How Wrong Am I?

I have said that the Democratic Party are losers because they won't fight for their progressive base.  I believed this, and still do, to a large degree.  But the polling for next Tuesday's election is giving me pause.

Again, I yelled, screamed and blogged that Obama, Rahm and the rest of the capitulators were wrong, and pissed the base off too much to get the support needed to maintain the 2008 energy.  But look at the House: most likely to lose 50 seats to the Republicans.

Think about that.  The House advanced WAY more progressive legislation than the Senate - even a public option.  The House is almost CERTAIN to go to the Republicans.  They fought for us WAY more than the Senate, and yet they will lose electorally.

The Senate, on the other hand, was the WORST kind of corrupt cluster-fuck of conservative deal-making, and will - most likely - remain in Democratic control.  Now, the House fought way more for the common man, the average working-class American family than the Senate did.  Not even close.  And yet they are going to lose their jobs.  The Senate on the other hand held court for the status quo: the bankers, the insurance execs, big pharma - and they will be, for the most part, left alone to pillage as they see fit.

"But the Senate is hopelessly corrupt" you say.  Really?  How's about Russ Feingold?  538.com has him at less than a 20% chance of retaining his seat.  Now, Russ Feingold is the most solid progressive fighter in the US government.  He is not the most partizan (in fact, he is one of the most bipartisan), he is the most sensible.  He voted AGAINST the financial reform, because it didn't make sense for the average mortgage holder.  He voted against the Patriot Act (99-1) because it took rights away from the average American.  He is honest, and principled - and he is going to lose his seat.

So, is America REALLY a center-right country after all?  I don't know - seriously.  It may be, and I may have to get used to being in the political minority.  Or, it could be that we are just too fucking stupid to know what's good for us.  I'd hate that idea, because it's just too depressing for the future.  Or, it could be because progressives (especially Obama) failed to hold ANYONE accountable.

Really?  NOBODY in the Bush Administration needed to be held accountable for SERIOUS crimes?  NO bankers, who TOOK BONUSES WITH TAXPAYER MONEY need to have their earnings clawed back?  No stock or mortgage fraud?  No violations of our constitutional rights?

Has it been the case that we are so accostomed to rich or politically connected crimninals getting away with crimes that we don't even think twice?  Then, do we just blame the party in power for the pain we feel, regardless of the criminals who take from us as a newly established routine?

The biggest mistake of the Obama Administration was "look forward, not back."  By allowing the crimes of the elite, the Democratic leadership has given its stamp of approval to the actions that did so much harm to the American working class.  People KNOW that the wars were a bad idea, and a result of profit motivated corruption  And the know that the bankers ripped them off.  But they don't know who to blame - until the Tea Party made it simple.  And they could make it simple because there was NO ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM.

That means you, Obama.  And you too, Reid and Pelosi.  Sure, you may have stopped us from wearing apple barrels and suspenders, but the robber barrons of this time did NOT leap from their office windows.  They have instead invited you to leap from yours.  These captains of power and industry have dared you to step up and have watched you blink.  Then, they have lit cigars while you manned the shovels, and scooped trillions of OUR dollars into their waiting pockets.  THIS is why the independents are willing to give the reins of government to the worst of the worst.  Because you opted for NO ACCOUNTABILITY!

Or maybe Sean, Rush and Glenn are right.  We are a center-right country that wants middle-ages-style banking, health care and women's rights.  Whatever the case, I am longing for accountability for the powerful, or...none for me too!

Let my reign of terror begin!

A Big Tent Needs a Platform

I get accused of being a whiney liberal, who takes his ball and goes home if I don’t get what I want.

Well…yeah. To a degree I am. And I find a perfect logic in that. But I hear the argument from the other side too. It is a particularly strong logic as we stand poised to have Republicans take back the House, and maybe even the Senate.

The House is seen by odds-makers as an 80% done deal. Republicans will control the House of Representatives after 2010. And, 30 or so of them will be Tea Party loonies. This is going to happen largely because of what pundits call the “enthusiasm gap.” That is, the gap between Democratic voters who were energized in 2008, and those who will drag themselves out to vote this time around.

Hard to believe that liberals aren’t enthusiastic. After all, Rahm did call us “fucking retards.” And if that doesn’t motivate us, both the President AND the vice President yelled at us, essentially calling us crying babies who don’t understand how politics works. The president’s spokesman, Gibbsy, insulted us, apologized, but stood by his insult in his apology. How can we not be motivated?

I’m seriously getting pissed off again just writing this. These goddam people have fucked up this election soooo badly, and want to blame the base that put them in power for their failure.

And the thing is, with some few, principled exceptions, we’re all going to vote for you fuckers anyway. Honestly, the Republicans have done you all so well, running crazy tea party activists against you. We have to vote you all back into office just to avoid the taste of bile when we even think of Congress.

And believe me, if there were Republicans who made sense, I’d seriously consider giving them my vote. But there are none, no alternatives to mostly corrupt, pro-corporate Democrats for my vote. The temptation is there to stay home – to withhold my vote as a protest. I fully understand this impulse, and the motivation of those who are claiming they will do this in November. They are using the only leverage they have. They are choosing “none of the above.”

And yes, for the millionth time, I GET IT. I know that our form of democracy is built on compromise, and that we can’t have it all our way. (Here now, I’m getting pissed again!) I understand that the Democratic party is a big tent, and that we have to see all points of view. To the President and Democratic leadership: I’M NOT FUCKING STUPID!!!

My problem, and the problem of millions of would-be Democratic voters is, that YOU don’t get it. You don’t get that we want you all to fight for something, ANYTHING that helps us. We don’t have to throw provisions, principles and the quality of life of Americans overboard to keep a Blanche Lincoln, a Ben Nelson or a Joe Fucking Lieberman on board. At some point, we have to stand for a few, well-articulated principles that voters can understand and support.

President Obama did a masterful job of outlining a few of these principles in his campaign. He said no more torture, no more Iraq, and no more lobbyists writing legislation. Then he said “change.” Now, our bad – we ran with “change” without, before we chose between him and Hillary, having him clearly articulate, over and over again, what “change” meant.

Now, for the record, we still have torture victims in Guantanamo. We still spy on Americans, and even assassinate American citizens without due process. The very same lobbyist that wrote George Bush’s Medicare legislation that enriched drug companies and added billions to our deficit (Billy Tauzin) met with Obama to write the Big Pharma monopoly provisions into the new health care law, which included a patent extension. And although the White House says that combat operations are over in Iraq, we still garrison over 50,000 troops there, and they continue to get killed.

Republicans are really good at keeping it simple for their voters. Government bad, taxes bad, gay people bad. That’s it, run with it. These things aren’t for everyone, but they tie to a consistent, recognizable platform that their voters can easily identify, and use to measure the effectiveness of their representatives. We can’t say the same thing

The Democratic health care bill, as an example, was a masterpiece of corporate welfare. It left insurance companies fully in charge. It included no cost controls (one of the main issues) and doesn’t make them cover everyone (the other main issue). It grants the pharmaceutical companies a monopoly, and mandates that Americans buy a crappy product from these private corporations, or face a fine levied by the federal government. A bunch of Democrats got off the bus at this point.

But you can argue, and the Democratic leadership, and about half of the liberal pundits do argue, that this WAS change. After all, 30 million more Americans will (by 2014, we hope) be insured. Kids can stay on parents’ plans longer, and pre-existing conditions will go away as a way to deny coverage. If loopholes don’t emerge, these are good things. But is this good enough?

I still feel screwed. Maybe because my insurance just went up 20% this month. But also because the measurement was so vague. What is “change?” What is a good, progressive piece of legislation, and how do we measure it?

I have read the Democratic Party’s platform before. The last time I did, there were about 15 planks, and they were each a multi-paragraph morass of mind-numbing non-committals to a range of issues. It is too easy to read what you want into these statements. And, too easy to weasel out of one’s commitment to fight for these established principles. Also, there are too many of them.

If you try to do too many things, you won’t do any of them well. Do a few until you get them down, and then take on a couple more as time goes on. The big tent will have to get a little smaller maybe, but that’s okay too. If you are principled, the demographics are in the Democrats favor going forward. Just keep it simple, and do what you say. Here is an example:

Six Planks for All Democrats:

1. We stand for equality for All Americans, no matter what
2. We support working Americans, and policies that further domestic industry and employment.
3. We will not agree to spending any money to make war on people who do not impose an immediate physical threat to the United States or its citizens.
4. We support a domestic energy program based in renewable resources.
5. We support strong public education
6. We will vigilantly end corruption in our ranks, and in the body politic when in power.

Now, maybe you can only get a majority of the tent to support three of these. Then, go to war with those three. And if a Blanch Lincoln, or a Ben Nelson can’t do it, then fuck ‘em. This party has been catering to their likes, and their corporate masters, and THAT is why we lack enthusiasm. By the way, how has catering to these assholes worked out?

The White House fought its own base to protect Lincoln, and laughed at the unions for spending 10 million dollars against her. It poured support, and Bill Clinton, into Arkansas and against the true progressive in that race (Bill Halter), and barely won the primary. Now Lincoln is down by 30 points and is going to lose to a Republican. Genius. And instead of having an energized base applaud you for fighting the good fight, a demoralized base wonders what the fuck happened to “change.” (BTW – during the health care debate, both Lincoln and Nelson threatened to join a Republican filibuster, with NO consequence. They should have been wood-shedded by Obama. Senators laugh at him now.)

Republicans are running on “we will bring back jobs by lowering taxes.” Democrats are running on “we gave bankers billions of your dollars to keep things from getting worse.” Republicans are running on “health care reform is a government take-over of your doctor’s office.” Democrats are running on “how are you enjoying the ‘change’?” Republicans are running on “gay people are bad.” Democrats are running on “we accept all lifestyles, and don’t really hate anyone, but see how some people are uncomfortable with non-traditional marriage, and don’t want to force the military to….”

Jesus…it’s going to be a bloodbath.

Democrats should be running on: The Republicans want to give all your money to your boss, give your job to the Chinese, and give your house to your banker. You can point to votes, and force the press to ask questions about these points from now until the elections.

But you won’t. Because you’re all so smart, and I’m a fucking retard, who better quit being a baby and get his ass out and vote.

Yeah, I’m looking so forward to that.

Cleaning House, or Jumping Ship?

I have been happy as a clam to see Rahm Emanuel tear up as he said he said his goodbyes to Obama and the White House staff. Good riddance, and don't let the door knob hit ya. Larry Summers leaving? Oh, joy of joys, although I would have liked to see him physically thrown out of government over a year ago, Obama dusting his hands as Summers sprawled unceremoniously on the White House lawn.

Hints that Geithner is also leaving? Sweet. David Axelrod? Gooooood bye you summa' bitch!

It's like a rouge's gallery of conservative, corporatist dirtbags who have pushed this president and the Democratic party to the brink of utter failure and collapse. That is, to the right.

The question is: is Obama recognizing the disaster these fools have been to his administration, and throwing them overboard? Or, are these rats, having punched so many holes in the good ship Obama, jumping ship before the 2010 midterms? These elections could be a giant shipwreck for the Democratic party.

The key, of course, will be what Obama does. Does he appoint more conservative, establishment, pro-corporate shills who continue the destruction of the middle-class? Or does he actually go for "change" (TM - Obamacorp).

Also, watch these ship-jumping rats for what they say in the press. My guess is, that within a week or two of the elections (and, assuming that Republicans pick up significant seats, and maybe the House), they say something like: "Obama went too far to the left, tried to do too much." Rahm has already leaked stuff like this through his media sycophants.

Although I'm not sure. And Rahm is the key to my uncertainty.

Axelrod will cash in as a talking head on cable, Summers will get rewarded for a job well done by his Wall Street handlers, and Rahm will...huh...maybe win the election as mayor of America's third largest city. And this is what gives me some hope.

Rahm is now, arguably, one of the most powerful people in the world. Even if he thought that the fall elections were going to be a disaster, mayor of Chicago is still a HUGE step down on the power ladder. Axelrod, Summers and even Geithner have incentives to leave now - lots of cash, and to escape the possible (even likely) taint of failure. But Rahm gives rather than gets from this transition.

My read is that Rahm is being fired. He was allowed to stay on for a few months to save face. He probably knew that Mayor Daily was quitting, and was just waiting for the announcement. And, Rahm has a shot at becoming Chicago's next mayor, not a guarantee. There are other big names running too, like Carol Mosely-Brown. If it was his choice to quit, he is giving up more power than he will likely ever get again, for a maybe chance at a mayor's job. No, no, no...his ass was shown the door.

Now, we'll see if Obama can "change" (TM - Obamacorp). Will he find other corporatist shills to continue the corrupt path that has disenfranchised so many of us that were energized during the campaign of 2008? Or will he find a cadre of Elizabeth Warrens to fill his White House, and start beating back the forces of corporate largesse. Social Security will be one policy to watch. What he does with Elizabeth Warren and financial regulation is another. These will tell us if he cleaned house to right the ship, or if the rats jumped because they saw the wreck coming.