White House Takes on the “Internet Left” (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
“Tens of thousands” of gay rights activists marched on Washington today, less than 24 hours after President Obama gave a major address to the gay rights Human Rights Campaign. According to AmericaBlog:
“NBC just did a piece about today’s gay rights march in Washington. For the political context of the gay community’s ire, NBC went to Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood. Harwood was asked if the White House was worried about “the left as a whole,” and concerns they have that the White House isn’t doing things that “the left” expected them to do. Harwood said the following:
Barack Obama is doing well with 90% or more of Democrats so the White House views this opposition as really part of the Internet left fringe.
Harwood then went on to say:
For a sign of how seriously the White House does or doesn’t take this opposition, one adviser told me those bloggers need to take off the pajamas, get dressed, and realize that governing a closely divided country is complicated and difficult.”
At least he didn’t call them teabaggers or say they were too stupid to raise kids.
Seriously, though, wasn’t it the “internet left” that funded Obama’s campaign and helped him become a serious contender? So much for gratitude.
— DRJ
UPDATE — John Harwood has clarified his report. The White House is concerned about all left-wing bloggers, not just LGBT ones:
“In an email to the Huffington Post on Monday, Harwood clarified that the quote was not meant to convey any displeasure on the part of the administration for the gay community’s public advocacy.
“My comments quoting an Obama adviser about liberal bloggers/pajamas weren’t about the LGBT community or the marchers,” he wrote. “They referred more broadly to those grumbling on the left about an array of issues in addition to gay rights, including the war in Afghanistan and health care and Guantanamo — and whether all that added up to trouble with Obama’s liberal base…”
The HuffPo blogger-reporter Sam Stein says the White House communications wing is pro-bloggers but the West Wing led by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel favors traditional media.
Lots of room under that bus, right?
This was not the change they were hoping for, was it?
None of us are surprised, however.
I also find it ironic how anyone who disagrees with POTUS is minimized and derided.
I thought that, not long ago, dissent was the highest form of patriotism?
I think that every press conference by this administration ought to end with “So long, suckers,” with a Bugs Bunny accent.
Eric Blair (8484db) — 10/11/2009 @ 11:29 pmand yet these morons act like they have a landslide mandate to do whatever they will…………
/looks at the guages
yup: the clue detection gear is still reading in the negatives…………
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 10/11/2009 @ 11:32 pmWhy would they take off their pajamas? It’s not like they have jobs to go to…
Gazzer (22ecdc) — 10/12/2009 @ 12:17 am… the beatings will continue until the message improves
Neo (7830e6) — 10/12/2009 @ 6:11 am> Lots of room under the bus
And just think of the fascinating conversations the Internet Left can have with the other denizens there.
Somewhat OT, I heard NBC News’ report on this subject on Sunday morning. It was most notable for how the reporter described the conflicts that have arisen as politically-active gays grown more strident and angry as some of their demands have been rebuffed by their fellow citizens at the polls.
Nope, these J-schoolers weren’t about to offer that story line to viewers. Democracy is what happens when the sheeple vote the way the elites want them to.
AMac (c822c9) — 10/12/2009 @ 6:47 amThis administration really, really, despises bloggers.
When will the left blogosphere realize that?
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (0ea407) — 10/12/2009 @ 6:53 amAnother addition to the long list of being careful what you wish for – we’re going to be saying quite a lot of things in the ensuing three + years, things like “how’s that hope and change working out for you guys?”
Dmac (5ddc52) — 10/12/2009 @ 6:53 amBradley – they only hate those voices and mediums that they can’t control; and since they’ve got just about everything else in the tank, the internet’s the only dissenting voice left.
Dmac (5ddc52) — 10/12/2009 @ 6:56 amI really do wish Harwood ill.
He is a hack and as transparent as my car window.
HeavenSent (01a566) — 10/12/2009 @ 7:05 amI’m happy to see real crazies thrown under the bus. I *want* any president to take a bite out of the crazies on their side.
But the marchers seem to be saying:
“You said you’d do something. You didn’t do it. You didn’t try to do it. You didn’t tell us the truth.”
That hardly seems like wingnut extremism. (Not caring at all about promises made – sunshine for legislation, reviewing and killing unproductive government programs, Guantanamo – has been one of the unfortunate habits of the Nobel Peace Prize winner.)
–JRM
JRM (355c21) — 10/12/2009 @ 7:18 am” . . . wasn’t it the “internet left” that funded Obama’s campaign and helped him become a serious contender?”
That was then. This is now. Besides, Obama figures that gays are used to bohica.
Mark L (dffa7e) — 10/12/2009 @ 7:37 amShocked, I’m shocked! Obama broke his word? Impossible.
/sarc off
Arch (2ad073) — 10/12/2009 @ 7:39 amI am working in my pajamas right now, and I’m an evil capitalist 🙂
carlitos (ad57b1) — 10/12/2009 @ 7:40 amA Chicago mobster who most appreciates those who, once bought, stay bought? Wow.
Ed Flinn (c02751) — 10/12/2009 @ 7:42 amYou also need to get out of your mother’s basement, Carlitos.
Dmac (5ddc52) — 10/12/2009 @ 7:48 amJust as an aside, I would love to see a comparison of the coverage of this march on Washington with “tens of thousands” versus the coverage of the taxpayer march of a few weeks ago.
Sparrow (290149) — 10/12/2009 @ 8:10 amYeah, but he throws the internet left a bone by going after Fox News. They demanded he and the other Dem primary candidates pull out of a primary debate on Fox, and he did.
Harwood is the guy who decided that Obama’s lack of any kind of solutions during the campaign was “pragmatism”. Thanks a lot, Harwood.
MayBee (34a54a) — 10/12/2009 @ 8:27 amDMac, the kid left us this summer, so I redid his room and now I have a ‘real’ home office, with a door and fax and everything. I got a nice writing desk, and I’m going to put in visitor chairs so Mrs. Carlito and I can have meetings n stuff.
carlitos (ad57b1) — 10/12/2009 @ 8:33 amAndrew Sullivan is a wacko, but the Obama administration should not be tarring all gay activists with that brush.
Karl (246941) — 10/12/2009 @ 8:42 amComment by carlitos — 10/12/2009 @ 8:33 am
You have to schedule meetings with the Mrs. Carlito?
AD - RtR/OS! (f793c7) — 10/12/2009 @ 8:53 amMore than Obama worrying about the leftwing, or ultra-left, of his party — which in itself is a joke since President “Goddamn America” is pretty much an ultra-liberal himself — I notice how the media so happily and easily embraced the coverage of this event compared with the way they treated the anti-tax protest march (even though it attracted a lot more participants) several weeks ago.
Mark (411533) — 10/12/2009 @ 9:00 amI think y’all missed the not-so-subtle misogyny in carlitos’ comment.
JD (1a4ae5) — 10/12/2009 @ 9:00 am🙂
[note: fished from spam filter. –Stashiu]
carlitos (ad57b1) — 10/12/2009 @ 9:03 amThey don’t get it. Obama is a homophobic gay-user. They fell for his charm and hoped he would be the One for them. The ended up being played again. It is easy to be deceived when one is desperate for acceptance and validation. The majority of Americans still have some sense.
The Emperor (1b037c) — 10/12/2009 @ 9:26 amGays got suckered again. First Bill Clinton and then Obama sang a sweet song and got gays to donate their creativity, provide their energetic support, send their money, and give their votes for “the cause” by telling gullible gay leaders exactly what they so desperately wanted to hear. Now, after the election is over and the smoke is clear, the latest incarnation of Mr Hope and Change refuses to live up to his end of the bargain. Hello Charlie Brown.
But it’s not really personal, or mean spirited, or a two-faced stab in the back, or even that much of a low-down dirty deal, it’s just politics, you know, a bit of a sticky wicket – – just too inconvenient in the current political climate. The time isn’t just right. Hang in there.
So shut-up, keep the faith, don’t act up in my neighborhood, and keep working for our common goals, and keep sending in your fair share of campaign contributions (remember they’re deductible) and above all wait patiently till after the next election, we’re going to need your money and your votes.
Oh yeah, we’ll get to the Promised Land sometime in Mr Hope’s second term. Big changes are on tap for then, no doubt about it. But for now you know we’re all really really sorry as we can be to have to put every body’s interests ahead of gays, but then again, what ya gonna do, maybe make a fuss, get pissy in public, vote GOP? Fat chance.
So, get over it already. Pipe down, get out of sight, stop your silly prattle, and count your blessings. Be glad you aren’t Conservatives. Those poor devils really know what it feels like to be stiffed by the likes of RINOs and Mustangs.
ropelight (ff663b) — 10/12/2009 @ 9:43 amGuess who made this intelligent riposte on the last thread?
Eric is hurt. Boo-thef**king-hoo!!!
Gee, this is a tough one.
Dmac (5ddc52) — 10/12/2009 @ 9:45 amHilarious post from Ropelight. But brutally accurate.
The Emperor (0c8c2c) — 10/12/2009 @ 9:50 amThis is part of the reason why I think the Kevin Jennings lynching campaign is a lot sort of stupid.
Besides, it’s the economy.
For 2010, it has to be the economy. These marchy ones need to hear an argument about the economy. Someone should get on that.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 10/12/2009 @ 9:55 amI agree, happyfeet.
MayBee (34a54a) — 10/12/2009 @ 10:00 amThe right would be smart to make it comfortable for all to embrace fiscal sanity right now.
I’ve updated the post with a clarification from John Harwood: The White House was dissing all left-leaning bloggers who complain about Obama, not just LGBT bloggers.
DRJ (7fbae6) — 10/12/2009 @ 11:26 pmSorry for the noise, leaving a comment to try to get rid of a possible problem with WP-Super-Cache and RSS.
Buzz Killington (3da0e1) — 10/13/2009 @ 9:13 am