I have become quite disillusioned with the Obama administration and their weakness in the face of criticism, no matter how misguided or false. The administration is so risk averse and unwilling to take a stand on any issue, lest it anger some interest.
One thing in the early days of the Obama administration has become quite clear: it cannot be counted on to rebuke and undo the heinous conservative policies of the past 30 years. Instead of Abraham Lincoln or Franklin D. Roosevelt, Obama is looking more like Bill Clinton, a triangulator that caves in to the acerbic MINORITY party on most issues yet still receives the full brunt of their ire and lies. Yes, I know that the GOP took control of Congress in 1994, but that didn;t stop them from derailing Clinton's healthcare reform initiative while in the minority.
Why do Democrats behave as if they have Stockholm Syndrome? They are the majority party, they have the power, but they bend over backwards to accommodate the extremism and obstructionism of the Republican Party? The clear answer is that the modern Democratic Party shares the same views on fundamental issues of war, the environment, corporate power, civil liberties, and transportation as the Republicans. The presence of the DLC is still strong in many Democrats. Even more absurd is that shifting to the right on many issues has not spared the Democrats from the vitriol, lies, and distortions of conservatives. Bill Clinton was hardly a leftist peacenik, but you wouldn't know that from listening to Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, or Dick Armey. The more Democrats cater to Republicans, the more shit they receive from them.
My advice to the Democratic Party is that no matter what you do, the GOP slimeballs will engage in character assassination and call you every name in the book, hoping something sticks, so why bother with them? Cut the GOP off from crafting legislation, force them to filibuster, and treat them like the lunatic fringe they are.
NEW: After reading a lot of the comments, it is impossible to not be disheartened by the rejection of dissenting opinions on this site. A hallmark of modern liberalism is the tolerance of a variety of viewpoints. I hope that the members of this site remember that.
I would also like to add why I think we can't count on Obama: he reversed his position on military tribunals and reneged on his promise to do away with the kangaroo courts and allow the Guantanamo detainees to have their day in the American court system; he is not interested in holding the people who authorized the despicable acts of torture accountable for their actions (I can only go by his words on this matter); he capitulated and allowed Ben Nelson and his conservadem/GOP gang to cut out $100 billion in needed spending from the stimulus bill and add in AMT relief, when he should have told them to fuck off and filibuster. Shall I go on?