Liberals need to "buck up" in preparation for November's elections, Vice President Biden said Monday night.
The vice president didn't back off the notion that disillusioned supporters should "stop whining," a sentiment he uttered on Monday in New Hampshire, and which drew heavy criticism from liberals in the party.
"And so those who -- didn't get everything they wanted, it's time to just buck up here, understand that we can make things better, continue to move forward," Biden said during an appearance on MSNBC, "but not yield the playing field to those folks who are against everything that we stand for in terms of the initiatives we put forward."
Biden was asked by MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell, in the debut of the host's new program, "The Last Word," whether he'd like to retract his admonition to liberals to stop complaining.
"There are some on the Democratic base, not the core of it, that are angry because we didn't get every single thing they want," the vice president said.
"They should stop that," Biden explained. "These guys, if they win, the other team, they're going to repeal health care and I I want them to tell me why what we did wasn't an incredibly significant move that's progressive and helping people?"
Finally, somebody in the White House comes out swinging against the lefties who are wanting to dump Obama and stay home and cry because he hasn't fixed anything yet.
I will be the first to admit that Obama has failed on civil liberties. The Republicans would have done the same. In the balance of the whole, he's better that the alternative.
The reality is Democrats don't have the luxury of a sane, intelligent Republican party to fall back on should the Democrats come up short in some areas...and they have. But they have also gotten so much done. They've gotten things moved forward. We all know the Republicans will only take things backwards. They've promised as such. They've promised to eliminate practically everything Obama has done in the last 20 months.
How will that help things?
So yes. Somebody has to step up and say "Stop acting like spoiled brats and get the big picture." Glad Biden has the balls to do it.
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5 comments:
i'll vote for democrats in november, but if other people choose not to, i'm not going to call them names for it. that's the childish/spoiled thing to do.
people have every right to be disappointed in obama (and the democrats) and they have every right to express that displeasure however they please. are they cutting their own throats here? maybe, maybe not.
but "if you think we suck, the republicans are really, REALLY bad, booga booga!" is not a compelling campaign slogan, sorry. even if one agrees with it, one can't expect it to have all that much traction with voters.
i don't completely agree with the firedog lake crowd (i'm not going to embarrass myself and call them "firebaggers" fer cryin' out loud), but why add yet another voice to the now well-established democratic response "get with the program and vote the 'right way' no matter what"? a lot of people voted for obama without especially high expectations and he still managed to disappoint them! and you have to factor in how pissed many dems are by what a bunch of spineless worms obama and the dems appear to be in the face of continuing republican obstructionism. steve m over on NMMNB once mentioned something about perception and how if you let yourself get picked on, the public starts to perceive you as somehow DESERVING the opprobrium you draw. boy, there's a lesson in there for the democrats.
of course, my position would make for a pretty dull post (like what you're reading now, only longer!) if i were still an active blogger. "i'm voting for the democrats but if other liberals choose not to, that's their business!" but i gotta say this: when i see posts like yours, i'm troubled. maybe november is going to be a bloodbath like the pollsters are predicting. are you guys laying the groundwork to scapegoat the firedog crowd for it? if we're going to continue making the case for ours being the "rational" side, then maybe we ought not demonize people we disagree with the way our friends on the right often do. hmm?
PS: and don't let the week pass without mentioning the big rally for unemployed folk in washington this saturday.
signed,
a regular reader who thinks that wafflez is a fuckin' moron.
Honestly, one thinks we lost our chance to "throw the bums out" as it were. That's the job of the freakin' primary.
With the elections coming up, we're not in a position to punish anybody, unfortunately, without hurting ourselves.
i'll vote for democrats in november, but if other people choose not to, i'm not going to call them names for it. that's the childish/spoiled thing to do. And I save my childish/spoiled name calling for those who don't share my same beliefs!
fixT
and you have never called Z an idiot, right?
you really are a nincompoop.
um where did I say I haven't done such things? It's kinda part of being a troll....idiot, can't even keep up with the argument...
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