Now some of you might like to think that I give you a hard time.   I think of Harry Truman, when people shouted at him “Give’em hell, Harry!” he would respond: “I just tell the Republicans the truth, and they THINK it is hell!”

Just to give you an idea that I am not JUST picking on y’all.    I was at a breakfast meeting of various Dem operatives this morning, discussing an election up and coming, and how to sponsor a series of debates among the candidates.

Invited and attending would be none other than Eric Bauman, Los Angeles county Dem party BOSS.

http://www.ericbauman.com/

Eric is nobody to mess with.   He is one tough motherjumper.   He is in fact Los Angele’s answer to Harvey Milk.   Yes.   He is gay.   And yes.  He is a nurse.    An emergeny room nurse.    And yes, he has a Napoleon complex.    But I’ll tell you now, I don’t think there is any man short of a pro NFL Linebacker that this guy would not go after physically.   I think he is what the gay culture would call a top, and  then some.  I’d think twice before taking a swing on him.

I walked into the meeting, not knowing that Eric would be there, and I have had a bit of a beef with Eric for a while.  He was one of the first officials of the party to be invited to my club’s activities.   You need to understand: I have had a state senator sit in my living room to  give a graduate level seminar on how legislation happens in the capitol.

I have had an assemblyman give three hours of his time in my back yard during a BBQ explaining how things were going in the Capitol.    AdLib and his wife attended that one, if you are curious.

But Eric came to essentially our first event many years ago, and was astonished that we did not know him on sight.   There is a certain frostiness from us toward him.   Not that he could give a rat’s pitoot.   And why should he?

So there we are at this meeting.    In this rather unsatisfactory restaurant with deplorable service.   The man who had organized the meeting wanted to get it going, but Eric quite reasonably asked that we wait until we all had ordered breakfast.

Then Eric revealed himself to be rather a Clintonista.    (I knew is views)  That is OK.   Urrrrr.      OK.    Urrrrr.

You need to try to understand.    Here is this perfectly self-possessed guy.  Short but well built.   Close friend of the new Assembly Speaker.  Long time boss of the Los Angeles Democratic party.    Attending a meeting, and trying to explain how it is that Obama and his crew had fucked up, on HCR, in Mass.   Clinton’s people would have handled it!

In front of, BTW, 12 activists that he has had a long and effective relationship with.    Plus me and my colleague from our club.  And he is saying that the Obama admin is a failure.

I’m sorry.    But I don’t like to hear that from anyone who holds an office in the party.    It is not so bad in this situation, where the only audience is long-time-activists, and me and my friend.   But this sort of talk has no place coming from an officer before membership.  You want to talk that way?    Resign your office.

So Eric is going on about how effective BushCo had been, and how ineffective ObamaCorp is.    And there was talk about how well ObamaCorp had run their campaign but could not legislate.    This point is slightly out of order, but I made the rather telling point, that the room admitted was correct: ObamaCorp had nearly full control of their electoral stategy, that the Senate was not telling them what states to campaign in and what issues to emphasize.    Governing is very much campaigning, but still, the two are different.

Let me take it back a few minutes.    Eric has had the floor for quite a while, six minutes perhaps.    He is after all, the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room.   But all he has said is that Obama missed this and he should have done that.

You have seen this from me before:  I got the floor and delivered it to him, right to his face: Dude.  We are progressives.   We try to get things done.   The other guys are Reactionaries.   They try to prevent things getting done.

It is damned easier to obstruct than to do.   That is my current thesis.

Eric conceded my point on that (try explaining HCR.    Hell, I don’t understand it.    If Quark can live with it, so can I) we as progressives have the harder row to hoe.

(And one toes the line, not tows the line!)

The long and short of it is: I went eye to eye with a guy who could have dismissed me and suffered no consequences.   I am happy to say that I escaped the meeting with my equipment intact, and positively impacted the direction of the meeting.

People.  Politics is one dirty fucking game.   To be able to have impact in it, one needs to be prepared to give, and to take.   Stand and goddamn deliver.  To do otherwise is to be an amateur.   Armchair quarterbacks never get a broken leg.   Woopie.   And when  an as absolute anti-Hillarist as I am goes against as powerful a Clintonista as Eric, one can expect fireworks.

But I held my own, and now the Vice-Chair of the California Democratic Party will be able to pick me out of a crowd.

I am working on my club’s 2010 political stategy.   Our new slogan will be: Participation is Patriotism!

Which brings me to this: anyone who wants to tell me that Democrats are not Patriots can kiss my fucking ass.

And anyone who wants to tell me that America is not a pretty goddamn good country can kiss my fucking ass.

Just a few thoughts from a guy who is trying to move things forward on the ground, in the real world.

For anyone who feels the need to whine.   Knock it the fuck off.   There is far more work to do than there are hands to do it.   Stop your sniveling.  Go to work.   Find a way to move forward.

If this admonishion does not apply to you, then you don’ t need to tell me how mean I am.   Krist, am I tired of that shit.

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AdLib
Admin

Did I miss it? When did Kev duck? 😉

As for Bill Clinton, his presidency and elections were based on his practice of “triangulation”. Meaning, the way to win the WH was to co-opt the Repub’s positions and leave them without issues to run against.

Consider this, if you wanted to beat a Teabagger candidate, the best thing you could do as a Progressive incumbent would be to sponsor legislation requiring Obama to prove his country of birth, killing HCR and pass a law allowing the unborn to carry guns in the womb.

Clinton pushed our middle class, unions and U.S. manufacturing off a cliff with NAFTA. His conservative policies greatly outnumbered any liberal policies.

And that’s where we want the country to go? MORE conservative?

KevenSeven
Member

Duke. Not duck.

And only when you glare at me.

Khirad
Member

I watched a speech on his site. Good speaker, and yeah, I can totally imagine of what you speak. I wouldn’t mess with that guy. Personally, I like having badasses among progressives. I’m more the shrinking violet type and admire it. I don’t know what in this was mean.

SueInCa
Member

OK Kevin

I gotta say you got balls, going up against the guy it seems everyone else fears? Hopefully it will wake up the others in your group. Sometimes I think Dems are too quiet/reserved. You know that term the “liberal elite”? i think we get that nickname because we are more thoughtful. Think about it, the right will just say it, it does not matter if it is true because the original people who heard it are probably not going to hear the mea culpa that come later.

If he says stuff like that to your group, you know he is saying it in public as well. Personally I think the National Party has fallen down on the job as well. What exactly is Tim Kaine doing? You hear Michael Steele all the time, we never hear from Kaine.

Kalima
Admin

These people who make the most noise, have their health care plans, don’t have to work 2 or 3 different jobs to pay the bills, have enough to eat every day or don’t have to worry about the problems facing a lot of Americans. It’s easy to sit in relative comfort, denounce the President who is trying to build up a stronger more united country, but to praise the previous administration which destroyed your country, trampled all over your constitution, your international credibility, is downright ignorant, so why fear this man I wonder?

KevenSeven
Member

Try reading it again.

Kalima
Admin

I did and he still sounds ignorant.

KevenSeven
Member

BushCo got stuff done. Most of it despicable. But they got stuff done.

One can get stuff done that decent people would not recoil at.

There can be no denying that Obama has not achieved as much as he might have up to this point.

That is his point. And he has a point.

Kalima
Admin

Most president’s before Bush weren’t left with a nation, their financial institutions and it’s laws in tatters. There is no viable comparison between what Obama inherited from day one and the 8 long years of Bush’s reign of “terror” inflicted on your country. I’m surprised that you would think so.

KevenSeven
Member

That’s the nicest thing you ever said to me. Thanks.

But I will correct you: He is not bad-mouthing Obama to a wide audience, of that I am sure.

Kaine may not be making news because he may not be a fucking idiot.

nellie
Member

Comparing this president to Clinton is a little ridiculous. They are not of the same philosophical leanings. And I’m thankful for that.

That said, Mr. Obama does need a reset at this point. I think he needs to change the approach on health care and get back to putting the spotlight on the economy and jobs. He should put health care in that context — the way he did during the campaign.

Clinton bitterness — who has time for that. Let’s get something done.

KQµårk 死神
Member

Don’t forget Clinton enacted the GOP agenda more than Bush really. Congress needs to do the heavy lifting now or they will be the failures. The president should always set the agenda for the future and that’s what he’s doing. If congress can’t pass healthcare or other initiatives they are dropping the ball.

KevenSeven
Member

Oh, I see plenty of Hillarites out there, telling me how it is that Obama stole the presidency from Her Royal Highness.

Who has time, indeed?

jan4insight
Guest

Well good on you, K7! I am sick to death of all the quisling Prog’s & Dems who have done everything possible to pull the rug out from under this President! Just now on the Other Site, there’s a headline saying something about “Congress frustrated with Obama health-care impasse.” Puh-lease, get an f*ing clue, folks!

This all reminds me of the “Bring Out Your Dead” bit from Monty Python & the Holy Grail – the bit where someone brings out a live guy who’s struggling & saying “I’m not dead yet” and Michael Palin (I think it is) bops him on the head & says “Now you are.”

The msm and the corporate robber barons and obstructionist repug’s and all their quisling fellow-travelers from the so-called “left” have been so eager to see Obama’s Presidency “fail” and have been calling it such for long, I wonder if they’ve ever heard of such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’m sure they’d just love to pull the trigger if they had half a chance.

Never mind that if the Presidency fails, we all fail. 🙁

whatsthatsound
Member

What a great analogy! Love that movie!

KQµårk 死神
Member

Yup one of my faves.

httpsh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbSQ6O6kbs

jan4insight
Guest

Oh thanks! I wasn’t sure how to find the clip on YouTube 🙂

KQµårk 死神
Member

Please is right. They have two bills that passed and a clear bath. Pass the Senate bill in the House and make changes using budget reconciliation with simple majorities int he Senate.

The president spent all his time after the recess working with congress and the Senate election committee lost him a seat.

The legislature for once has to do the right thing because they know what Obama wants.

KevenSeven
Member

Will that REALLY work?

The candidate up in MA took a month long vacation in Europe right after getting the nomination.

She bears most of the responsibility for losing that seat.

KQµårk 死神
Member

The point was Obama was doing his job and whoever was running Coakley’s wasn’t. Candidates cannot be trusted to run their own campaigns with so much on the line.

Marion
Member

Whining about Obama being worse than Cheney and wanting Bush and Cheney back to get things done seems to be on the political fashion scene emanating from California.

It does not wear too well on the East Coast, I hear. Arianna’s pet gnome Bill Maher kicked off new material (really!) on Long Island last Thursday night and started by slamming Obama and longing for Bushco, saying Obama was worse than Cheney. Cheney got things done.

The audience smacked his pasty ass. From all reports, our Billy was quite upset and surprised at their reaction. So surprised that that part of the stand-up was left out of subsequent shows in upstate NY and in Connecticut.

jan4insight
Guest

So now the quisling progs & Dems are saying they’d rather have Cheney back? OMFG. Haven’t they ever heard – be careful what you wish for ?!?

bito
Member

New Gallup poll today says 88% of Dems approve of Obama job perfomance. Who are these people playing to? 12% of disgruntled Dems. What? Probably 8% of at any time are just plain crabby all the time no matter what.
Look Bill M., Ed S., Huffy, et al Don’t expect me to put food on your plate so you can say that I fed you a bad meal. I have had it with your making it where you are by stepping on the backs/necks of those that got you there.

whatsthatsound
Member

Interesting story! I looked it up, and could only find this link. Granted, it’s pro-Maher, but it talks a bit more about what happened.
http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/bill-maher-slams-obama-and-draws-gasps-from-crowd-82324907.html

bito
Member

OooHKAY!

“When Bill Maher, the most liberal stand-up comedian in America,…..”

AdLib
Admin

Yeah, remember all those liberals who supported the Iraq War and gave Bush props for it?

And all those liberals who are best buds with Ann Coulter?

Maher has one special interest and it’s in his mirror.

KevenSeven
Member

Hardly a remarkable personal trait from a comedian, I’d say.

Now, can anyone lead me to another report on Maher going down in flames?

‘Cause the one WTS published did not quite read that way.

Khirad
Member

“In a strange way, Maher and the Tea Party have much in common.”

nellie
Member

Yeah, let’s long for someone who got things done like the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Yeah, let’s go back to that.

Disgusting.

KevenSeven
Member

Actually, Eric Bauman, the Vice Chair of the California Democratic Party made a very similar point to me just yesterday.

He lauded BushCo for keeping the Senate in session in spite of the rules, to force thru Medicare part D.

This guy said that when Bush was questioned on forcing the rules, Bush just smiled and signed the bill.

His point was that Obama should start knocking heads.

And his credentials as a liberal are unimpeachable.

Kalima
Admin

I think that Maher doesn’t get the difference between intelligent use of satire and dredging the sewers for a cheap and in very bad taste joke. I’m glad that the audience ripped him a new one and hope that he finds it extremely uncomfortable sitting down for the foreseeable future. The man is just not funny.

nellie
Member

He always goes for the cheap shot. I don’t think he really has any political principles.

Kalima
Admin

Well if he listens to the Empress with no clothes, I doubt that he possesses valid political principles or opinions either.

Obama bashing might just prove to further his demise in the end and I certainly won’t be shedding any tears.

KevenSeven
Member

Well, I don’t much care to see Hairyanna on the TeeeVeee anymore than I do, but it sure ain’t just Maher giving her air time.

Kalima
Admin

Isn’t he her “best” friend and Obama “bashing” buddy?

KevenSeven
Member

Dunno. I don’t watch cable. I have you people to entertain and inform me.

I know she gets far more credence from MSNBC than she deserves.

SueInCa
Member

Actually, Maher started this bashing quite soon after Obama took office. I can take some well placed satire, jokes etc but he has a vicious side to him that turned me off. We cancelled that tier on our satellite dish because I no longer wanted to pay to hear him blab on. Not sure what happened to him but for him to long for the Bushco days? As my grandson would say, “that’s just not right, nana”.

jan4insight
Guest

Someone should tell him to be careful what he wishes for!

KevenSeven
Member

Huh. Interesting. Do you have a citation to anywhere else that I could read about that?

KQµårk 死神
Member

First of all Clinton would not have gotten this far. For one thing Bill Clinton did not do anything Republicans did not want done too NAFTA, welfare reform and deregulation was all on the GOP agenda. Second dictating HCR to a Dem congress does not work. They have to own the bill to pass it. If you don’t believe me that’s a big reason why the House won’t pass the Senate bill now.

K7 is right the whiners are just obstructionist in Dem clothing whether coming from the right or left.

We’ve got to stop looking back like reactionaries and move forward.

KevenSeven
Member

Which Clinton would not have got this far?

KQµårk 死神
Member

Both.

dndobson
Member

I am pretty sure Eric hasn’t changed his mind one bit. But the whole State apparatus was pro Hillary and he is part of that apparatus. I am surprised to hear him blame Obama for not being Clintonesc enough though, when I see that at as Obama’s whole problem so far.

KevenSeven
Member

You should have been there! Ask L about it.

It was hilarious. There was all this talk of Obama having too many experienced people, with the wrong experience.

Like all the Clintonistas who chose Obama over Hillary?

No. Like the CRIMINALS from Chicago!

The Chair of our endorsement committee is an Obvious Clintonista verging on a PUMA, from what I heard her say.

BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

Kev, maybe we should send your post viral, might wake up some of the whiners up in other parts of the country!

Let’s hope that the 800 lb. Gorilla gets what you said and changes his defeatist attitude.

Good for you!

KevenSeven
Member

Thank you. You are very kind.