I haven't been around here for a while (personal reasons, as well as focusing on working to get out the vote for the elections), but I can see things around here are pretty much the same. It's like soap operas--you can not watch them for years and then tune into one episode and it's like you never missed a thing. But, this diary also has to do with my disillusionment of self-described "progressives". To be clear, this is not to attack "progressives"; I actually agree with you all on many issues--at least idealogically, if not always practically on how to actually make real-world, hard progress. But, this is more of a personal reflection of my own political journey thus far, and how my views have grown and changed, and yet ended up pretty much back where I started.
When I first started voting, began following politics, and became increasingly involved as an active and engaged citizen participating in all levels and stages of the political process, I would say that I considered myself a moderate democratic-leaning independent. Over the last couple of years, as I delved even more into the process and wanted to seek out more and more information, I felt myself more and more aligned as a hardened liberal/"progressive", which is why I guess I was drawn to this blog. However, over the last year or so, I've felt more and more alienated from blogosphere "progressives" as I've found that my views on what President Obama and democrats have done and tried to do diverge greatly from what is widely considered, or not considered, to be "progressive" around these parts.
This latest thing on the deficit commission has prompted me to write this diary in order to express my lone dissenting view against the group consensus. I actually support the work that the commission is doing; I think that it is a serious, worthwhile effort and that they are at least trying to address long-overdue and long-term structural budgetary problems that have not been addressed in any real way for decades (and one can obviously see why in the reaction it's getting right now from all sides); and, while I don't agree with all of the proposals, I don't think it's as bad as everyone is making it out to be. I do think the rich should pay much higher taxes than what they're proposing. However, I do agree with the gasoline tax. I don't think it's the end of the world to slightly raise the retirement age fifty years from now. I don't think it's a bad thing to slightly lower corporate tax rates if it's coupled with real, enforceable closing of tax loopholes. I obviously agree with the pentagon cuts. I'm just saying, it doesn't make one a "corporatist" or a "sell-out" or "dlcer/third-wayer"(although maybe I don't think the dlc/third way is a bad voice to include in the debate) to accept and/or even appreciate this comprehensive deficit-cutting proposal. I agree with Sen. Kent Conrad (gasp!) that throwing stones at everything you don't like and, therefore, can't accept is easy. We've been doing it for years--that's why we're in this situation. So, come up with a viable, comprehensive alternative that would have at least the same deficit-reducing impact. I know that there's a better and more progressive way to do it. I also know what congress the American people just elected. And, I greatly appreciate this president not "kicking the can down the road" on a lot of long-standing big problems, and at least getting a start on them. I want to get a start on this problem as well, and do it in the real and practical world we are in right now, not wait--again--for our better-world liberal congress that we're never patient enough to get elected. So, anyways, I know this isn't a popular position to take around here, but--hey, you can always just ignore it. Just one moderate independent's thoughts in the sea.