I wonder if CT voters who supported Leiberman’s challenger are still put off by the Clinton’s support for Joementum during that primary and/or whether Dems are put off by the current crop of CT Dem candidates, or both.

I turned out for the special election in MA and chose a write-in Elizabeth Warren, becuase I couldn’t bring myself to cote for Coakley or Scott “I drive a truck” Brown.

That card!

One addition: a membership number, you know, like how The Beatles (White album) had serial numbers?

Jane Hamsher is Number One.

PLEASE Jane,

Don’t pull any punches on Dylan’s show. Tag-team with Glenn and show no mercy. Its like I said ealier on another thread, this administration is ROTTEN to the CORE. Flay them with your logic, knowledge and grace. Expose Gibbs for the desperate, sputtering, juvinile apologist he gets paid to be.

Go luck, Jane! Go for it and spare no “punches.” I don’t know who Gibbs considers as “professional left,” but as someone who reluctantly campaigned for and donated to getting BHO elected, I find Gibbs’ condescending and arrogant attitude beyond the pale.

I watched KO last night and listened to Micheal Moore state baldly that “of course” all “Democrats” would GOTV for Dems in November. Beg to differ with Moore; I don’t think so.

Enough is enough. It’s clear that BHO is a corporate crony. If BHO doesn’t like the heat, then BHO shouldn’t have told so many lies during his campaign. KO had a few of those lies on his show last night.

If Gibbs doesn’t like it, either, then he knows where the door is.

I look forward to your time on tv. Give it your best, and thanks for being there!

Very refreshing TV segment, pointed questions, in fact pin-point. It’s great not to have to be bombarded with straight-on POV shots with the ‘talent’ looking into the camera and making fake eye contact with ‘the viewer’. Watch it, folks, and watch your smart blog host (Jane) speak equally to both of her interviewers.

Please post the clip immediately after it airs! I’m stuck at work and on the west coast, so I won’t get to watch until late tonight.

Jane, please continue on the same path as the last couple weeks. You’ve done some great interviews and created some tension-filled moments where the other guests had to figure out what the hell was going on. I love it.

I am not a member of the “professional left” but I generally like what they have to say as opposed to what I hear coming out of the WH.

But I think I might be a card carrying “f###ing Re$$$d“.

Jane, what an excellent interview and they actually gave you time to talk – which you did perfectly. You represent us so well. Thank you.

I can’t remember exactly what Moore said, but I’m sure he was referring to hard-core partisan Democrats — as opposed to people who support Democrats only when they do a good job.

And Lux of Openleft has another take ; As an ‘independent’ voter, what Gibbs,President(I’m pretty good at politicking)Obama, Rahm,etc. seem to forget is that voters want a President who sticks to principles more than they want someone who can make deals to get half-ass accomplishments.

Go Jane!! Great interview. We should thank Gibbs for giving us an opening to express our views and contrast them with what this administration hasn’t been doing. They’re the ones that are coming off looking like the cry babies. Poor darlings, are they afraid they’ll lose all that sweet Corp. cash they’ve sold us for? To friggin bad.!! Once again, thank you for telling it like it is, not like they’d like to think it is.

Professional lefting is hard work.

707!

Nice card, by the way.

Get ‘em Janie, you little darlin’.

“make deals to get half-ass accomplishments further the neocon agenda.”

Fixed that for you. Hope you don’t mind too terribly much.

“…voters want a President who sticks to principles …”

Exactly. Leadership requires that on occasion one must draw that line in the sand and say “this far no farther“.

I don’t think they are mutually exclusive…

Where is the link to FDL’s Cafe Press page, I want one of those cards.
I also want a widget so I can put that up at Ornery Bastard.

Good interview Jane!

Jane just pulled out her card on Dylan Ratigan, and it was so cool.

Rats, I was too late to see anything but the card. And Ratigan apparently doesn’t repeat. I’ll have to wait ’til it’s up on his web site.

From HuffPo Gibbs Stands By His ‘Professional Left’ Critique, Expects Liberals To Vote In 2010

I guess he really isn’t sorry about what he said.

What about those of us to the left of the libruls?

… but the guy is sticking to his principles. They’re just not the ones he espoused in his campaign.

the magicians backstage normally post those pretty quick

Now that’s some “entitlement” I’d like to see “reformed.”

Sooo, do those of us who give to the Lake on a continuing basis get a “Professional Left” card too? Should have a picture of Kobe in the center, though.

professionalleft.com !

someone made a good point earlier that using the term “proffesional” maybe they are shooting at peoples wallets.

After all a “pro” can always be fired or laid-off. Talk bad, no money no power… you can’t join the elites that know better than everyone.

“theres a spot at the table if you’ll just….”

I just threw up a bit in my mouth.

I am sure that we can business cards made up for you – Professional Leftist Extremist!

Gibb’s arrogance mirrors exactly Obama’s disconnect with Americans. This isn’t a lefty problem as they would have you believe. It’s all kabuki slight of the hand. They’re trying to scapegoat liberals for their unpopularity.

Point well-taken, but I was trying to think of any accomplishment, even a quarter ass one. I don’t know about you, but saltines aren’t enough to keep me alive.

…or Extremely Professional Leftist!

You represented the “Professional Left” very well, Jane.

Z

We can let SouthernDragon decide on how extremely left he is!

What? Grafting the finance “industry” onto the Treasury Dept, and the Insurance industry onto the backs of citizens aren’t “accomplishments?”

/s

Twolf made that.

well… we did get more war supplementals,
continuing renditions of prisoners,
continued suspension of Habeas Corpus,
more illegal wiretapping,
Corporate-loving Supreme Court Appointments,
Forward looking, non-prosecution of war-criminals,
Unrelenting pursuit of whistle-blowers,
AND some great pictures of the PresiDude consuming Gulf seafood.

What an ungrateful wretch I am.

Jane, great stuff as always!

This CT Dem stayed home yesterday – the choice between Lamont and Malloy just wasn’t worth the effort. It’s the first election I’ve ever skipped… it felt pretty good.

I’ll probably show-up in November – however, as much as I try, I don’t think it really matters whether Himes or Blumenthal win. As we’ve recently learned, majorities don’t mean shit – especially when they consist of weak willed, bought and sold wusses.

No, I didn’t expect Gibbs to be “sorry.” He said what he meant, and he meant what he said. Gibbs, like his boss, is a corporate rightwing hack.

The “professional politicians” need replacement by “public servants,” who don’t just look at the next election, contribution and early retirement:
http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf

Well they may vote in 2010, but it may not be the way Gibbs hopes they will. This administration has been the precipitating event for my changing my voter registration to unaffiliated after 41 years as a registered Democrat, although I’ve been pretty unhappy about that registration for the past 15 years or so.

Is this some sort of strategy, get the base riled up? But dont they realize, they are getting riled up against them? I just cant understand Gibbs doubling down. Are the progressives so gullible to fall for the same old trick, this election is too important for the progressives to sit it out. If we can’t get anything that we can really celebrate about with massive majorities in both chambers, what are we really going to lose by sitting this election out???

This is one of your best performances yet. You are getting very comfortable in that chair. Thanks Jane, you rock!

Folks lets get this straight…..when Gibbs accussed the professional left,he was certainly not speaking of Olberman & Maddow at MSNBC.

They(MSNBC show hosts) have been water carriers for the WH.Maddow even going as far as trying to foster the myth that Obama is comparable to LBJ.

This attack by the WH was aimed at Jane,Thom Hartman & other grass progressives like us who are holding the WH to account for their weak policies towards ordinary Americans.

So it’s laughable that Olberman & Ed Shultz over at MSNBC would pretend to be upset by the comments by Gibbs.

Largely agree. But the WH may be afraid that KO and TRMS will ultimately join Jane on some issues.
This could be a shot across their bow?

Is this some sort of strategy, get the base riled up?

Not a message to the base, but rather to people like Ms. Hamsher. Obamarahma recognize that boards like this one, where we have been discussing, in great detail, what a horrible disappointment the current regime has been, can have an effect on the base, and they want to force her and others with an audience to change the topic to Palin and how much worse (they claim) it will be with her. In other words the “professional” bit is intentional, they want to scare people who make venues like this available to change the topic to the tea-party boogeyman while trying to get us “non-professional” leftists to think we are their best pals so we will turn out to vote for democravens in the fall. Fuck them.

For those who are contemplating staying home this November, I suggest that you double the impact of your decision by writing to your congressperson/senator and telling them why they won’t be getting your vote.

Too many times we see the press spin low turnout as something other than voter dissatisfaction. Too many times we see the Dem leadership learning the wrong lessons. Let’s make it absolutely clear why they have not earned our vote and why they will continue to lose our vote if they don’t start supporting their base.

JANE!

Slam Dunk, Outa the Park, Strike (Bowling), Touchdown, Goal…all sports metaphors, but befitting your tenacity, expertise, and winning spirit! Go get ‘m Jane!

I agree with you

The so call liberal media that is own by very rich conservatives protects Obama.

Walter Cronkite type of news people no longer exist in the USA media.

Obama, Rahm, Gibbs, and Axelrod have been working hard at destroying the energy of the progressive base. 2008 scared the elite, they hated the idea that a real progressive could win in 2008

thus the creation of two trojan horses,Obama and Hillary, both are republicans dressed up like democrats

Gibbs and Axelrod think they can get to the masses via the so call liberal media, but there is one big problem, the grass roots can get the masses also.

Hoover may have been smarter than Obama, at least he knew it was about the Economy!

Excellent Jane. Thank you for all you do.

Some news for Gibbs. I have a friend who voted for Bush twice, but realized he had been duped, and then voted for Obama. He was really pumped up after Obama gave his victory speech in Chicago. Now he feels just as duped by Obama.

I think someone should make T-Shirts that say “Professional Leftist for Peace and Jobs.”

From your link

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he stands by his comments, has no plans to resign and that he fully expects progressive voters to go to the polls in 2010.

What kind of mass delusion are they experiencing in Bubbleland these days?

All he needs to do is look at any demographic (not just Democratic) and tell me who the f is going to vote for these disingenuous duplicitous d*ckheads. There’s a very good reason Wall Street is poring gobs of money into Republican campaigns, and (like any bookie) it’s because they know where the smart money is (by betting on a winning hand). Exhibit A is the money the shoveled at the Dems for the 2010 election

And I resent this from the article

It was suggested that the remarks may have been part of a cynical strategy to depict the White House as not beholden to the progressive base. But the press secretary insisted that there was nothing underhanded in his interview with The Hill. He had said what he said in a bout of frustration.

I resent it not because of the idea that they’re trying to portray themselves as the “not left”, but because of the misuse of the word cynic. The original cynics were those who criticized, lambasted and derided the authoritarian dogma and actions of the elites who held positions of power — the very antithesis of their use of the word. A modern version of the cynics would include John Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and just about any person commenting on this site

And a little trip down memory lane. Here is the NYT description of the Gibbs attack on Howard Dean in 04:

The spot opens with a Time magazine cover featuring Osama bin Laden as synthesizer music seemingly out of a post-apocalyptic science fiction movie is heard.

As the camera focuses on Mr. bin Laden’s eyes. the following words flash on the screen: ”Dangerous World,” ”Destroy Us,” ”Dangers Ahead” and ”No Experience.”

”Americans want a president who can face the dangers ahead,” an announcer intones. ”But Howard Dean has no military or foreign policy experience. And Howard Dean just cannot compete with George Bush on foreign policy. It’s time for Democrats to think about that — and think about it now.”

Are there cards for the non-professional left?

I hope some lurker joins FDL today and takes the name “professionalleft”. Anybody out there? I think it is available.

You are so smart, Jane.

“nonprofessionalleft” and “amateurleft” are also available I think.

What? Grafting the finance “industry” onto the Treasury Dept, and the Insurance industry onto the backs of citizens aren’t “accomplishments?”

/s

“Graft” being the operative word here.

Well spoken! Thanks Jane!

Mr Gibbs ought to read up on his Shakespeare:

“We should be woo’d and were not made to woo.”

Jane, I’ve been a fan for a while, but as we are not always politically aligned, have resisted joining FDL until now. But your interview brought me in and inspired me to verse -

A Limerick for the Professional Left
By The Dividist

Said Gibbs “The left is on drugs.”
Rahm agrees: “Just pull out the rug!”
“They’ve nowhere to go…
They’re retarded you know…
In the end they’ll just come back to ‘O’”

I personally think you are wrong about Hillary being a republican….in my view she would have been way more of a democrat than Obama has been. You should’ve voted Hillary in. I know you folks don’t like the war and you would gladly let all those women in Afganistan continue to die and let the AlQueda come back just like we did in the 80′s. You better hope Hillary gets in before the corporatist Obama agrees with the rethugs and we have no social security, food stamps and etc. so the rich can stay richers. Hillary is not Bill Clinton in case you hadn’t noticed.

Jane, I always enjoyed your blog in the beginning of the primary, but it got so hate filled during the end that I could not come here because of the Hillary hate.

I don’t think your readers have heard Hillary lately, maybe they should listen!

Y’all are just obsessed with this. He really hit a nerve, I guess.

good show good show!!

Isn’t it a bit sleazy to slip in the advertisement to your own push for drug reform and giving it as an off-hand example to something “the country wants” without mentioning you have your very own campaign?

I think Gibbs did what he was told to do throw the base under the bus again and accept what we have given you. What we should be doing is a counterattack in reminding all those in the WH that we put OBAMA in office and OBAMA needs to evaluate his position in regards to us on the LEFT. In other words you seem to think we will support you regardless what you do,but we are not REP. I also think we need to seek a replacement for OBAMA and after the elections start and the process in earnest. Stop this nonsense about who needs who and and let him know he has scewed up and now it time to look elsewhere. By the way I THINK none of you are prepared to tell OBAMA THAT REALITY. The elections are going to tell us a lot,but we will have to do.

I think a two pronged attack would work best.

I am all in favor of a repleacement for Obama. But the second prong of the attack should be in helping Independent minded candidates get ten or more seats in the United States Senate and about 40 or more seats in the United States House of Representatives………………