What has Obama done for the left wing democrats?
 

I know he's been busy this last year, but I am having a hard time coming up with anything.

Americans split on Obama's first year, poll finds - CNN.com


Now, we got the 24-hour right-wing media scaring folks into thinking that Obama is illegitimate and will turn us into a socialized/communist state. The disorganized democrats are having a hard time it seems like against the screaming heads on Rush, Hannity, Beck, Bortz, Palin, Cavuto, O'Reilly, and even Colbert (*Stossel gets an honorable mention, he always finds faults and waste no matter who is the President). But the White House hasn't been able to outline why they are wrong.

The Progressive Takeover of America - Glenn Beck - FOXNews.com

The banks are doing pretty well, and some regulations on credit cards are coming in March, yet it's not quite the new rules that are needed. My stocks are back up, yet I'm not ready to retire (and the people who should be retiring now that their 401k's are healthy are working a few more years in order to have a bigger financial cushion). This hasn't really proved that it will create more jobs, companies are trying to get by with the minimal amount and have us work longer hours. It could have wiped out a lot of jobs and businesses if banks failed and there was no money for loans and credit.

The economy isn't really as bad as it is being made out to be. It might not be as great as it was when people had lots of borrowed money, but it could be much, much worse.

I wanted him to get tough on energy companies and oil companies, yet when Bob Lutz @ GM suggests a gas tax (which is a good thing, and would help pay for the wars we fought for the oil there, or for bailing out the auto companies), both Obama and Pelosi didn't want to try getting it passed?
GM's Lutz: Higher gas tax would help automakers and drivers - Jan. 11, 2010

Health care needed to be finished 4 months ago. The DNC needed to have a real plan already worked out even before the election of how to go about correcting some of the problems, and making everyone healthier.

Gitmo and the wars haven't changed very much. We haven't reduced the number of troops in peaceful countries even.

The house passed the Cap & Trade bill, but who knows if it can get through the senate. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and her allies are attacking the Clean Air Act (just because they don't like that the EPA can control CO2 levels). Pollution in this country is about 10x higher than what I would like to see, excluding CO2.

Social Security payments didn't go up, even though it was because the cost of living didn't change. That is one good thing.

He did have a beer summit, yet race relations haven't really changed.

The only other good thing is that it is easier to be an American overseas in Western countries.

Is there something I've missed? What would you like to see happen in 2010 to make you vote for the democrats or other left-wing candidate in November?

[QUOTE=ASU2003;2747665]
The banks are doing pretty well, and some regulations on credit cards are coming in March, yet it's not quite the new rules that are needed. QUOTE]

I don't understand how any credit card legislation has helped at all. I've had several rate increases for no reason since it was passed. It hasn't helped me one bit. What was it supposed to change/help?

It doesn't go into effect until March 2010, so all the Credit Card companies have been reducing limits, closing cards, raising rates while they still can. Even then, it doesn't really go far enough to punish the credit card companies.

But what exactly IS changing?

I don't mean to derail your thread, I'm just curious.

Off the top of my head:

o Better transparency/open government - not perfect, with some major holes, like the house/senate merging of the healthcare bill, but *worlds* better than before. Technically the openness (or lack thereof) of congressional deliberations isn't even under his purview, I don't think.

o The healthcare bill. Better late and weak than never. There really is a lot of good in the bill, but it is far less than what progressives wanted.

o At least moving in the direction of getting us out if Iraq and Afghanistan, and closing gitmo, albeit much more slowly than progressives would like.

o A decently-managed recovery from the Great Recession. He did enough to avert disaster.

o The consumer credit protection stuff.

o A whole host of more minor regulatory improvements, too long a list for me to remember atm.

o Not freaking George W. Bush or John McCain.

The bad, from the progressive side:

o Stil upholding the horrible abuses and expansion of executive power. This is probably by far the worst aspect of his presidency. Truly disheartening, although we had hints of his authoritarian bent before.

o All of the 'not fast enough/not progressive enough' stuff from the first list.

So...on the whole, I'd give him a C+. He really shines in comparison to Bush, but that's a pretty low bar.

But the issue is that the Republicans have lots of complaints (and lots of made up crap) that they can use to get their voters out next year. Yet, I haven't seen too much in the win column for the progressives. The rich haven't seen their tax rate go up to 60%, coal power plants are still being built, gas taxes haven't gone up, ANWAR isn't a national park, and their are too many tax incentives to do things that are loopholes.

He did get rid of abstinence-only sex education and approved funding for stem cell research. But neither of those really affected my life yet.

Republicans always have complaints, and so do we. If we weren't complaining, that'd be a sign that something was wrong.

I think he's mostly pointed a giant middle finger at the left wing democrats, which isn't at all surprising.

I wouldnt go that far, but he has made far greater concessions in the name of consensus-building, both within the big tent Democratic party and to those outside the tent, then perhaps he should have. To think that he could "change the partisan way in Washington works" was a pipe dream.

Among the actions that should please the more progressive wing of the party - pay equity for women, expanded health care for children, credit card "bill of rights", tobacco control act, the most sweeping land conservation initiative since Teddy Roosevelt...

As well as significant Executive Orders/Memorandum that restore some level of openness and transparency (not enough, IMO).

His national security positions, for the most part, should surprise no one.