TENSIONS RISING: LIBERALS UNNERVED BY OBAMA MOVES...

Now it’s Obama’s Cabinet moves that are drawing the most fire. It’s not just that he’s picked Clinton and Gates. It’s that liberal Democrats say they’re hard-pressed to find one of their own on Obama’s team so far – particularly on the economic side, where people like Tim Geithner and Lawrence Summers are hardly viewed as pro-labor.

“At his announcement of an economic team there was no secretary of labor. If you don’t think the labor secretary is on the same level as treasury secretary, that gives me pause,” said Jonathan Tasini, who runs the website workinglife.org. “The president-elect wouldn't be president-elect without labor."

During the campaign Obama gained labor support by saying he favored legislation that would make it easier for unions to form inside companies. The “card check” bill would get rid of a secret-ballot method of voting to form a union and replace it with a system that would require companies to recognize unions simply if a majority of workers signed cards saying they want one. Obama still supports that legislation, aides say – but union leaders are worried that he no longer talks it up much as president-elect.

“It's complicated,” said Tasini, who challenged Clinton for Senate in 2006. “On the one hand, the guy hasn't even taken office yet so it's a little hasty to be criticizing him. On the other hand, there is legitimate cause for concern. I think people are still waiting but there is some edginess about this.”

That’s a view that seems to have kept some progressive leaders holding their fire. There are signs of a struggle within the left wing of the Democratic Party about whether it’s just too soon to criticize Obama -- and if there’s really anything to complain about just yet.

Case in point: One of the Campaign for America’s Future blogs commented on Obama’s decision not to tax oil companies’ windfall profits saying, “Between this move and the move to wait to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, it seems like the Obama team is buying into the right-wing frame that raising any taxes - even those on the richest citizens and wealthiest corporations - is bad for the economy.”

Yet Campaign for America’s Future will be join about 150 progressive organizations, economists and labor groups to release a statement Tuesday in support of a large economic stimulus package like the one Obama has proposed, said Hickey, a co-founder of the group.

“I’ve heard the most grousing about the windfall profits tax, but on the other hand, Obama has committed himself to a stimulus package that makes a down payment on energy efficiency and green jobs,” Hickey said. “The old argument was, here’s how we afford to make these investments – we tax the oil companies’ windfall profits. … The new argument is, in a bad economy that could get worse, we don’t.”

Obama is asking for patience – saying he’s only shifting his stance on some issues because circumstances are shifting.

Aides say he backed off the windfall profits tax because oil prices have
dropped below $80 a barrel. Obama also defended hedging on the Bush tax cuts.

“My economic team right now is examining, do we repeal that through legislation? Do we let it lapse so that, when the Bush tax cuts expire, they're not renewed when it comes to wealthiest Americans?” Obama said on “Meet the Press.” “We don't yet know what the best approach is going to be.”

On Iraq, he says he’s just trying to make sure any U.S. pullout doesn’t ignite “any resurgence of terrorism in Iraq that could threaten our interests.”

Obama has told his supporters to look beyond his appointments, that the change he promised will come from him and that when his administration comes together they will be happy.

“I think that when you ultimately look at what this advisory board looks like, you'll say this is a cross-section of opinion that in some ways reinforces conventional wisdom, in some ways breaks with orthodoxy in all sorts of way,” Obama recently said in response to questions about his appointments during a news conference on the economy.

The leaders of some liberal groups are willing to wait and see.

“He hasn’t had a first day in office,” said John Isaacs, the executive director for Council for Livable World. “To me it’s not as important as who’s there, than what kind of policies they carry out.”

“These aren’t out-and-out liberals on the national security team, but they may be successful implementers of what the Obama national security policy is,” Isaacs added. “We want to see what policies are carried forward, as opposed to appointments.”

Juan Cole, who runs a prominent anti-war blog called Informed Comment, said he worries Obama will get bad advice from Clinton on the Middle East, calling her too pro-Israel and “belligerent” toward Iran. “But overall, my estimation is that he has chosen competence over ideology, and I'm willing to cut him some slack,” Cole said.

Other voices of the left don’t like what they’re seeing so far and aren’t waiting for more before they speak up.

New York Times columnist Frank Rich warned that Obama’s economic team of Summers and Geithner reminded him of John F. Kennedy’s “best and the brightest” team, who blundered in Vietnam despite their blue-chip pedigrees.

David Corn, Washington bureau chief of the liberal magazine Mother Jones, wrote in Sunday’s Washington Post that he is “not yet reaching for a pitchfork.”

But the headline of his op-ed sums up his point about Obama’s Cabinet appointments so far: “This Wasn’t Quite the Change We Envisioned.”
[link to www.politico.com]

sometimes "change" just means combing your hair a little different.

Yep! Those waiting for a messiah might have given power to the devil.

I don't dislike Obama, but I do dislike the mind controlled way he used the mantra of change. The word sounds good, yet it has many different meanings.

don't listen to their words, watch what they do, and if he walks like a buck and talks like a duck, then you know he is not on your side, but works for the secret gov!

your just too brain washed by your media!

He also leaves a little trail of duck shit behind him. I think he be's a duck!

:history:

Obama will deliver only the elites agenda as he is controlled opposition at its best!

Damn straight!

how much money did he take in during the campaign? He owes alot of people...

Obama is a quintessential example of the PROPAGANDA MATRIX

Obaaaaaaaaaaaaaama! Need I say more!!
People are so stupid. I feel sorry for this country.

media hype

HOW MANY TIMES IS THIS SAME ARTICLE GOING TO BE POSTED IN A THREAD TODAY?


GET THE FUCK OVER IT PEOPLE. OBAMA WON. KISS HIS BLACK ASS.

The president doesn't deserve to have his ass kissed, just kicked!

Some of us have been aware that politics are a sham long before the elections. Nice to see some of you finally getting it.

Obama has never been a liberal. Only the right-wing media called him that.

He has always been a centrist and always will. The reason for simply letting the tax cuts expire in 2010 is because of the recession. Obama will change his policy to fit the circumstances to whatever is the best choice to keep the economy growing.

Obama has never and will never be dictated to by ideology and only appoint those people who agree with him. Thats why I like him so much. He will simply look at the facts of the situation and make an intelligent decision.

Trust me all, in a few years you will be glad you elected and intelligent President.

This is why I always had a problem with Obama. There were just too many promises that he made, that there was no way he could possibly pull off. With his mantra about change, it was all about Him making change, but he never once said that he cannot make changes unless congress approves those changes.

Congress has to approve his proposals, or it doesn't go anywhere. He can only propose legislation, he cannot approve it all by himself.

Obama used the liberaltards just like bush used the conservativetards, for one purpose: To get elected.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the show!

The last 8 years was a hard swing to the right, and everyone is now surprised and acting like there wasn't going to be a hard return swing left?

Please.

It was only a matter of time before the apologists appeared.

Actually bush did not fulfill the right wing agenda of his constituents, just of his masters.

Let's leave your suggested action to you and the rest of the Obamabots. You all have already demonstrated such an appitude. Oh yes, you will see the change you voted for. all right. If you do not like what you see, then just "believe."

There are many who do not share your delusions. Those who still have brains that function will hopefully survive it all and live to see a better day.

This was not an attempt to defend Obama.

You are most likely correct. It is funny that he conned all those easily duped sheeple dumb asses into voting for him by making outlandish empty promises though. They bought his line of bullshit hook, line, and sinker. Now that’s funny! I might just end up actually liking Obama. Its to early to tell of course but Im going to sit back and watch and wait.

I hate liberals...

you know that hole on obamas face , that IS HIS ASSHOLE, THATS WHERE ALL THE SHITS COMING OUT

Maybe Obama isn't about being the extreme right or left; maybe he is just about doing what is TRULY good for this country.

no shit, same as clinton.

Buckle up! It's gonna be a shaky and shitty four years.

We'll be lucky to get a college football playoff along with all the "change", like invading/bombing new countries, socializing medicine, continuing to print funny money and spy on Americans!

Of course, Ron Paul never expressed his opinions on the college football issue, so I still feel I voted for the right candidate.