Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, January 19, 2010
Politics Need a Cry?
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 9:59 PM
There will be more to say on all this tomorrow. For now, it's worth observing that a Democratic Party that would abandon their central initiative this quickly isn't a Democratic Party that deserves to hold power. If they don't believe in the importance of their policies, why should anyone who's skeptical change their mind? If they're not interested in actually passing their agenda, why should voters who agree with Democrats on the issues work to elect them?
2
I'm not sure why this is being called a referendum on the Democrats when she was leading by thirty points a month before the election. It's not as if Massachusetts suddenly learned about health care reform three weeks ago. Candidates matter, and by all accounts she ran the political campaign equivalent of Nicholas Cage drinking himself to death in "Leaving Las Vegas." The overgeneralization is media driven, led by the king of Sweeping Theories, David Brooks (every column feels like he's fishing to have something named after him). The election results are not great, but they're not apocalyptic.
3
But because people will treat them as apocalyptic, they will BE apocalyptic. We're in the era of hive emotion, not reason.
4
The only thing that will help now is calling/writing our congressional reps and tell'em to grow a couple and pass the senate bill version now. And Obama needs to get off his pedestal of bipartisanship and play hardball the Chicago way.
email'em here:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welc…
email'em here:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welc…
5
Obama can inspire, but he's unwilling to get his knuckles bloody. If 59 votes in the Senate isn't enough to do anything at all, then the Dems have their heads up their asses. You cannot reason with a rabid animal, and that's all Obama has been trying to do. Maybe now he'll have the sense to break out the rifle.
6
There will be a lot of progressives consoling themselves in the coming days with variants of this "we lost because we weren't progressive enough" line. But one group you can be sure won't be touting it are the well-paid professional political strategists employed by swing-district Democrats.
They are not there to make their employers feel good about their ideology; they are there to win elections.
They will be saying this: the last election did not represent a swing in the electorate from the 25th percentile of leftism (moderate Republican) to the 75th percentile of leftism (moderate Democrat). It represented a swing from the 45th percentile (liberal Republican) to the 55th (conservative Democrat). If you, blue-Dog Democrat barely holding on to your seat, drop your support of an unpopular bill that sits at around the 75th perctile of leftism (no, not leftist enough to satisfy the hard-core 90th percentile fringe, but well to the left of your constituancy), you might be able to save your ass.
I have no doubt that this setback only increases the resolve of left-coast progressives and the Democratic leadership to pass the bill. But I very much doubt it increases the resolve of the blue-Dog Democrats in swing districts to do what their leadership demands.
By the way, Ahnon @ 2, both candidates in Mass. and their parties explicitly called out this race as a referendum on the health care bill.
They are not there to make their employers feel good about their ideology; they are there to win elections.
They will be saying this: the last election did not represent a swing in the electorate from the 25th percentile of leftism (moderate Republican) to the 75th percentile of leftism (moderate Democrat). It represented a swing from the 45th percentile (liberal Republican) to the 55th (conservative Democrat). If you, blue-Dog Democrat barely holding on to your seat, drop your support of an unpopular bill that sits at around the 75th perctile of leftism (no, not leftist enough to satisfy the hard-core 90th percentile fringe, but well to the left of your constituancy), you might be able to save your ass.
I have no doubt that this setback only increases the resolve of left-coast progressives and the Democratic leadership to pass the bill. But I very much doubt it increases the resolve of the blue-Dog Democrats in swing districts to do what their leadership demands.
By the way, Ahnon @ 2, both candidates in Mass. and their parties explicitly called out this race as a referendum on the health care bill.
7
Scott Brown is Mary Jo Kopechne's revenge.
The middle and low class Resurgence up from the neighborhoods of Massachusetts against the Aristocrazy of privilege and assumed power.
Scott Brown is Mary Jo Kopechne's revenge.
The middle and low class Resurgence up from the neighborhoods of Massachusetts against the Aristocrazy of privilege and assumed power.
9
" called out this race as a referendum on the health care bill."
The only reason Democrats are "pursuing" health care is that they promised it and don't want to look like liars.
This gives them the perfect excuse since bastardizing the bill in the Senate wasn't quite enough to sink the thing.
Democrats are pawns of the elites. Their main job was to transfer 2 Trillion in tax money back to their backers.
They did that in the first 3 months of office.
Tell me...where did the 1 Trillion of stimulus go? I don't see it...
And now? What are the Democrats left to do? Surely not waste money on a health care bill for poor people?
Nope.
Mission accomplished.
The people have been raped and robbed and fooled by Democrats.
The only reason Democrats are "pursuing" health care is that they promised it and don't want to look like liars.
This gives them the perfect excuse since bastardizing the bill in the Senate wasn't quite enough to sink the thing.
Democrats are pawns of the elites. Their main job was to transfer 2 Trillion in tax money back to their backers.
They did that in the first 3 months of office.
Tell me...where did the 1 Trillion of stimulus go? I don't see it...
And now? What are the Democrats left to do? Surely not waste money on a health care bill for poor people?
Nope.
Mission accomplished.
The people have been raped and robbed and fooled by Democrats.
10
David Wright @6:
David, first, the word is "constituency." More to the point, it's a bit far-fetched to say this health-care bill "sits at around the 75th perctile of leftism" when it sits somewhere to the right of what Republican Mitt Romney produced in Massachusetts.
And instead of this endless shallow decrying of this bill for being too far left or not far left enough, or of what's not in the bill, can't we talk about the substance of what's actually in the bill? The more I read about this from the likes of Ezra Klein, the more reasonable and well-thought-out it seems.
If you, blue-Dog Democrat barely holding on to your seat, drop your support of an unpopular bill that sits at around the 75th perctile of leftism (no, not leftist enough to satisfy the hard-core 90th percentile fringe, but well to the left of your constituancy), you might be able to save your ass.
David, first, the word is "constituency." More to the point, it's a bit far-fetched to say this health-care bill "sits at around the 75th perctile of leftism" when it sits somewhere to the right of what Republican Mitt Romney produced in Massachusetts.
And instead of this endless shallow decrying of this bill for being too far left or not far left enough, or of what's not in the bill, can't we talk about the substance of what's actually in the bill? The more I read about this from the likes of Ezra Klein, the more reasonable and well-thought-out it seems.
13
@5 "Maybe now he'll have the sense to break out the rifle."
whoa, sister.... you're walking an awfully thin line there....
whoa, sister.... you're walking an awfully thin line there....
14
@10...but when you consider that Mass. itself is traditionally far, far left of center (Obama won it by 26 points)...yeah, the Health Care bill is awfully leftist. And worthless. And expensive. And would do nothing to help curb the cost of health care in the first place. There's a reason the insurance and pharma companies like it...
15
I desperately want Palin to be president. If she makes it, who gives a fuck who the vp is... I just want her to be sitting in the presidential barcalounger when the country self-destructs. I want our Very Last Ever president to be someone as utterly ridiculous and incomprehensible as sarah palin. What a fucking awesome hollywood script that would make!
17
@6 "By the way, Ahnon @ 2, both candidates in Mass. and their parties explicitly called out this race as a referendum on the health care bill."
Too bad it wasn't. The health care bill didn't just pop up last week. It had more to do with one of the most incompetent campaigns ever run plus the nut sack bomber plus establishment Boston democrats not going out to vote (mainly b/c not to many people were really all that enthused about Coakly in the party).
Too bad it wasn't. The health care bill didn't just pop up last week. It had more to do with one of the most incompetent campaigns ever run plus the nut sack bomber plus establishment Boston democrats not going out to vote (mainly b/c not to many people were really all that enthused about Coakly in the party).
18
An easy option for congressional contacts is located here: http://www.capwiz.com/lwv/issues/alert/?…
19
I know what we should do!
We should all vote for Nader!
You know, because that worked so well in 2000.
We should all vote for Nader!
You know, because that worked so well in 2000.
20
What's with the "Massachusetts is far left" meme? Mass is one of the corporate power centers of the nation, and it bought us Mitt Romney.
Coakley was a dud of a candidate, put up against a stripper with a truck. The Applebee's crowd love that sort of thing, and there were just enough Democrats angry about this sham health care reform to sweep him into the Senate. The bed is made, but I don't think the new spread will cause much of a stir.
Coakley was a dud of a candidate, put up against a stripper with a truck. The Applebee's crowd love that sort of thing, and there were just enough Democrats angry about this sham health care reform to sweep him into the Senate. The bed is made, but I don't think the new spread will cause much of a stir.
21
20
Cat, we love you to death and are not trying to be difficult but what state is more Liberal/Left that Mass?
Cat, we love you to death and are not trying to be difficult but what state is more Liberal/Left that Mass?
22
The answer to Klein's last question: There's only one reason to vote for the Democrats, and that's because it's a vote against the Republicans. Hapless, spineless, and incompetent wins over nihilist, protofascist, and evil. You have to do it, but you don't have to feel good about it.
23
@22, I grew up in (central) MA -- the people there think of the Westerners in CA, OR and WA as "a bunch of fruits and nuts"
26
Did anyone else hear about how the stock values of big Pharma and the insurance industry went waaaay up when the election results were announced?
The repugnicans are the party of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations.
The repugnicans are the party of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations.
27
Wow, never has the phrase "use it or lose it" applied so poignantly as it does to the Democratic Party. Time passes quickly, the pendulum swings back to the Dominionists and the Democrats squander the opportunity to make life livable with equal rights and healthcare for all.
What is the lesson here for all those who believed in HOPE & CHANGE?
What is the lesson here for all those who believed in HOPE & CHANGE?
29
Dog Dear, My point was that while Massachusetts is somewhat liberal, this is the United States we are talking about - no state is "far left", at least in my definition of far left (which would be European Socialist). Face it, We're the United States of the Mushball Middle.
30
29
fair enough.
it still seems a pretty scathing rejection of Obama from what should be a friendly home crowd...
fair enough.
it still seems a pretty scathing rejection of Obama from what should be a friendly home crowd...
31
Democrats don't even NEED an opposing party! We have a larger majority than Bush did and still can do NOTHING. Is it possible that President Obama is a Republican sleeper?
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