Our President is being viciously attacked from the Right and vociferously attacked from the Left. Guess he must be doing something right. Through listening to him, working on healthcare reform and immigration reform, and reflecting on the sorry state of politics at this time in our nation, I have come to reach my own meager conclusion of the necessity to compromise in politics.
I don't like it. Like most people on the Left or Right, I want it my way and I want it now. I want a country without: poverty; hungry children; homelessness; unemployment; environmental destruction; and racism. (Not too much to ask, eh?)
But compromise is the dirty fact of politics. In the healthcare debate, the small advances we achieved would not have been possible without significant compromise on the part of Democrats. We all know that both Democrats and Republicans received huge infusions of cash during the healthcare debate. Lobbyists for the health insurance industry were spending more than $1.4 million A DAY on Capitol Hill to prevent meaningful healthcare reform.
And in this current environmental debacle - despite the fact that it was British Petroleum's failure to put in adequate safety controls that ultimately led to loss of life and loss of livelihood - conservatives, even those affected by BP's negligence, prefer that BP manage the escrow account that will be set up to compensate victims of the oil leak. And they still want to 'Drill,baby,drill.' Say what????
I certainly understand the motives of the Sarah Palins, Glen Becks, Ann Coulters and Rush Limbaughs. They are raking in the big bucks to put forth insane ideas that they can't even believe in. They are nothing more than propagandists working for their corporate masters. We all know that the entire Fox News organization is nothing but a media platform for Rupert Murdoch and his corporate peers to put forth their agenda to consolidate power. And it's working. They have convinced many, many White people to stand for policies that are directly against their best interests. They've convinced many people to stand with the very corporation - BP - that has caused all this current misery.
When shrimpers can't make the link between the Gulf environmental disaster and our pro-fossil fuel energy policies, I can do little more than shake my head in disbelief. What they heard last night was "Obama is using this crisis to push his legislation."
"Obama's" legislation is designed to help us break our dependence on foreign oil, explore and develop alternative sources of energy and provide millions of jobs. But I guess those little details are too much for these Neanderthals to appreciate.
I thought President Obama was right on the money last night. Did he go far enough for the Left? Of course not, and he never will. And no matter what he says, he will always be attacked from the Right. He has to govern from the Center. He has to make the necessary compromises to push his agenda through Congress.
We know that our Congress has been bought and paid for by special interests. We know that conservatives have become masterful at framing arguments in a way that appeals to fear and racism. And it's working. Groups like the Tea Party are running candidates that are so far to the Right that it is frightening. A close examination of their policies reveals a laissez-faire stance on industry and attacks on the mainstream such as dismantling social security.
So we can sit around and feel intellectually superior to the fringe Right and we can complain that Obama is not going far enough. The fact is, nothing will change unless we change it.
Those who complain about the need for compromise need to grow up. You need to either run for office yourself or work for campaign reform. Sitting around and complaining about the state of politics in this country will not change a thing. It is what it is. Only actively working for the change you want to see will make a difference.