What Democrats and Republicans have learned or not learned from this mid-term election is open to question. There is one thing that is for sure, Americans did not get what they wanted. The argument will now be about what it was that they didn't get.
I'm getting to listen to Dan Boren (D-OK) talk about how the Caucus needs to move to "the center." This is the kind of thing I'd expect from someone with seriously limited intellect and the news media in general. This is the kind of stupidity that reads getting blown out of the House as disdain for liberalism rather than fury over lack of accomplishment. This in the face of huge accomplishments.
You wouldn't know it from the polling. The Democrats own the Bankster Bailouts, Ds will raise your taxes - despite lowering them, health care death panels, failed socialism. Ask yourself why clear untruths are held valid by voters. It would seem that Democrats were really bad at letting voters know what they were trying to do, what they had done, and how it benefitted Amvericans. They were particularly bad at letting the GOP set the terms of the debate. You would think that with about 1/3 of the stimulus cost being tax cuts and voted against by the GOP that voters might think differently about who is on their side economically. Nope. Wall Street reform legislation was almost totally opposed by the GOP and yet ... anger at banks landed on Democrats.
I'll lay you a bet, the damn Democrats will attempt some move to the Right in response to their own ineptitude at communication.
11 comments:
I've been following a few stories that suggest that the Ds walked away from the women's vote. Certainly one thing which should be happening is that we need Left Grizzly Mamas challenging Sarah Palin's BS. I have to confess, after the last hunting season pic (very nice picture of me and hubby up in Grouse Creek in the Imnaha, me holding the ol' 12 gauge), I was toying with the idea of writing a political blog under the title "Cleaning My Gun" (from the Mark Knopfler song of the same title) with that as a profile pic, and the subtile "Political Musings of a Leftie Hippie Redneck Mountain Woman."
Then I decided that might be a wee bit over the top, especially given my location in PDX, and my day job.
"Over the top"??
Nah.
Unfortunately, Chuck, I'm a public school teacher. I have to be careful.
I checked that a while ago, I suppose you're right but it isn't that over the top...
Anymore, who knows what'll set off a kerfuffel...
My wife's foster father used to call me a "hippie cowboy roofer" whatever that might actually mean.
"Political Musings of a Leftie Hippie Redneck Mountain Woman."
I'd read that.
Yeah, Chuck, I know it's not really that much over the top, but teachers have been fired for less.
(And yes, I am looking to move out of public education. Passive-aggressive behavior compliance is so not my style)
Zak, thanks for the vote of confidence! I keep wanting to order the Gun Owners Caucus hat, and keep forgetting. Now that would really set some of my colleagues sideways....
From today's NYT: "On last Sunday’s “60 Minutes,” Obama was already wobbling toward another “compromise” in which he does most of the compromising. It’s a measure of how far he’s off his game now that a leader who once had the audacity to speak at length on the red-hot subject of race doesn’t even make the most forceful case for his own long-held position on an issue where most Americans still agree with him. (Only 40 percent of those in the Nov. 2 exit poll approved of an extension of all Bush tax cuts.)"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/opinion/14rich.html?hp
Looks like you called it, Chuck.
The problem is they let their opposition define them. Do nothing Congress? Look how much was passed. Me thinks the Dems assumed the people who vote could/would make intelligent choices based on fact and logic. They thought wrong.
Instead the Tea Party knuckleheads set the tone. Look how many of their people won? But OMG! they sure painted an ugly picture that EVERYONE took notice of.
There is no center to move to. You pick your agenda, sell it, and don't let anyone else define it. Then you do what you can to see it to fruition.
Oh, and yes, I'll take that bet that they sure as heck will.
I have no idea how this productive a Congress has become a do-nothing. They did start their problem by over selling an insufficient stimulus and once unemployment didn't react as promised/implied things weren't going to happy. But even so, one of the GOP themes was too much change, so go figure.
to be fair the Democrats did play a major role in the passage of H.R. 1424 which was passed by both Democrats and Republicans.
House Vote:
Democratic 172 Yea; 63 Nay
Republican 91 Yea; 108 Nay
Total - 263 Yea; 171 Nay
In the Senate, H.R. 1424 passed:
Democratic 41 Yea; 10 Nay
Republican 33 Yea; 15 Nay
Total - 74 Yea; 25 Nay
This was really complicated politically. You had a unpopular Republican Administration, two Presidential candidates ( a month before the election) and Democratically controlled Congress all trying to pass this very awkward piece of legislation through.
At the time there was probably a lot of uncertainty as to what to do...but thank goodness our media was there covering the huge drop in stocks that probably scared some folks into voting in favor of it. Remember the House held up for one day because they didn't like it and that's when the economic boogieman came out to scare them.
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