Guardian UK: Don't blame Obama. The US political system is broken

[marmar]

Don't blame Obama. The US political system is broken
America's founders were keen to create a system that moved slowly. Yet now we have a system that barely moves at all

Michael Tomasky
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 13 December 2009 22.30 GMT


A recent political development in your country has me reflecting again on my country's political situation and wondering what on earth we Americans are going to do about a system that is irrefutably and almost irredeemably stuck in a state of paralysis.

I read about Alistair Darling's proposal for a bank bonus tax with great interest. I'm no expert on British politics, but from what I've read over the past week I've gathered that the City is upset and that the pre-budget report as a whole hasn't done especially well. And yet Guardian colleagues assure me there is no question the House of Commons will pass the budget. It's a party discipline vote, and Labour has the majority. End of story. That the Tories have signalled support is just icing on the cake.

Sigh. If you've been watching the Washington healthcare debate, you know what that sigh was about. We Americans have always been proud of our constitution and the principle of separation of powers. The system has always ensured that the minority party has certain rights and that the executive branch cannot just muscle through Congress any old thing that it wants. Our founders wanted a system that moved slowly.

Do they ever have it. In fact, we now have a system that barely moves at all. Watching American politics through British eyes, you must be utterly mystified as to why Barack Obama hasn't gotten this healthcare bill passed yet. Many Americans are too. The instinctive reflex is to blame Obama. He must be doing something wrong. Maybe he is doing a thing or two wrong. But the main thing is that America's political system is broken. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/13/america-broken-political-system-obama

[FiveGoodMen]

1. Our system didn't move slowly when Rove and Cheney were running it

[DJ13]

5. sssshhh !

We arent supposed to notice that the country is only in standstill when Democrats are elected.

[Enthusiast]

15. Zactly!

You are exactly correct. I think MOST of the American people are finally waking up to this fact. And why wouldn't they, it is right in their face.

[yurbud]

8. and it doesn't run slowly when it's considering Wall Street bailouts or defense spending...

[FiveGoodMen]

11. I remember back in the '80s all the talk about legislative gridlock.

The pukes squeal like stuck pigs every time they don't get their way.

The Dems shrug and say, "What did you think we could do?"

And the fucking public buys into it every time.

[yurbud]

12. and if we talk about kicking out the most corrupt members, the Dems say we're being extremist.

[demosincebirth]

2. So f**king true! Must be a better way, but that takes backbone from the Democrats

[jaxx]

3. The last two sentences:

1. Obama should start playing a role – about how broken this system is, bringing a new level of pressure to bear on the legislators who are the problem.

2. But for now, people on the left would rather engage in juvenile carping about how let down they are.


He must read DU.

[yurbud]

9. whose just carping? How many times do we have to call, write, and protest to get pols

to do what they are supposed to?

[Enthusiast]

16. Juvenile carping?

How dare you call this juvenile carping when this travesty of a health care bill will actually kill people. A very solid majority of Americans want a STRONG public option. It is not juvenile and it is not a pony!

[yurbud]

20. what means of pressure are available on Congressional leadership and Blue Dog and DLCers?

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Our system works fine......... for the rich.

It is not broken. Ask any banker/politician/member of Big Pharma/War Machine.

[snagglepuss]

6. +1

[Jakes Progress]

7. +1 It works just fine.

It just doesn't work for us.

[T_i_B]

10. Not half as "broken" as the UK political scene

The Guardian would do well to look closer to home and ask if Britain could have produced it's own Barak Obama. I don't think that we could with our own party system in such a mess.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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[vinylsolution]

14. We already had him....

... his name was Tony Blair.

[santamargarita]

17. How true

:argh:

[tomm2thumbs]

18. i think people felt that even with the given system, there wasn't a

sense of genuine fight - at least from the presentation we got publicly

Sanders seems to fight tooth and nail - and he also knows when to let go after the fight is called - but he fights up to the bell and does it with smarts and respect for the others he is fighting with - not with gamesmanship and underhanded tactics

[Blue_Tires]

19. ttt