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Covering the latest liberal rants coming out of Netroots Nation conference of liberal bloggers in Las Vegas this weekend, MSNBC reports:
Progressives helped elect President Barack Obama, but some of those who gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Netroots Nation convention over the weekend were less than thrilled with his performance so far.Which progressives are mad at the president? For starters, MSNBC's own Ed Schultz, who screamed that progressives are in an ideological fight for the country.
In a surprise video address for the liberal bloggers, President Obama highlighted a broadcast by Rachel Maddow in which the MSNBC host calls Obama's "accomplishments" of his first two years in office the "biggest, or first, or most important in generations," bringing our economy "back from brink" and making "unheralded investments" in clean energy... slobber, slobber. (And yet Fox News is the "propaganda organization"?)
"The last time any president did this much in office, booze was illegal," Maddow concludes. "If you believe in policy, if you believe in government that addresses problems, cheers to that."Yeah, because we
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Still, today's MSNBC article slams Obama for "firing" Van Jones and "compromising when he shouldn't" on progressive issues ranging from health care (no public option) to closing down Guantanamo Bay:
"I’ve been disappointed; I wanted more courage," said Helen Cox, a retired middle school teacher from Long Beach, Calif. "I think sometimes there’s too much emphasis on compromise. Compromise has its place, but I don’t believe it’s always necessary or respected by the people you’re compromising with."The article also laments progressives' disappointment over how Obama is so "moderate."
"He was a moderate candidate. I knew that," said Travis Ballie, a recent American University graduate who lives in Washington, D.C. and works as an intern at NARAL Pro-Choice America. "I was so engaged and so proud of his campaign because he made a personal change for me, as a person of color, to know what’s possible in this country. But I knew politically he was still a moderate."The article ends with sound condemnation of Obama's "compromises" and a plug from the Daily Kos' Markos Moulitsas for liberal to end compromises by ditching the filibuster:
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"If we eliminate that, we won't have to worry about getting 60 votes to pass comprehensive immigration reform" or other progressive goals... Filibuster reform is the "single most important thing" that Democrats must do in January when they organize the new Senate," he said.Looking past Obamamania, Netrooters say they have a positive outlook:
"We’re less concerned about whether or not we keep control, and more concerned about the long term: not just one election, but the next three decades," said Ballie. "And how we can use this election — regardless of whether we win or lose the House — to create progressive infrastructure for the future," Ballie said.
I hope tea partiers are in it for the long haul...
Update: Right on schedule, HuffPo is out today with a story about how the "momentum for Senate filibuster reform" is growing.
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