How Democrats Helped Fire Up the Crazy Right While Demoralizing the Left

[Joanne98]

Many of the President's successes have been large enough to fuel opposition, but not big enough to strengthen his support.
August 5, 2010 |

Whatever the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections, the activist phase of the Obama administration has likely come to a close. The President may have a fight on his hands even to hold on to what he’s already achieved because his legislative successes have been large enough to fuel strong opposition but not big enough to strengthen his support. The result could be disastrous for him and congressional Democrats.

Consider the stimulus package. Although it’s difficult to separate the consequences of fiscal and monetary policy, most knowledgeable observers conclude that the stimulus has had a positive effect.

Yet the official rate of unemployment remains above 9%, not including millions either too discouraged to look for work or working part-time when they’d rather have full-time jobs. Almost half of the jobless have been without work for more than six months, a level not seen since the Great Depression.

The central problem continues to be inadequate aggregate demand. The administration’s original sin was not spending enough and focusing the stimulus more directly on job creation.

In fairness, no one knew how sick the economy was in February 2009 when Congress approved the initial stimulus. Yet by late spring 2009 the White House knew the extent of the damage and should have pushed much harder for significantly more spending. Almost a third of the initial stimulus, moreover, came in the form of temporary tax cuts, which already had been proven relatively ineffective at spurring demand after President Bush tried them in 2008. And many states were engaging in reverse stimulus policies, slashing spending and increasing taxes. The administration knew its stimulus was not nearly up to the job.


http://www.alternet.org/news/147735/how_democrats_helped_fire_up_the_crazy_right_while_demoralizing_the_left/

[Lost4words]

1. K & R

[FSogol]

2. In fairness, the color of his skin is enough to fire up the crazies.

They get fired up at anyone with a "D" See Clinton, Carter, Kennedy, FDR, etc.

[boobooday]

7. I was going to say . . . "large enough?"

If he exists, if he gets up and goes to the office, that is large enough to fuel their crazy.

[Donnachaidh]

3. k&r n/t

[fasttense]

4. President Obama seems to think his liberal base is unreasonable.

They wanted card check, they wanted single payer, they wanted bailouts for main street not Wall Street, they wanted less charter schools and testing and more real educational improvements, they wanted President Obama to take the side of the Unions and support anti-discrimination laws against gays and lesbians, they wanted justice for the bush crimes, they wanted to dismantle NAFTA and other UNFAIR trade agreements, they wanted corporations to pay taxes and enforce anti-trust laws, they want GITMO closed and the POW held there tried in a civilian courts, they wanted the wars to end, they wanted corporations to stop controlling our elections, they wanted lobbyist to stop writing legislation, they wanted Social Security to be improved not decimated.

And what did we get...NO card check, no single payer, bailouts for Wall Street but not main street, more charter schools and testing, support against the teachers union and against gay and lesbians, bush's crimes have been ignored, more unfair trade agreements are on the table, corporations still don't pay taxes and are even larger monopolies now, GITMO is not closed and not 1 POW has been tried in a civilian court, the wars are still raging, corporations still control our elections, lobbyist still write our legislation, and Social Security is on the chopping block.

Not much there to get excited about. But he did manage to energize the tea-baggers. That's what happens when you take the middle ground and try to appease lunatics.

[leveymg]

6. Clinton made the same mistake, and we ended up with a GOP Congress and gridlock.

Same centrist advisors, like Rahm, designing policy and calling the plays. Same outcome. Same as it ever was. You're not going to get progressive outcomes from a group of centrist professional politicians - what you will get is continuity of corporate-friendly government while the rest of us are ignored.

[canoeist52]

5. That's what you get with middle of the road policies.

What reason can I give to my kids and their friends to "get fired up" this Nov.?

[Vincardog]

11. Better than the GOP only works as long as you do not work to pass GOP programs like the CAt Food

Commission is trying to.

[BridgeTheGap]

8. "In fairness, no one knew how sick the economy was in February 2009" Really?

I seem to remember Paul Krugman emphatically stating that the stimulus that passed into law was not nearly enough to "jump start" the economy. There were other economists who expressed their concern over the dire straights the economy was headed into.
The truth is, no matter what Obama did, the right was going to come after him for ANYTHING he did. Would the right be angrier if the stimulus plan had been much larger? I doubt it.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

10. I thought that line was bullshit, too.

Of course it was known. How many were out there screaming the proposed stimulus package wasn't nearly enough??? I sure as hell remember the many articles stating/interviews just that.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Demeter]

12. Many of these Successes are Miserable Failures in their own right

because they will not work as advertised, do not even treat the symptoms, let alone the disease, and waste valuable time and money.