|
Edited on Sun Dec-20-09 08:12 AM by DFW
After the 2000 decision on Dec. 12, and Gore conceded, I was at a gathering that included conservative guru Richard Viguerie. Now, Richard is a very charming guy, and I actually think of him as a friend (Washington works in strange ways, so sue me), but on a political level, he's the Prince of Darkness (google him if his name is not familiar, and you'll see why), and he thinks the same of me.
Before Clinton left office, Richard was asked what advice he would give the incoming president, given his narrow (at best!) mandate for the job. Richard came right out with both fists swinging: he said he would tell Bush to move hard to the right, and please his core base, and ignore moderates and opposition from the left. Richard got some flak for his suggestion, as Bush did not exactly win a thundering majority of the votes in 2000. But what Richard recommended was exactly what Bush did. He appointed obedient hardliners from the right right to every cabinet position that mattered, and pushed through far rightist policies on every front from the economy to defense (or, offense, to be more accurate), and appointed (or tried to) one rightist judge after another, incompetence was no object. The country went to hell in a basket, but the far right was jubilant. I'm sure most of them still think that if only W had been given another 20 years in office, that things would have been just ducky.
When Barack Obama took office, he was conciliatory, opening his doors to the opposition, conspicuously consulting with them on all sorts of issues, inviting McCain for chats, etc. etc. He did everything Richard advised Bush NOT to do. It was a gamble to see if they could indeed be worked with, something Cheneybush never gave a second thought. Noble in spirit, I suppose.
BUT...........
It just hasn't worked, and a goodly portion of Obama's own base is at best bewildered, and at worst so furious as to be ready to bolt the party. This is not the way to go. Even Howard Dean, who is not known for mincing words, does not recommend forming a third-party movement. Howard wants the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party to get back in the saddle. I agree.
Obama has had his dance with the right. It is now time he asked us to dance, too. We elected him, not some coalition of disgruntled Republican centrists. We elected him with high hopes of progress. We have gotten some, but nowhere near what we expected. Did we expect too much? Hard to say, as Washington moves at a glacial pace. But he needs us to elect him again. We'll vote for him, of course, but will we bust ass for him again? Sure, but not for free, this time. Maybe it's being selfish to expect more payback than we have so far perceived. Maybe in his eyes, he has tried his best to deliver, and maybe he has delivered the best he could, I don't know.
Am I willing to bolt the party? No way. Am I willing to stand by Obama for re-election? So far, of course, I am. What am I going to do, suddenly say that Sarah Palin a heartbeat away (or closer!) from the presidency is an acceptable alternative? Get real. But I do think that what Richard told Cheneybush is advice that Obama has yet to act upon. Maybe he has no intention of doing so, and that's his call, no question about it. Still, I wish he'd give it a try. As president, you're not going to please everybody. Democrats seem to have this tendency to try. Republicans don't even bother to put up a pretense.
I'm not saying I think Obama needs to tell Republicans to go fuck themselves. But the occasional conscious deliberate nod in the direction of those who fought for him the hardest and believe(d) in him the most would be nice. If he took Richard's advice to Bush and applied it to his own base vigorously for a while, it would be nice to see him experiment with that for once, too. I'm not saying he's been completely wrong this whole time, but as far as I can tell, the results so far have been less than spectacular.
|