Figure out the truth once it’s too late to matter.
Analysis is mostly about noticing the obvious, but for the obvious to do any good it helps to notice it before it’s too late to matter.
Let me reiterate: Republicans understand opposition politics. Also, policy matters. As I was saying back during the stimulus debate, if the economy sucks, the incumbent party gets blamed for it, and that means you have to make it work. I don’t know if Democrats will lose the House (the consensus amongst the few analysts I trust seems to “no, but they will lose a lot of seats”). I do know that they’ll be losing more seats than they should be.
The only reason Dems aren’t having a complete meltdown is that a sizable part of the Republican party is mad dog insane.
Even that won’t save them forever if they can’t figure out how to do policy right.
And, sorry to say it, they can’t.
anonymous
Funny that you linked to the Agonist, a website that can’t figure out that it’s “register/create new account – click here” button doesn’t work, it just takes you to a 6 month old post.
Don you really think the Dems don’t understand opposition politics after being on the receiving end of them so much? The reason they don’t practice them is because they are not really opposed to the Republican agenda when they are out of power. And Obama needs the Republicans’ antics to prevent him from keeping any of those crazy promises he made when he was seducing the gullible.
Tom Hickey
The Dem Establishment is conflicted. They are supposedly pro-worker, but they are all card-carrying members of the elite. In the end, they craft policy that takes into account the interest of the elite, and this is most often at the expense of workers.
The Clinton administration was Republican lite, and the Obama administration is way to the right of the Clinton administration, even to the right of the Bush administration in some matters. These people are convinced that going for the corporate cash and capturing the center is the way to political power. They really don’t give that much of a hoot about policy as such. They are fundamentally and thoroughly disingenuous.
Obama demonstrated this from the get-go, when he appointed Rahm WHCOS right off the bat. The rest was immediately obvious. Then, followed Geithner and Summers (Rubinomics and Wall Street coziness) and Hawkish Hillary at State, with Republican Gates held at Defense. Yep, that was change we can believe in.
anon2525
These people are convinced that going for the corporate cash and capturing the center is the way to political power.
The “center” is the position that screws, conservatively, 80% of the population. Let’s diagram that:
0————————————————————————————–>center<—-100
anon2525
The only reason Dems aren’t having a complete meltdown is that a sizable part of the Republican party is mad dog insane.
Even that won’t save them forever if they can’t figure out how to do policy right.
Occam’s razor says that the way to explain why obama routinely starts from a republican position is that he is a republican (but figured that he could not get elected as a republican and it’s too late to change now).
Does the razor also say that the reason democrats can’t come up with the right policy is that they (or, at least, a majority) are not trying to come up with the right policy?
Bernard
yes the Democrats are Republican lite. they make all the “right” noises at the right time, and return to being the lesser twin evil that is the Republican party. two parties, one set of directives, one outcome. the illusion of choice. Vote for them, the more evil party, or us the “lesser” evil. that same “us vs them” variation of the Republican “southern Strategy from Lee Atwater.
but the Democrats still bow the “accepted wisdom” of abetting the diversionary tactics the Elites use to steal the money, send the jobs offshore and keep all the obeisant Government quislings to do their bidding. Obama’s role is to sanctify the “bipartisanship” theft.
meanwhile unemployed are left hanging while the talk is of “Keeping Bush’s tax cuts for the rich, about 700 billion. somehow unemployment caused deficit hysteria, while Bush’s tax is “revenue” neutral deficit wise.
with such choices, i see why Americans watch American Idol or haven’t a clue where Canada is or believe that “Government is the Problem” or believe Reagan when he sold the Trickle Down EconomicsBS. the whole concept of paying taxes for schools, roads and livable, functioning cities is not part of the ruling Elites’ priorities. we live in an America of “I’ve got mine, you can go eff yourself” social contract. They didn’t call it the Contract on America for nothing, oops, Contract for America. my bad.
God bless the child that’s got his own. otherwise….
Tina
re: anon on Agonist login/register. If you read the post that you got sent to on clicking register it would tell you how to become a member.
Sean Paul Kelley
Thanks Tina: I was going to suggest Anonymous do just what you suggest! Read the directions? Who knew?
b.
“Even that won’t save them forever if they can’t figure out how to do policy right.
And, sorry to say it, they can’t.”
There we go again with the Incompetency Dodge. Makes you feel all warm and superior? Here in the House of Games. in the world of hustlers and snake oil salesmen, that makes you the perfect mark. Keep feeling smug while the retainers of the wealthy continue to arrange your fleecing.
Kurt
Sadly you’re right.
Republicans are hostile to the very notion of a functional government. They’re only interested in using its structures to give handouts to their buddies while dismantling it.
Democrats are unable or unwilling to govern effectively (or both).
And both parties have been taken over by corporations willing to trash the place for more profits.
Unfortunately the only solution to the situtation likely to work to effect real change is a revolution or coup. God help us all.
Formerly T-Bear
Before my comment became overwhelmed with verbiage in the last post (hijacked by wordy and erudite bandit pin-head-dits), the die is cast. Once corruption becomes institutionalized, and it is, the only recourse to overcome corruption becomes even greater corruption, that is not a solution.
Had the corruption been stopped in its early stages before the institutionalization became complete (now a century too late after the early reform movement of T. Roosevelt era, and ending in the New Deal era of F.D. Roosevelt) there would have been a chance. Now the reforms put in place by FDR are gone and cannot be reinstated no matter how hard it is desired, the intelligence that created it is gone and cannot be duplicated, possibly the purpose of Texas’ designs on scholarship and the glorification of ignorance.
The ruling political class has not the resources to construct or rebuild the machinery and laws necessary to put the country back into good estate. Those who may see a way will never enjoy the confidence of power, try as they may. The dance is called, the musicians paid, and the night will end in collapse. The morning will bring a new world order, quite impoverished compared to the one presently known, the wealth of nations squandered following ephemeral delusions.
What can be done is study and understand human nature, of all characteristics it changes little; study and understand the processes of political power and how that can be controlled and directed; study and understand the process of economics which can be defined as mankind’s ecology, (how life’s necessities are provided), and the superstructures that have been developed upon that ecology; study and remember history, the repository of humankind’s experience is there to apply; promote poetry, nothing lingual is as likely to transcend the boundaries of language and enrich understanding.
CEO
Obama came from the Chicago machine. This machine is thought of as democrats but is of both parties.
lambert strether
Formerly T-Bear: Il faut cultiver notre jardin. Eh?
anon2525
Occam’s razor says that the way to explain why obama routinely starts from a republican position is that he is a republican
More on Obama the Republican:
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/my-obama-problem/
Moral that Obama hasn’t learned: If you continue to listen to the people who have been abject failures for the previous eight years, you, too, can fail spectacularly.
Bonus: If you hire advisors and cabinet members who have been wrong for even more than eight years, you might achieve legendary failure.
Formerly T-Bear
ambert strether @ https://www.ianwelsh.net/how-to-be-a-big-pundit/#comment-8524
Yep, you could say that. 😉
Formerly T-Bear
that is lambert, do wish there were an edit function here……..