Memo to Bandwagon Obama Fans: Get Tough!

If I hear one more person declare that Obama's "honeymoon is over" or that the Republican response to the stimulus proves that his quest for a bipartisan America was naïve and ineffectual, I will surely scream. What I'd really like to know is: Where were these wise naysayers circa summer of 2007? Toting Hillary signs? Blathering about Barack's enormous potential, but (voice lowers, candidly) proclaiming the nation just wasn't ready for a black president?

See, a couple years ago, some of us were hard at work executing the inklings of an ambitious vision that the majority said was impossible. It's a good thing my friends who spent A YEAR knocking on the doors of every home in Council Bluffs, Iowa, connecting on a person-to-person level and exchanging new ideas that inspired a community, then a state, then a party, then a nation to adopt a new mindset and make history didn't listen to contrarians who could only echo simple-minded soundbites. They understood, like most forward-thinking leaders, that real, lasting problem solving happens at the root cause and is built by meticulously gaining the trust and support of invested parties. (Including, dare we acknowledge it!, the Republican party.) Any other approach is subject to the whimsical ebb and flow of partisan politics, resulting in hard-fought legislation undone each election cycle. Who wants to bleed and sweat for change that isn't going to endure?

The limited vision some of my close pals, favorite pundits and fellow Obamamaniacs have displayed post-inauguration is beyond disappointing. It's as though, in our collective gloom about the economy and the dilapidated state of our nation's affairs, we've forgotten that the prize we sought during the election was always going to be another staggering, indefinite uphill battle. How many times did you say in conversation during the campaign, "Do you think whoever wins this thing is really going to want the job when he finally gets it?"

For the last couple weeks I have wanted to shake some people and remind them of the early days, when we were the only ones who believed in the senator from Illinois. I can remember recruiting people to attend events in LA in the spring of 2007 and being blown off and told I was a dreamer. I wore my campaign buttons religiously to spark conversations, most of which centered around Obama's supposedly far-fetched viability as a presidential contender. I recall being advised by mentors to jump off the hope train and position myself more strategically in alliances with Clinton staffers.

We had to have those conversations defending Barack every day. It was a year before SuperTuesday, when we rounded a corner and people started to open their minds and hear the message. Eventually, those conversations turned even Ohio and Florida from red to blue.

Of course I'm pissed that the Republicans, desperately in need of displaying a united front after getting their asses kicked, decided to err on the side of belligerence. It wasn't a particularly bold way to lead. In fact, their lackluster stimulus performance is reminiscent of a lil vote in 2002, in which no Democrats could be found to prevent the obviously ill-advised invasion of Iraq. I'd love to call them cowards and tell them there are now plenty of vacancies at the Hotel Guantanamo Bay if they'd like to secede from the union and start their own backwards society. That would not be helpful.

I will never forget how disempowering it was in 2000, when George Bush took office and started systematically slashing the accomplishments of the Clinton administration and undercutting the hard work that a generation of progressives put into the comparably glorious 1990s era. I was appalled that a leader could be so divisive, and I was amazed at the fleeting nature of political power.

I chose to support Barack Obama because he built his coalition for America's future from the bottom up. He focused not on party politics, but encouraged us to find common interests and work together whenever it was possible. He addressed the root cause of apathy in our disengaged collective citizenship, convincing individuals through the most successful grassroots viral marketing campaign in American history that they could be leaders in their own communities. The combined choices of anyone who, as a result of his leadership, has decided to be a solution-oriented person who will act on his beliefs is the real power of this administration. I did not traipse around Des Moines, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Austin, Chicago and Los Angeles with "Change We Can Believe In" signs just to throw my hands in the air, exasperated by a media-infused political squabble a month into this thing, and give up on the mission we signed up to execute. We have not even scratched the surface of what we can do yet.

The MSM continues to cover what politicians and other pundits are saying and doing. That's why the early days of Obama's presidency are being told in a narrative framed by a politics-as-usual perspective. Just like they missed the stories of what was really happening on the ground as the Obama campaign's dynamic field teams enlisted supporter after supporter, they're getting this story wrong too.

What's really happening is that the hype and bandwagon support that characterized the home stretch of the Obama campaign is scaling back to its dedicated core. The people who bought into the mania were destined to crash as abruptly as they clung to us when it was the hip thing to do. Secondly, the core is tired. We worked our asses off just to realize we have to do it again. Some dove into the new administration with as much energy as could be mustered, and others of us have just needed to mentally check out for a couple months and regroup. You know, think about our own long-neglected lives for a change instead of phone banking and knocking on doors every weekend.

If you fall in the latter half of the burned-out Barackers (and I certainly do), it's probably time to crawl out of hiding and come back to work. We were always the stewards of this undertaking, and our fearless leader needs us out in the field. As exhausting as it is watching this circus of cynics try to take him down after building him up, we can't possibly be as tired as he is.

Comments

[Heaphy]

Thank you, Maegan, for reminding all of us early and consistent Obama supporters of all the work that remains to be done. You are right that Barack Obama has been consistently underrated and underestimated by the pundits and purveyors of conventional wisdom. And yet, he goes to work now in the Oval Office, thanks to all of us and to his brilliant political abilities. Now is the time to support Obama's efforts, which doesn't mean that we have to agree with him 100% every day or argue that he is "perfect". For me, it is enough that he is the best possible for our country today. It is also the time to start studying the weaknesses of the worst of the Republican obstructionists in the Senate and House, so that I can determine where to direct my 2010 campaign donations, and perhaps plan a scenic working vacation as a political organizer to help drive an obstructionist or two out of office next year. Arizona anyone? The Republicans seem determined to make that job easier. Let's get it done.

- Jim Heaphy

[allonfla]

I almost didn't read this article because I thought it was another "Obama's disappointed us" article. It was reported that Obama said "I won" to Republicans and I think that should be said to his "supporters" also. We forget what obstacles he overcame - obstacles where most of us would crumble before - and his "supporters" still have the audacity to question his intelligence or foresight. It is sooo not a waste of time for Obama to aim for bipartisanship - when he is rejected, only he will look like the adult in the room. Some of you die hard liberals and political junkies may not see that but turn off the computer and go talk to someone whose head isn't buried in the politics - you know, the vast majority of voters.

[jerrypl]

Maegan, for all of us progressives who supported Barack, our job has just begun!! Barack is no progressive, just look at his Clintonian cabinet with roots woven throughout the mega-banking kleptocracy. The across the aisle stuff must come to an end as we watch Jinal, Shelby, and other Republican Jihadis building their sorry-butt insurgency. President Obama cannot continue to enter into tax cut deals, and statements declaring his unbridled support for private banking while the taxpayers actually own these insolvent institutions.

Where is the Change We Can Believe In? Barack is weakly raising that campaign pledge flag, but I am not convinced.

We need to push him and his Demo-con soldiers, who surround him during this economic tsunami, into moving toward progressivism, since that is the only chance this country has for real reform.

http://eye-on-washington.blogspot.com

[nomobull]

and where did he ever claim to be progressive ,liberal,centrist, left or right. part of his platform was he planned to reach across the aisle.yet we have those like you trying to force him into your idea of what he should be (run for office) . he is being true to who he claimed to be while dealing with the mess bush left. instead of looking for reasons to criticize. instead of expecting him to turn himself into you idea judge him on what he accomplishes not how as long as it's not criminal or immoral. and remember the slogan"yes we can". look around and see what you can do to make a real difference. and stop criticizing him for doing the things he said he would do while running for office. criticize the gop jerks reaction to his overtures not him keeping his word. as for his cabinet picks-how dare he pick people from a time when a president cleaned up a mess left by the two republican presidents before him.

[dragonlady620]

Well said. The anger I am seeing at the new administration-and on progressive sites-appears to be because no one sees any change. I don't understand the mindset that thinks that problems that have been decades in the making are going to start disappearing all at once. Obama has said from the start that it will not happen quickly, but even his supporters seem to be getting angry because it isn't happening fast enough. I too have been disturbed at some of his choices but only time will tell if they are the right ones. There is no humanly possible way for a quick and easy way out of this mess, but I believe that Obama's approaches can work if he stays true to his pledges of transparency in government, and ending somthing-or someone-that isn't working. The only thing that will make me really angry if there is no pursuit of the wrongdoers of the previous administration. I absolutely believe that there will be NO progress on any front if there isn't accountability for the past trangressions-and we the people need to be very vocal about this. AND I agree with the posters who say the media needs to get involved in this as well-one only has to remember the coverage of Nixon and Watergate, and the public outcry against the lawlessness of the Nixon administration-and compare it with the nearly total silence of the media on the lawlessness of the last eight years.

[Rule Of Law]

Obama depended on the net roots and the grass roots. He said he heard us and would act accordingly. It is up to us to tell him what we want done, not the other way round. We must keep up the pressure as though this were the first day of the primaries. If we don't, we are just putting our faith in another easter bunny.

[SeanGardner]

"It is up to us to tell him what we want done, not the other way round."

Not completely. Yes, health care reform, and job creation is important. We demanded it. But check this out: President Obama has the most racially and ethnically diverse administration in history - from top to bottom. There are plenty of people in this country (and even some in the netroots) who don't care if our government simultaneously "works for us" AND "looks like us". But I do. My point: President Obama did what he felt was right for this country. He believes that diversity and achievement are not mutually exclusive.

I have another point. I like the fact that President Obama has both BLUE STATE credential­s...AND...­RED STATE credibility. He has it because he campaigned everywhere: from ruby red Alaska and Alabama to baby blue Connecticut and California. My point: there are folks on this site who want him to concentrate solely on "BLUE AMERICA" or on "the progressive agenda". That might satisfy a part of America, but on November 4th he bacame the president of everyone. So his approach to the issues must reflect that. And he won't let you or anyone tear him away from his Red State outreach.

Obama is more than a president. He is a partner. And it is wrong for you to think that the president can tell you what he also wants YOU to do. That's arrogant. This is not a one-way street.

[SD Indy]

Um, he did NOT campaign in Alaska. As a matter of fact he said when Palin was announced that he probably should go to Alaska. The key phrase, PROBABLY should. He never did.

[vernonbc]

Excellent article Maegan and I couldn't agree with you more. Pres Obama's election was only part of the movement to take back the country for regular people and even more dedication is required in the face of the Rethug obstruction.

[TheSnarkingLot]

Wow. A very good piece, indeed.

I appreciate the effort to have me take a look at the way I view the whole "honeymoon­/honeymoon­'s over" question.

Not only that, but you made me feel a bit guilty to boot.

I wish, however, that the piece addressed the fact that one way Obamaniacs can contribute is by avoidin the temptation to be yes-men and yes-women and trying to keep the president and his newly powerful friends honest. And that is what I intend to do.

http://TheSnarkingLot.blogspot.com

[kw7777777]

Well said....I couldn't agree more. We were all worn out by the campaign and needed to relax but now WE HAVE TO GET OFF THE SIDELINES AND SHOW OUR SUPPORT if we want to have real progressive legislation passed. The repubs are trying to muddy the waters with their false arguments in order to lower President Obama's approval rating and lessen his effectiveness to bring CHANGE and pass progressive legislation. THEY (RUSH REPUBLICANS) OUTNUMBERED US 100 TO 1 WITH CALLS TO CONGRESS ABOUT THE STIMULUS......we failed(Obama could've done better to) and we can't make that mistake again. We have to get back to campaign mode....make calls to congress and the cable networks, letters to editor and emails. TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK IF WE WANT PRESIDENT OBAMA TO SUCCEED!!!!!!!!!!!

[demfriend]

Bandwagon Obama follower? Not too sure what that means to me as I supported Obama all the way and still do. I am openly dismayed at those who now in the early days of Obama's term somehow are so upset and angry because he didn't perform instant miracles they seem to expect from a mortal. Also in this time of dire need all over th worldand especially here in the states all peoples are not pulling together to fix the economic nightmare that I believe Greenspan knew he was building. That the Republican who themselves spent along with some democrats like there was not going to be a time of payback and borrowed like the rest of the world would pay for the expenses of wild pork deals and nonsense, and now they refuse to work with the very person that was voed in by people across the nation. But above all this fray and incredible idiotic talking and voting the media should be held accountable too. They hold the very keys to be needed now to open the talk we need to help Obama fix what they broke.

[voxpopuli redux]

Hmm...are we advocating...."my president right or wrong" -- have the liberal democrats become as bad as the rightist republicans, in that they are so convinced of their own position that they are unwilling to listen...and worse accusing the other side of being 'evil" or "politically" motivated or....

BTW I am a liberal leaning democrat, and I would not have voted for the stimulus package or even the various incarnations of TARP.

So the memo should not be "Get Tough"...it should be "Get Real, Get Pragmatic, and dare I say Get Intellectu­al"...let'­s garner the support through logic and rationality and not emotion.

[TN60]

What would you do?....Tell us your ideas? Don't just say I'm liberal, but would have not voted for this or that. Tell Us.....

"Logic" does not put food on the table of the unemployed. Those who lost their homes probably have gotten as "Tough" as they can. It's hard to be "Pragmatic" when your child or love one gets sick and you have no health insurance.

Just what do we do??????

[Lefthooker]

How about this...stop rubber-stamping every single thing the guy does just because he's YOUR guy.
The stimulus package is a disaster and it is Pres Obamas fault.
He allowed it to be hijacked and bloated up by the Pelosi Porkers on the Hill and his feet should be held to the fire for that.
A focused,stripped down STMULUS ONLY bill was needed to show strength, leadership and integrity (as well as being great policy) and Mr Obama let it get away from him.
I pray this president does well, but first he needs to stop believing his own press clippings.
Sorry mr President but contrary to what the pundits write you CAN do wrong.
And all the Obamamaniacs out there should have the stones to call him out when he does - I fear the mainstream press are too invested in this man to do so.
Country befor party - we'll all be better off.

[Lefthooker]

This is a good post.
I am a mildly-rig­ht-leaning Independant and I too would never have signed on to these massive bail-out bills.
Nor is it fair IMO to castigate Republicans who - whether right or wrong (only time will tell) - voted their conscience on the stimulus bills.
Obama must be held to the same standard as Bush or any other President if he is indeed to become the leader this author seems convinced he already is (that,in itself is a problem IMO.
He should ne judged on his actions and not on any lofty imaginings of his self -confessed 'Obamamaniacs')

[FanofPaine]

It was an exhausting time and I really have mentally checked out of working hard and lobbying for things I hold dear. It's just been so easy to stop and catch my breath, but you are right, we have to get back up and muster on. We have work to do.

[LeftisBetter]

Nicely said. Did we really think that the Republcan's would get rid of the way they held power in the past? This is just the beginning and it definitely will not be easy. I thank you for all your work!

[Jon Pincus]

Well said!

[Yermammy]

Not only do we have to keep supporting Barack's liber positions, we have to lobby AGAINST his conservative influences. Cheerleading his every move is NOT going to help. That's lazy and insincere. Our job is just beginning. As FDR said "I like the idea, and I want to do it, now MAKE me do it". That's how Democracy works, people. It's work. ACTIVATE!

INVESTIGATE BUSH & CHENEY NOW.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

There is an other image, one different from cheerleaders, which may be appropriate.

It seems that some people, instead of waiving pom-poms and yelling "Go, Obama, Go", are more like old librarians who want to influence others to just "Hush."

Like old librarians, they are not trying to encourage dialog and open participation. Instead, they are trying to sqelch it.

[Haditup2here]

Thank you. I couldn't have said it better myself.

[MaxChampion]

AMEN, sister. You said it so well.