It's an ugly business. Obama is no Democrat in any form I recognize, and neither is much of anyone else with a 'D' after his or her name these days. There is no progressive party anymore; we are utterly unrepresented. There are several reasons for preferring even a nominal 'D' in the White House (women's rights, for one) but when it comes to social justice and environmental sanity, Obama is no damned better than the Republicans he gives away the store to.Just FYI, Gene Sperling said today [3/14] on his Reddit chat that the president really prefers the Chained-CPI and that it's not just an inducement to get the Republicans on board with the Grand Bargain. This may sound obvious, since it's been clear from before the inauguration that the administration wants to "reform" the so-called entitlements. But Sperling made it clear today that they believe in this on the merits:
Demicans and Republocrats
break bread together:
no apparent shortage here
[Gene Sperling's details][Digby] ...
You know, I have never understood the logic that says changing to this new cost of living formula more accurately reflects the real cost of living, but don't worry we will fix the part where it hurts the poor, veterans and really old people. The "real" cost of living should be the real cost of living, no? If it isn't a cut, why would these people be hurt?
The fact is that Social Security is already inadequate for millions and millions of people, and not just the poorest of the poor and veterans. And the losses of the past decade have taken their toll on many more millions who are about to go into the system. For reasons that I cannot completely understand, they want to make it worse. There's just no other way to think about this.
...
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Another Way Obama Disappoints Progressives
There seem to be so many ways, but this is a biggie. Via Avedon, we learn this from Digby:
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Why do the Repbulicans control the messaging and why do the Democrats do such a lousy job of explaining how a better healthcare system would better us all, how people who decry gov't intervention take advantage of gov't services every day, of why we need to work together instead of tear eachother apart. Why do the Republicans succeeed in blocking everything and not having to explain their position, except "We will block everything." What is wrong the the Democratic messaging? They aren't getting their message across.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Nonny... anonymity is OK here, but it would be easier if we had at least a pseudonym to call you. It's your decision. Obviously your political views suit this site just fine.
DeleteI don't understand why Dems don't project their message well, except that some... many... of today's Dems are not from the party of my youth. FDR, JFK and LBJ must be turning in their graves at Obama's attitude. Yes, of course, all those whiners use government services every time they hop in their cars, fly to visit Aunt Maude, eat food that's been inspected, etc., etc. But they forget about that when they talk politics. The funniest sign I've seen said "Keep Your Government Hands Off My Medicare." Right. Sure, Tea Partier, whatever you say.
Republicans are playing a game, not governing a country, not even governing badly... just dodging the process of governance altogether. GOPers were different in my youth, too. I recently ran across an online interview with Rachel Maddow, promoting her new book Drift. Someone asked how she classified herself politically, and she said, paraphrasing, people call me a liberal, which means my positions are about equivalent to those of Dwight Eisenhower. Republicans aren't conservative... they're full-blown, bat-shit crazy. And we have to try to weather the storm of nutsiness and hold the nation together as they try to throw their spanners in the works. It's all they do; it's the sum-total of who they are.
There are some Dems who message well, but they're not in the leadership, and we all pay the price.
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