Unnerved by Responsibility, Democrats Signal a Yearning for the Minority

Our country’s pathetic excuse for an “organized” left, the Democratic Party, has once again begun to disappoint, much to the dismay of those that the party so vigorously claims to represent. Although time and again the Democrats have promised massive change and reform for America, the postwar and post-FDR left in the United States is somehow still reeling from an identity crisis that subverts its platform when viewed in the limelight. Aside from the four years of Carter and the twelve years of Reagan (ok, and Bush), the presidency has pretty much followed the eight-year cycle of alternating stewardship shared by the Democrats and the Republicans since the end of the Second World War. (more…)

The Gift of Fear

In the middle of his show that aired on September 24, 2009, after playing a clip of schoolchildren celebrating Barack Obama’s being the first black President by singing a song (during Black History Month) to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic that lauded the President’s accomplishments, Glenn Beck encouraged Americans to “listen to the gift of fear: it’s there for a reason.” Wow, thanks for the inspiring words Glenn. I can’t think of a less helpful thing to say to an already terrified public mired in the midst of a recession that, while slowly lessening its grip on the American economy, remains a painful reality for many of those who have already or are about to lose their jobs or houses, not to mention the other things they already fear thanks to the 24/7/365 inundation of information that is omnipresent in today’s society. (more…)

The Faith to Persevere

A few days ago, my fellow Daily Nexus political blogger Audrey wrote a piece detailing the “disinformation” that she believed Obama was spreading about health care reform. After reading her post, and feeling entirely unmoved vaguely interested, I knew that my terrible impulse control would, per usual, betray me and before I realized it, my fingers were already flying. While I will not deny that I left a somewhat snarky comment, her response to my comment bewildered me. She wrote, sarcastically of course, that next time she wrote a post she would not, and I quote, “back up [her] statements with so many facts; it might send the left into a tailspin.” While I would not exactly call my five sentence, one paragraph response a “tailspin,” it was her sheer confidence in her beliefs and unquestioning loyalty to her party’s line that really blew me away, not her attempt to hurt my feelings by referring me to the dictionary. (more…)

The Lost Generation

For decades, America has been in a slowly worsening state of stagnation that was initiated by the new neoliberal economics of the postwar era and has been perpetuated by the apathy and disillusionment of those living in the formidable shadow of the achievements of the greatest generation and the failures of its successors.

The United States emerged from the depths of the Great Depression into a chaotic world torn apart by the ceaseless march of progress, long smoldering ethnic and cultural rifts, and deep-seated differences in political ideology. When the bullets stopped flying, America alone stood largely undamaged, a powerhouse of industry with a booming economy, poised to recreate the shattered world in its own image. However, though fascism’s champions had been crushed, there remained another enemy with the potential to hamper America’s ability to exploit the markets recently created by the final collapse of old-style imperialism and the implementation of modern systems of government: the Soviet Union. The greatest generation responded to their newest challenge in much the same manner that it had dealt with their prior hurdles, by rallying around a common cause and working together to ensure success. They fought for democracy in the countries they felt threatened by the “communist hordes,” they accelerated scientific research at a rate never before seen by mankind, they funded development worldwide, and their efforts ultimately resulted in the crowning achievement of the human race, the landing of men on the moon.

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Although Kennedy Has Gone, His Dream Will Never Die

Senator Edward Morse Kennedy, long known as the “liberal lion,” a champion of the causes of the disenfranchised and downtrodden, died Wednesday after a long battle with brain cancer. His death marks the end of the political powerhouse that was his generation of Kennedys, and although he lost all three of his brothers whom he admired so much long before he should have, he kept their dream of an America united through thick and thin, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or ability alive for decades. The tragedies he endured, as well as the scandals in which he was mired, did not undermine his political strength as it would have to so many others, but instead, with each time that he was broken, he would recover with his beliefs intact and his resolution stronger than ever before. (more…)

Town Halls Actually a Cover for Republican Self-Help Meetings

John McCain’s town hall meeting in Sun City, Arizona, which was broadcast live Tuesday morning on CNN, was a surprising change from those that have been receiving the most air time as of late. Unlike town halls hosted by Democratic legislators, I was refreshed to see that there were no strung out right-wing extremists comparing Obama’s proposals to Nazi policies (although one would think that they would find those attractive), there were no screaming veterans, nor were there any sassy fifth-year seniors from the University of Colorado at Boulder challenging the President to an Oxford-style debate. However, my relief quickly turned to horror as I realized the truth of the situation: John McCain was standing in a church with a cadre of the elderly seated behind him in the choir section, and an even larger mob of seniors arrayed in front of him in the church’s seating. I could count the number of minorities in the audience on one hand, and the only young people present appeared to be McCain’s designated microphone caddy, a smiling Republican goon content to be a foot soldier for the conservative movement, and a wandering photographer. (more…)

Obama, like Clinton, Will Not Be Jimmy Carter 2.0

There was concern in the days leading up to and including the early Clinton presidency, according to Hunter S. Thompson in his account of the 1992 United States Presidential Campaign, Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie, that Bill Clinton

“might fail utterly, like Jimmy Carter, and bring another 12 years of greey Republican looting…. That is what happened when Carter lost control of his presidency and got stomped by Ronald Reagan in 1980…. Jimmy was humiliated and the Democratic party was demoralized for 10 years. It was horrible. And it will be worse if it happens again. Jesus! Another populist Southern governor with no sense of humor, no grasp of how to rule Washington or balance the budget or deal with the Arabs or even what to do with his lovely iron-willed wife.” (198)

However, Clinton proved his mettle, and although his presidency had its speed bumps and scandals, he will be remembered as one of the best presidents of the 20th century. After eight more years of “Republican looting” under Bush II, Obama was seen as a shining light to lead the Democratic party in the early 21st century. But when his legislative goals began to run into trouble in Congress earlier this year and his poll numbers began to slide, the media began to question his efficacy. With the ridiculously over-hyped health care debate being continuously fueled by lies, fear, ignorance, lack of education, and the incessant “analysis” of the “signals” being sent out by the White House, it might appear that another populist Democratic president is poised to embarrass himself with legislative failures and problems controlling a Democratic Congress.

If one looks at the facts, though, the situation appears much less dire. The President has already had success with his stimulus package, as evidenced by the dramatic slowdown in the economic free fall. He still enjoys a great deal of popularity with Americans, and has not yet been in office for a year. Furthermore, the health care bills in the House and the Senate have not even gone to conference yet, and with the public option still enjoying overwhelming support in the House and with the administration, it is still very likely that it will be included in whatever final form of the bill ends up going to the President. Additionally, even if the health care bill does not end up covering all of the President’s goals, if things continue going well for his administration, he could win even more seats in both houses of Congress after the midterm elections. This would enable him to convert more of his promises to policy, and perhaps enable him to extend the health care reforms currently in development.

Before the media paints an early end for our young President, perhaps they should let him fight a few major battles. The legislative process is too often hampered by misrepresentation of issues in the media, such as yesterday’s insistence in the headlines that the White House was no longer strongly backing the public option, which today was shown to be inaccurate. The President still has much to do, and if he is given a chance, he will be able to do it successfully.

American Politics Finally Grows a Backbone

Howard Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told Democratic lawmakers today that if they did not back the public option, there would be Democratic primaries in their district in the next election, according to the Huffington Post. His threat, which would represent a major problem for lawmakers long accustomed to utilizing the advantage of their incumbency to be handed victory after victory, signals a major shift in the tactics of American political parties. For far too long, the two major political parties have merely acted in a symbolic fashion, performing their obligations but never really wielding much power.

However, Dean’s announcement changes all that. The Democratic Party has not advocated a party line in this manner in decades—if ever. While the Democrats certainly trend to the left of center, there are various factions within the party, such as the Blue Dogs, who have significantly different political views than the more leftist Democrats. While the party can rely on their support on some occasions, when it comes to major pieces of legislation that would require them to vote against their beliefs, their backing is not always assured. (more…)

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