http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5444193Oh my.
How full of surprises, Skins's island.
The Straight Story (1000+ posts) Sun Apr-12-09 10:59 PM
Original message
I may get flamed all to hell for this, but I would be remiss in not noting it
I signed up for DU in August 2004. I had read the posts here though for sometime before that.
Having seen how the left spoke about things re: bush for years I am wondering why we are condemning now the right for doing pretty much the same thing we did for years.
We didn't invade Iran. All lefties were not put into camps. Abortion was not overturned. We did not become another Nazi Germany as so many said we would. The damned patriot act had dem support, and the wars were funded by both parties.
We were sure bush was, if not the anti-christ, at least someone who would stay in power past his due date (as the right believed before with Clinton).
We felt our role was to keep the light on and keep bush on his toes, and keep people informed and afraid of what he might do - even if he didn't do it.
In short - we the people feared that those in power would (and they did) abuse their power for themselves and the few.
Now we are in a unique position since the founding of DU. We have 'one of our own' in power. If we criticize him, we are hurting our own future. If we don't then we are letting him get away with things. If someone he hires has ties to someone else then suddenly he is guilty by association and is a good old boy.
Round and round it goes on boards like this when it comes to people in power and politics. When the rw is scared of Obama we tell them they are going overboard. When we do it we are just being good and aware citizens trying to protect ourselves.
In the end, if you really want an us vs. them scenario - it is the poor and powerless against those with money and power.
banks got bailed out as it was seen as an emergency. But to me, health care is a much bigger emergency affecting the lives of millions. We can move our military in short order to stop a hostage situation, but we project it will be years and years before we can move them out of wars we got into based on lies.
Millions are unemployed, losing their homes, going through a mental hell - and yet we rush to the aid of big insurance companies and tell others they can wait.
Gays should be serving openly in the military, but that will have to wait as well because there are bigger issues - we can't multi-task...unless it is taking care of the economy, two wars, pirates, etc and so on. We can multi-task if we want to.
The rw is freaked out - but I don't see them doing anything more than we did for years. Telling people the folks in power are evil and out to get them, telling them their rights will be taken away any day now (abortion, guns, whatever).
I don't fear the rw and their talk show hosts or websites.
I fear the people in power who will pass over the people that elected them for their special interests. bush didn't give his conservative base what they wanted, Obama may not give us the things we want.
In the end, we all share a common side. We want the people we elect to do what we elected them to do, but too often they do what the people with power and money want them to do.
And instead of holding the people we elected accountable, we rally around our team and put on blinders.
The enemy is not the guy holding the get a brain morans sign, it is those we have elected that continue on failed policies - whether they were started by those on the right or the left does not matter.
Those tea bagging this week aren't my enemies, those in power who do nothing but prop up corporations and defense spending while letting people die day in and out from lack of funding are.
If you take money I earn and spend it, you answer to me - but sadly that is not the case anymore, because I am the little guy. And yeah, us little people live in fear of all you folks in power - because you have yet to prove you are in your positions for us.
It's an enormous bonfire, blazing away up to the skies.
Liberal Veteran (1000+ posts) Sun Apr-12-09 11:02 PM
Response to Original message
1. The difference is that we are right and they are wrong.
Most of the time.
FlyingSquirrel (1000+ posts) Mon Apr-13-09 01:22 AM
Response to Reply #1
23. And that's exactly what they think too.
Is it really possible that exactly 50% of the country is dead wrong? Or is it not more likely that those in power have neatly divided us based upon hot-button emotional issues, which blinds us to the fact that neither side up in Washington REALLY represents us? (Except for MY senator, of course. MY senator is DIFFERENT.)
And we're off......sorry I can't post the whole bonfire here, only selected primitives.
debbierlus (1000+ posts) Mon Apr-13-09 02:42 PM
Response to Reply #1
73. What difference? Obama passes off trillions of debt on our children to save Zombie banks
And, the left crows about Michelle's down to earth J Crew dresses...
Obama expands unconstitutional wiretapping and some DU'ers defend it, simply because it is Obama doing it, and not Bush
Obama has to be FORCED to allow a couple of single payer health care advocates to his first 'summit' while the health insurance leeches show up in droves to write the policy
Obama expands the war in Afghanistan and we stay silent...
I have been called on this very board, an enemy of the people, a ego maniac, and a hateful spiteful person, all because I point this out.
I see the exact same behavior from the left, as I did on the right.
On the majority of issues, Obama has proven by HIS ACTIONS & DEEDS who he is...
And, it is not what we hoped it would be. It is the exact opposite.
Bush would be stoned by people on this board for doing the same things Obama is now doing.
aquart (1000+ posts) Sun Apr-12-09 11:02 PM
Response to Original message
2. No, I was never silly enough to think Bush would stay past the 8 years.
People on DU hold a variety of opinions.
rpannier (1000+ posts) Mon Apr-13-09 03:47 AM
Response to Reply #2
26. I never did either
But damn if it didn't seem like everyday there were a few posts claiming he was and they had 'proof' of it
Fire_Medic_Dave (1000+ posts) Sun Apr-12-09 11:07 PM
Response to Original message
4. Excellent post.
I suspect you will get flamed. You are right though.
Peace_Sells (75 posts) Sun Apr-12-09 11:12 PM
Response to Original message
8. no subject
I can see where you are coming from but bush shredded the constitution and was close to dictator. Plus the right wing radio hosts incite anger and hate among the conservative base which leads to violence. I don't hear any liberals talking about going out and killing conservatives but I do hear the opposite.
NewMoonTherian (78 posts) Mon Apr-13-09 07:32 AM
Response to Reply #8
38. With regard to liberals talking about killing conservatives...
I heard it plenty. There were books written on the subject, as I recall. It's all the same nonsense rhetoric, and whatever nasty attack you can name, neither side is innocent.
Oh, but correction here.
The left talked, and talks, about it considerably more than decent and civilized people.
solinvictus (1000+ posts) Mon Apr-13-09 12:35 AM
Response to Original message
21. It seems that you're trying to be consistent...
...that'll get you shouted down here. Obama's showing the same tendencies as the former El Presidente: using fear to push an agenda, surrounding himself with "yes" men and cronies from prior administrations, squashing dissent, not facing even the mildest criticism, etc. I don't care which letter a politician has after his name, I won't support authoritarianism.
Enthusiast (1000+ posts) Mon Apr-13-09 05:37 AM
Response to Original message
29. Nah, those tea baggers are my enemy.
They are tea bagging mostly because President Obama is black, the rest, because they are sore losers. About 2% of their complaints are legit.
Huh? What the fu......dge?
WeDidIt (1000+ posts) Mon Apr-13-09 06:03 AM
Response to Original message
33. One big difference
There are outright calls for armed insurrection now.
The difference is in the violent rhetoric.
cobalt1999 (1000+ posts) Mon Apr-13-09 07:43 AM
Response to Original message
39. In reality there are just a few nuts from each side predicting dire consequences.
Most of the people here didn't buy into all the wailing and "the sky is falling" predictions about Bush. Probably the same on the RW sites too. Just a few make a lot of noise though.
Primitives didn't "buy into" all this? I must've been misreading the past eight years.
scheming daemons (1000+ posts) Mon Apr-13-09 10:31 AM
Response to Original message
49. When the left is "freaked out", we hold sit-ins. When the right is "freaked out", they shoot people
THAT'S the freaking difference.
Yeah, like Bill Ayres held sit-ins.
It's mostly stuff-and-nonsense.
As usual.
