Some on left souring on Obama

Barely four months into his presidency, Obama is confronting growing dissatisfaction among members of his liberal base, who feel spurned by a series of his early decisions on issues ranging from guns to torture to immigration to gay rights.

The list got longer last week as Obama reversed his earlier decision to release photos of detainees abused in U.S. military custody and announced plans to try some terror suspects before military commissions – though on the campaign trail he railed against earlier versions of the tribunals.

A few, like MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, have even hurled the left’s ultimate epithet – suggesting that Obama’s turning into George W. Bush.

The building anger comes at a critical moment – just as Obama’s about to announce his choice for the Supreme Court. Fulfill their dreams of a “liberal Scalia,” a firebrand from the left, and much would be forgiven.

But if Obama opts instead for a decidedly centrist nominee aimed at winning a large number of Republican votes in the Senate, the growing concern could develop into something more politically dangerous.

“Even though I think he can get away with a more centrist candidate, he has to be careful not to be spitting in the eyes of his base,” said Laura Murphy, a lobbyist and former head of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington office.

“He’s got to be concerned about the cumulative impact dampening the energy and enthusiasm he needs for the midterm elections,” Murphy said. “If he doesn’t sustain a sizeable Democratic majority, he’s going to have a hard time finishing his very big agenda.”

“I could see the shrewdness of it,” John Brittain of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said, referring to the possibility Obama would turn to a middle-of-the-road candidate. “They would be kind of punting on the Supreme Court issue to focus on other issues. I think it would take a lot of the wind out of Obama’s sails—his popularity, not necessarily in polling numbers, but in spirit.”

Brittain said such a nominee would be confirmed – but liberal groups would probably be slow to respond to future calls for help from Obama. “When he went to press the button next time to rally up people, I think there would still be a lingering issue,” Brittain said.

For liberals who viewed Obama as something of a savior after eight years of Bush, the discontents are piling up.

He has pushed gun control to the back burner, used the state secrets privilege to try to quash lawsuits over warrantless wiretapping, opposed a “truth commission” to investigate alleged torture and sought to deny some legal protections to detainees in Afghanistan.

And he’s made clear he’s in no rush to do immigration reform or repeal the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers.

A growing number of organizations, bloggers and pundits, many of whom kept quiet about slights in Obama’s first few months, are now going public with their disillusionment.

“On torture, change we wanted to believe in feels like more of the same,” the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch said in a joint statement Friday.

“I have a sickeningly familiar feeling in my stomach, and the feeling deepens with every interaction with the Obama team on [gay] issues. They want them to go away. They want us to go away,” the Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan wrote last week, dismissing Obama’s pledge to end the "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell" policy as “toilet paper.”

Maddow accused Obama of doing a “blatant 180” on military commissions. On issues like the wiretapping suits, some critics have suggested Obama is even worse than Bush

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22604.html

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And the rest of the Obama supporters are still in denial:

Earmarks
Lobbyist appointments
Military tribunals
Ethics in general

They have all been HAD!!!

i guess it was not as easy as he thought


imagine that



so inexperienced he has to go to the plan that he bashed during the campaign

such a sham

oooopppppppsss shame

oh well i guess those that said he did not have the experience to hold the job was correct

but hey

what do i know

other than knowing both the republican and democrat parties need to be disbanded

no other groups have done more to destroy the constitution of the united states and succeed

They are both equally f......up!!!!! Tell me is there any difference between the two?

.............

the same puppeteer still pulls the strings

and is anyone REALLY surprised?

Inevitable... I wonder if politicians honestly believe they can make a difference when they are campaigning and then realize once they are in office they can't deliver...or if they are lying from the beginning.

not till this happens

both the republican and democrat parties need to be disbanded

and the federal reserve goes with them

those that control the money control most everything

Sweetheart they are lying from the beginning. Obama is nothing but a talking figurehead. I just can't believe that our population is stupid enough that every 4 years we elect someone based on their promise of CHANGE. That's why we elect every president.

Clinton was supposed to bring change in labor laws and exporting jobs, then he threw us into the WTO crapped all over the Unions that got him elected.

Bush was supposed to bring change, take us back to constitutional law. Then we were 'attacked' by 'terrorists' and suddenly we have the USA Patriot Act. Basically, as a result, we no longer are a constitutional democracy.

Now Obama gets elected. He promised so much change that people had a hard time remember what everything was. Then he appoints the same damn people who have been running this country into the ground as his cabinet members.

No candidate that is hyped in the media is going to be a candidate for you. You want to find the guy/girl that is REALLY going to fight for you, and make your life better; then find the candidate that is scorned and ridiculed in the media. Look at Ron Paul for example. I didn't vote for him, but I was appalled at the way the media handled him. They actually called him and his supporters "WACKOS" over and over again. Why? Because he kept saying we're doing things wrong, and we need to fix things NOW, quickly before it's too late.

Instead, a bunch of people who know ZERO about Economics and Foreign Policy turned on their TV sets, listened to the lies, and voted Obama into office.

WAKE UP, TURN OFF YOUR TV, READ A BOOK. Gain knowledge. Otherwise, shut your mouth because you're the one who is ruining this country. Stop blaming the politicians, you elected them.

Note: this rant is not aimed at anyone on this thread. It is a general statement to the kind of people who vote without knowledge. (Well, if I could have a Beer with any candidate it would be Bush. He's got my vote).

You reap what you sow.

politicians are politicians (I only like a VERY slim few)....which snake has the least venom?