This year most Democrats plus a majority of Independent voters will come to realize two things:
1) President Barack Obama is good for this country, and by a long shot better than any Republican alternative. Despite the dust-up prior to November, he should be reelected...hey, let's give him a landslide.
2) All the fuss about the debt will refocus on economic realities articulated by Paul Krugman in his NY Times OpEd on the national debt published on New Year's Day.
It boils down to one single but very powerful meme for the electorate of 2012 and beyond: Yes, we have an $X-trillion dollar debt, but because other countries owe the USA treasury $0.89X trillion, we're talking about a relative debt excess of only about 10% of what everyone's saying it is now. $15 Trillion in absolute numbers? Sure, but the rest of the world owes us $13.5 trillion.
Hey, doesn't sound so scary when you look at it that way! I've not heard any Democrats support or further articulate this point, but maybe that's because everyone seems focused on Bain Capital, or else I'm not watching the news every second.
But it won't be long before the rest of the rational thinkers in America start climbing on board. After all, Republicans never had problems with national debt before, and I'm assuming it's due in large part to the basics of Kurgman's talking points. They just won't admit it because "Satan's right-hand man" is at the helm.
However, just like the Mittster will have to retrench on including only jobs added, not eliminated, in his Bain Capital quagmire, Republicans will by the force of sheer logic and economic reality also have to rebrand themselves from the "we must get the debt down to zero" crap to "well, okay, we didn't get that one right, either."
So now let's talk 2016 for any reasonable opportunity for a Republican presidency. Hillary Clinton, I'm pretty much convinced, will be ready to be president, and we'll give it to her. Twice. Because under Obama, we eliminated 90% of what we thought was the debt! ;-))
Which brings us to 2024. While it's an opportunity for Republicans, I'm kinda hoping a good Latino/Latina Democrat emerges, if nothing else but to drive the stake deeper in the hearts of many Republican bigots out there.
So I'm looking forward to 2024 and see if the Republicans have learned anything by then, and admitted it.
I see my hyperlink didn't work...here's the link to Krugman's article:
http://www.nytimes.com/...