Liberals increasingly divided over Obama’s liberalism
Ton Tomorrow cartoon
Republicans are hoping that the 2010 midterm elections will be a referendum on Barack Obama’s first two years in office.
But there’s also a growing debate on the Left over just how successful Mr. Obama’s first term has been.
In a commentary posted on the Huffingtonpost website, liberal activist and pundit Janeane Garofalo rejected flatly the idea that America “has taken a turn for the better” under Obama.
“Wish I could say yes,” Garofalo said. “Believe me, heart broken. Am I thrilled that he’s there and not a Republican? Sure. Is anything different? No.”
Tom Tomorrow’s widely read “This Modern World” political cartoon, published this week, lampoons “sensible liberalism in the age of Obama.”
“Only a child would expect [President Obama] to use some sort of ‘bully pulpit’ to ‘exert influence’ and somehow ‘accomplish things,'” the cartoon snarks.
Writing in Salon, Steve Kornacki echoes their disappointment, blasting Obama for the “original sin” of supporting the war in Afghanistan.
“[T]o really understand where Obama went wrong, you have to go back to his decision as a candidate to make a strong distinction between the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq,” Kornacki writes.
But other liberals aren’t sure that their fellow-travelers are looking at the same President.
Peter Beinart, writing for the Daily Beast on-line journal, lauded Mr. Obama’s “unbelievable winning streak.”
But have you noticed that when it comes to actual policy, [President Obama] keeps racking up the wins? This week it was financial-regulatory reform.
One can argue about whether the bill the Senate passed will truly change the way Wall Street operates, but off the top of your head, can you name a more significant piece of progressive legislation signed by either of the last two Democratic presidents?
Neither can I.
And that goes for Obama’s stimulus package and his health-care reform as well.
All of which means that, legislatively at least, Obama has exceeded in 18 months what Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter achieved in a combined 12 years.
By summer’s end, he’ll also have shepherded two young liberal justices on to the Supreme Court.
Mr. Obama has also pushed for a comprehensive energy bill, his EPA has begun implementing the first-ever regulation of carbon pollution, and it appears that this White House will end the ban on gays serving in the military.
Former President Bill Clinton — whose own liberal cred is often questioned by liberals — says that’s not a bad track record for 18 months. This from Politico.
“I think he’s done a better job than he’s given credit for. I feel very strongly about this,” Mr. Clinton said.
Jon Stewart, host of the Daily Show, made fun of all the hand-wringing this week — hand-wringing from the right and the left — when he hosted David Axelrod, one of Mr. Obama’s top advisors.
“He will let us know just how long we are all going to have to wait for the communist utopia they promised us,” Stewart quipped.
So what do you think? Do hard-core liberals have unrealistic expectations? Or are they right to feel disappointed — betrayed? — by Mr. Obama’s approach?
Hardcore liberals are alway unrealistic, just as hardcore conservatives are always unrealistic.
Both would prefer to have the dictator of their own choice.
As a hard-core liberal I don’t always agree with other liberals. Do we have unrealistic expectations? Yes. Are we right to feel disappointed? Yes.
Betrayed? No, because we all knew Obama wasn’t really a liberal when we voted for him. He was my second or third choice in the primary.
His approach? He’s being pragmatic about things in order to move legislation. Personally I wish he would take a tougher stand (in a more liberal direction) on some issues. Maybe he would lose more on getting legislation passed, or maybe he wouldn’t. Hard telling not knowing.
This was probably the best legislative environment of his presidency so he really had to get something done on health care right away.
It would have been interesting to see what his presidency would have looked like without this rotten economy.
Without the rotten economy he would not have been President.
Obama is just a better pilot at the helm of an empire. If thats progressive, we’re in deep S@#!
“Helm of empire”? See — I knew you guys cared about colonial stuff!
–Brian, NCPR
Is Obama a conservative? It is all a matter of perpsective. Compared to say a Rush Limbaugh, Obama is a liberal. But compared to a quasi-socialist like Sheldon Silver, he’s not even close to being a liberal.
I don’t know in the situation right now if we care.
What we need is a technocrat who can get things done. I heard President Clinton today talking about the oil spill and you know boy I really saw how good he was maybe I just miss someone as competent as he was. He was talking about instead of blaming this group and blaming that group or person and compensation, the priority should be stopping the leak and then the clean up, and then worry about those things.
The biggest news now is this guy from the 9/11 payouts down in the gulf talking about compensation and how to hand out money, which is fine but that is like number 5 on the list when you are in the middle of a crisis. We need a leader who is competent which could be a liberal or a conservative. But maybe the urge to blame and to compensate instead of to take responsibility and solve the problem is a liberal urge? Instead of President Obama talking about putting his boot on the neck of BP, why wasn’t he talking about stopping the oil and cleaning up the oil?
I truly believe Obama is in way, way over his head. We have massive unemployment, the oil spill, international problems, an invasion from
parties, golf, basketball, sports, entertaining the First Family, multiple vacations.
How about sticking around the office and getting some work done?
Stupid computer. “..invasion from the south….
I didn’t vote for Obama because, unlike most on the left, I saw him for what he was and thus am not disappointed. He didn’t misrepresent his corporate centrist credentials. Liberals were so desperate to be rid of the medieval Bush/Cheney nightmare that they imputed their own values on to him rather than judging him for himself. I think he’s struggling with a very difficult set of situations, but there’s certainly no other Democrat or Republican offering better ideas (only Ralph Nader, who’s been proven right about corporate control of governance time and time and time again).
And yet, it’s precisely that pressure from the “unreasonable” hardcore that makes anything actually get done. The tension between moderates and those with strong beliefs is a necessary one in a healthy society. Without moderates, there’s violence and recriminations at any change of power. Without the “hardcore,” then any government will necessarily default to controversy-free lowest common denominator policy that achieves nothing.