The latest attack against Progressives by the Obama administration comes from Joe Biden who tells them to "stop whining" and start fighting against Republicans instead of the White House.
Progressive Liberals are incensed, Daily Kos just being an example given in the article:
It’s idiotic is what it is,” says Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas, one of Obama’s most pointed critics on the left. “If Democrats, with the White House and Congressional super-majorities, had delivered on what they had promised, and if people had jobs, no one would be whining. They have reaped what they sowed. They haven’t delivered on what they’ve promised — and instead of making the case as to why they would do if they are reelected, they are insulting people.
These continued attacks against the far left progressive Democratic base seem to genuinely confuse them. They truly cannot seem to grasp the reasoning behind the strategy the White House is using as evidenced by a question I see over and over again on their blogs.
An example from AmericaBlog's John Aravosis:
The thing is, I can't for the life of me understand what the White House thinks it gains by continually poking the base - the people who actually vote in mid-term elections - only five weeks before the election. Are they trying to convince the rest of Democrats - you know, the people who don't vote in mid-terms - that if they did vote, they should vote for Democrats because the people concerned about the state of the party, and the nation, are "whiners"?
A serious question for Aravosis and all other hard core progressive liberals out there: "If you vote, will you vote for a Republican in November?"
I seriously doubt any one of those Joe Biden is speaking to can honestly answer yes to that question. The answer would be more like "HELL NO, are you NUTS?"
Note to progressives- The White House knows this. So, as much as it galls you to admit, right now, this close to the November midterms, you are unimportant and here is why.
The Democratic far left progressive base is most likely to go out and vote but the base's vote alone, without elderly, without Independents and without moderates, is not a majority, is not a large a enough base to save the Democrats in the midterms.
By the numbers
According to Pew Research, Independents are the largest voting bloc with 37 percent of registered voters being independents or other non-partisans, 34 percent being Democrats and 29 percent being Republicans.
According to Gallup, June 2009, the breakdown shows 40 percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 35 percent as Moderate and 21 percent as liberal.
When broken down and asked if they were "very" conservative or "very" liberal, 9 percent self identified as very conservative and only 5 percent self identified as very liberal.
To measure political ideology, Gallup asks Americans to say whether their political views are very conservative, conservative, moderate, liberal, or very liberal. As has been the case each year since 1992, very few Americans define themselves at the extremes of the political spectrum. Just 9% call themselves "very conservative" and 5% "very liberal." The vast majority of self-described liberals and conservatives identify with the unmodified form of their chosen label.
Far left progressive liberals, in my opinion, are those that would self identify as "very liberal" and they make up only 5 percent of Americans.
As of October 2009 the very liberal and moderately liberal were merged in another Gallup poll and they still only garnered 20-21 percent.
Progressive Ideology
Just using a progressive from FireDoglake as an example, Blue Texan explains what will and what does not appeal to the progressive liberal:
Just so we’re clear, here are a few examples of messages that don’t appeal to me at all.
“Wake up!”
“Get over it.”
“Right back at’cha. Right back at’cha.“
Yes, I do.
And none of these phrases motivate me to want to vote, canvass, give money, phone bank, blog, you know, generally take time away from putting food on my family to pull the lever for Democrats in November.
On the other hand, these would do the trick.
“We’ll fight to add the public option to the health care bill.”
“We’re getting out of Afghanistan.”
“We are pulling the remaining 50,000 troops out of Iraq.”
“We’re going to cut the approximately $1T annual defense budget in half and use the remainder to fund US infrastructure projects, including high speed rail.”
“We will roll back the Bush/Cheney executive power grabs.”
“We will repeal DADT.”
“We will fight for marriage equality.”
“We will reform the Senate and eliminate the filibuster.”
“We will make the Fed transparent.”
“We will legalize marijuana.”
Progressives are not asking for anything they haven't stood for all along.
Political Reality
What Blue Texan and the other "whining" progressive liberals continue to ignore is that their goals, their main focus, what they want in totality and what they want to hear Obama and White House officials say, might get their small minority to the polls with enthusiasm, but would drive moderates and Independents, especially the growing number that consider their views right of the center, away from the voting booths.
When the White House, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Democratic politicians slam progressives, offend them and tell them to shit down, shut up and be happy with what they have gotten, they are not really talking to progressive liberals at all, they are trying to appeal to moderates and Independents.
They are the targets right now. They are the focus. They are what is important to Barack Obama and Joe Biden and every other Democratic politician fighting for their political lives.
Don't worry progressives.. when Barack Obama starts campaigning for the 2012 Presidential election, he will start paying attention to you again and make all his pretty promises geared to rev you up.
Sad thing is, some of you will actually believe him.... again.
Just for entertainment, here is Joe Biden, compounding his insult to progressives, via video clip.
Biden makes it worse: "Quit Whining" becomes 'it's time to just buck-up here'
Maybe we can stop hearing progressives asking "why are they doing this to us?" The answer is clear, right now they need Independents and moderates far more than they need the 5 percent of far left self identified progressive liberals.
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