There's a set of Kossaks who, for whatever various motives, claim the title of "realists" and pretty uniformly tell us that "Obama is doing the best he can," that "the votes just aren't there in Congress."
Anyone remember Grima Wormtongue, slimy minion of Saruman the Wise (a Big Time Evil Greedhead, as bad as Blankfein and Dimon and Geithner,) that same Grima who went forth from Isengard to poison, with effectual words of weakness and caution, the soul and spirit of Theoden, king of the Horse Lords, and thus defeat his nation? The "trusted counselor" who insinuated himself so deeply into the King's "confidence" that the King aged and weakened prematurely, and was convinced that "resistance is futile?"
Is that the message of the "realists?"
Not to tee off on anyone in particular, but the comment quoted here, typical of so many, catalyzed my little complaint. The comment was in response to someone stating that Obama could have done a whole lot more to get some restitution from and retribution against the "Wall Streeters" who along with other Kleptocrats are killing the rest of us so they can wear $300,000 "wrist chronographs" and drive $500,000 hand-made cars and own 17 homes and all the rest. And that Obama could, if he wanted to, have actually acted vigorously, like a polio-crippled wheelchair-bound predecessor, even against a hostile House and stacked court system. And that of course he should have been able to ACT, even and especially back when there was a nominal slam-dunk majority where it counted. Says the commenter, the "realist:"
Then produce the votes (0+ / 0-)
Go through rolls of the House and Senate and produce the votes that would have supported more. If you can show how it would have passed the House and the Senate. Not just hot air and wishfull thinking but Reps and Senators that would have voted to push a bill that did more to "punish" Wall Street.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
That's the kind of thinking, or at least subtle argument, that completely ignores that Obama, and of course the Power People he has chosen to carry out his rule, have been doing, and pointedly NOT doing, a whole lot of "shoving shit through." And doing, or NOT doing that shoving, via the extraordinary power of the Unitary Presidency, issuing executive orders and directing policies, and directing enforcement of, or ignoring of, existing laws, and by controlling the arcs of regulatory initiatives, stuff that does not even have to pass through the rank bowels of The World's Greatest Deliberative Body.
And that whispering ignores or obscures that Obama has pointedly chosen NOT to either arm-twist or use the Bully Pulpit, as many of his predecessors have done, including Reagan, who crapped all over "opposition majorities" in their time.
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