So this latest 'compromise' on the Auto bailout has me wondering: why the hell are these people so pathetic? For years I have figured Democrats -- especially (but not exclusively) of the Senatorial variety -- were just a bunch of pansies who could not stand up for what they really believed. Every time a single Republican whispered the word 'filibuster', the whole caucus seems to go into a panic, doing everything they can do water down everything we at the grassroots have worked to accomplish. Every Democrat became tongue-tied every time they showed up on TV, unable to explain straightforwardly that Republican obstructionism is the cause of our misery, not Democrats intent on accomplishing nothing.
Of course, one only needs to watch a single program of Bill Moyers Journal or NOW to wonder about the corporatist component to all of this. Maybe claiming 'weak knees' in the face of GOP pressure is simply an easy excuse for doing what your corporate paymasters wanted of you anyways. It starts to seem as if telecom immunity in FISA is the shining example of Democratic accomplishment, as opposed to a black mark on their record.
But what if both of these viewpoints on the Democrats are wrong? Could there be something principled about caving to Bush at every turn?
George W Bush and the Republican Party he has led for the last eight years have had no trouble proving that reality and compassion are not at the top of the agenda. SCHIP and Katrina are obvious examples of Republicans not caring about things we never really expected them to care about. But even matters like the deficit and military readiness -- areas that the GOP supposedly cares about -- have been ripe for some good neglect and malfeasance.
So what does a person or group do, when faced with an enemy that, beneath everything else, simply does not care? What if, for every reasonable concession you made to these people, they responded with a blank stare and a demand for more? What if, after you've conceded on the cost of the loan package, these people still insisted on causing the death of the American auto industry? Then you let the Bush administration appoint an anti-labor car czar for the remaining month of their tenure. Then what do you capitulate on? At the end of the day, we aren't driven crazy by any one single concession, but the accumulation of many capitulations in any one bill. What if those capitulations are the only thing stopping the Republicans from destroying an entire industry? Despite his inability to create anything close to a clear argument, George Bush can play chicken like nobody else.
Beyond the issue of GOP senators filibustering the current loan package, does anyone think the Democratic caucus could overcome a Bush veto? In the weeks it would take to reshape the package, recess for Christmas, and deal with another filibuster, would the American automotive industry survive? How many millions of jobs would we lose, and how much better would the final bill be?
None of this is meant as an excuse or even an argument for Democrats standing meekly in the corner every time the GOP has an opinion. The elected members of our party have an incredible inability to communicate to the public, or to stick together against hardball legislative tactics specifically meant to split the party. Often, they completely concede on matters of absolute principle, without anything to show for it (I'm thinking here of issues like FISA, where even the bill that passed didn't accomplish anything good). I have no explanation for these issues (key as they are), besides the claim that these people have no confidence in their ability to communicate effectively on the issues that matter most.
In the end, all that I am presenting is a loosely sketched theory for why these people might do the pathetic things they do. Maybe I'm simply trying to make myself feel better about watching another capitulation come and go. I'm certainly open to other explanations that go beyond calling these people pathetic or stupid (true as those claims may be). An explanation of the psychology at work here is what I really crave.