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Obama’s blunt message for Democrats: ‘Toughen up’ (www.cnn.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/politics@lemmy.world
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“I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” Obama said at the fundraiser

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[–] 118 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

This is one of those platitudes that is too vague to be of any real value.

It's like telling someone to be confident. "Just figure out what you need to do and do that thing!"

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  • [–] 54 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Yeah - the centrists and neoliberals will take this to mean “do more centrist and neoliberal things”; progressives will take this to mean “do more progressive things”; the DNC will take this to mean “give more money to centrist and neoliberal consultants and ignore what people are actually saying”. Not helpful in any sense.

    So, in an unironic, but still very sarcastic and disappointed sense: thanks Obama 😒

    Seriously, maybe tell the Democratic leadership to pull their head out of their ass and listen to people - as you did back in 07-08, which carried you to victory. And then gasp follow through on what they say, up to and including taking a page out of the GOP playbook - just do things that are helpful to normal people and say “fuck you, make me” when centrists and republicans try to stop you. We now have an imperial presidency, after all, so why not try to use it to do some good when (or if 😓) non-fascists get into power again.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago

    This is exactly it. Unless we get really specific, this shit is more of the same middling platitudes, and different audiences will only hear what they want to hear. Seriously disappointing, and not at all helpful.

    Ex-politicians like Obama (but not just him) need to shut the hell up unless they have PRACTICAL ideas that we can use. Someone like Obama should understand that his words have gravitas (love your username btw, fellow Banks fan I presume?), but his rhetoric goes straight in the garbage unless it’s backed by actionable ideas.

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    • [–] 23 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    yes, its the navel gazing voters who are to blame here:

    128 Dems shot down the trump impeachment push recently. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-impeachment-aoc-al-green-democrats-vote-b2776294.html

    16 Senate Dems Join GOP to Advance Crypto Bill—A Gift to Trump’s ‘Reeking Corruption’ https://www.commondreams.org/news/senate-democrats-genius-bill-advance

    A Tale of Two Resolutions: 75 Dems Join GOP in Resolution Praising Trump’s Mass Deportation Regime https://jonathancohn.medium.com/a-tale-of-two-resolutions-75-dems-join-gop-in-resolution-praising-trumps-mass-deportation-regime-15cf590770ea

    Democrats join Republicans in sanctuary city crackdown https://www.usconstitution.net/why-some-democrats-joined-republicans-in-a-sanctuary-city-crackdown/

    Dems join Republicans to boost defense spending in Trump agenda bill https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/04/29/congress/dems-join-gop-to-boost-defense-spending-00317618

    Texas Democrats join Republicans to place citizen voting requirement on statewide ballots in 2025 after blocking the amendment in 2023 https://news.ballotpedia.org/2025/05/16/texas-democrats-join-republicans-to-place-citizen-voting-requirement-on-statewide-ballots-in-2025-after-blocking-the-amendment-in-2023/

    7 Democrats vote for GOP resolution condemning LA protests https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5373771-la-riots-gop-resolution-democrats/

    Four Democrats join Republicans to pass SAVE Act bill that requires proof of citizenship to vote https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/house-vote-save-act-voter-id-b2731102.html

    Six U.S. House Dems join GOP in condemning Harris, Biden administration over border policy https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/07/25/six-u-s-house-dems-join-gop-in-condemning-harris-biden-administration-over-border-policy/

    15 Democrats Join House GOP to Pass ‘MAGA Assault’ on Nonprofits https://www.commondreams.org/news/hr-9495-passed

    Some Democrats join Republicans in voting to strike down Biden’s EV mandate https://walberg.house.gov/media/in-the-news/fox-news-some-democrats-join-republicans-voting-strike-down-bidens-ev-mandate

    Most Senate Democrats Join Republicans in Calling for Corporate Tax Break https://itep.org/most-senate-democrats-join-republicans-in-calling-for-corporate-tax-break/

    Sen. Elissa Slotkin is lone Democrat to cross party lines in vote to revoke California’s EV emissions waivers https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/elissa-slotkin-california-ev-vote-senate/

    8 House Democrats join Republicans in voting to strike down California’s electric vehicle mandate https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-democrats-join-republicans-voting-strike-down-californias-electric-vehicle-mandate

    Full List of Democrats Voting to Block California Ban on Gas-Powered Cars https://www.newsweek.com/full-list-democrats-block-california-gas-car-ban-2066890 https://www.splinter.com/35-house-democrats-join-republicans-in-declaring-themselves-enemies-of-climate-progress

    Democrats join GOP to kill air pollution, appliance rules https://www.eenews.net/articles/democrats-join-gop-to-kill-air-pollution-appliance-rules/

    House Democrats bash Senate colleagues for backing GOP spending bill: ‘Huge slap in the face’ https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5194414-house-democrats-senate-spending-bill/

    10 Democrats join with Republicans to censure Rep. Al Green for Trump speech protest https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/politics/al-green-censure-trump-protest-house

    Senate Democrats join Republicans to gut Dodd-Frank banking regulations https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/03/16/dodd-m16.html

    62 DEMOCRATS JOIN 207 REPUBLICANS IN VOTE TO CONCEAL GAZA DEATH TOLL https://theintercept.com/2024/06/27/congress-gaza-death-toll-democrats/

    81 Democrats Vote With GOP for Military Budget Barring Gaza Death Toll Citation https://truthout.org/articles/81-democrats-vote-with-gop-for-military-budget-barring-gaza-death-toll-citations/

    16 Democrats join most Republicans to force administration to send arms to Israel https://jewishinsider.com/2024/05/16-democrats-join-most-republicans-to-force-administration-to-send-arms-to-israel/

    Over 20 Democrats join Republicans in House censure vote of Rashida Tlaib over Israel-Hamas war comments https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-house-democrats-hold-news-briefing-after-censure-of-rep-tlaib-over-comments-on-israel

    ‘Deep sense of outrage and betrayal’: House Democrats react to Schumer announcement https://www.npr.org/2025/03/13/nx-s1-5327600/house-democrats-outrage-spending

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Not one single Democrat should EVER vote for ANY MAGA sponsored legislation.

    We need Democratic leaders who will resist the MAGA Nazis at every opportunity, and deliberately create more opportunities to resist them, just to antagonize them. Leadership should warm their people before every vote, that Dem crossover voters will be harshly punished. Then DO IT.

    The Dem leadership in the Senate, House, and DNC needs to be purged, and replaced with Democratic Warriors. If you aren't willing to go to war against the MAGA Nazis, then you must resign, and make way for someone who will fight.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    While I agree I don't think you'll get many Democrats who are willing to put their necks out to stop him now that it's open season for hunting Democrats. What would you do if you were in the Senate or Congress? Would you vote to impeach the Orange Julius Caesar and have your family at the top of every crazy MAGA supporters hit list or are you going to stay quiet, stay low, and don't bring any attention to yourself until you can lose your seat to a republican. One option your kids are targets of domestic terrorists, the other you get to collect a fat paycheck.

    Cause if you think the last set of Democrats who were murdered will be the only ones, you're nieve.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    What would I do? I'd go to fucking war. If I were getting into politics, it wouldn't be to play it safe, it would be to cause trouble for the MAGA Nazis. They want a piece of me? Have at it assholes, I'll be your worst nightmare wherever you put me, until you finally execute me for being too much trouble. But know that I'll take as many with me as I can.

    I've made my peace with the idea that my life may have a twist ending that I wasn't expecting when I was growing up. Dying an old man in my sleep seems like a wasted opportunity to me.

    Right now I'm biding my time, but I'm arming up, stockpiling ammo, and going to the range. I'm also accumulating non-lethal/ silent weapons, as well as stockpiling food and supplies.

    If anything happens to my family, it's on.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago*

    If you are advocating that we not punish traitors in the democratic party, whats the point of politics at all? Why have a government or laws? Why vote if both the dems and republicans just vote for the same things?

    Your way of thinking leads nowhere.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago*

    yes, its the navel gazing voters who are to blame here:

    He was speaking at a private fundraiser, I don't think he was talking about the voters. It was about the party looking around for a strong leader and doing nothing while ignoring the various races that were actually going well against the right.

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    • [+] 35 points 1 year ago (1 child)
    [deleted]
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    • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    I'm sure Chuck Schumer will have a strongly worded letter for this. Wait what am I thinking, Obama is on their side, they'll completely destroy him for this.

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  • [+] -12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Be honest have you ever watched Chuck Schumer on CSPAN or do you only see him in the clips Jon Stewart shows?

    Not enough people voted for Democrats so Chuck Schumer currently has less power than Jon Stewart. Jon Stewart has a much larger audience on his show (and therefore more influence) than Chuck Schumer has on CSPAN yet he devotes a significant amount of time complaining about Chuck Schumer.

    It's weird.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Chuck Schumer currently has less power than Jon Stewart.

    Seeing what Chuck Schumer does with power, I'd say this is a good thing.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    It's a bunch of nonsense. Stewart has more influence on the public, and Schumer is an actual politician with real political power and decades of experience to know how to use it. He just doesn't, because he's a Zionist neo-lib and his interests don't align with the American public's.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    I cut the cord years ago and never bothered to replace it with a OTA cable replacement since I cut the cord because I wasn't watching the content, so I don't have C-SPAN.

    That being said I do keep up with politics outside of the daily show, and I remember when the Vichy Dems had the house, the senate, and the white house in 2020 and they still failed to make meaningful changes. Sure they passed a few spending bills to fund the economy.... sorry I mean support the American people, but they could have put in stop gaps after what they saw from the first trump regime.

    So what they do? They followed Schumer's lead and bent over backwards to try and accommodate the republicans who once they got what they wanted would move the goal post and delay everything even longer.

    And yes I'm calling them the Vichy Dems, they have capitulated to fascism. The fact that the January 6th commission was slow rolled, and Merrick Garland wasn't hauled in for questioning every week until something meaningful was done about the attempted insurrection, means the Dems are just as responsible for the mess we're in now as the republicans. Dems had the power and Chucky pushed to not use it, and now we're all paying the price.

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