The Biggest Threat To Obama's Agenda: Democratic Centrists

The Hill:

Half a dozen members of the Senate Democratic Conference pose the biggest threat to President Obama's agenda, giving Senate Republicans a fighting chance to block the administration's major expansions of government.

GOP leaders have begun reaching out to these centrists, hoping they will buck their party on Obama's two biggest initiatives: healthcare reform and climate change legislation.

Read the whole story: The Hill

Comments

[truegreen]

Harriscrl3,

I know...the truth hurts.

[harriscrl3]

Duh tell us something we dont know. I never bought into that 60 filibuster proof nonsense which is why I had no problems with Obama trying to court rethugs.

[Areyoume2]

Why not just have a Huff Post section posting their names, asking their constituents to push them into doing the right thing or into joining up with the Republicans once and for all. Who needs a Republican Democrat? We've lived with the 8 years of NO already - and as far as the Pretenderpendents (or, as I also like to call them: the Indepublicans) - they should take a long walk on a short pier.

[truegreen]

dear Hill,

The biggest threat to Obama's agenda is Obama himself. He has failed to show assertiveness and toughness on his policies. He comes out, presents a policy and retreats to his corner, while the MSM and the republicans lie and pick his polices apart. What he needs to do is grow a pair of stones and remind the centrist democrats what team they play for. That team is: change for the American People.

[harriscrl3]

YAWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vjones26]

I don't think most of these so-called "Democratic Centrist" are centrist at all. In my opinion, they are selling their offices.

If you research these Senators, they all receive big money one way or another from corporate America.

Take Evan Bayh for instance.

His wife received around $800,000 in salary last year from big healthcare industries.

She's on the board of directors for some major health insurance companies and consults for a whole slew of others.

Bayh is NOT for the public option. Centrist my foot.

At least with the internet, we are able to expose them more easily. I will send money to whoever runs against these Senators.

[maggienash65]

And he wasn't chosen for VP, everybody complains about the lobbyist including these "centrist" and they are getting the most money. Hope when election time comes, they don't ask for help.

[ebanks84]

Every single democrat who opposes Obama's health plan should be held accountable at their next rerun for their position. We need to get rid of the old school democrats as well as the old school repubs. We need younger more forward thinking politicians in office in both parties. That's the ONLY way we will advance into our future.

[liberalbug]

"Centrist democrat" really = republican, or what republicans are supposed to stand for--limited government and fiscal responsibility. So these 12 centrists are actually what republicans are supposed to be. "Republican" these days actually = right wing moralist hypocrite big government deficit spending corporate lackeys.

[Billar]

We should leave the Democratic part and form a strong third party composed of progressives, etc.

[rkm0619]

I agree 100%. Because that will split the liberal vote and ensure that the GOP is always in power....

[freethinking moderate]

I've been saying this for years now. The Democrats have become a corporate party. The Dems of 2009 are the Republicans of 1989. Obama was right about one thing though, real change has to come from the bottom up because relying on "our people" in Washington isn't going to get anything done.

[RTIII]

Don't be dummmm; Fight them in the primaries where it counts!
.

[humanbeing-rick]

A half-dozen "Democratic centrists" may thwart the Decocratic agenda that President Obama is driving for us. Who are these people? We should out them, and expose who is paying them off.
These are not "Democratic centrists" they are Decomcratic traitors.
A true Democrat will stand up and speak out for the working people of America, that is what a Democratic centrist would be.
Instead, these half-dozen are sell-outs, betraying our cause.

[burt2009]

Those half-dozen sell-outs, betraying your cause have what the WH doesn't, morals, values and ethics. Strange, huh?

[meko]

The morals, values and ethics to stay bought.

[Gonzorunner]

Those "Democratic centrists" that you refer to are logical thinkers that realize BHO is out of control and needs to be reigned in to rational thinking, not idealogical nonsense.

[rkm0619]

I find it interesting that a liberal who preaches acceptance and understanding slanders people that have alternate opinions as "traitors", "sell-outs". What happened to the big tent party? So basically you are saying that if people don't fall in lock step with the President and actually question what he does to ensure that it is in the best interest of the American people and their state, they are sell outs and traitors and should be kicked out of office......I wonder if you would say that about a republican who opposed Bush spending? Or the Patriot Act? Or the bail out bill? Because prety much every House Republican opposed the bail out.

[warlover]

So what would have happened to social security if Bush would hae had a super majority?

[kimleehan]

If private insurance gets their way and than does'nt deliever the American people will go balistic, and take it out on the Republicans and centrist Democrats, Maybe theres method in President Obama's plan.

[jmpurser]

The last 40 years of history would seem to indicate that you're quite mistaken.

[egaeus]

Obama is a centrist on most issues, and that is part of the problem. Equal to that are the people he surrounds himself with, many of whom are already heavily compromised in terms of their loyalties. His financial advisers are villains from Goldman Sachs, the single biggest contributor to his campaign. Rahm Emmanuel (an obvious error in the selection process) is already throwing in the towel about health care.

However, the main part of the problem is that you have treasonous corporations that fill Washington with lobbyists to work against the will of the people and to influence your legislators. Take health care, for example. Health insurance companies spend 1.4 million dollars a day working to defeat the public option and steer any health care legislation to simply be a modification of the same current broken system. Corporations have become like nations living inside nations and undermining the government's ability to legislate.

[CompashCat]

Very well put.

[burt2009]

It looks like the only members in congress that can save us from Obama's determination to destroy the US economy is the Democratic centrists

[wizzardly]

Those Centrist Dems are watching Obama's poll number and Congress poll numbers TANKING. People are sick of the spending and seeing no results. Stimulus isn't working even though at the time Obama said this is the worst economy since the Great Depression and we need it NOW.....fast forward....now the excuse is it's "we misread how bad" things were. OK. The way I read it is they don't have a clue and keep making excuses. The center dems are covering their butts because excuses are getting old to most Americans.

[burt2009]

Obama is -3% approval

[Catjya]

Wrong OBAMA'S APPROVAL is in the 60's% Higher than bush's was at the same time!

[warlover]

Actually President Obama's approval ratings would be in the high 80% if they did'nt count Republicans, and since Republicans don't count. who cares?

[Chubbster]

Good. Let all the voices be heard. The greatest threat to America is lock-step politicians lined up to serve the leader.

[texanna]

These "centrists" are not only the Pres' nemesis, they are also the biggest threat to the agenda of We the People. These people need to get out the way since they do not intend to be part of the solution. Every one of them needs to take Sen. Sanders' challenge and swear to vote for cloture on every fillibuster and let the legislation their corporate owners don't like live or die at the hands of a majority vote. If they don't, I sincerely hope their constituents give them the boot at the next available opportunity!