John Conyers: Obama "Becoming So Conservative Now That He's Got The Job"

The Michigan Messenger:

U.S. Rep. John Conyers, the Detroit Democrat who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, says it is time to repeal the 16-year-old ban on openly gay service members in the U.S. military. The controversial policy has become an issue for the White House since President Obama took office in January. During the 2008 campaign, Obama had promised to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, but recently, the president has appeared to be backing off that statement.

Read the whole story: The Michigan Messenger

Comments

[MorpheusXNYC]

Bottom line: sacrifices have to be made in order to strike deals with the Republicans to get Health Care reform and other key legislation passed.

So Obama has to have bargaining chips. Hard, ugly choices have to be made because too many ignorant Americans keep voting for racists, fascists, corporatist Republicans, sending them to Washington where they block progress in sufficient numbers that they can't be steam rolled over.

Don't blame Obama for him having to play the game in order to get things done.

[azcamp]

Chill. President Obama has been busy in his first 100 days in office.

He put the economy first by getting the stimulus package and budget passed. Then he set the tone for international diplomacy with the rest of the World. He restarted the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. He developed a plan for homeowners caught in the mortgage crisis. He made a decision to fire on Somali pirates holding an American hostage. He kept us from panic when WHO announced a flu pandemic.

Chill. President Obama has been busy in the past week or so. He has been considering who to name to the Supreme Court. He has put the Health care industry to work on needed reforms. He has arm wrestled with the Auto Industry and the CEOs of big banks.

Candidate Obama promised to reach out to conservatives and other Americans who do not agree with all of his policies. He promised to unite the country. Rep. Conyers was not a strong supporter of Obama as a candidate, so we can expect him to find fault with the way President Obama governs.

[Melkor]

I don't normally accuse posters of being tr0lls, but this post is so "structured" that it just seems synthetic.

[jackbutler5555]

Many Democrats on this forum don't know what it takes for sustained political power. There are some Republicans who seek absolute purity, but most are sophisticated enough to know that they have to quietly go about getting some -- some -- of their agenda into law. Libertarian Republicans don't have a lot in common with social and religious conservatives in their party, who don't see eye to eye with fiscal conservatives. But each segment of the GOP found a way to get some of their things done, while nurturing an alliance without which they'd get none of their things done. Had it not been for the economy, they'd still be doing what they were doing.

[Bystander]

Unleash the silly Code Pink harpies on BO for his flipping on the "torture" pictures issues!!!!

[NCYvonne]

I'm still waiting for Conyers to get Karl Rove like he promised two years ago.

Conyers is such an old se..nile man; he can't do anything in Congress so he spends his time criticizing others.

Retirement? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

[Melkor]

Petty ad hominem attacks. Come with some substance.

[nice2blucky]

Dragging the zombie Democratic Party up hill and up to speed is a tall task.

Just remember that even though there is a Democratic majority, and numbers indicate that it is a solid majority, there are still too few effective leaders.

Many incumbent Democrats need to be shown the door in the 2010 "Primary" elections.

Don't fall for the idea that any Democrat will do. And the only litmus test I am suggesting is the simple answer to the question, is your representative "AMAZING."

If the answer is no, then they must be dethroned in the Primary Election -- the only election when there is a choice.

Get rid of useless Democratic incumbents in Primaries, and NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN.

[Domingaux1969]

Progressives Youre Not the Entire Obama Base. Thats the Problem. A great center of Obama base was also Moderate Independents and Moderates Republicans. In addition, a huge (35%) of his base is also African Americans and Latinos, which progressives are now finding out ,which was already known...th­ey are basically conservative on moral and fiscal issues. The church is a huge influence in these communities yet progressives has misread that. Obama is from that community believe it or not. In addition is pragmatic not so ideology.

The problem is that Progressives have been thinking they are the pulse of the party. Important piece, Yes. Very important. Yet so are the Moderates and Minority bases. Maybe if those, all of Us who support Obama, look for the common ground, we can look at the bigger picture. We may not get all of our agenda, yet we can agree, through Obama we can achieve a working coalition that can get us a majority. Now some will NOt agree, and I saying those who voted for Obama, on anything that he does that goes against their grain, yet again you have to know you are Not just the ones who got him elected. We have a good President, who in time if left to evolve will become and go down as a Great President. Afterall this is Washington as he has to play some of the parts to get the Whole agenda accomplish.

[jmpurser]

Explain to me how he takes care of his "base" by becoming GOP lite? And explain how it's okay to abandon campaign promises because after he got the job he thought it would be too messy.

[steamboat]

It worked for Clinton !

Remember, "Big Tent" philosophy !

[Graywolf48]

Wow, minorities (I'm assuming you mean Asian's since he's losing the LGBT minority) and African-American and Latinos make up 35% of his base! Therefor, I assume, the other 15% +1 needed to elect him is really not that important and can be safely ignored. Besides, where will they go anyway? The GOP? Doubtful. How about if that Progressive base just closed their wallets and purses and goes with a third party candidate? Or they decide to just stay home on election day because they're sick and tired of being lied to and promised things that a few days after the electoral parties die down are no longer "important"? I feel like I didn't vote for a Democrat. What I got was Republican-lite, what the GOP once was before Reagan, the evangelicals and the neo-cons took over the party. I wanted a Democrat, a "reformer" who was going to change the way things are done in Washington. I'm afraid all I got for my vote is just more of the same crap. The only difference is Obama knows how to speak in cogent sentences.

[ProudLiberalDan]

Utter nonsense.

The President is fully free to be the centrist he said he would be in the campaign. My fellow lefties who foolishly mistook his style for substance have no one to blame for their disappointment but themselves.

However, just because the President is triangulating against the left doesn't meant the left has to triangulate against itself.

It's time for us on the left shake off our disappointment that Obama is not going to be a progressive champion and instead put our focus on getting progressive legislation through Congress regardless of whether it fits with the President's triangulation strategy, er, "new politics".

This is a once a generation majority for the Democratic Party and we should attempt to use it.

[F33bs]

I'm 19 years old and canvassed for Obama on the streets of Las Vegas, because I thought he would do what he said he was going to do.

Progressive young people got Obama where he is today, and he wouldn't have gotten close if it weren't for the thousands who went out across the country for real change.

Moderates and independents came along for the ride, they didn't do anything to help him out.

Your mislabeling his campaign promises as "style," is what is nonsense here. What you are basically saying is that Obama lied to get people to support him, which is 10x worse. I happen to believe he's just looking out for his party rather than his constituents.

Democrats 40 y/o and up, didn't do anything for Obama - or not near as much as we young people did. And for that we expect some actual change, not some political lip service.

If Obama doesn't follow through with at least some of his campaign promises, and he continues to shill for Republican torturers, liars, homophobes and crooks - he can forget about my support in 2012, and I won't be the only one. The kids who went out there to get him elected and who walked in the rain, sun, snow and hail for him won't take too kindly to being sold out like a cheap mule.

[Melkor]

Since when did things like rights to privacy, torture, human rights and the economic future of the country become far left pet issues?

Its pretty sad to see people attacking John Conyers. He might not be as eloquent or look as good bareback as Obama, but he was fighting the Bush administration with what little influence he had. I remember when he tried to hold hearings on the Downing Street Memos and the GOP forced him to have the proceedings in a basement - much to the delight and ridicule of the power-worshiping media. Obama who has the full power of the presidency is trying to stall any kind of investigation into torture.

That's the same Democratic triangulation that had almost all of them signing on for the Iraq War and cooperating with Bush abominations like the Patriot Act. Its the very same kind of triangulation that probably has Dems knee deep in this torture fiasco.

Obama promised change from the way things were run in Washington - not just change from Bush. He mercilessly (and rightfully) slammed Clinton for her vote to authorise Bush to take the country to War, but truthfully its the same kind of triangulation he's shown himself more than willing to carry out. And truthfully, unlike Clinton at the time, he wasn't in the Senate. Who can honestly say now that if he were his vote would have matched his anti-war rhetoric? Many of his actions these days don't match his rhetoric.

[brt929]

Well said, Melkor.

I'm not looking for dramatic social change- I would just like to stop defending his inaction to Republicans that look at his continuation of Bush policies as exoneration for the last 8 years.

[jackbutler5555]

Inaction? He may not be doing what you think he's been doing but he has certainly not been inactive. And why are you trying to defend Obama against Republicans? What could you possibly say that would change their minds?

[jmpurser]

Well said. If the left is betraying Obama merely by standing up for principle and integrity what does that say about President Obama's position?

[Jtt]

The pressure needs to be kept on him. Thats for sure.

Some of us are willing to make that happen.

Some should not be so hard on us either. Nothing would ever actually Change without constant pressure.

[LooktotheLeft]

Democrats and so-called progressives seemed patient to a fault the past eight years eating one bowl of s*hit after another, i.e., Department of Homeland Security, "harsh interrogation", The Patriot Act, unauthorized wire taps, a couple of f*ascist SC justices, and the list goes on and on and on. And now tthat we have someone, anyone, other than bush, that famous patience of a lion is lost...gon­e with the wind and those who are, ostensibly, our allies DEMAND RESULTS NOW from a President who has the character to do the right thing for the country regardless of whether it's popular or not.

[ProudLiberalDan]

Please do not confuse progressive and liberals and the left with the corporate funded Democratic Party.

Many of us were trying to fight these things but the Congressional Democrats were hiding under their desks, and then we were told that "impeachment was off the table" even though it was not Nancy Pelosi's to remove.

And usage of a triangulation strategy is a sign of "Clintonian" behavior, not "character".

[Academic]

Which is more important, being pro or anti-Israel or dealing with truth and justice? Most people if asked would say they are pro their mom or dad or some other close relative or friend, but does that mean that if mom, dad or one of the other individuals alluded to goes out and premeditatedly kills someone and is deemed by the facts as a murderer that he or she should be given absolute immunity for their act and impunity to do it again whenever he or she wants to? Shouldn't we be grown up here and stop acting like silly kids - he is my friend, she isn't my friend and solely on that basis make our decisions? Is Germany pro-Israel, or do we have a case of institutional guilt kicking in because of what took place between 1933-45? And is Russia pro Palestinian when it was Russia that was the first and major backer of the fledgling state of Israel? And if Germany is pro Israel why shouldn’t Russia choose who it wants to support? I would have thought that you judged a state like you did individuals; by their actions. I’m sure that Bernard Madoff, Conrad Black, Richard Nixon even Josef Fritzl, as did Nazi Germany, fascist Spain, Italy and the Soviet Union all had or have supporters. And should one give uncritical support to anyone or anything doesn’t that show their lack of conscience, integrity, objectivity, sense of justice and commonsense?

Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore.

[fallout4U]

What is this all about? I thought the Dems were all on the same page, it seemed so at their convention.

[RepublicansRejected]

It proves that we aren't in lockstep like you Republican sheep...

[Manx]

It's true. The present Obama is hard to recognize by his campaign rhetoric. In response to the economic meltdown, he is continuing the policies of the Bush treasury department. While he has rebranded the Iraq war, he continues the policy of Bush, on secrecy, his policy is derived from Bush policy (state secrets) and his plan on deficits comes from the Bush plan. And on torture, he wants to sweep the whole scandal under the rug for political expediency, which will ensure that the Bush cover-up becomes his own.

While Obama continues to "reach out" to conservatives, he's not reaching out to the people who worked so hard to get him elected.

[Academic]

You've hit the nail right on the head. We've all been conned by Barack and it hurts, particularly for those like you and me who went out on a limb for him to ensure he got elected. It just goes to show that at the end of the day it's always the rich, privileged and the powerful, not the ordinary folk, that ambitious men like Barack always side with. But the Republican base that Barack Obama is cosying up to, according to every reliable and reputable poll, is shrinking fast so the GOP couldn't on its own elect him come 2012; and my advice to anyone with a working brain cell in his or her head and who feels betrayed as you clearly do and I obviously feel, is to dump him come 2012. There's a world of difference between one having the courage to make hard choices for the good of all and not just one's supporters, which is a fact of life sometimes, and simply betraying those that were there for you when you needed them most as Barack has undoubtedly done and, moreover, doing so in the interests of the very same people who did all they could to ensure he wouldn't become president.
Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore.

[brt929]

No, he can't be dumped in 2012, unless you want to hand the presidency back to the Thugs.

As much as I believe that Ted Kennedy was a great political hero, when he challenged Carter's re-election, he paved the way for Ronald Reagan, and the policies that have brought this country to its economic knees.

[LeftCoastLarry]

Couldn't congress pass legislation repealing DADT? Then Obama would have to veto it or let it pass into law.
Or, as commander in chief, he could edict the repeal of DADT but apparently he doesn't want to go there.
Either case, there seems to be plenty of blame for continued discrimination against gays in the military to go around.
Or am I missing something? I don't claim to be an expert on Military Justice (oxymoron?)

[Jaybot]

You'd think the 180 Obama pulled after winning the primaries would have given even the most dense of Democrats a clue. Seen it coming miles away.

[puffthedragon]

I think that you are the one that is clueless.

[ProudLiberalDan]

Nah, the hero worshiping Obamabots are the clueless ones.

[AnotherTry]

It was the shock doctrine in action. He turned so abruptly that most didn't notice. The rest of us who were paying attention got whiplash.

But were you surprised?

[hapiday]

Rule from the center President Obama, because some of the folks on the far left are off the hook!
Some are as bad as the far right. Some I'm not sure if they are rooted in reality.

[AnotherTry]

If you think he is ruling from the center, you don't know what the center is!