Failure of Leadership

Yesterday's post was cathartic. More of my thoughts and some action items on Monday.

I received a lot of support both publicly and privately for yesterday's post and I appreciate those who haven't pulled the shades over their eyes and are tuned into to the failure of leadership we are tragically experiencing.

The election map was in our favor on Tuesday. What happened absolutely did not have to happen. The election map in 2012 is in the Republicans favor. You do the math.

We've got to find a way to bring on board our Progressives brothers and sisters who are simply predisposed to avoid any kind of conflict and are too scared to consider that 'their guy' is turning into a very big problem. We need an unapologetic, advocate leader, not a philosopher king.

First article: Look up 'Marshall Ganz' and see the position this person held in Obama's campaign in '08. Then read their op-ed several times. This is an insider who nails part of the problem.

Obama suffering from failure of leadership - latimes.com:

By Marshall Ganz

"The nation was ready for transformation, but the president gave us transaction. And, as is the case with leadership failures, much of the public's anger, disappointment and frustration has been turned on a leader who failed to lead.

Obama and his team made three crucial choices that undermined the president's transformational mission. First, he abandoned the bully pulpit of moral argument and public education. Next, he chose to lead with a politics of compromise rather than advocacy. And finally, he chose to demobilize the movement that elected him president. By shifting focus from a public ready to drive change — as in 'yes we can' — he shifted the focus to himself and attempted to negotiate change from the inside, as in 'yes I can.'"

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Ask yourself, which strategy prevailed on Tuesday? Which strategy failed? Why are we going to continue to pursue a failed strategy? The very definition of insanity.

Daily Kos: How'd That Bipartisanship Thing Work Out For You?:

"Could the effort at bipartisanship over the last two years have been a bigger disaster? The Democrats allowed the Republicans to make their case for two straight years while Democrats laid down their arms. And it turns out the voters didn't know why they should vote for the Democrats. Surprise, surprise.

The Republicans on the other hand went with complete and utter partisanship -- and it worked! If the Obama White House trusts one more idiot in Washington who says they should try reaching consensus with the Republicans, then they deserve the ass kicking they'll get next time around, too."

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Obama's Fed dropped a nice little bundle of cash on Corp America the day after the election, b/c they knew it wouldn't get any press.

This is unbelievable.

Federal Reserve Rains Money On Corporate America -- But Main Street Left High And Dry:

"When it comes to helping Wall Street and corporate America, the Federal Reserve spares no expense."

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Thank jeebus for Markos.

Daily Kos: The battle for 2012 starts NOW:

"First thing's first -- stop bashing the base, or the professional left, or whatever liberal boogeymen pisses them off. Fact is, people who fall in those disaffected categories -- the young, blacks, Latinos -- don't read blogs, or watch Keith Olbermann, or read Firedoglake. But they are losing their jobs and their homes, and they see Wall Street get all manners of bailouts without any of it trickling down to them. That has killed us. Make their lives better, or (since nothing will happen with Boehner in the House) at least fight to make their lives better."

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This is what happens:

Turnout among young voters: 20 percent | Raw Story:

"Only about one in five people under the age of 30 voted in the mid-term elections Tuesday, says a study based on exit polls.

The poor turnout among youth likely had some effect on the outcome of most races, but nowhere was this more dramatically highlighted than in the California ballot initiative to legalize marijuana. Political observers on Wednesday said the poor youth turnout in California accounted for the defeat of Proposition 19.

'Pot legalization defeated thanks to the elderly,' reads the headline of a Justin Elliott article at Salon.com. Elliott points to a report that while six in 10 youth voters supported the measure, it was opposed by seven in 10 senior citizens."

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He simply doesn't get it and he's a stubborn as Bush. He's not going to change. We are looking at a complete Republican takeover in 2012. He'll get annihilated by whichever clown the Republicans nominated. Obama will run on 'I'm not as a bad as the other guy' again, and it'll look like we got off easy in 2010.

Obama challenges Cabinet, sets bipartisan talks - Yahoo! News

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Interesting Times: The Era of the Disappearing Era : The New Yorker:

"Yesterday, I ran into Senator Mark Warner, of Virginia, who was campaigning with Perriello in Martinsville and Danville. When I interviewed him over the summer for my piece on the Senate, he had said that he expected the election of some moderate Republicans, like Mark Kirk of Illinois and Mike Castle of Delaware, who might be able to create more middle ground for bipartisanship. When I reminded him of this yesterday, Warner wouldn’t abandon the hope. How is it faring tonight? Not well—Castle lost to Christine O’Donnell in the primary, Kirk is losing, and Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, and perhaps other Tea Party senators, are headed to Washington. I predict that there will not even be a gesture toward centrism and bipartisanship on the part of Republican leadership. They’re too scared, and too eager. Pace David Brooks, the level of extremism and partisanship I described will go up—way up. This midterm is the party’s first salvo in its first order of business, to end Obama’s Presidency. There will be little mercy and a great deal of rancor. Tomorrow we’ll find out how Obama sees the next two years. I see one of the ugliest political periods in my lifetime, which has seen a few."

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The only highlight from last Tuesday.

Blue Dog Coalition Crushed By GOP Wave Election

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This is a pissing into the wind article to post, b/c Obama is not going to deviate from the iceburg he's got us pointing towards, but it is a good read. And it makes you hope that we can, at some point, elect an actual Progressive Leader with some giant balls.

Opinion: Obama can learn from 'Godfather' - Roger Alan Stone - POLITICO.com:

"Remember that the don has done you this favor.

As a powerful man, the don does many people many favors. But they know that something will be expected of them in return. When that moment comes, they had better be willing to return the favor. This favor bank is a great source of the don’s power.

Obama has been all quid, with no pro quo. With Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) down on his luck — no job in the McCain administration and the Democratic Caucus skeptical of his liberal credentials — Obama intervened. Because of that, Lieberman got the committee chairmanship he so desperately wanted. But, somehow, attached to that favor were no strings — for example, no condition that he could vote as he wanted on bills but would support the caucus on breaking filibusters."

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