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Friday, August 19, 2011

The Obama Wars: Why Do We Tear Each Other Apart Over Whether The President Is A Failure Or Success?

The debate over Obama's role in the mess we're in is distracting progressives from the real fight.

What, if anything, is the matter with Obama? This is a question that sharply divides progressives today, the central front on what has become known as the “Obama Wars.”

The Obama Wars can be vicious – they're often reminiscent of the 2008 primary fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. In online communities, the conflict pits “Obamabots,” whose mindless fealty to Our Dear Leader renders them incapable of independent thought, and “emo-progs,” members of the “professional left” whose lust for attacking the administration and refusal to give it credit for its accomplishments will only discourage Democratic voters and ultimately usher in a Bachmann presidency and a Supreme Court packed with far-right activist judges.

Such is the reality when, two years after a campaign promising hope and change swept our nation's first black president into office, our political system is still completely screwed up and the country remains mired in a long depression.

Sadly, the debate over Obama's role in this mess is marked by numerous straw-men and red herrings, because much of it is a battle of counterfactuals. For example, I personally believe that if Democrats began legislative fights from an unabashedly progressive proposal, rather than from what's perceived to be the center, we would end up with better outcomes. But that's an untested belief – at least in my time -- and I'm humble enough to acknowledge that I can't say with any certainty that offering proposals from further to the left wouldn't have backfired.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where did you get this P.O.S. article. This author is a libtard who is trying (unsuccessfully) to defend Obama and his socialist agenda.

Anonymous said...

eh...There are deep problems facing this country. It's time to stop pointing fingers and posturing for opinions. It's time to put on our big boy/girl pants and actually work towards fixing our broken system.