There were two opinion pieces that stood out today.
Teacherken has written a diary about the first and is well worth a read.
From Charles M Blow
From this worldview, liberalism isn’t simply an alternate political sensibility, but a rot, an irreparable ruination, a violation of the laws of the land as the founding fathers (most of whom owned slaves at some point) envisioned, but also of the laws of nature, which they see as being directed by God. There are so many examples of this: opposition to L.G.B.T. rights, to the science undergirding climate change and efforts to arrest that change, and to allowing women a full range of reproductive options.
The other piece is from E.J. Dionne
Now, they can no longer have it both ways. Many of them claim they agree with the substance of what Obama did and also that Congress should pass a broader immigration bill. If this is true, then why should they spend all their energy trying to undo the constructive steps he has just taken? If they punt and simply join the rancid attacks on Obama as an “emperor” and a “monarch,” they will demonstrate for all to see that the GOP really is dominated by its right wing and that those of more measured views are simply too timid to take on their internal adversaries.
No wonder they’re so angry with the president.
The conclusion by Blow
Make no mistake: This debate is not just about this president, this executive order or immigration. This is about the fear that makes the face flush when people stare into a future in which traditional power — their power — is eroded, and about their desperate, by-any-means determination to deny that future.
The conclusion by Dionne
For the six years since Obama’s election to the presidency, the Republican right has been on offense, continually blurring those distinctions between the “factual” and the “perceptual.” They keep charging that Obama is a dangerous radical even when he pursues middle-of-the-road policies. Their supposedly more temperate colleagues go along because they don’t have to pay a price.
Obama has just told them their free ride is over. The stakes in American politics will be much clearer because he did.
I am glad there is this debate going on, this will not end with President Obama, it is a much more fundamental battle than that.
Whilst I have often disagreed with the President one thing is for sure is that his presidency has brought this whole fetid circus into the public domain, a light has been shone into the darkness and what has been illuminated is truly vile. I am not saying it was not always there, what I am saying it has been dragged kicking and screaming into the light.
Bipartisanship was merely used to put a so called serious face on a takeover of democracy, it always was a nasty process of exclusion; it merely papered over some of the more extreme tendencies.
I agree with Blow that this goes over and beyond one President and I agree with Dionne that the whole free lunch has been exposed as a sham. When the "victors" of an election is decided by a mere of 17% of the population then its putrid heart has been laid bare.
The Democratic Party to survive needs to take a stand and hopefully come out on the side of 99% of the population; this is far from certain, it has not been the case for a very long time. The Republican Party has already made it abundantly clear that democracy is not their bag.
We have a choice and I believe only one of the two parties can be changed, the other is owned lock stock and barrel by the oligarchs and we are in danger of completely losing the other. When one side uses "freedom" as a bludgeon you know for sure that you are in trouble, when the other concedes without a fight you know that you have been sold down the river.
A gauntlet has been thrown down, who will take up the challenge. The fight starts from the base on up, we have to make our side scared of us so much so that they actually start listening to what the vast majority of the people want no matter which political party they have traditionally supported. There is more commonality than they would actually like you to believe.
"Divide et impera" needs to be consigned to the trash can of history, we are up against appalling odds, but it can be changed, or at least I hope that it can.
just a thought.