CENK: Unilateral Disarmament Has Destroyed the Democrats

[yurbud]

I look forward to the reaction of the usual critics of anything remotely progressive.

It would be hard to make a case for your party when your first action is to ask your vanquished opponent for advice, base half of your stimulus on their philosophy, base health care reform essentially the same as a Republican governors, and even keep some of their appointees since the policies will be indistinguishable.

That kind of bipartisanship essentially neuters our democracy by limiting our choice to the kind of social policy wrapper we like on our Wall Street and bank-owned government.

President Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament. He laid down his arms to reach out to Republicans, and they ripped his arms off and clubbed him over the head with them.

This idea of playing patty-cakes with the Republicans is enormously naïve. When is this administration going to get it through their thick skulls that they will never work with you?!

Now, if attempts at bipartisanship had no downside, then of course I'd be in favor of it. As a theoretical matter, trying to reach out to the other side and reach consensus sounds lovely. But it does have a downside. You don't get to make your own case as you're playing nice with the other side. They're hammering you day in and day out, and you http://professorsmartass.blogspot.com/2007/05/poem-for-dem-surrender-ballad-of-dry.html">keep your powder dry. You know what that ends up in -- a massacre.

And that's exactly where we are now as the Democrats are looking to get slaughtered in 2010. Gallup says the Republicans have a historically large 10-point lead in generic Congressional matchups. The president has gone from a 68% approval rating to the low 40's. He's lost nearly 25% of the country in his approval rating. That's a disaster.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Unilateral-Disarmament-Has-by-Cenk-Uygur-100903-666.html

[Ozymanithrax]

1. I think it is instructive that we deplored the way Republicans did things...

until Democrats got in power. Now we love the way Republicans did things so much that we want our Democrats to be just like Republicans.

I'm sure that when Republicans take over because Democrats are too stupid to vote that we will once again hate the way Republicans do things.

[yurbud]

2. it isn't either/or. You can take strong stands and even play procedural hardball

without going to undemocratic extremes like the GOP did.

Cenk is right though that the Dems went way off the deep end in the other direction by courting GOP votes when it would have been a better use of their time rein in their rabid blue dogs or get rid of them.

The one thing the republicans do that Dems should imitate is they have established a recognizable brand--when someone votes for the GOP, they know what they are going to get: lower taxes for the rich, more military spending and wars, and less spending on anything for the poor and middle class. You can disagree with that, but you at least know what it is.

When you vote for a Dem, about the only thing you know is that they won't beat up gays actively like the GOP does--but they won't necessarily help gays either. On just about every other issue, you don't know how they are going to vote until they do.

Some here like to call progressives whiners who don't work for candidates, but it is frustrating to put work and money into a candidate, have them win, and then ignore the values and priorities they claimed to have to get our support.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. Just two ways to get rid of a blue dog...impeach them...or get them unelected.

The problem, is that many blue dogs come from districts where they are the most liberal person that would be elected in that district. They are faced with get rid of a blue dog and replace by a Republican.

In our system where we have two parties, parties are coalitions of many interest groups. Blue dogs are moderate to center right Democrats. The fix is to have more than two parties, though new problems would crop up.

Actually, the "Brand" is an illusion. Republicans were good at have a few signature initiatives that really didn't do anything for their constituents. Both parties have a platform.

If you look at politics across the world, Democrats are, at best, center left, and would probably be marked center right through most of the world. The only way to change that is to elect more liberal or progressive Democrats. Actually, the tea party is doing to Republicans what Progressives should have done to the Democrats. The Tea Party is trying to take over the Republican party and has successfully primaried a quite a slate of candidates. If they should all win, the Republican party will be wrenched even farther right than it is.

Attempting to get more liberal or progressive candidates into successful primaries did not happen. Believe me, if liberals and progressives had ten successful primaries under their belt, the Democratic party would be shaking in its boots just like the Republican Party establishment is shaking right now.

I am interested in electing more an better Democrats, because we will have two parties for the foreseeable future. I am not interested in electing Republicans because they will make things worse.

[yurbud]

13. in most countries, our Democrats would be center right and our Republicans would be in psychiatric

wards.

[Ozymanithrax]

17. I can't argue with Democrats, but Republicans are like any far...

right wing party in Europe; highly nationalistic, deeply autocratic, and willingly buried neck deep in the shithouses of big business.

[yurbud]

19. hmmm...it will take a while to decide if that's comforting or not.

[DJ13]

6. I think it is instructive that we deplored the way Republicans did things...

......then once Democrats are in power they continue those same reckless Republican policies we once criticized, and were expected to support them.

[Ozymanithrax]

11. Actually, they arn't doing the same things.

in context of this thread. Repubicans did not reach across the aisle to any great extent. Republicans definition of bipartisan is "do what the fuck I tell you to."

Democrats did not do that and that is what has Cenk's panties in a bunch.

[pscot]

3. Feckless Bipartisanship

Bipartisanship has brought the Republicans back from the grave. It has to be the biggest political blunder since Dewey decided to rest on his press notices while Harry Truman whistle stopped his way across the country back in '48.

[indepat]

4. Since this brilliant and eloquent president is neither stupid or naive, what then is the answer to

this seemingly incomprehensible political riddle: is this all by design, and if so, why? :shrug:

[Demeter]

15. I question your assumption

I see no proof that he isn't both and in corporate pockets, too.

[yurbud]

20. stupid he is not, naive is unlikely, in corporate pockets seems demonstrably true

whether that's his intention or not.

[yurbud]

18. reasons why it could be by design:

1. Every president after Kennedy knows what the consequences are of crossing the financial elite in an substantial way.

2. While their is open contingent of conservative (corporate owned) Democrats there may be far more who fly progressive colors and even vote that way but only when the progressive bills have no chance of winning, as was witnessed by Dems pissing away their supermajority in the Senate. So while us average joes may think real change is within reach, those who have seen the inner workings of Congress first hand may conclude that if it doesn't make someone rich even richer.

3. Obama is a DLC, big business first, fuck everyone else, Democrat.

[movonne]

5. I think all this stuff about the polls is about stealing the votes...

[Beartracks]

7. Sure, if yer gonna hack votes...

... to make it look like your side won, then lay the groundwork -- have the MSM tout in advance that your side is going to win -- so that no one thinks anything illegal happened on election day.

-----------------------

[glitch]

9. You betcha. Which is why everyone needs to NOT get discouraged by the executive office and GOTV

right now our only hope is Congress.

And if it's rigged make them steal it.

[pscot]

16. Thse are the times that try men's souls.

November's election will tell us what we're made of.

[DirkGently]

8. Yep. It's like Stockholm Syndrome. Painful. Good find. +1

[20score]

12. K&R!

[ihavenobias]

14. K & R n/t