Returning from almost 2 weeks away from home and internet, I found several emails from Daily Kos and other progressive groups each with the subject line, "Unbelievable-28 Senate Democrats voted with the Republicans". While I may not have considered this "unbelievable" a month ago, that's not the essential matter for consideration.
Let's just all agree it happened and from now on we act with that knowledge. It's not just "believable", it's fact, history, reality. And this isn't a minor matter - it's lower funding for food stamps at a time of greater than usual need among working people. The emails ask that we sign a petition "demanding they put low-income families ahead of corporate welfare." Half of Senate Democrats voted to put corporations first.
(In 2011, Rep. Cleaver (D-MO) described the debt deal as a "Satan sandwich" and voted against it. But a few days later in an interview, he admitted that he voted "no" on the deal because he knew there were enough votes to pass the deal - but it there had not been enough votes to pass the "Satan sandwich" without him, he would have voted "yes". Democrats don't often admit to this kind of voting, but it's common enough. So, it's believable that more than 28 Senate Democrats would have voted with conservatives if it had been needed to help the corporations.)
This wasn't the only relevant issue in my email inbox. I was told it looked like Senate Democrats weren't going to stop the doubling of interest rates on student loans. There was a petition to Senate Democrats to change the filibuster rules (Senate Democrats have been allowing a minority to control the agenda - presumably because the Democrats don't so much object to the agenda but want to be able to blame someone else for it). There was an email from Amnesty about how Obama talks about closing Guantanamo, but continues to violate detainees' rights. There was an email about the Obama administration's spying on phone calls. And there was an email about the Obama administration not prosecuting the bankers, but recently arresting protesters calling for action against the banks and for endangered homeowners.
My wife also told me about an article that explained Obama's plan to use a "chained CPI" for Social Security benefits would do more than just cut Social Security benefits. Because the IRS doesn't do its calculations based on a chained CPI, those on Social Security could also end up paying more taxes.
There's plenty of reason to see it as believable. Now that we all accept it's reality, what are we going to do about it?