Wednesday, August 11, 2010

True Colors

First we had Rahm Emanuel proclaiming those of us who supported a real Democrat, Bill Halter, and not a Republican Lite, and committed corporatist, Blanche Lincoln, were “fucking retards.” Now we hear White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs showing his true colors by badmouthing not his enemies, but the very people who got his boss elected. The Rude Pundit has a priceless rebuttal to Gibbs that I have reproduced in part.

"...So, let's get this straight, Bobby G. We on the left warned your boss and the Democrats that every time you reached out your hands to the Republicans, those fuckers would just gnaw on 'em. But you kept on with the effort of bipartisanship, watering down bills and watering 'em down. Anyone with a lick of sense knew that the GOP was just setting you up: force 'em to compromise and then make sure that what gets passed does just a scintilla of what could have been done. On bill after bill these mad negotiations occurred, and now you're accusing us of not living in reality? No, really, truly, fuck you, man.

Gibbs also said, "I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested. I mean, it's crazy." You really wanna have this fight? 'Cause when's the last time you called the Tea Party delusional or "crazy." And here's a hint on how to prevent liberals from saying Barack Obama is like George W. Bush: stop acting like Bush. Howzabout an easy one: don't take the same cruel positions as the Bush administration in court cases that continued after Bush was out of office. Howzabout another easy one: do something without compromising, like order a halt to any effort to drum gay soldiers out of the military. Howzabout closing Gitmo, like the President promised endlessly on the campaign trail? Howzabout not saying you have the right to murder Americans abroad at will? Howzabout recess appointing everyone the Republicans are holding up? An aggressive stance towards the GOP ain't just about words, man. Words are worthless. It's action that matters."

Gibbs got a quick dollop of well-deserved criticism. He immediately offered a half apology, but said he stood by his comments. In other words, “I may have said I am sorry, but obviously I am not.”

There is a huge disconnect underway and Gibbs is contributing to it. It is not a matter of Gibbs having misspoken due to frustration. It is the mindset that thinks the liberal vote, you know, the millions who voted for Obama, can be taken for granted. There is growing disaffection among the base for a White House that caves in to the incessant yelping of people who are his committed enemies, but publicly ridicules its supporters.
The result is not that a major chunk of the Democratic base, the most progressive half, will vote Republican. That will not happen. Yet Obama and the people who have his ear don't realize how special the 2008 election was and how many came out to vote because Obama seemed to represent the change they wanted. They did not vote for Obama to make deals with corporate America, nor to let Republicans obstruct and emasculate everything Obama said he was for. Real change takes time, I get that. But the  contemptuous attitude of guys like Emanuel and now Gibbs speaks volumes about the Party leadership.

Many who turned out the last election won't be there this November. They will not vote against the Democrats; they just won't vote at all.

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