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

[StuManChu]

You guys need to fall lock step behind obama and quit questioning him. That is what is stopping his agenda.

[Leftwingbloggin]

i hope you're being sarcastic

[Chubbster]

No, he's being a mindless robot.

[Mogamboguru]

Folks, remember, who is the biggest enemy to public healthcare:

"The Biggest Threat To Obama's Agenda: Democratic Centrists"

http://www.hu ffingtonpost.com/2009/07/06/the-biggest-threat-to-oba_n_226715.html (fix the link)

This looks like an intentionally prpared and staged trial baloon to me.

I think, that Rahm Emmanuel's caveat was uttered intentionally to test the atmosphere.

I think, that Rahm is, in fact, very brave to draw the fire on himself on behalf on healthcare!

If people wouldn't complain on Rahm's suggestion, Obama would soften up in the negotiations, because then he knew, that people would accept a compromise.

But while people almost go berzerk over the suggestion Rahm made -- like they obviously do - Obama now knows, that the people will stand behind him 100 percent when he will grill the Blue-Dog-Dems over the public option.

So my advise to you is: Complain so loudly that the windows get shattered, folks! Make your voice heard! Because YOUR voice / vote is the only weapon president Obama has to make the BLUE-DOG-DEMS cave to the public option!

[mouselion]

There's a couple of the Blue Dawgs that will remain cave-proof on the matter of public option.

[meko]

That's Blue Dog ethics. When a lobbyist buys a Blue Dog senator, they stay bought.

[warlover]

So centrist Democrats don't have any bills they want passed in the senate, This is where a strong majority leader comes in, Any Democrat who votes against Democrat agenda does'nt get their bills passed, any Republicans like Snow & Collins who do get their bills passed. Thats how you use a majority.

[higgins1990]

The Biggest Threat To Obama's Agenda: Democratic Centrists, Confused Foreign Policy, Runaway Spending, Massive Debt, Tax Hikes, Democratic Corruption, Pelosi/Reid, Al Franken, Naive Liberal Ideology, Nationalizing Large Swaths of American Industry, An American Pubilc That's Beginning to Wisen Up to the "Hope and Change" Scam

[wizedollars]

True!

[kimleehan]

The worst Democrats are better than the best Reublicans. We've already seen the Republican's best, No thanks.

[CompashCat]

Watch Fox Much?
Got a little Bush-era nostalgia for ya:

∑ False Premise for Going to War
∑ Controversial Assertion of Executive Power
∑ 45 Million Americans Without Health Insurance
∑ Skyrocketing Deficit
∑ Blatant admission of Torture
∑ Hurricanes Expose poor judgment of downsizing FEMA
∑ Politicization of Department of Justice
∑ No Robust, Sustained Alternative Energy Policy
∑ SEC Allows Investment Banks To Go Unregulated
∑ No Child Left Behind: Discredited by most educational experts
∑ Gov’t level agencies headed by the corporate interests they’re meant to regulate
∑ Highly secretive energy policy that was drafted with executives from the oil, gas and coal industries
∑ Stubborn support of “Abstinence Only” education, which has been repeatedly proven to INCREASE unintended pregnancies and STDs in adolescents
∑ Censoring very important research regarding the causes and catastrophic impacts of climate change
∑ Granting permission to mining industries to destroy treasured and protected national wildlands
∑ Poor treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed and other under-funded military hospitals
∑ Poor treatment of military personnel who are asked to serve for longer and more frequent deployments than they should have to

[Chicagofan1]

President Obama has to govern from the center. He is the president for all American people and by working together, listen and include both sites we might see a good programs that will work. Clinton did it with Gingridge and he served two terms with love and support from 75% of American people.
Get real.

[Leftwingbloggin]

If only George W. Bush had govern from the center and listened to the left's concerns and adopted some of their policies as much as he did the hard right we would have been better off wouldn't we. Too bad George W. Bush didn't "have to be" a centrist and apparently wasn't the president of all the people, just the hard right republican base I guess in politics it's more about popularity than principles. Principles be Dam#ed

[HalEBurton]

I don't get it. BWAAK is a complete success. He was perfectly marketed and now he is doing exactly what Goldman Sachs hired him to do. So by no means is he a failure. He is a resounding success in the eyes of his corporate owners.

[mk20051]

I think us Democrats need our version of George Bush in office. Doesn't care about the opposition and will roll over them if they aren't with him. I am so tired of these Democrats in office that are getting paid off by the lobbyists. If I were to pay off the cops so that I could do whatever I wanted, wouldn't that be called bribery?! What is different about what the lobbyists are doing now? I think we need to vote out the Democrats that are in office now that are against a public option and vote in whoever will.

[Lionsden]

The biggest threat to Obama's agenda:

Honesty
Wisdom
Knowledge
Sanity
Decency
Love
Kindness
Gentleness
Respect
Righteousness
Christ
The Holy Bible

[fairdebate]

What does this mean

[dillydawg]

The biggest threat to President Obama's agenda is the stupidity of the American people. The willing ability to believe and support that which goes against their own interests.

[CompashCat]

WTF?! Maybe you don't agree with Obama's decisions, but how can you say he lacks those things you list? Watch Fox much? I often wonder how conservatives would view Obama/democrats if not for their 24/7 slander machine.

[petridish]

The title is wrong. The biggest threat to Obam's agenda is the fact that they do not understand the problem at hand and their policies are only throwing gas on a fire.

We, as a nation, went thru the biggest credit expansion in our history. The mother of all bubbles. Now the bill is past due our books are deep in the red and we have shipped our manufacturing base overseas.

http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/2009/07/july-5-2009-unbearable-mightiness-of.html?ref=patrick.net

Obama's grand plans and massive debt binge will just hasten our demise. Math does not lie.

[wizedollars]

Sad but true

[kappa08]

Actually I would say it's OBAMA himself...­this guys not a fighter. He's that thin likable kid that always seems to have a big guy get his back while he glad handles the flock. I have yet to see this guy ball up his fist and bring it.
Everybody makes excuses for him and explains it away as "chess play" or "politics". I say he just doesn't have IT to get IT done. I realize there was absolutely NO other choice and I would literally vote for my own feces before voting Republican. BUT this guy is a wipe through and through and his legacy will be as vanilla as his wife's wardrobe.

[HalEBurton]

Took the words right off my keyboard.

BWAAK, the president who has made Hope a dirty word to me.

[dillydawg]

Puh..Leeze­!

[cyndeewi]

Go fly a kite will ya!

[kappa08]

...brillia­nt response. Remind me to look you up when I need coach my 8 y/o on school yard banter. pppffftttt *wave off*

[mitsie]

Come on DNC, cut any funding to these politicans if they continue to be obstructionists. I don't understand the number of their own people who want pubic pay option, and want conservation of the environment. What is really needed are term limits. No more retirement million dollar bonuses, no luxary healthcare plan. What hypocrites, cut the money and see how fast they will support it.

[WindySailor]

I still feel even the centrists can be swayed if you have an effective leader. That would absolutely have to be someone other than Harry Reid. He remains the biggest single threat to the President's agenda.

[cyndeewi]

Well said!

[kappa08]

ummmm what's Obama...A CENTRIST!.­..quit making excuses and bang on the LEADER.

[Bob Soper]

The lobbyists win again. DC is rotten to the core. This government has lost my consent.

[mountainweb]

The "Democratic centrists" are not the problem here, the reality that we do not have the money to turn the country into a socialist dream land in one year is a key to obama's problem.

[mitsie]

So what's your plan? The real problem here was started by Bush and the Republicans in congress 8 years ago. That's the key to our President's problems. BTW his name is President Obama, not Obama. I get angry that no one in the media, or here call him President.

[cyndeewi]

I agree!

[RoloTomassi]

i.di.ot

[cyndeewi]

I bet you will be reaping the benefits though!

[bannorhill]

So a few people who have the sanity to passing laws and budgets. Who knows they might even want to read the bills before they pass them.