

With friends like these, who needs Republicans?….

…..the disillusionment addicts of the left have concocted a narrative of Obama-as-sellout that bears little resemblance to his actual presidency…

….It was a similar story in the epic fight over health care reform. Obama finally achieved the eternal progressive dream of universal coverage, overruling aides who wanted to settle for incremental improvements. But the left was mad because his plan didn’t include a “public option,” a brand-new progressive dream. Earth to the left: He didn’t have the votes for a public option. There was nothing he could have said or done to get the votes for a public option. He’s a politician, not a magician.

…But when you’re convinced the president just isn’t that into you, the facts are irrelevant…..

It’s easy for activists to complain about imperfect achievements like the stimulus or Obamacare, especially when they’re not among the 3 million Americans who would’ve been unemployed without the stimulus or the 50 million Americans who would’ve been uninsured without Obamacare. Complaining is what activists do….

……Presidents are supposed to make progress, whether progressives like it or not.

Full article here

Thank you Rita, brilliant article 😉

so the pl = 7%? but, but, but: they said they were the base!

RollCall: Despite their grousing about the administration during the Netroots Nation conference, liberal activists and bloggers are relatively happy with President Barack Obama’s performance.

A straw poll conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research showed that 80 percent either approve or strongly approve of the president …. The results broke down to 27 percent strongly approving of Obama and 53 percent approving “somewhat.” Thirteen percent said they “somewhat disapprove,” and 7 percent strongly disapprove of the president.

More here

Thankk you Proud 😉

‘firebagger panel disconnected with reality’

Bob Cesca: Several members of the firebagger high command appeared on a panel at Netroots Nation to beat their myopic unrealistic mythological drum about how President Obama is the worst president ever, etc, etc.

…..it was Dan Choi, John Aravosis of AmericaBlog and, naturally, Jane Hamsher collectively lying about the president’s record on, among other things, LGBT rights.

Dan Choi appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell last night to repeat all of the hyperbolic silliness about how the president has broken all of his promises to the gay community – an accusation that simply is not true….

Here’s Aravosis during the panel: “…. We were told he’d be a fierce advocate, and he’s been not fierce at all and not much of an advocate.”

Not a fierce advocate? Not that into you? Horseshit. Utter horseshit. In addition to the Obama administration deciding not to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act because, in in the view of the Obama Justice Department, the law is unconstitutional, the president has also racked up the following LGBT achievements: see here

Check that out. That’s a long, long list for someone who “just isn’t that into” same-sex rights.

….Worse than Bush!

…..the firebaggers need to ditch this fiction about the president and embrace reality – or, better yet, people simply need to stop buying into their ridiculous whining, lying and undermining of a realistic progressive agenda.

Full post here

****

It’s completely sublime how the real progessives, like Bob Cesca, are destroying the Firebaggers’ comical appearance at Netroots with plain old facts. Love it.

‘how dan choi hurts the lgbt movement’

Deaniac (The People’s View): At Netroots Nation, Dan Choi was approached by OFA volunteer Nick Tschida, an organizer at one of Minnesota’s legislative districts who is working hard against a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriages that will be up for a popular vote in 2012. So instead of giving this man kudos and shoring up support in favor of the effort to defeat the ban, Dan Choi insulted and humiliated the OFA volunteer by ripping up his Obama flyer and yelling at him. The problem? Nick Tschida mentioned that he wasn’t sure he supported full marriage equality.

….Someone like that deserves our gratitude, not the smug, condescending attitude that Dan Choi displayed. And if someone like that has to be nudged in the right direction on marriage equality, that is something those who claim to be leaders in the LGBT movement should be doing – and doing it with understanding, not humiliation.

….While Choi was badmouthing the President and his supporters, did he take a moment and flash through even a few of the accomplishments of this President for LGBT equality? As he sat on the panel, crassly titled “What to do when the President is not just that into you,” Choi provided every reason why not only the President but anyone who wants to make progress on major issues, including equality, should not be into people like these hotheads who beat up on those who support us.

….I am ashamed at the behavior of Dan Choi. And Nick, I apologize to you for Dan Choi’s behavior. I hope that you will continue to work for equality. Dan Choi does not represent gay activists. Dan Choi does not speak for me….

….Apparently, Dan Choi won’t vote for Obama if he does not endorse marriage equality. Fine. But I am here to tell you, Lt. Choi, that you cannot do worse damage to the LGBT rights movement than to help elect a Republican, which is where your rhetoric and scorched earth attitude, if successful, will lead. But I am also here to tell you that you will fail in that effort …. I will not let you hurt our movement and my brothers and sisters. You got yourself a challenge, buddy.

Read the full post here

Thank you sherijr

so, choi claimed breitbart got a warm netroots welcome….

‘bombs away’

P M Carpenter: At ‘Netroots Nation’ yesterday:

four panelists – [gay-activist Lt. Dan] Choi, immigration reform supporter Felipe Matos, America Blog writer John Aravosis and Fire Dog Lake Founder Jane Hamsher – said they are planning to hold the White House’s collective feet to the fire for its decisions on civil rights, whether it would hurt Obama’s reelection chances or not.

I’m sorry, I don’t mean to chuckle. I realize these are serious issues, and in no way do I diminish their importance. But being threatened by the adolescent malcontents of the utterly insignificant, whining teapot-tempests of Americablog and FireDogLake is like being under fire from the Italian infantry, circa 1943. One scarcely notices.

*****

Be good to yourself, subscribe to PM Carpenter’s blog, it’s utterly sublime

****

Thank you Betsey

‘the professionally disgruntled’

BooMan: For the second straight year, I declined to attend the Netroots Nation conference. I’ve always enjoyed the conferences, but I don’t belong there anymore, and this is why (a link to the Huffy Post ‘Progressives ‘Break Up’ With Obama’ story).

Let me start with the DREAM Act. If immigration reform supporters are mobilizing against the president, they need to have their heads examined. Here’s a reminder (see BooMan’s post):

…..The president is not a magician. Working against his reelection is not going to help pass the DREAM Act or any other piece of positive immigration legislation.

Moving on to gay rights …. John Aravosis has been acting like he’s been betrayed since before the president took his oath of office. The president kept his promise to repeal the DADT policy, and it was anything but easy. Aravosis says that all he wants is what the president promised, but the president never said that he approves of gay marriage. Nonetheless, he has instructed the Department of Justice to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court, he’s signed a Hate Crimes bill, and he’s expanded benefits for same-sex couples who work in the Foreign Service and executive branch.

……I’m sorry, John, but your own words condemn you …. he did the one thing that he actually has the power to do; he told the DOJ to stop defending the DOMA in court.

And then there is Jane Hamsher, who has made it her career to harass the president. The less said about her the better.

There’s a line between principled advocacy for the issues you care about and being a careerist champion of the disgruntled.

Upton Sinclair used to say, “”It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!” That’s what happened to a big part of the blogosphere.

Full post here

Thank you Askew

nutroots

I was just reading a report on today’s Netroots gathering and I’m now wiping coffee spray from my monitor. Seriously, it was that funny.

The panel for one of today’s discussions featured – ready for this? – three ‘Nutroots’: Dan Choi, John Aravosis and Jane Hamsher. The ‘Look At Me’ brigade!

So much hate, fakery and narcissism at one table!

Choi, bless him, is still recovering from the crushing disappointment of President Obama fulfilling his promise to end DADT, a development that robbed him of his media star status – no one really wants to hear his rants any more, his 15 minutes of fame are up.

When an Organizing for America volunteer stood up and asked him to support the President in 2012, Choi ripped up an OFA flyer he had been given and threw it in the man’s face.

Classy!

It renewed his hero status with the Nutroots people who pollute Netroots, though, so that was nice.

America Blog’s Aravosis? You know, the guy who’s equally devastated by the President’s record of achievement on gay rights – because his ‘Obama is a Homophobe!’ rants have just become embarrassing.

Firebaggerlake’s Hamsher? What can you say about this creature? It’s five years since she let her mask slip when she posted that photoshopped picture of Joe Lieberman as a ‘black’ man on Huffington Post, in a sneering attempt to describe his efforts to “woo African American voters”. The photo was promptly removed, and she offered a ‘sorry if you were offended’ apology. And still the professional left regard her as a progressive!

Also on the panel was immigration reform supporter Felipe Matos who attacked the President for not passing the DREAM Act. Err? Could someone let this guy know how American democracy works? Hint: the President wants the DREAM Act passed, the Senate rejected it.

“One way to ensure Democrats do not take progressive votes for granted is to stop voting for Democrats,” said Choi.

How about President Bachmann, Dan? (“We need to have profound compassion for people who are dealing with the very real issue of sexual dysfunction in their life and sexual identity disorders.”) Or any of the Republican candidates?

Good luck with that.

Hey, thanks for the laughs, Nutroots!

The headline on Arianna Huffy’s site tonight …. no wonder she admires Dan so much, they’re both self-promoting right-wing fakes, posing as ‘progressives’. See you in 2012 😉

change … promises kept