"The new president and the Washington establishment - including the press corps - are still trying to figure each other out. The narrative of change that carried Barack Obama through the campaign isn't working - so far. His attempts at bipartisanship rejected, he now has dropped his conciliatory tone and gone on the attack. These rapid gear shifts in Potomac spin cry out for some analysis, and here with me now are two keen students of politics and the media to share with us their thoughts."
-- Bill Moyers
What do Glenn Greenwald UNCLAIMED TERRITORY and Jay Rosen GHOST OF DEMOCRACY IN THE MEDIA MACHINE have to say? Read on below the fold
The narrative that we aren't getting is that the political class cannot solve the problems it created. And that some outside force is needed. People from outside, ideas from outside, as well as the anger and sort of mobilized - feeling of Americans themselves.
-- Jay Rosen
I think the problem is, is that the citizenry has really been trained to believe that they're impotent when it comes to demanding action from the political class.
It's already extraordinary that nine out of ten Americans, prior to the election - nine out of ten - believe that the country was radically off course. They lost complete faith in our political institutions, our media institutions. Virtually everything is held in such low esteem, and that's the reason why there was such hope vested in Barack Obama, that he would be something different and new that the country is hungering for.
But I think what needs to happen is there needs to be a sense, as you said, whether it's street demonstrations or other forms of true social disruption that can threaten the people who have an interest in preserving how things are, that until that happens, and whatever form that takes. It's hard to predict. It can be spontaneous. It can grow out of real dissatisfaction and anger. That more or less, lip service will be paid to the idea that these are significant problems that our political leaders care about, that change is coming.
But no real change will occur. Their interests will continue to be to ignore all of that, to treat it as condescendingly as possible and just to placate it when they can.
--Greewald
I actually think Obama is a disruptive force, potentially disruptive force.
--Rosen
BILL MOYERS: To?
To Washington. Because he did speak to people's disgust with our political system. And he still has the power to mobilize that. And his words, expressing that feeling have more potency than, I think, maybe even he realized. But as Glenn said, he is naturally, a compromiser. And I think he's going to be pulled between playing a savvy inside game and trying to mobilize anger from outside of Washington. He's going to seesaw between these two things.
--Rosen
Watch the whole broadcast.
I think the problem is, is that the citizenry has really been trained to believe that they're impotent when it comes to demanding action from the political class.
--Greenwald