Matthew Yglesias: A Historic Achievement

[babylonsister]

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2010/03/a-historic-achievement.php

A Historic Achievement


I don’t think the arguments mounted by Pat Caddell and Douglas Schoen that Democrats will face political disaster if they pass health reform hold water. Or, rather, I think they disingenuously fail to consider the alternative. If reform passes, Democrats will almost certainly lose a whole bunch of seats in November. But if reform fails, Democrats will also almost certainly lose a whole bunch of seats in November. At the margin, passing reform helps the party’s prospects in the midterms in my view, but the midterms outlook is just bad and there’s nothing to be done health care-wise at this point to change that.

A larger question any member of congress reading the op-ed ought to ask himself is “so what?” If reform passes and is signed into law, then immediately Barack Obama’s position in history is secured. When people look back from 2060 on the creation of the American welfare state, they’ll say that FDR, LBJ, and BHO were its main architects, with Roosevelt enshrining the principle of universal social insurance into law and Obama completing the initial promise of the New Deal. Members of congress who helped him do that will have a place in history. Nobody’s going to be very interested in a story like “Mike Ross served a bunch of years in Congress and people were impressed with his ability to win a relatively conservative district; he didn’t achieve very much and one day he wasn’t in Congress anymore.”

Which is just to say that nobody lasts in office forever, no congressional majority lasts forever, and no party controls the White House forever. But the measure of a political coalition isn’t how long it lasted, but what it achieved. From the tone of a lot of present-day political commentary you’d think that the big mistake Lyndon Johnson made during his tenure in the White House was that by passing the Civil Rights Act he wound up damaging the Democratic Party politically by opening the South up to the GOP. Back on planet normal, that’s the crowning achievement of his presidency.

[Cha]

1. KickR

[Spazito]

2. Interesting read!

Thanks for posting this, it is much appreciated.

Recommended.

[freddie mertz]

3. Either way, the leadership who deceived us deserves to lose.

I do NOT want to see Repubs make gains, but I am through voting for liars, idiots, and cheaters.

This latest danse macabre on the PO is really the last straw.

[babylonsister]

4. Well then you have a quandary. You don't want to see rethugs gain

yet you won't vote for a Dem. Then again, sounds like you have no respect for anyone, so your not voting doesn't sound like it will be an issue anyway.

[freddie mertz]

5. It is indeed a quandary. Our leaders are demonstrably incompetent.

Do we keep them?

The only reason is because the other side is demonstrably insane....

Not a great set of choices, is it?

[Inuca]

7. WE elect our leaders

Mostly anyway...

[freddie mertz]

8. Do you really believe that?

Evidence suggests that the most important choices are made long before we ever get a chance to go into the booth.

If the public were able to really change things by voting, they wouldn't let us do it.

[Inuca]

11. As I said above - mostly, yes n/t

[freddie mertz]

14. Evidence suggests otherwise.

The whole thing is a charade.

Big money controls everything.

The handful of decent public servants are marginalized and mocked (even here).

It's over.

[babylonsister]

9. You happen to be in the minority, but you're entitled to your opinion.

Sure, there are some incompetents in our party, but your broad brush does no one any good. And fyi, 83% of MoveOn members support reform. We aren't all so disillusioned as you.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x218394

[freddie mertz]

10. Thanks for the permission to think freely.

As for the rest, you and they may not be so disillusioned now.

But you will be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWqIiCnCA-w

[babylonsister]

13. Bet me? After the past 8 years, I'm more than satisfied and intend

to be patient while the man in the WH does the heavy lifting. I sure don't plan on sitting on a message board complaining about all his efforts on a daily basis like some folks around here.
But I know I'm an optimist, so I've got that going for me, too. Sorry you seem to lack that. ;)

[freddie mertz]

15. I am going to break it to you. The man in WH does not care about you.

He's proven it a million times.

I wanted to believe in him, too, I really did.

I am a born and raised liberal Democrat. I have supported the party loyally for 40 years.

I was overjoyed after the election win in 2008. I felt vindicated, engaged, and proud of my country.

But a lot has transpired since then. And this latest Kabuki on HCR is the last straw for me.

I've had it, and I know I am not alone.

I appreciate your patience and civility in this exchange, I really do.

But this has been a very, very bad day.

Don't ever lose your basic optimism. That is a gift.

But here is one bit of advice, from an old coot:

Don't put your faith in politicians, especially ones who can talk really sweet, then turn around and do the exact opposite of what they aid they would do.

Smiling liars are not your friends.

[babylonsister]

16. Too bad you're so jaded, and there's not a thing anyone can do to

convince you otherwise. I totally disagree with you, because he wouldn't be putting such effort into this if he didn't give a damn.

Anyway, I'd rather live in my head than yours. I spent 8 previous years being cynical, and I was so tired from it. Now I'm not, though people like you tend to wear me down.

Delight in your misery if you are able, and I'll delight in the possibilities. :hi:

[freddie mertz]

18. I'm not delighting in anything, that's not really fair.

I hope your optimism ends up being rewarded.

[BlueIdaho]

17. Respectfully, a serious question

If you really believe that all national elections are rigged - bought and paid for by the rich and powerful, and if you have such disdain for the two party system that is not likely to change during your lifetime or mine and if you believe all candidates are duplicitous liars - why waste you time here? Why post? Why read threads? Why visit DU at all? Why not use your limited time on this planet doing something you do believe in and believe will make the your corner of the globe a little better place?

Please understand I am NOT saying you or anyone else does not belong here - or that you shouldn't think or do or say whatever you like, but seriously - why spend you time on something you see as a pointless waste of time?

Be well.

[freddie mertz]

19. OK. I think the national ones are not so much "rigged" as "controlled"....

That is to say, the establishment in all of its forms (political parties, media, corporate donors, etc) firmly controls what sorts of candidates and ideas will be treated as "serious" in nation-wide elections.

As the establishment consensus moves ever farther to the right, and the corporations take control of almost everything, they work to marginalize and if necessary, to suppress any possibility of fundamental change, especially where our economic system is concerned. Thus we get "safe" (for the establishment) choices like Obama vs. McCain.

This helps to explain why the "serious" candidates never really push for real economic change once they get in office.

How else to explain the DEMOCRATS' decision to bar even the DISCUSSION of single-payer in the early months of the HCR process?

Obviously it is quite a bit easier to get progressives elected to congressional seats and even senate seats. Also to local offices.

That said, it is true that I still hold out a slim hope that even at the national level, the situation may never be totally "hopeless."

YES, it is true that I have become convinced that the present administration is a virtual lost cause. They may throw us a few bones on social issues but the big economic issues like finance reform and HCR, and labor laws, that is where the true test takes place.

But even if we are forced to give up on present "leadership" (as I have essentially been forced to do), I think it is still important to point out, in venues like this one for example, what the issues are, and to try to find potential solutions to the challenges we all still face.

So you see, for me, it is dialogues like the one we are having right now are the real and perhaps only source of hope (not "hope," the campaign slogan, but actual hope for actual people).

[impik]

12. How boring.

[Inuca]

6. Interesting, grown-up analysis

short term vs. historic perspective, politics vs. policy, narrow-mindedness vs. enlightened pragmatism.