There seems to be a lot of consternation among Democrats/Progressives as to what to do next following the disappointment of HCR and the watered down agenda of the Obama administration. Some say we need to work harder electing progressive Democrats, or that by electing the largest democratic majority in two generations our expectations should have been tempered. Many say we should stick wih the party no matter what and justify their loyalty by pointing towards the failures of the Bush administration and proclaiming that it could always be worse. I disagree, and here's why.
My fellow Democrats - how easily you forget that the Clinton administration's consolidation of the Reagan agenda stripped away legislative protections like Glass-Stegall that real Democrats put in place from 1932-1938, you know - the sort of protections that prevented an economic collapse the likes of which we are living thru now. Keep pretending that didn’t occur under a Democrat.
And by all means, keep pretending that it hasn’t been a Democrat that has failed to re-institute those depression era reforms following the single greatest theft of wealth in US history. Better yet, keep pretending those reforms will see the light of day in 2010.
My fellow Democrats - keep pretending that Clinton era policies like telecom deregulation didn’t produced Comcast/NBC, or that energy deregulation didn’t give us the gift of Enron, or that the end of Glass-Stegall didn’t produce "too big to fail." Perhaps through our revisionist inclinations we can blame that on old mother Reagan.
Please, by all means Democrats - keep pretending that Republican Lite is okay, that electing centrists Democrats produced no long term damage to the country, that it was only George Bush, or those evil Republicans before him that steered this nation towards a stratified society, replete with a permanent underclass, a nation incapable of governing itself, incapable of solving the most basic problems that threaten to bankrupt the nation in a generation. Keep pretending that your vote in 2010 is the lesser of two evils.
So far, in the last year we have learned that we are incapable of pushing back against the banks that preyed upon this nation’s citizens for thirty years by enacting real financial reform. But that’s okay; you can always keep pretending that somehow the problem will go away.
In 2009, we have learned that the sanctity of the defense budget remains intact, no matter whether a Democrat or a Republican sits behind the Resolute desk, even as governments at the federal, state, and local level run enormous budget deficits that promise stagnation in the short term, economic ruination in the long term. Keep pretending that only Republicans perpetuate imperial ambitions overseas.
To the Democrats reading this, I beg of you - keep pretending the defense budget for FY2010 will not be increased by another 2%, even as 150 government programs are on the receiving end of sharp budget cuts. Maybe someday you can pretend you failed to see the lies not two inches from your nose.
In 2009, we have also learned that even though we all agree that health care costs will bankrupt our nation and stifle economic growth for the foreseeable future; we are incapable of addressing the root cause of the problem - the profit motive. Keep pretending that half measures, and that’s a stretch, will be enough to stave off rising health care costs that will cripple millions of middle class households. Keep pretending none of this is happening under the guise of so-called Democratic leadership.
In addition to the aforesaid lessons we have learned this year, have you forgot that the once promised end of federal subsidies for private lenders in the student loan industry all but came to an end this week – the result of intense pressure from lobbyists bought and paid for by the same "too big to fail" banks we refuse to regulate, or better yet - break up, and that it all occurred under the watchful leadership of Democratic stalwarts like Jamie Gorelick, who served in the Clinton administration.
Yes, the same banks that blew up the housing market, and the global economy for that matter, have already won the battle for congressional hearts and minds that threatened to end their tax payer subsidized extortion operation that is producing a permanent indentured servant class, post college. Keep pretending this practice did not begin with the Clinton administration, nor will end with a Democratic administration supplied with the largest majority in congress since the Johnson administration.
For those who maintain your fealty to the Democrats is some noble undertaking, that it represents the better of two disagreeable options, I say this -you clearly have failed to learn the proper lesson from the last thirty years of failed leadership and corrupt governance in these United States. Namely, that it is now an us versus them world and none of us have a membership card.
My advice to you folks is simple - keep voting for the Democrats and keep pretending that the failure to correct the deficiencies in our system is somehow anything less than an abrogation of your obligation as a citizen. Keep pretending that half measures, or quarter measures, will suffice. Keep pretending we have time, that time is on our side, and that we’ll eventually achieve a different result by practicing the same behavior.
To the progressives in the house, I implore you - keep pretending that the president is an agent of change. Keep pretending that Wall Street and the Pentagon do not pose the single greatest threat to your democratic institutions, and that by doing nothing the problem will go away.
I don't know what's worse these days, those who vote one way knowing it will make matters worse for us common rabble and don't give a damn or those that understand perfectly well that voting one way will only hasten the inevitable result by a few years and pretend that somehow such action is sufficient, defensible even, and a real profile in courage moment.
I do not pretend to speak for anyone, or for any movement. I am a simple man, some might say I am educated, whatever that means, and I cannot compel any of you to undertake any action. But I will ask of all of you, where is the wisdom in proclaiming your willingness to stick with the Democrats come what may, even though the full weight of the evidence before you suggests that doing so will not produce a different result than that we have witnessed for the last thirty years?