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Obama issues rallying cry to Democrats and progressives

"If you're serious, now's exactly the time that people have to step up," says the US President.

By Duncan Robinson Published 30 September 2010 18:19

Barack Obama issued a rallying cry to disaffected members of the left in his recent interview with Rolling Stone.

"It is inexcusable for any Democrat or progressive right now to stand on the sidelines in this midterm election. There may be complaints about us not having gotten certain things done, not fast enough, making certain legislative compromises. But right now, we've got a choice between a Republican Party that has moved to the right of George Bush and is looking to lock in the same policies that got us into these disasters in the first place, versus an administration that, with some admitted warts, has been the most successful administration in a generation in moving progressive agendas forward.

Everybody out there has to be thinking about what's at stake in this election and if they want to move forward over the next two years or six years or 10 years on key issues like climate change, key issues like how we restore a sense of equity and optimism to middle-class families who have seen their incomes decline by five percent over the last decade. If we want the kind of country that respects civil rights and civil liberties, we'd better fight in this election.

We have to get folks off the sidelines. People need to shake off this lethargy, people need to buck up. Bringing about change is hard -- that's what I said during the campaign. It has been hard, and we've got some lumps to show for it. But if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren't serious in the first place.

If you're serious, now's exactly the time that people have to step up."

Until today, President Obama had largely struggled to make his voice heard in a midterm election dominated by the Tea Party, Mama Grizzlies and other voices from the right. With the election still over a month away, the right's momentum could fall away. But Obama needs to come out swinging if the midterms are going to be anything other than a disaster for the Democrats.

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Tags: US Midterms 2010 Barack Obama

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7 comments

Thu, 2010-09-30 23:40 — DOUG IRELAND (not verified)

The headline on this article is topsy-turvy when compared to how this speech was received here in the States, where it was widely perceived as another hectoring ATTACK on the left-- by political commentators like the popular Chris Matthews, a centrist Democrat, on his MSNBC show "Hardball." Chris said that the speech was "setting up the left as a scapegoat" for when the Democrats lose.
Coming just 48 hours after Joe Biden told the progressives to "Stop whining!", Obama's speech was widely (and correctly)described as politically stupid and self-defeating, beacause you don't attack your own party's base, a self-evident rule of successful electoral politics on my side of the pond. Disaffected progressive voters won't be encouraged to show up at the polls in November by being told they "were never serious in the first place" as Obama did, or that their quite legitimate complaints are mere "whining," as Biden did -- not to mention the nasty attack by Obama's White House press secretary Robert Gibbs a couple of weeks ago at his daily press briefing on what he sneeringly called the "professional left."
I'm no fan of Hillary Clinton's, but a new Gallup poll out today shows that fully one-third of Democrats would vote for her against Obama if she ran against him in 2012. That's an extraordinary slap in the face for a sitting Democratic president, and only 30% of those prepared to back Hillary against him identified themselves in the poll as "liberal," while 40% of them had no college degree (in other words, were largely working-class).
The size of the Democrats' trouncing in November will be determined by turnout -- and you don't get people to turn out by lecturing them and attacking them. You have to offer them something concrete programmatically that's understandable by ordinary voters, not policy wonks. And then pray that, after a long list of broken campaign promises, they'll believe you again this time.

Fri, 2010-10-01 18:08 — DAULAT RAM

Obama is a lazy guy. His energy comes and goes. He stands for mostly good ideas (part from always sucking up to Islamic bigotry). But he is doomed because he lacks the ruthless drive and sheer go a good political leader needs. He fades away when the going is tough. He got to power too easily.

Hilary is far tougher, but I hate the idea of US politics becoming dynastic like India's. That's a horrible way to go.

Fri, 2010-10-01 02:46 — Susan Allan (not verified)

Hillary gets aesthetically more beautiful as she gets older. ONLY, she's still just as aggressive, and making the same outrageous destructive fictitious comments she was about sniper fire! Wait for your beautiful grand children Hilary. There are quite a few who will never get that privilege because of you!

I believed that Hillary would be a better president than bill, and if you promise not to kill me babe, I'll buy you the dinner I can afford. I have to say though, I felt the need to tell a male american citizen to SUCK MY NUKE after a joke about land mines. She obviously feels differently about her treatment of distant relatives in her homeland, to those in iran. It does seem that iranian leaders were upset, backwards and in need of a lesson on equality before, they are absolutely livid and torturing us with their nonsense now! Would I have been inviting Hillary and not bill to dinner had it not been for our tolerant attitudes to some of the most "I don't care" manipulative and greedy women I've ever met? I'm not "I don't care" manipulative and greedy enough to answer that! Maybe bill can! Apparently he has a higher iq than I do. Must be all that golfing doric!

Thu, 2010-09-30 19:15 — swatantra

Trouble is Democrats and Progressives want everything Obama promised, on a plate, now, and can't understand why he hasn't delivered in just 2 short years. Hence the delusion and apathy. So they may not bother to vote. If Republicans take control of the Senate and Congress it'll be a nightmare getting any progressive measures through.

Thu, 2010-09-30 19:55 — RK (not verified)

Empty vessel sounds much and mean nothing. Obama. Sounds quite a lot, but performance = 0.

1 trillion spent. Net Result, investment in India/ China, Bankers Bonus etc. Rise in Employment.

If only critisizing American History/ Bush or rep. was enough, he deserves another noble. Otherwise he should find that trillion back.

Thu, 2010-09-30 19:56 — RK (not verified)

Live example of Spend Spend and Spend. Exactly what bankers did and exactly what this socialist did. Spend Spend and Spend. Afterall its not Obama's Money or Bankers. How would they feel the pinch?