I had the distinct pleasure last weekend of attending what I think is a one-of-a-kind event. The local (Seattle) progressive talk station, AM 1090, hosted a panel discussion with Thom Hartmann, Mike Malloy, Stephanie Miller, Bill Press, and Ron Reagan. The event was called "Embracing Change: Moving Forward as the Majority."
After being in a state of depression, rage and despair for the past couple weeks over what is happening, it was refreshing and calming to spend an evening listening to intelligent, constructive discussion about what's going on and some strategies for the future.
But by far the most intriguing aspect of the evening was a comment by Thom Hartmann, indicating that there may be a lot more going on behind the scenes than we know. I found it encouraging enough that I thought it was worth a diary now, when things are looking even bleaker and uglier than a week ago.
I spent about half an hour trying to figure out how to embed the videos, but I couldn't do it. Video links and the transcript of Thom's statement below the fold. I encourage you to watch the whole video if you can make the time. (And if anyone can tell me how to embed it, I will.)
Video links and partial transcript below. Hartmann's discussion starts at about 25:00, and I've bolded the crucial part of his remarks in the transcript. (Note: The first 11 minutes of the video are preliminaries; content starts at about 11:30.)
AM 1090 Forum - Link to Video Part I
AM 1090 Forum - Link to Video Part II
Partial Transcript
(Lead-in: The moderator asked the speakers to evaluate Obama's performance so far -- are you getting what you want from the Obama administration? Malloy went first, expressing what he called "anticipointment" -- Obama not doing what Malloy anticipated; should be acting more forcefully.)
MODERATOR: Thom, how much of this would you put right at the President's feet, with all the attention he and the campaign team put on the "First 100 Days"? It was going to be historic, it was going to be FDR. And it's tough to do 100 days these days.
HARTMANN: Well, FDR's first 100 days weren't all that historic. If you look back, Social Security wasn't passed in '33, in his first 100 days; it was passed in '35. Unemployment benefits-- extended unemployment benefits, '35. The Wagner Act that allowed unionization was '35. It took him a couple years. I mean, he ran on a platform of balancing the budget and reducing federal spending. And the first piece of legislation he introduced did both of those things.
So it took FDR a while to figure out--- not so much to figure out, but to realize how much political power he had behind him. And I don't think Barack Obama realizes the depth of the political power he has behind him yet.
I've been very impatient and disappointed in a few things, I mean going back to his FISA vote when he was still a Senator. And yet, there is a part of me, and you know I've very candidly shared this on the air with you, that thinks that this guy successfully navigated what most of us thought, what the world certainly thought, what America certainly thought a year and a half ago was an impossible path: for an African-American with the middle name of Hussein to even be the nominee of the Democratic party, much less be the President of the United States of America, and did it BRILLIANTLY.
And so I'm willing to, for the moment, for the next three or four months, as we see this stuff play out, suspend judgment, and say I'm assuming now, he's playing chess not checkers. And when you're playing chess with somebody, you don't know seven moves ahead what they're thinking. And he's holding it close to his vest.
I just saw--- one small thing that makes me think this is I just saw one small story in . . . I think it was the Washington Post a couple days ago about how the Senate has configured this piece of legislation--- or when Reid puts the whole thing together, they're configuring it so it can be done by reconciliation. In other words, it will be impossible to filibuster. No big headline, no big announcement, nothing like that.
I think he's just--- my HOPE is that he's gonna get this thing up, and he's just gonna knock these guys' knees out. If he doesn't, then you're gonna hear me yelling very, very loud. But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.