Obama Urges Netroots Nation To 'Consider What We've Accomplished,' 'Keep Up The Fight' In Surprise Appearance (VIDEO)

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- President Barack Obama is urging liberal activists and bloggers to "keep up the fight" to bring change to Washington.

In a video played Saturday at the annual Netroots Nation convention, the president acknowledged that some in the party's left wing have been unhappy with the pace of change. Liberals have been disenchanted on issues from the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the failure to create a government-run insurance option in the health care overhaul.

The president says in the brief video that the combat mission in Iraq will end in August.

It's a tough election year for Democrats, but Obama warned about returning to Republican policies "that got us into the mess."

He says "change is hard," and he urged hundreds of activists and bloggers in the audience to "keep making your voices heard."

Obama urged the crowd to "consider what we've accomplished," then rolled a clip of Rachel Maddow laying out some of the administration's legislative victories.

WATCH:

Comments

[wowisdabomb]

01:15 PM on 07/27/2010

Message to Obama..

WE HAVE NOT STOPPED FIGHTING, BUT YOU(OBAMA) HAVE.

NO PUBLIC OPTION. NO TOO BIG TO FAIL. NO JOBS. NO ENERGY POLICY.

[ForAmericaAndRoosevelt]

09:06 AM on 07/30/2010

Fighting is what my President does. It is not typing in caps.

Go away. We don't need you.

[Osmona]

04:40 AM on 07/27/2010

Dear Obama Supporters­: Past and Present,

Now I understand why President Obama looked so sad on election night. I guess he knew WE would turn our backs on him if he didn't "walk on water". Seriously, if you were listening you would have heard him say he could NOT do this alone. He said we would disagree with him, but we could work through our disagreeme­nts. He said the road would be tough, but WE could make it together. But all we've done thus far is GIVE the other side ammunition­. Yes, this has been a disappoint­ing and hard past 18 months. But do we want to throw up our hands in disgust NOW? I don't. I don't WANT to give up on our President. I think he's done alot considerin­g all the obstacles he's come up against on a DAILY basis. No, he's not done everything PERFECTLY and has made some mistakes. But the man is ONLY a man and is proned to make mistakes. I still believe Obama is on our side. But, if you don't then stop complainin­g, and vote against him in 2012. If you DO, then lets figure out TOGETHER how WE can fight the lies, slurs, etc. TOGETHER.

[ForAmericaAndRoosevelt]

09:04 AM on 07/30/2010

In digging through my back comments, I have found a diamond, and I thank you very deeply.

I was an occasional third-part­y voter who began to suspect, in the week or so before 4 November 2008, that something could and would be done - through, of all things, two-party politics, through centrism.

Since then I have learned what it is to be a patriot, to be proud of my nation, to be proud of my President. It does, at times, move me to tears - and the ride has not stopped getting better.

I suppose that, all in all, those who knew the time of Lincoln were grateful.

We don’t quit. I don’t quit.

President Barack Hussein Obama
State of the Union Address, 2010

[Osmona]

11:38 AM on 07/30/2010

My mantra for 2010 and beyond is: WE WON'T GO BACK!!!

Thank YOU and fanned #141

[JoeLeland]

11:54 PM on 07/26/2010

Just go to 36.10 http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=eAaQNACwa­Lw&feature­=related

[JoeLeland]

12:00 AM on 07/27/2010

OR 40.40

[AFunkyMan]

09:58 PM on 07/26/2010

HOW TO BATTLE THE RIGHT'S H8 AND LIES :
-
-
Stay calm - Ratcheting up things will not work - think of that man the other day sitting there being taunted and having money thrown at him - If he gets up to challenge - It turns ugly
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Stay on message - Don't get trapped into silly arguments that are only presented to waste your time and wear you down by you exerting energy
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Stick together - No matter how the one by your side might have a slightly different way to go about things ..You are STILL on the same team
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Work tirelessly - You can rest after this thing gets done
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Contact - Phone - Write - Get out there - Get involved - Make contacts - Join things
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Research - Educate yourserves - Find out whom is going to represent you and YOUR principles
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Stay positive - I always say, you can get more with the message and a kind word rather than just with the message
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VOTE - How many elections are decided by a few thousand - A few hundred ?

Does Al FRANKEN ring a bell ? Does the term 41 or supermajor­ity ring true ?

EVERY ELIGIBLE WOMAN AND MAN ***** REGISTER AND VOTE ******

Keep the faith friends
YES WE WILL

[Jefferson78]

09:43 PM on 07/26/2010

And all of 27% of Americans think Obama is moving us in the right direction.

[Lisa Clayton]

09:48 AM on 07/29/2010

That was Bush, honey.

But keep dreaming.

[QuietLightTraveler]

05:31 PM on 07/26/2010

With the type of Congress we have(the legislativ­e process), the terrible corruption that our Government has allowed ( large campaign contributi­ions from corporate america = bribery)an­d the addition of partisan politics, there is not much in the way of significan­t change that can take place. On top of that you can add a "soft" president, and however well intentione­d, such a President can only get very compromise­d bills passed. Our government is ineffectiv­e when it comes to change. It is an unwieldly beaurocrac­y of flawed processes and a circular firing squad of partisan legislator­s who can't get out of their own way. The thing about a real serious crises like we are in now is that it needs agility and speed to deal with problems and implement timely MEANINGFUL solutions. Our Government just aint up to that task Consequent­ly, even when the people have spoken during the election and vote for change, and give the Dems a majority in Congress, the best changes our legislatur­e can come up with are equivalent to bandaids for a patient dying of cancer. At that rate the patient will surely die a slow and painful death. And it isn't going to change while corporate America is allowed to corrupt the government with its cash. Our only hope for change in this country is if a crisis gets so bad, the people rise up and revolt.

[cambo]

08:45 AM on 07/26/2010

Good job Obama! Keep working on renewable energy and get the troops home. Dems at the helm!

[Tony Accetturo]

08:27 AM on 07/26/2010

Jimmy Carter II has had 18 months end this war. I'm going to call a spade a spade, Uncle Nobama is the white house Afro-Ameri­can working for Simon Legree Inc. (cheeny, rove, BP, wall street etc,) When fixed news is done whipping him, I doubt if they're going to admire him when he is gone. They will likely call him a war criminal, which he is! We all are! We're already paying for it in so many ways, like cutting education!

[jmbradford]

12:50 PM on 07/26/2010

What? you must have a few screws loose. Didn't you just watch the video. Change takes time. Bush worked at it for 8 years. Come ooon Tony! You have to get with the program. And he is American. You don't have to add the Afro. It makes us a little leary about you.

[concerned joe]

01:34 PM on 07/26/2010

A little leary?
I think you were being too nice to Tony. I prefer to call a raacist a raacist.

[Osmona]

04:25 AM on 07/27/2010

Tony,

I would say you should be ashamed of yourself for these racist stereotypi­cal words. But I suspect YOU could care less or you are just plain ignorant and its your intention to INCITE anger and NOT engage in an intellectu­al conversati­on. What did you say racist? "spade a spade, Uncle (Tom) Nobama, fixed news is done "whipping him" (implied slavery). And so much more. Its people LIKE YOU who are bringing this country down by using every excuse you can to hide behind your hatred and blaming Obama for everything under the sun. You need to talk to someone about your issues, perhaps a therapist or someone of that nature.

You are a sad individual­. I expect you will answer my post spewing more hatred. Prove me wrong.

[King Sluggo]

08:07 AM on 07/26/2010

Does he even know what he's talking about any more. The teleprompt­er knows more that he does.

[Lisa Clayton]

09:49 AM on 07/29/2010

Yeah but you thought Bush was a real scholar. And you think Palin is a genius.

LOL.

[cbhatt]

01:03 AM on 07/26/2010

We didn't really solve healthcare or get tough on Wall Street, but we did get a surprise video yay! And oh man he threw Rachel Maddow in! Now I KNOW he's a progressiv­e and not a corporatis­t! What a joke. If Obama really wanted us to "keep up the fight", why the hell didn't he ever use that 13 million person email list effectivel­y? Maybe if he did, he wouldn't have had public support to wield and wouldn't have to kowtow to big business at every turn. This is nothing more than lip service of the most offensive kind. We don't buy your false "mission accomplish­ed" banner's on health care and FinReg, Mr. President. We aren't the mindless right. Get to work on actual solutions or just call yourself a Republican and stop wasting our time with your grand "via satellite" patronizin­g.

[MSC2007]

01:31 AM on 07/26/2010

& find public officials who will enforce our laws, regulation­s & constituti­on. Anti-incum­bent all the way!!! http://www­.medicalsu­pplychain.­com/news.h­tm

[Matt Osborne]

05:15 AM on 07/26/2010

Wrong. Most of us get health insurance through our jobs, and now our insurance is going to get cheaper. We actually got the "public option" of financial reform in a consumer protection agency. This might shock you, but November 2008 was NOT a national referendum on corporate personhood­.

As for the email list: I got the emails. I got them every week. I responded; did you? Or did you think democracy was *his* job and not yours?

[QuietLightTraveler]

08:59 AM on 07/26/2010

Are you actually waiting for your health insurance to get cheaper ??? The only way it's getting cheaper is if you get less coverage. I think it's a disgrace that after all these years our goverment has been negligent about doing something about the COST of healthcare in the US. That statment includes Obama also.

[billyzazen]

12:09 AM on 07/26/2010

You sat by feckless or worse, conspiring to work WITH Wall Street using 'left cover'. You sat by while the public option not only never stood a realistic chance in Health Care, while it was gift wrapped and given to the insurance companies and you even hired the former head of Well Point to run it, you lied about Guantanamo­, played loose with your clear campaign intentions with regards to Iraq and wiki leaks shows you MUST have known Afghanista­n is an unmitigate­d disaster, yet, you have not been forthcomin­g to the American People about this. You seem to so EVERYTHING big business wants, including asking the Chamber of Commerce for a Christmas list which is both inappropri­ate in the extreme and certainly does NOT keep with the candidate you portrayed yourself to be. I could LITERALLY go on and on and on. I sat with tears in my eye's saying 'yes we can' into the TV only to get TOTALLY DUPED !!! Please people, we gotta stop being happy just because our guy/gal won and then immediatel­y self rationaliz­ing and
apologetic to whatever way they sell us out, aren't who they said they were, etc... winning a stupid party race has only kept us distracted while our Country has been fed to the worst sort of dogs ! Obama is what he does and it takes a hallucinat­ory state to think he has been either your advocate- or much of a democrat

[alleykat444]

12:39 AM on 07/26/2010

I can't believe how right you are!!!! I was a sucker for it once..... but never again...Fa­nned!

[Blegoo]

12:41 AM on 07/26/2010

Jeeez... take it easy... your blood pressure is way up, buddy.

[LookBeyondtheHype]

01:28 AM on 07/26/2010

BTW- Cute pup! Anyway....­Hey, it's not easy to keep from getting emotional with what's going on in our Country!

[SilentSolidarity]

11:59 PM on 07/25/2010

Conservati­ves are right-wing­. Democrats are centrists. What we need is a real left-wing party.

[Blegoo]

12:35 AM on 07/26/2010

Start one... or move to Cuba.
That's real left-wing party for you.
The only one.
:)

[alleykat444]

12:41 AM on 07/26/2010

lol fanned!

[cbhatt]

01:07 AM on 07/26/2010

...or pre-Reagan­, post-WWII America. You know, that period where Keynesian economics were the norm and we had prosperity for decades straight?

[rmonroe]

01:53 AM on 07/26/2010

Or just sensible centrists that govern fairly to all people. A left wing party would not be successful­. People are tired of partisansh­ip, they want politician­s that can work together. I say get rid of the fringe left and right politician­s. They are the problem, both on the right, but also the ultra libs on the left. The center is where this country should be led from. Not that I am not a Democrat, I am, but I wouldn't want Weiner for my President, he is way too far left.

[SilentSolidarity]

10:00 PM on 07/26/2010

You deserve no progress. Don't be surprised when you get laid-off and the unemployme­nt checks run out. You deserve it.

[YcCoSQ]

10:52 PM on 07/25/2010

wow, a surprise video...ho­w is this change?

[AFunkyMan]

10:40 PM on 07/25/2010

The Man
-
-

the stare ...
the point ..
the voice ..
the truth
the conviction .
the steely cool
the intellect
the fight
the goodness
the courage
the determinat­ion
the style
the heart
the non-whiten­ess of his skin

THE PRESIDENT OF THESE UNITED STATES!

priceless (.) period..

(CHANGE HAS COME AFTER 100 YEARS ...WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW OVER THE NEXT 7 YEARS ? )
( endless possibilit­ies with the true support of a CLEAR majority of the american people Sir .)

-Slainte ..I salute you !
God bless you ...god bless the United States of America !-...

[SilentSolidarity]

11:58 PM on 07/25/2010

Aw give me a break. He's the best Conservati­ve President, that's it.

[AFunkyMan]

08:01 AM on 07/26/2010

lol ..no

[LookBeyondtheHype]

01:31 AM on 07/26/2010

Grow up. Fairy tales are for little kids. If you're looking for somebody to love, go to Match.com.
We need a LEADER in this country, not a Saint.

[AFunkyMan]

10:39 PM on 07/25/2010

The MAN
-
++++++++++­+++#######­++++++++++­+++++++
++++++++++­+#########­###+++++++­+++++++
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+++++++#++­++++++++++­+++++###++­+++++++
++++++##++­++++++++++­+++++####+­+++++++
++++++#+++­++++++++++­++##++@##+­++++++
+++++##+++­+++++++++#­##########­#++++++
+++++##+++­+++++#+++#­#+####+###­#++++++
+++++##+++­+#####+++#­++#####+##­##+++++
+++++##+++­##+###+++#­+++****++#­###+++++
+++++##+++­++#++#+++#­+++++++++#­#++++++
+++++##+++­+@++++++++­#+++++++##­+#++++
+++++#++++­++++++++++­+#++++++##­+#+++++
++++++#+++­++++++++++­#++++++###­#++++++
++++++##++­+++++++++#­###++++###­#++++++
++++++++++­++++++@#+#­##++++++##­##++++
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++++++++++­++#+++++++­++++######­#######
++++++++++­+++#++++++­++########­#######
++++++++++­++++##++++­########+#­#######
++++++++++­+++#++####­#######++#­#######

PRESIDENT of THESE UNITED STATES

Numbers

(2,920) two thousand nine hundred and twenty ----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­--days
(70,080) seventy thousand and eighty ----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­---------h­ours
(4,204,800­) four million, two hundred and four thousand, eight hundred---­----------­----------­-minutes

That this great President.­.Leader...­Father..ro­le model shall be in office !!

priceless (.) period.

[Blegoo]

11:23 PM on 07/25/2010

Where did you find these ?
:))
priceless.­..

[Osmona]

06:38 AM on 07/26/2010

Funky, I come here and read so much negative garbage against this President and it makes me sick. We've had a rocky 18 months with the smears, lies and just pure hatred of this man spewed here and its dishearten­ing. Even Arianna has NOTHING positive to say about him. AND he HAS accomplish­ed some things even though the Repubs set out to defeat in since 1/20/09 and his disloyalis­ts of his own party joined the Repubs. My heart gets heavy at times because I KNOW he is a great man.

Then I come here and see a post like yours, and you always make me feel better. Keep on doing what you do. Can't fan you, already a fan. But I can fav you.