Wednesday, January 20, 2010

What's the matter with you? I think your brain is going soft with all that comedy you are playing with that young girl.

I made the mistake of tuning in to the news just long enough last night to hear that the Massachusetts results are the result of Obama coddling his base and "overreaching."

The narrative from the DLC/ Blue Dog wing of the party is that because liberals refused to compromise the democrats lost their 60 supermajority. A supermajority, I might add, that was clear to anyone paying attention months ago that we didn't really have.

Judging by the comments of "progressive" bloggers like Josh Marshall and Ezra Klein much of Brown's election falls squarely on the shoulders of liberals who continue to make "the perfect the enemy of the good.

I don't pretend to speak for all liberals, but here's how I see the breakdown on some of the major issues confronting the country and why it becomes clear that many, many of us have become completely disillusioned with the democratic party.

HEALTH CARE
OPTIMUM POSITION: Single payer health insurance provided to all legal citizens financed through higher taxes on the wealthy, drug importation allowed.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Government provided national public option coupled with insurance company regulation that would broaden coverage and drive down prices to those in private insurance plans.
LOW-BAR: Medicare expansion coupled with new insurance company regulation.

IRAQ
OPTIMUM POSITION: Immediate withdrawal of all but a handful of token troops, close most permanent bases.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Lengthy (several years) withdrawal of all but a handful of token troops, close most permanent bases.
LOW-BAR: Token withdrawal of troops leaving tens of thousands of soldiers in Iraq and no base closures.

BANKING/ FINANCE
OPTIMUM POSITION: Glass Steagall reinstituted, Banking and Lending institutions separated again, assets of major financial institutions seized and nationalized, executives and decision makes shown the door or prosecuted.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Some re-regulation of finance including controls on executive compensation.
LOW-BAR: Executives called before congress to have their hands slapped every few months but pretty much get to continue on unabated with ruining the economy.

GAY RIGHTS
OPTIMUM POSITION: Repeal of DOMA and DADT. Major speech towards gay rights and push to nationalize gay marriage.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Repeal of DADT.
LOW-BAR: Lip service to gay rights issues.

ECONOMY
OPTIMUM POSITION: Major federalized jobs program with investment in future industry such as green jobs and rebuilding infrastructure. Major and immediate credit card regulation. Mortgage and bankruptcy relief.
COMPROMISE POSITION: Stimulus package build around appeasing concerns of faux deficit hawks rather that what's needed. Token credit card regulation.
LOW-BAR: Weak stimulus package and focus on re-inflating housing bubble rather than addressing core problems with economy.

On almost every issue Obama and the democrats have been weak, spineless corporate suck-ups that weren't even to meet the compromised low-bar for most of the members of the democratic party. As absurd as that is when you put it in the context of 30+ years of proven failure of conservative economic policies, coupled with a clear electoral mandate then Obama's failure to make progress on much of anything important is almost surreal in it's breadth.

Look; if this was a corporation and we were shareholders we could sue the leadership of the democratic party for malpractice. They'

21 comments:

Randal Graves said...

You know what your problem is? You're not pragmatic enough.

The pragmatic pony is the enemy of the perfect is the enemy of my enemy which means you are my friend if not for the fact that your son doesn't know what a saving throw is so Coakley's loss is YOUR fault.

Lockwood said...

Argh. Just Argh. My disgust with news these days led me to end my most recent post with "Lockwood is in a pissy mood this morning."

Dean Wormer said...

randal-

Heh! Its funny 'cause I've been teaching my kids old school D&D and you mentioned saving throws.

Lockwood-

All work and no play makes Lockwood a dull boy. :-)

Don Snabulus said...

You are pretty much spot on with the assessment. I am not sure what the handwringing was about the MA Senate seat. When Joe Lieberman is part of your 60, you've only got 59 anyway, so big deal.

Arkonbey said...

Politics: It could be looked at like this. The last eight years was a painful time to be a liberal. Now that the liberals have a little power, they are still under siege and find (whether this is true or not) that their position of power is precarious. Any misstep may lead to the Teabaggers jumping into power*.

So, they take baby steps.

The election of Brown, in a state that just prior voted the Liberal Lion in, seems to sustain this fear. This fear is not unfounded because, as they are all on the same (black and white) agenda, neo-cons area able to give large power to small groups, unlike liberals who are a large group with no unifying agenda and have their power spread out.

The neo-con pundits feared that sweeping change was going to occur, as we liberals hoped. I knew, on election night, that 1) to neo-cons, everything liberal thing Obama did would be too much and 2) to liberals, every liberal thing he did would not be enough.

Of course, the real question is, why am I writing this giant thing on your blog. Don't I have my own? Dammit! We've all got to get together and hash thing thing out over local beers.

Other things: 3.5 or 4? I prefer 3.5. The system is easier than AD&D, but the races aren't stupid (Half-Dragons? What,were elves not exotic enough anymore?).

Arkonbey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Comrade Kevin said...

I have no idea what to expect now and won't for a while. The thing about disequilibrium, though, is that it usually means we're about to learn something.

Ubermilf said...

What people voted for was someone who would stand up to corporate interests in favor of the public interest, like JFK did to the steel companies.

Instead, we have someone carrying on the Reagan myth of deregulation while lying right-wing mouthpieces scream "Liberal!" and their idiotic followers believe them.

Puke.

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dguzman said...

I think you could change the label "low bar" to "reality," no?

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Arkonbey said...

Wow you're getting spammed, dude.

A funny addendum to the President Obama post:

Conservatives are quick to say that the American public is disillusioned with Pres. Obama. The funny thing is they think it's because we don't want all of this Socialist, liberal crap, when we are disillusioned with Pres. Obama because he hasn't done near enough Socialist, liberal crap!

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Anonymous said...

Sir,

With much respect, your finance opinion doesn't even mention the federal reserve. Our federal treasury is controlled by the international banking cartel, causing much unnecesarry inflation. This tends to promote war and general social mayhem. Look at the effect that out of control inflation had on Germany in the 1920's and 30's. As long as bankers control our treasury, There is no point to nationalizing anything because it won't be run by the nation.

With much respect and prayer.....

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