The Key to 2012: Can Obama rally his organizers so that they will fight for progressive policy?

http://goo.gl/OEQer Ari Berman, contributing writer for The Nation magazine and an Investigative Journalism Fellow at The Nation Institute, came by Brave New Studios to discuss the release of his first book, Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics. In this Brave New Chat, Berman talks about the root cause of why GOP won the 2010 Mid-Term Elections. Berman traces the cause to the Obama administration failing to further connect with the grass roots organizers that helped get him into office. Like the Tea Party, Berman argues, Democrats need to keep in mind how to actively keep their base involved in order to secure progressive change.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Ari Berman
• The Nation
• Brave New Studios
• Brave New Chat
• Brave New Foundation
• Robert Greenwald
• GOP
• 2010 Mid-Term Elections
• American Politics
• Democrat
• Tea Party
• 2012
• Election

[demmmmm1]

Draw the line on the tax cuts. A big, thick line. Promise to veto any bill that continues to favor the rich over the poor, as those cuts have for 9 years. The rich, who came through the nightmare on top, made record profits, after being bailed out by everyone else and now throws 'em under the bus.

Providing more tax cuts so my rich friends can buy more property in the Caymans is insane. Stand up for the middle-class in this country, not paper-traders.

Draw the line.

[demmmmm1]

@poopstreek Someone with the name "poopstreek" is telling people to grow up? Okey-dokey.

[grendelcatt]

What progressive policy ? He's moved so far right he's become Repo. light...

[poopstreek]

@digitalSensei VERY true. Well put. They play us off of each other, then they continue to get away with murder while we argue over TRIVIAL crap.

Obama has the same puppet masters that Bush did. People need to get real, grow up, and do some actual research.

[MarmaladeINFP]

The tile incorrectly states the real situation. Obama doesn't want to rally his organizers so they they will fight for progressive policy. Obama has dismissed the grassroots populism that put him into power and the Obama administration has portrayed as enemies the professional left (i.e., liberals wanting real progressive change).

[bbbbmer]

Don't write Obama off. He fired Rahm, and is going to fire Axelrod, Summers is toast, and Geithner is not far behind. He brought in Elizabeth Warren and has resoundingly heard the calls from progressives to MAN UP....

He still has some house cleaning to do -- like dumping TIM KAINE fand bringing back HOWARD DEAN to reinvigorate the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party...

And he MUST NOT give in to the GOP -- sure, cut deals where possible, but STAY LEFT!

HE CAN WIN IN 2012!!!

[dangerouslytalented]

@digitalSensei .... and who has a chance?

[digitalSensei]

...and no...he has no hope whatsoever of re-election in 2012. Not a chance.

[digitalSensei]

Democrat or republican are two sides to the same monster. Wake up. This left/right paradigm is false. Its irrelevant. You should vote for a candidate based on his/her beliefs and ideals and what they want to get done in Government not some bullshit red/blue left/right crap.