Imagine that Barack Obama were president, and he had exactly the same policy positions and proposals that he has in real life -- keeping Bush's wars going much longer than most Democrats want, keeping Bush's tax cuts for the rich, proposing historically large spending cuts including cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and so on.
The only difference, in the parallel universe I am describing, is that President Obama has an R instead of a D after his name. Same views, same ideas, same actions as president -- but called a moderate Republican instead of a Democrat.
Follow me below the fold for some painful questions that all Democrats and progressives need to face.
1. Would parallel-universe Republican Obama surprise you in how he was governing the country and the policy proposals he was making? Remember, we're talking about an Obama with exactly the same policies and ideas, except his party affiliation was Republican. Would you find him to be an unusually liberal Republican... or not? Would he seem to fit right into the mainstream of non-Tea Party (i.e. sane) Republicans?
2. Would you feel comfortable voting for parallel-universe Republican Obama? Remember, we're talking about an Obama with exactly the same policies and ideas, except the letter after his name on the ballot would be an R instead of a D. Would you refuse to vote for him if that were the case? If so, would it be because of his positions on issues or because of his party ID?
3. In your blog articles and your conversations with family, friends and acquaintances, would you be praising or repudiating parallel-universe Republican Obama? Specifically, would you be telling people that his presidency is making America better or is bad for America? Remember, we're talking about an Obama with exactly the same policies and ideas, except he would come from the party you normally oppose.
Think about these questions. Think deeply about them. Can you honestly say the following?
- "I would be surprised by how liberal Obama is compared to moderate Republicans, if he were a Republican."
- "I would vote for Obama if he were the same except his party ID, rather than a Democrat running against him."
- "I would praise Obama for making America a better place through his policies and proposals, if he took the same actions and promoted the same ideas as a member of the Republican Party."
If we cannot honestly say those things, then I think we must come to grips with the fact that we have a Republican president in Democratic clothing. In other words, Democrats nominated and elected a president who is, for all intents and purposes, a trojan horse for the other side.
I don't mean that Barack Obama was secretly a conservative who had a stealthy and brilliantly executed plan to get elected as a Democrat and then ruin that party from within. What I mean is that, regardless of his actual beliefs or motivations, the effects are the same. President Obama doing the things he has been doing -- extending Bush's wars, extending Bush's tax cuts for the rich, and now proposing huge budget cuts including cuts to the most basic American social insurance programs that are the bedrock of the Democratic Party platform -- is ruining the Democratic Party, at least for a decade and perhaps for a generation.
Go ahead and hide rate this diary if you want. I hardly post on Daily Kos anymore anyway. But I think you all know deep down that my point is a valid one, even if you haven't yet decided to face the disturbing reality.
The question becomes: What are Democrats who don't want a Republican-lite president going to do about our Obama problem?