I'm not much of a diarist, but I am very liberal. To me, a liberal wants change to correct hurtful societal wrongs. I am not a progressive--someone that wants progress to gradually change those wrongs. I have no patience--as a retired elementary school teacher, I saw kids being permanently damaged by things beyond my control--and that pissed me off. Making incremental progress won't help those at a young age--childhood damage leaves a scar.
So my first rant would be--let's not make excuses for "our" leaders when they tread slowly--it's sort of the Brandeis line about justice delayed is justice denied.
Who are our leaders? Reid and Pelosi are probably the names that jump out--and that is the wrong answer--we have one leader--President Obama. It's his job to demand, and to force, change. He is the ultimate arm twister--the mover of public outrage--the candidate that promised so much. We give him a free ride when we blame Harry or Nancy--they're supporting actors on the smaller stage.
Obama seemingly has control of the House, and nominal control of the Senate. He has zero Republican control because he twists none of their pubic hairs. If he called in the semi sane Republicans--and there are some--and threatened to withhold federal monies to their states, some would have to jump their Titanic. The states are bleeding and this method of control is as old as the country. The deal with Nelson shows how money can be added, and it can also be withdrawn. By allowing the Rs to go without punishment guarantees their continued negative votes.
What else has our President done that is shameless? Afghanistan and DADT come to mind. He gets the responsibility for these--solely--yet some here still defend him on the grounds that he must go slowly--be deliberate. Bullshit. Forceful is a positive trait. The Dems have more congressmen/women now than they're likely to have for quite some time--delay makes change less likely. War and military rules are the job of the c-in-c --the leader of the free world--Obama has been a failure here with no one to hide behind.
Finally, there's the economy. Who the hell appointed Geithner, and wants to reappoint Bernanke? These two guys helped create this mess--BB was a late architect--Greenspan clone-- and Geithner was the money conduit to Wall St. Obama needs them--the argument being that they know the players and the score. I say they know them because they were in on the fix--were the enablers--and their positions sent a message to Goldman/Sachs that they they still run the show.
I lay all the blame onto Obama because the "buck stops there." Many on DKos agree, but they're probably still the minority--and that gives the Dems hope that they still have their base. Where else can we go? How about a primary against Obama--making him cater to us. We endured 8 years of an idiotic malicious administration--and our "hope" is not reversing course--or is doing it at a snail's pace. The HCR is seemingly corporately sponsored--won't reduce the per cent of GDP spent on health care--isn't even designed to, except for those things could could be done without "reform." That would be the lowered Medicare payments and expanded health clinics.
I expect this diary to go unread--or HRed--I am not a good enough thinker to change many minds--but writing it made me feel better. Hopefully some of you will rec this--and those yeas will equal the HR nays. Remember--Bush was not our responsibility--Obama is.