Obama Aide Hildebrand On Backlash: "I Don't Regret Any Of It"

Talking Points Memo:

Former Obama adviser Steve Hildebrand, who touched off an explosion with his HuffPo piece arguing that "the left" should hold its fire and let Obama do his thing, says he doesn't regret a word of the piece, though he did make a key concession to critics.

"I don't regret any of it," Hildebrand told me when I asked him a few minutes ago by phone whether he regretted the tone of his piece, which many found condescending and finger-wagging.

"My intent was exactly what I wrote," Hildebrand said, adding that the criticism had "surprised" him.

Read the whole story: Talking Points Memo

Comments

[Castro Max]

What a loser. He doesn't understand that the people who voted for his candidate and contributed money and time to help him win might want a voice in the administration?! Such a tool.

[peacegurl48]

I am consider myself a Progressive, definitely to the left of Obama, and I support him because he is bright, compassionate, pragmatic and has an open worldview. Sometimes when I read posts from the Left (e.g. on Huff Po and Common Dreams) I am struck by what close-minded, sometimes hateful, ideologues we can be.
I voted for Obama because I wanted to feel hopeful again and the fact that he hasn't chosen a group of leftists does not diminish my hope. He won because he brought many divergent people together with the promise to be a President for all of the people...that's what I want. Let's give him a chance to do that...we can still hold him accountable once he is sworn in.

[mjc]

I expressed myself on Hildebrand's blog and would hardly expect Hildebrand to apologize for his quite optimistic and rather wild suggestions of what Obama is going to do and what he can do as president. Why post another grand appreciation for Obama? Real appreciation for Obama's policies can come once they are implemented, but any policy is going to have to face the reality of our present situation, economic and international. That is where Hildebrand ran ahead of himself.

[MoeB]

Ok. I am starting to take issue (albeit a small one) with progressives claiming the Obama victory as their own:

More than progressives voted for Obama. A lot more. The victory belongs to everyone who voted for, canvassed for, volunteered for, blogged, argued, and knocked on doors to elect this man. This includes democrats, republicans, independents, centrists, progressives, liberals, conservatives, moderates, the list goes on. If anything ALL of those groups deserve some representation in the Obama administration because all of those groups helped get him elected. He wants a cabinet that represents the WHOLE of this nation. I cannot believe that of all the groups, progressives would have a problem with this. We need to get beyond this whole 'my side is right, so stack the deck with my people' bit. The problems facing this country are NOT partisan, and they aren't just particular to progressives.

Yes, hold his feet to the fire. Yes, hold him accountable. Yes, express your concerns. But know that in order to see our way out of this mess, we ALL need to participate and we ALL need to be involved.

[MoeB]

For the progressives that are so bothered by the Obama cabinet picks:

Is there a list some place where one can see the list that YOU all would like to see in place of those cabinet members you disagree with? And what bad decisions do your forsee the current Obama administration making that your more progressive picks wouldn't? And how do you know they'll make these mistakes?

After the horrible government decisions of the past eight years, it is perfectly understandable that people will be a bit skeptical of familiar faces. I am also (although I UNDERSTAND the Gates pick, I sure don't like it) a bit skeptical. But the problems facing us right now are both complicated and plentiful. We need to keep hope alive at least until the man has made an OFFICIAL policy decision.
I mean, all this current talk about his administration not being "change" is utterly ridiculous...

No one has a Magic 8Ball that can predict what his administration will be ran like. So let's not pretend that we do.

[americanboi]

I hope Obama fires Hilderbrand because he has done nothing with his piece but fan flames that were relatively muted til before now.

He could not answer "who" in the left he was responding to. He could not answer "what" the left would like to see. What he did was write an unhelpful, crass, condescending article about the left, then expect the left to just shut up because he's "worked" with Obama and knows him.

Well have a cookie why don't you?

If anything will inflame the left, it's the now constant badgering and dismissiveness, chalking up their (those who were fully instrumental in Obama's rise to fame) support of Obama to nothing at all.

Don't give the left a reprimand and fire hilderbrand.

[eden4barack08]

I'll say this again, a USA/Gallup poll found that 94% of Democrats approved of the PE transition so far, 79% even with Gates.
Today, CNN's poll has 79% approval of Democrats.

[Coinyer101]

2/3 supported the invasion of iraq,too. people like obama and wes clark opposed it. for that ,they were considered progressives or liberals. i'm concerned about barack's cabinet picks ,but, i still approve of the way he is handling the transition. my concern will turn into disappointment and anger, if those people bar the doors of change, with the power they're being given.

[bluemike]

It has become a common political tactic to describe opposing viewpoints as from "the left." What hogwash and what a shoddy way to attempt the muzzling dissent and debate.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Obama must be onto something. I always check out Politico and sure you have your right wing deadenders but I am amazed at how many Independents and even Conservatives and Republicans are will to give Obama a chance now. People are finally getting it that Obama wants to be president of all the people.

So I frankly don't care anymore if the far left or far right complains because Obama is starting to do exactly what he promised to do bring us together as a nation because as long as we are polarized no progress will be made.

The best part is Obama is lightyears ahead with his strategic thinking. His strategy is to usher us slowly and surely to a center left nation because he knows people's believes are center left but he has to disarm those on the moderate right to accomplish his goals.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I'm a progressive not a liberal there is a difference. I want the country to progress and fill the needs of the people by implementing the best policies possible. Many of those policies coincide with liberal policies but not all of them. I am also pragmatic and know that we will never be like progressives in Europe. Our national heritage is just different from Europeans.

[hortonhearsawho]

except when fighting wars,to protect them aswell, then we are the only heritage that matters, correct.

[who38]

Well, France did help us out during the Revolution.

[scubafox]

Geez. Will you all please, please stop calling the liberals and progressives "the left"? Even the liberal center looks like the left to the extremists who have been running this country into the ground as they're as far to the "right" as one can get. There is no "left" left in America. Google "Capitalism, Socialism, & Dictatorship" to see the chart from the Political Compass showing that most Democrats are only slightly less far to the "right" than Republicans.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I disagree there is a very vocal but relatively small left in this country. They want this country to be like Europe but that just won't happen. I want this country to be much more like Europe too but I know it's impossible that's the difference from the left and the fringe left.

[scubafox]

I submit that Europe isn't "leftist". The true left wants government to own and run all businesses. That's not what's happening in Europe; they're just more realistic. Recognizing the flaws in the "free market" and doing what's needed to correct them isn't "leftist" ... it's practical. Google "Invisible Hand Drops Ball & Economics 101" for some of its flaws. Calling liberals and progressives "the left" is just what the right wingers want. It makes liberals sound as extreme as the extremist right wingers in charge who want EVERYTHING to be privatized. Liberals are the "center", not the "left".

[lynettema]

The Right Wing is doing it's job again: dividing the Democrats. When you goofs going to stop buying into their c***? This started on the Right, probably Rove. Obama is doing fine. We aren't going to approve everything, but that is okay. You want McCain or someone else on the right? We are going to be fine. Let's work with the administration. If what Obama is doing isn't working, that is the time to let him know. Obama is pragmatic enough that if something is not working, he will change direction. You people are panicking over nothing.

[who38]

The Dems are not divided; however, they disagree on some points. For me, this is the choice of personnel that Obama has made. Are you suggesting that I withhold my comments because I disagree with him? If so, I assume that I should withhold any supportive comments as well; right?

[WorkingClass]

Hildebrand didn't do the boss any favors with that piece. Obama doesn't need any help alienating the left.

[who38]

Maybe he didn't mean to.....just a thought.

[natx]

I think the problem with Hildebrand's piece (and he seems to admit) is maybe over simplifying the Left. My guess is that Hildebrand was reacting against those elements that just get off in being opposed to things. The people who love revolution but don't care about or aren't capable of governing. I don't think that they are at all a majority of people on the left but sometimes they are the loudest.

[StellaRay]

Yes natx, you make sense. Some people just get off on being opposed to things. There is a difference when you read a well thought out opinion, for or against, vs. a knee jerk reaction. You know it when you see it.

[who38]

Just as there are people who like to "stir the pot". Think Hildebrand is one of those?

[whit4brains]

I don't really care what Hildebrand thinks or writes. If I want to voice a concern about someone who is in the running for a cabinet position or anything else that Obama is doing I'm going to do it. I'm a huge supporter of his and did everything that was possible for me to do to help get him elected and one of the things that impressed me most about Obama was I felt like he would listen to the people and not just tell us to FO like Bush did (or like Hildebrand is doing). Besides, anyone who points to Hillary and Tom Daschle as politicians on the far left doesn't have a clue. And I don't consider myself a member of the "far left", just a liberal Democrat who wants to have more of a voice in my government. I actually was under the impression that is what coming on to sites like this and voicing your opinions was about.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Sorry based on GovTrack Hillary is the third most liberal member of the Senate while Obama is about tenth.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/spectrum.xpd

Besides do you give equal time to things Obama does that you like?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

OK what part is not progressive about the policies Obama has implemented as President elect? Did you bother to applaud any of these progressive moves.

-He supports a massive works project the largest in 50 years.
-He has weekly video talks to the American people like FDRs fireside chats on steroids.
-He is opening the white house to the public including scientists, educators and artists.
-He has a website where his team is actually listening to peoples suggestions and concerns.
-He is opening his agenda with meetings to outside groups so he does not have any secret meetings.
-He is promoting the auto loans only to fight Rethugs that are trying to decimate unions.
-He is hiring competence over ideology which was many progressives main complaint about Bush and lead to group think like the Iraq war and disasters like Katrina.
-He is has a team to reverse Bush's executive orders.
-He is gutting all levels of defense leadership under Gates.
-He is firing all Bush's Ambassadors.
-He is having the most efficient and quickest transition in history.
-He is auditing all levels over government with 10 teams containing 135 total auditors to undue the damage under Bush.
-He has created a domestic POLICY team headed by a major progressive.

I know everyone is obsessed with his centrist cabinet picks but when you look at what Obama is actually doing in changing how things are done in Washington it is truly amazing.

[who38]

These are all possibles at present. Wait and see what happens. In the meantime, progressives should not stand too close to the curb.

[who38]

Well stated. Thank you.