What's the relationship between the Democratic Party and its liberal base?

[Kuya]

Lately, i've been getting the impression that the Democratic party seems to hate its liberal base, or see it as a nuissance to its agenda. I am of course referring to various public announcements by members of Obama's administration or Obama himself. Take for example:

Campaigning for Democratic candidates in New Hampshire, Vice President Joe Biden said

Monday the party's base should "stop whining."

Last night at the Pyramid Club in Philadelphia, President Obama said “when I hear Democrats griping and groaning and saying, ‘Well, you know, the health care plan didn’t have a public option;’ and I don’t know, ‘The financial reform -- there was a provision here that I think we should have gotten better’; or, ‘You know what, yes, you ended the war in Iraq, the combat mission there, but you haven’t completely finished the Afghan war yet’; or this or that or the other -- I say, folks, wake up.”

Continued the president: “This is not some academic exercise. As Joe Biden put it, don’t compare us to the Almighty; compare us to the alternative.”

Last night, Barack Obama spoke at a $30,000 per plate DNC fundraising event at the "home of Richard and Ellen Richman, who live in the exclusive Conyers Farm development in Greenwich [Connecticut]'s famed 'back country' neighborhood," and said the following about liberal critics of his presidency:

Democrats, just congenitally, tend to get -- to see the glass as half empty. (Laughter.) If we get an historic health care bill passed -- oh, well, the public option wasn't there. If you get the financial reform bill passed -- then, well, I don't know about this particular derivatives rule, I'm not sure that I'm satisfied with that. And gosh, we haven't yet brought about world peace and -- (laughter.) I thought that was going to happen quicker. (Laughter.) You know who you are. (Laughter.) We have had the most productive, progressive legislative session in at least a generation.

I think Robert Gibbs needs to be drug tested if he thinks whining about liberal critics in an interview with The Hill is going to help him or Barack Obama in any way:

“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”

The press secretary dismissed the “professional left” in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.”

Of those who complain that Obama caved to centrists on issues such as healthcare reform, Gibbs said: “They wouldn’t be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president.”

The friction was laid bare in August when Mr. Emanuel showed up at a weekly strategy session featuring liberal groups and White House aides. Some attendees said they were planning to air ads attacking conservative Democrats who were balking at Mr. Obama's health-care overhaul.

"F—ing retarded," Mr. Emanuel scolded the group, according to several participants. He warned them not to alienate lawmakers whose votes would be needed on health care and other top legislative items.

I feel that the administration is highly hostile and dismissive towards liberal criticisms towards the Obama administration. I have other comments, but i gottat go, so i'll leave the links here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39395081...s-white_house/

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpu...democrats.html

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/gl...10/09/17/obama

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/20...-drug-testing/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...ines#printMode

[BerenTebogo]

I can't see why Democrats wouldn't hate their base - who besides stupid fucking hippies doesn't hate stupid fucking hippies?

[notorious bum]

The conservative movement for both parties has been taking over for the past 2 decades, only differences nowadays are the amounts of moderates left in each party(extinct in GOP, rare in Dems).

Also, when's the last time you saw a fucking hippie? lol Unsustainable in this economy, hippies moved to Canada/Europe. Wish there was a new hippie movement, protesting is pathetic nowadays.

[Darus Grey]

Democrats hate liberals because the democratic party is not and NEVER HAS BEEN a liberal party.


We do not have a liberal party in America, just two conservative parties.

[tyven]

I fucking hate the democratic party's liberal base

[Mizango]

I fucking hate the democratic party's liberal base

My quarterback is black and my lambo is blue.

[Olo401]

The conservative movement for both parties has been taking over for the past 2 decades, only differences nowadays are the amounts of moderates left in each party (extinct in GOP, rare in Dems).

Actually what you would consider moderate is what most of the Dems are, at least in the Senate. The only true-blue leftists remaining are Franken, Sanders and maybe Boxer. Even Feingold is a fucking milquetoast moderate now.

[Tanthalass]

I can't see why Democrats wouldn't hate their base - who besides stupid fucking hippies doesn't hate stupid fucking hippies?

Because obviously anyone who doesn't want to let this country be run by a bunch of rich douchebags who want to do nothing but make themselves more money is a "stupid fucking hippy."

Democrats hate liberals because the democratic party is not and NEVER HAS BEEN a liberal party.


We do not have a liberal party in America, just two conservative parties.

More like a moderate party and a conservative party, but yeah. I'm not happy with either of them at the moment either.

[Kuya]

I feel that part of the reason why they can get away with being so dismissive of their own base, while the GOP isn't, is because, well, as it was already said, The Democratic Party isn't exactly the text book definition of liberal. So liberals have to make due with the Democrats, and the Democrats know this. They really have no other choice. The Democrats know that the only other possible option is the GOP and liberals won't vote for them. But still, even if that is true, is it really a good idea for the Democratic Party to attack liberals? Even if the latter don't vote for the GOP, they may still feel unmotivated to vote for the Democrats.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

I feel that part of the reason why they can get away with being so dismissive of their own base, while the GOP isn't

It seems pretty dismissive to me.

Its funded every candidate that has lost in the primary, and then refused to fund the winner. It seems to support write-in candidates over the primary winner. And, it's told Jim DeMint to shut-up about it.

[archibaldcrane]

Even Feingold is a fucking milquetoast moderate now.

You shut your whore mouth.

[Plow]

When asked to comment further about his "stop whining" remark, Biden said: "Those who ... didn't get everything they wanted, it's time to just buck up here, understand that we can make things better ... but not yield the playing field to those folks who are against everything we stand for."

Couldn't have said it better myself. They are doing as much as they can to make things better. If you can't tell by this point, it's fucking impossible to make the kind of massive leaps and bounds you guys are expecting.

And, Kuya, if you don't agree, feel free to vote for the opposition.

owait

[notorious bum]

I want what this guy is drinkin.

Gotta be that Thug Passion. 1 part Alize, 1 part Crystal. I know he can afford it cause only a fool with too much money would still be feeling so indifferent to how shit has been running in this country.

[Kuya]

Couldn't have said it better myself. They are doing as much as they can to make things better. If you can't tell by this point, it's fucking impossible to make the kind of massive leaps and bounds you guys are expecting.

And, Kuya, if you don't agree, feel free to vote for the opposition.

owait

Platitudes.

[Rhinox]

Couldn't have said it better myself. They are doing as much as they can to make things better. If you can't tell by this point, it's fucking impossible to make the kind of massive leaps and bounds you guys are expecting.

And, Kuya, if you don't agree, feel free to vote for the opposition.

owait

Retarded argument: check
Defeatist Attitude: check
Lack of critical thinking: Check

The holy trifecta of stupidity.

Jon Stewart Nailed DNC chair Tim Kaine for essentially making the same stupid argument.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/we...2010/tim-kaine


HEY GUYS VOTE FOR US WE SUCK LESS THEN THE GOP!!!

[Kuya]

One of the problems is that people didn't understand that by change, the Democrats meant small incremental changes that need to be aware of the limitations of the moment. In other words, practical changes. Changes that take decades to manifest in a better existence. They didn't mean substantial and inmediate change.

Why can't the average American be as wise, as patient, as pragmatic, and realistic as Obama?

[Rhinox]

One of the problems is that people didn't understand that by change, the Democrats meant small incremental changes that need to be aware of the limitations of the moment. In other words, practical changes. Changes that take decades to manifest in a better existence. They didn't mean substantial and inmediate change.

Why can't the average American be as wise, as patient, as pragmatic, and realistic as Obama?

Except he didn't run on small incremental and pragmatic change.

[Rhinox]

He wouldn't have won if that was his platform.

[Kuya]

Well, he never specified what he meant by "Change". So it's really the people's fault for being so eager to believe things. It's not Obama's fault that by accident people who were feeling that America was headed down a dangerous road would interpret a message like "Change" in such an exaggerated fashion. In fact, i bet he was surprised that he won with such an ambiguous message. He simply wanted to intelligently change American public and foreign policy for the better in a smart and efficient manner. That people who don't understand politics misinterpreted his message and intentions is not his fault, and hopefully people who don't understand anything about politics and are very extremist and ideological will cease interjecting in Obama's and the Democrat's intelligent government policy. It's really just very ideological people that don't get that you need to do what's possible in order to slowly arrive at the desired goal. This requires that you neutralize opposing interests by giving them things they want, so they allow some small incremental change to occur which will eventually lead to a new paradigm.

[Rhinox]

Kuya, you're more politically savvy then this. You know full well that he understood what message he was transmitting and too whom he was transmitting it too.

The net roots in the party are as progressive as you can get and he pandered to them as hard as any GOP candidate pandered to a crowd of Tea partiers. For fucks sake he even made a video message which I would dig up if I really cared in which he doubled up on his commitment to a progressive agenda. He even applauded them for holding him accountable for things he said he was gonna do and hasn't done yet.