I sat out this election. Now that I see the results, I have a few comments, which may or may not typify others of my ilk.
I did vote. But that's about it. What just happened is exactly what I expected. And I hope it will make some of our leaders face up to what it takes to fight in the political arena today.
I really respect and root for President Obama. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to work in an environment where the Republicans will do anything they can to screw him, screwing the country in the process, when up against such dire circumstances. I want him to succeed, and I want our country back. By that I mean I want peace and prosperity back. But I'd like to add equality for gays.
It's on this last issue that Obama lost me, as he lost so many others with wishy-washiness. He had innumerable opportunities to help us. Push through an executive end to Don't Ask Don't Tell. Break precedent and don't appeal the District Court ruling against it. Push for ENDA. Don't defend DOMA in court. But no, all we got was some lame directive to allow gays to visit their partners in hospitals that, what, get federal money? I think I missed that one. So I sat this one out.
George Bush did more to destroy our country than any President in my memory (that goes back to Nixon). Hate him as much as you want, but you ALWAYS knew where he stood. You were either with him, or against him, so to speak. With Obama, I don't know where he stands. Is he for gay marraige? Was he ever for a public option? Was he ever really against the Afghanistan war? Was he ever really out for the middle class against the banks? Was he ever really committed to saving the economy aggressively? If so, why pass a stimulus with 1/3 tax breaks as a giveaway to the Republicans and NO POLITICAL GAIN for it? Where was the cheerleading of a WPA in the 30s or any call to rebuild our country that people would get behind? More tax cuts??? And not in a lump sum but lowered deductions so no one would notice? Hellooo???
Obama's way of compromise is give all your compromises away up front without getting anything back. Take no unyielding principled positions. Then wonder why they push for more or won't compromise themselves.
In previous posts I've talked about my Mom, an old-fashioned Northeastern "moderate" Republican, who initially liked Obama. She watches Fox now, and is getting a bit slow in her old age. Here's what she thinks: Barack is out to cut her Medicare and already has (she can't name how, but she knows it's true). She thinks he has bled the country dry (no mention of what Bush did). She love Chris Christie (lives in NJ) for cutting those evil state pensioniers who steal all our money. But her federal taxes have actually gone down, she doesn't realize it, and her benefits have gone up, and she doesn't believe it. See? Republicans are not beyond scaring old people to get in power. This is what we are up against! And how do we respond? With Harry Reid's mushiness? What positions are there for us to get behind?
Whose message gets across in the noise of 24/7 media? The Republicans. They are GREAT when out of power. They unify. They message together. They advocate their absurd and illogical positions so hard that the media parrots them to make them believable. Jeez, half the world thinks global warming is a hoax, and that the Republicans were taking over the government BACK WHEN THEY WON A 41st SEAT! And education and "science" is bad because you become "elite"!
Guess what. We have a better situation tonight than we did with Bush in the White House and a 50/50 split in the Senate, with the House in Republican hands too. WE can use budget reconciliation and drive the deals. WE can drive the agenda with our President Obama forcefully in charge. WE can make them pay for taking control of the House, and blame the shitty economy of the next 2 years on them. WE can call them on their deficit bluff and make them say what they will ACTUALLY CUT first to pay for extending the Bush tax cuts or we shouldn't extend them. Put the onus on THEM to do it now that they are in charge of the House, sit back and say we won't do anything til they move first. Then beat them up for what they propose and demonize it. "DEATH SQUADS!" But will we? Will Obama? Will Reid?
No, I don't think so. They will try to wussilly "triangulate" like Clinton and we'll end up with 2 years of arguing over the color of school uniforms, while our economic competitiveness, educational system, and environment continue to degrade to threatening levels. Will they blame the Republicans? No. Will anyone start a "coffee party" of irate Progressives who will organize to energize the left? No. Not our style to wear three pointed hats and blather nonsense while waving our copies of the Constitution.
Where are the balls of my party? Nancy Pelosi had the biggest ones, and she just got the boot as Speaker. As an ex-voter from San Francisco, who blackened in the circle next to Nancy's name many times here's my advise to Pelosi, or anyone who will take it: DECLARE WAR, NOT DEFEAT STARTING TOMORROW! BE A LEADER. DON'T LET THEM BEAT YOU DOWN. JUST LIKE THE REPUBLICANS DID WHEN OBAMA WAS ELECTED. DON'T STOP TIL YOU ARE SPEAKER AGAIN. PLOT. SCHEME. STRATEGIZE FOR THE NEXT 2 YEARS. RAISE MONEY. CALL THEM OUT. GATHER SUPPORT. START A NEW PARTY. Do what you have to do, so the shrinking pathetic loud minority of right-wing-willfully ignorant-mostly southern-mostly white straight evangelistic christian males who think they own this country are told they are of the last century and they'd better learn they are a minority too. Make this their last hurrah.
Do what the Republicans have done after every setback. In 1994, 2000, 2004, and now in 2008. Use your setback to regroup and build an effectively aggressive thrust against the bigots, call them what they are, and work the channels to get the blithering idiots who watch Fox and the ilk to blame someone else besides Obama. Make Boehner the new target, just like they made Pelosi. Paint a big red circle on his big fat conservative-suited heavily smoking and drinking back and shoot shoot shoot until he falls. Find something the public hates to pin on them and reiterate it 6 million times til the press parrots it.
Who will lead us? Obama has not risen to the challenge. Can he? If not, who is our "Sarah Palin"? Someone no one may like, but who gets all the attention every time she writes on Facebook, because people love a controversy. How do we ride the wave of resentment that will well up toward the House in the next two years when the economy doesn't rebound? (It won't for at least another 4 years, see: Japan in the 90s).
Learn from what they did tonight. Grow some balls. Tonight is the night to start the fight. Who will lead?