Even had Fletcher neglected to make that point, he is - and has been for a long time - far more politically active, I am sure, than Beck and other cyber critics.
Also, it should be noted that most people, even the most politically aware, don't spontaneously mobilize. It requires leadership. But I know you and Fletcher know that.
Finally, Obama may never have, as you've claimed elsewhere, mustered enough congressional votes for a bigger stimulus, tougher bank regulation, public healthcare, or mandatory mortgage relief. But it was well within the realm of possibility that, given the political will, he could have forced congress to act by using bully pulpit of the Presidency to sustain and rally the broad coalition which propelled him to power. Instead, he frittered away rather than built on this political capital by ignoring the American people and neutering all of these initiatives in backroom dealing with corporate lobbyists, conservative Democrats, and a handful of powerless "moderate" Republicans.
^^^^^ CB: I think you should elaborate your "bully pulpit" theory of the Presidency. It is a quaint expression, but I'm not sure the President, particularly Obama, has any such ability to bully rightwing Democrats into deserting their ruling class constituents. Clinton didn't.
Overall, Obama's "timid" conduct was in the same vein as the way he conducted his campaign , if you recall. He was so non-confrontational it was amazing. I'm sure the O admin's calculation was why change from their campaign approach that worked. And rationally, the Tea Party should have been relegated to the fringe. But the media completely reversed itself from the campaign and turned on Obama, legitimized the Tea Party's pretense of not being Republicans, who prevented Obama from being more left. This is evidence of a focused ruling class decision to undermine what they had supported in the campaign. Couldn't have a new Obama generation created.
With hindsight Obama may have acted differently. At this point, that concrete situation is passed. Only political Peter Pans conclude that this means don't support Obama or Democrats.
^^^^^^^^
It's not only Obama's liberal and left-wing critics who have indicted the administration for its Hoover-like timidity in the wake of the biggest crisis since the Depression. A host of commentators from across the political spectrum writing in both the financial and mainstream media have offered up the same criticisms all year long. It's plain wrong for both Obama and yourself to suggest the verdict about to be delivered next week against his administration by the American people is mostly owing to their obtuseness. That may be true of the tea party milieu, but the larger part of the disgruntled population has legitimate cause to believe bolder measures on jobs, housing, healthcare, and financial regulation were necessary and within reach, and to hold Obama responsible for falling short.
^^^^^^^ CB: Well, no I'm correct that it is "obtuse" and infantile for a liberal or leftist to not vote for Obama because he tried to compromise with the center just as he campaigned. Why wouldn't he continue his winning campaign strategy ? That's my central point. They need to get real. As to the commentators, the media capitalists have shifted to stabbing O in the back, cutting him way down to size;stopping the left shift he represents from Bush.
But I don't think the liberals are the problem in large numbers. It's Independents, not liberals or lefts, who are the problem. Plus, I think the Tea Party racism is resonating with a lot of people who were flat in 2008 because Bush was such a failure. Racist stay aways in 2008 are fired up now to be anti-O. There is near unanimous agreement in the Black community on this. There is a Black libertarian on a local talk radiio show who for years has been calling in on how Black people need to stop complaining about racism. Now he's on the radio every day with stories about Tea Party gross racism. Even his eyes can see the racism driving this anti-O ! You and most of the list here continue to underestimate the centrality of racism in the American body/mind politic and in this sudden sea change from just two years ago. It is a fundamental shortcoming of the political analysis here.
Overall, the more disturbing problem is that significant masses of the American working class seem to have very fucked up political thinking.
"Below" , the "bottom" don't seem to be enough potential or conscious to make progressive change . In fact there's a lot of rotten consciousness.