Even after we decisively win a presidential election, even when winning that election cost so much more than just a little sweat and tears, why does it always feel like Progressives lose? The relief and even the joy of Obama's re-election -- America, at least, did not endorse sheer political insanity -- is now crashing hard on the realities of an intransigent political opposition that despite wishful thinking is not fading away combined with a lack of backbone from Democrats, starting with Obama.
Our problems are too grave to address with this pathetic incrementalism. No, not the debt.... a bogus issue. There are two issues that will destroy us if not addressed aggressively... Climate change is, of course, the overriding issue, but income inequality is not far behind, because if we can't drastically reduce the power of the plutocrats and start to reempower everyone else our democracy will never function well enough to even begin to address climate change.
Now comes this pathetic excuse of a compromise on the "fiscal cliff," which only means another cliff a few months on when Dems will have less leverage. Nor is there any reason to think Obama will find his cojones. He may sound better than he did in the first term, but the actions are no different.
If liberals give all we've got to the reelection of Obama and he fails like this even before his second inauguration, what hope is there that income inequality and climate change will ever be seriously addressed? And if they remain unaddressed, what hope is there? Would America ever elect anyone a shade more liberal than Obama?
Yes, Obama is immeasurably less bad than the insanity of the sanest Republican. But immeasurably less bad just won't cut it anymore.