Seen several diaries in my breaks about a lot of "I'm done" or "will be done" sort of sentiments among people here.
There's talking about "pie fights" and all of that, but to me, a "pie fight" would be arguing about the nuances of particular policy ideology while recognizing that we're all on the same team.
The stuff I've read suggests a fast growing need for a real, hard, frank conversation about what we as left-of-center people/voters/activists are getting from the elected officials who are supposed to govern from the left-of-center. Ostensibly, anyway.
Greg Sargent has a post up in which he's quoting - yes, I know who the source is, so don't give me crap for that - Joe Scarborough who apparently talked on his Morning Yawn TV show that he's been hearing from what is characterized as "Senate Democratic Chairmen" who are complaining about Obama.
Word from Joe the Schmo is that they are privately telling him that Obama "doesn't know what he's doing".
That's a pretty substantial charge to level at the POTUS, especially if you're from the same party as they are.
But what gets me, what strikes me as potentially a "money quote" if there ever was one, was this:
Scarborough specifically claimed that "Democratic chairman in the Senate" -- among the most powerful Dems in Congress -- had complained privately to him that Obama had failed to adequately include Reublicans in the governing process:
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
If Obama doesn't know what he's doing, it is because has tried too hard to include Republicans in the governing process, not because he hasn't done it well enough.
Republicans right now don't want to govern. They want to make a lot of noise, rake in a bunch of pissed off donor cash, soak up the media attention, and call the President every name in the book while trying to claw back into power.
They already got the House, but with a purported Democratic majority in the Senate and a supposed Democrat in the White House, in reality, they should be more or less unable to do shit with the agenda they want to pursue.
But really, doesn't there have to be a line in the sand? At what point does anyone who calls themselves a Democrat/Liberal/Progressive/Hippie/Socialist/Anything but conservative actually tell those with D's next to their names: "No more".
This isn't even just about being in the pockets of corporations. That's bad enough. This is potentially a complete and utter capitulation to the other side. In fact, I'm not even sure that describes it well enough.
It's fraud. It's a scam. Any Democrat who thinks that the answer to Republican bullshit is to play nicer with the Republicans, to break their backs bending over backwards for them, and basically allowing anyone from Wall Streeters to Health Care overlords to write the legislation they want to pass...should be summarily dismissed from office faster than you can say "Glenn Beck".
If Democrats are passing Republican legislation, and the President is signing Republican legislation, how in the fuck can we:
- Call them Democrats still
- Continue to empower them
- Not primary them as soon as possible
I challenge anyone to answer any of those without the cry of "But but, Republicans". Because frankly, I'm starting to think that the numbers of Republicans in government is a lot bigger than we've been lead to believe.
That is definitely not "Change that we need". I sure as hell don't believe in Republican rule, and neither should you, regardless of what letter is next to the name of the person in office.
A real change has got to happen, and it needs to be right now. Right. Now.