The non-partisan group WeAreChange.org tells Obama supporters about Obama’s policies under the pretense that they are Romney’s policies
My view is basically this: The Democrats are run by millionaires and corporations. The Republicans are run by millionaires and corporations. Their only real agenda is to maintain power. Neither side gives a crap about normal people or their rights. It is naive for any voter to be like “No, no. The power-hungry millionaires on MY side really care about me…not like the power-hungry millionaires on the other side, who are literally the embodiment of Satan”. Nonetheless, I think that’s how most people view politics, and that’s how we all end up getting screwed.
I’m talking about people who can’t discern the difference between the agendas of Democrats and Republicans, of course.
If you hang out on lefty websites you’ll find a lot of high-information voters who are very vocal about their dislike of Obama’s policies. However, the memory of Ralph Nader looms large. No matter how bad we think Obama is, we know that Romney will be much worse, and most lefties realize that throwing away their vote out of high-minded principle is a self-defeating strategy.
So the long-term plan seems to be to hold the line by voting for Obama, while working as hard as possible to build a nation-wide slate of more progressive candidates who can slowly begin dragging the Democratic Party back to the left.
Yes. I’ve been fairly vocal in my disappointment with Obama since Candidate Obama turned into President Obama. I’m not an O-bot. Or at least I wasn’t until about the last six months or so. From now until Nov. 7, I’m as O-botty as you can get, because the only realistically likely alternative is like the Marianas Trench next to the drainage ditch outside my house.
I think this is a corollary to the fact that prior to Romney’s nomination a large percentage of GOP voters said they would never vote for a Mormon. Now they say they will.
For many voters politics is a team sport and their support for policies is secondary to that.
With the exception of his drug policy I am thrilled with Obama as President.
I am in banking/finance and FinReg is his most underrated accomplishment. It started with SCAP in 2009 and culminated with Dodd-Frank in 2010. Combined they are the most aggressive bank and credit rating agency regs ever. Put into that the CFPB that Ms. Warren championed. And Obama remade the Federal Reserve with consumer advocates and Keynesians.
The START treaty, ending DADT, a market based health reform system (I hate single payer), the Food Safety Import Act, extending NOL for business to five years, the crowdfunding JOBS Act and others.
Yes, I voted for Obama and will again.
What precisely were the policies criticized here, for those of us who don’t feel like bothering with a YouTube link without description?
A bunch of pro-war, pro-defense stuff regarding patriot act extension and so forth. Typical republican stuff that Obama has supported (rightfully, in my estimation).
Most Obama supporters realize that Obama has been one of the best republican presidents we’ve ever had. He is only a “liberal” to the crazy right-wingers that make up 40%+ of this country.
It’s called voting for the lesser evil. And not having any realistic choice; it’s Obama or Romney.
The Republicans are also run by warhawks, bigots and religious fanatics. They are more extreme, and many show every sign of believing their own rhetoric. They have also repeatedly demonstrated a strong malignant streak, and a complete disinterest in the welfare of this country if it means they can get their way or hurt an enemy. And most of the population of the world appears to be their enemy.
Just as important (at least to me) is that voting for Romney isn’t just voting for Romney; it’s voting more power into the hands of the Republican party as a whole, as well as rewarding them for their extremely destructive behavior since Obama was elected. Even if I liked Romney I’d still vote against him for those reasons alone.
I don’t know why people don’t realize it, but Obama is a very centrist president. This is what he promised when elected, and it was clear and obvious. The left has projected their dreams on him in the same way the right has projected their nightmares. It’s no surprise that neither side is satisfied.
Rachael Maddow had an excellent summary of Obama’s accomplishments back in 2010 that should cheer up any liberal, and make one wonder what he could have accomplished if not for brick-wall Republican opposition, and could accomplish in his next four years.
So, nothing to do with being a power-hungry millionaire, which seemed to be the point of the OP?
Huh. What a non-issue. Just more “Both sides are bad” rhetoric, which often carries with it a “so vote Republican” conclusion.
As I seem to be saying a lot lately: there are things Obama has done that I like and things that Obama has done that I do not like. The things he’s done that I like, the Republicans would not have done. The things he’s done that I don’t like, the Republicans would have done too, only moreso. It’s a pretty simple equation for me.
But of course they’d love *your *agenda.
Well put. It really is quite simple.
I think the only way that one would be surprised to find many people who will readily vote for Obama while not supporting all of his policy positions are those who bought the “messiah” bullshit.
People who think there’s no difference between the parties are just plain ignorant. My 11 year old could name 10 key differences between them without breaking a sweat. Then again, he is not a low-information voter. He is more of a high info nonvoter.
I think the main point is that while a lot of us don’t like some portion of what Obama’s done or how he’s done it in the last four years, a lot of us REALLY don’t like most or all of what the Republicans, Romney and downticket alike, WANT to do. I don’t even consider it “lesser of two evils”…to me it’s a choice between a rational party and president or a completely batshit crazy party and president. Is there something even easier than a “no-brainer”?
THIS right here!
I know this sounds laughable, but I actually do believe the millionaires on the liberal side do somewhat have my interests at heart, at least moreso than the millionaires on the other side. A lot of liberal millionaires seem to be socially liberal, and seem to realize that as part of a community everyone has to do their part with contributing economically. My point is the Democracy Alliance is not the Koch brothers, and a lot of liberal millionaires seem motivated by social issues while a lot of conservative millionaires seem motivated by economic issues. However yes both parties only care about maintaining their own power, and both are in the pockets of the wealthy and well connected. The health care law is a good start, but the only way to pass it was to fill it with pork for the insurance industry and pharma industry. The financial regulations, from what little I know of them, are too little too late and banks are even bigger than they were in 2008. But until we have runoff voting, I don’t see 3rd parties having any real power. And neither party is ever going to let the law change to allow runoff voting.
The video in question didn’t address the differences between Romney and Obama on foreign policy though. Romney wants to reinstitute torture, be more aggressive with Iran, doesn’t want an Afghanistan timetable, didn’t support ending the Iraq war.
Also, don’t forget that they try to drive out any Republicans that have contrary views on anything. Abortion, SSM, the war in Iraq/Afghanistan, etc. They have shifted from wanting to run this country by the Constitution to instead run it by the Bible and if you’re not for that, you’re not a “real Republican”.
I do give credit to the Democrats that they take anyone in willing to put a (D) next to their name. They even kept Lieberman in the party.