Once more I have to point out that most people use emotion—not rational thought—to decide most things most of the time. You cannot reasonably expect rank-and-file Democrats, progressives, and the like to be foursquare behind policies that the President and congressional leaders have not sold to them. Most people don’t do much policy, and laying out policy for them isn’t going to convince them. They need platitudes, with a sprinkling of policy mixed in.

The mandate is a perfect example of this. As a policy, it’s unavoidable if you’re going to have universal coverage. But without damned good rhetorical backing, it’s a hard sell, because most people hate to be required to do something. Obama and congressional Democrats didn’t do nearly enough to make that sale. So, when Lieberman killed the public option (which many progressives viewed as a critical safety-valve), their support for the mandate—and, to a significant extent, general public support, too—fell off a cliff.

Rhetoric: it’s what Democrats need for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

And whoever said Obama worked with Repubs in Illinois. Well, Illinois Republicans aren’t way out wingnut southern Repubs. For the most part, they’re normal somewhat centrist Repubs. Hell, could you ever see Haley Barbour releasing death row prisoners in Mississippi? George Ryan did. Ray Lahood and Peter Fitzgerald aren’t wingnuts.
Also too, we have 50 votes. You take out Landrieu,Nelson,Lieberhole,Lincoln, Bayh and Conrad you still have 53. That still gives you three to play with.

The President has been consistently pushing truthful rhetoric (Congress maybe not so much). That’s part of what I mean by he’s been dropping clues. (Could he do better? Yes, but that’s because one can always do better in matters like this.)

Part of the problem is, it isn’t being picked up and carried consistently by enough people on the left and/or the media (that uses crap framing like, it “appears” that McCain might maybe have altered his stand DADT, as opposed to just saying outright that McCain lied/flip flopped) for whatever reason(s).

A major (for now?) news network blatantly cut away from the President when he was making excellent, truthful points because it was making the side that the media is rooting for look bad.

Part of the reason the Republicans seem more organized is because they can say the craziest shit and it’s repeated enough by the media and Republicans in the general public everywhere on everything that even the other side starts to adopt their framing/language. It’s crazy.

Republicans happily take the smallest victory and use it to flog us until we end up thinking that they’re succeeding at everything and we’re succeeding at nothing…which is so far from true it’s not even funny.

You have people on the left willfully using right wing framing, language and outright lies to demonize the Senate version of the health care bill because it doesn’t have their respective lobbying point in it.

You have people on the “left” joining in with Republicans to call this administration and Congress a failure, when facts and common sense show, that with the possible exception of health care reform (which I believe will pass). It is anything but…

It’s like the left has been in an abusive relationship for so long that they can’t recognize when they’ve found a good husband/wife…not a perfect one but a good one.

So yes, it’s the President’s job to create and consistently push truthful rhetoric that helps his cause…but at some point as members of the Democratic Party it would be nice if we realized he’s not an island (the slogan was “we” not “he” can), and we consistently helped him spread said truthful rhetoric without first expecting him to sign something in blood or give us our respective ponies.

And if he fails, in whomever’s opinion to push said truthful rhetoric at some point for whatever reason, it would be nice if we had not his back, but our OWN, and picked up the ball and helped push said truthful rhetoric anyway since it can only result in good things for us if we did so.

can Boehner be called Agent Orange or SprayTanMan in the BJ Lexicon?

Bingo! He is Agent Orange to me now and forevermore. Well played, indeed.

Democrats have good-to-reasonable policies on most things, and pretty much all their policies are better than pretty much all GOP policies. That’s not the question. The question is whether they’re able to sell their policies. And that’s where they’ve been consistently weak. That’s got to change. And I’d love to see Obama lead and inspire that change by doing exactly what John suggested above.

But isn’t making a serious attempt at acting like a responsible adult as President of the United States inherently bringing change to Washington? I mean there hasn’t been a grown up in that position for a loooooong time (and that includes Clinton) which is why we’re so fucked now. Theoretically, isn’t bipartisanship and attempts at bipartisanship good for the country?

It’s not President Obama’s fault that the Republicans are insane and are constantly rewarded or at least not punished by the public and/or media for their insanity.

It’s not the President’s job to call an entire Party insane outright. Especially when a large number of the voting public follows that Party. All he can do is drop clues, and he’s dropped a heck of a lot of clues. The problem is that the left ain’t picking it up because they’re too focused on their ponies and the media is a corporation and it would go against the interests of said corporation to tell the truth about the Republican “party.”

Recording when I called just now: “Due to inclement weather the comments line is closed at this time.”

I got the same thing. I tried the switchboard at 202-456-1414, and was told that everything is shutdown (apparently due to the impending snow), so there’s no live people to talk with. I guess the next-best thing is to leave an e-message at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact , and to call the comment line tomorrow.

Didn’t this already sort of happen during the primaries? Was McCain was going to show up to a debate during his “time out” to fix the economy? People talked about whether Obama would show up for the debate even if McCain didn’t and some put forward the idea of standing there on the stage for the debate, with the empty McCain podium beside him. Even through the day of the debate there was uncertainty about whether McCain would show, but McCain did show up and the debate went on as scheduled.

Obama’s response if they don’t show up will surely be worth watching. The republicans will not get a free pass from Obama on this one. Especially not with Plouffe back at his side.