Molly Ivins: "I sometimes wake screaming, "Bipartisanship!" and scare myself. "

[madfloridian]

I watched "So Goes the Nation" after the 2004 election. It was about Ohio, and how the GOP got out the religious vote. It was heartbreaking, and I did not agree with so much of it. But I did agree with Ken Mehlman surprisingly. I will paraphrase him. He said he could not remember when an "out" party had gotten voted "in" unless they put forth ideas that the "in" party did not.

In that film George Bush kept saying over and over...that we may not agree with him but we knew where he stood. He did not care if we agreed. It did not matter. He was doing his thing to win.

I think our ideas and policies were far better for the country than were those of
the "in" group. But I do not think we got them across powerfully enough. We were trying to appeal to their base far too much, while they were working quietly getting out "more" of their base.

After the 2006 election, when we won Congress back...there were consultants
on TV on every news station saying how vital it is we all work together. The same extremists who have driven our economy into the ground, lied us into war, and divided us on every topic....then at that moment wanted us to be nice to each other. They said we should work together so we would not be so divided. The media pushed that theme.

Molly Ivins noticed this. She wrote about it.

NOW they are all for bipartisanship.

Yes, NOW they are all for it. And they are doing the same thing in 2009, and we are joining their chorus of post partisanship.

Having watched election coverage nonstop all week, I sometimes wake screaming, "Bipartisanship!" and scare myself.

Of all the viral members of the media who have been suggesting that the Dems cooperate with their political opponents, the one who rendered me almost unconscious with surprise was Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich, the Boy Scout. Newt Gingrich, the man who sat there and watched Congress impeach and try Bill Clinton for lying about having an extramarital affair while he, Newt Gingrich, was lying about having an extramarital affair. (This all took place during his second marriage. The first one ended when he told his wife he was divorcing her while she was in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment.)

This is the level of Republican hypocrisy that reminds us all how far the Dems have to go. I tell you what. Let's all hold hands together and sing, "Oh the Farmers and the Cowboys Should Be Friends!" Just not, please, Newt Gingrich, the man whose contribution to civility was to recommend that all Democrats be referred to with such words as cowards, traitors, commies, godless, liars and other such bipartisan-promoting terms.

....."OK, it's not the 19th century anymore, but it is always the right time to point out the emperor isn't wearing any clothes. Honest. There stands George W. Bush, buck nekkid. We want to help him out of this fix because he's dragging the whole Army, the country and the world down with him. But don't ask us to call those clothes.

One of my favorite sayings about bipartisanship came from the Horse's Ass blog.

Bipartisanship mean Democrats caving and crossing the aisle.

When the media establishment moralistically calls for more bipartisanship, this is what they are talking about: Democrats caving and crossing the aisle to vote with the Republican block. It almost never happens the other way around on the most important issues of the day. Almost Never.

The issue here was simple. Is simulated drowning torture, and thus illegal? Mukasey, soon to be our nation’s top law enforcement official, refused to say. So this noble display of bipartisanship now confirms that the United States of America is a nation that condones torture.

F*** bipartisanship.
Bipartisanship

It's interesting that "partisan" is one of the words applied to Howard Dean in a series of anonymous hit pieces in major media right after he stepped down as chairman.

Here is one:

Mr. Dean certainly had a liberal fan club pushing for him. A medical doctor by training, he burst onto the presidential scene in 2004 on the strength of his "universal health care" plan as governor of Vermont. The militant Netroots crowd -- which he was among the first Democrats to cultivate -- has remained loyal and has been howling for his appointment. Some left-wing Democrats also felt he deserved the job as payment for the electoral victories he oversaw as head of the DNC.

Back in reality, however, Mr. Obama was having none of it. Plenty of top Democrats were fine with letting Mr. Dean run the DNC. His attack-dog style and Internet savvy were well suited to a job that was focused on winning elections. But his personal aggressiveness couldn't be more at odds with Mr. Obama's cool demeanor. And putting Mr. Dean in control of one of Mr. Obama's most cherished initiatives (health care) would've made John McCain's Sarah Palin pick look safe.

President Obama may find that his goal of post partisanship, bipartisanship just may not work with this bunch of extremist Republicans.

The veiled myth of post-partisanship was revealed as the curtain was pulled back on the House vote on the stimulus package yesterday: The bill passed with no Republican support. That, even after Mr. Obama tossed women's health aside and caved into Republican demands to cut out hundreds of millions of dollars to provide birth control to low-income women.

If Mr. Obama's definition of post-partisanship is a more cordial, less harsh atmosphere in which to discuss partisan disagreements, then certainly he's done better on that front than President Bush. That's not only because he's reached out to Republicans, it's also because he's governing, or attempting to govern, or wants to be seen as governing, from the center. Bush governed from the extreme right with a "Democrats begone" attitude.

Hubby and I were talking today with a local Democratic leader. He was using the language of post partisanship to the extreme. We told him we needed a break here for a while. We explained why..that it was in part about the snubbing of Dean. We realized then that he and others here don't have any idea how we worked for the party, how the spreading out to other states worked....none of it.

It was a clueless conversation. It is like the effort now to be so bipartisan with rabid extremists. It won't work. I think Obama is smart enough to figure it out soon.

[Jack Sprat]

1. Molly Ivins was great.

I don't know what's up right now. I am hearing that Trent Lott and Tom Delay have been hinting about taking jobs in the new administration. Said the DLC was all for them adding a bipartisan flavor to the mix.:sarcasm: Next thing, Newt may be demanding a piece of the action for himself and his new girl.

[Why Syzygy]

2. Shall we get the bipartisans

to the polls? I'm not a party person. I'm an Independent. I don't like either of them most of the time! Non-partisan.

They say to win an election, you've got to have the support of Independents and Moderates. So, from my experience, what this bloc does is look at the ideas.

This time the deciding bloc said Progressive.
It didn't say straddle, and it sure as F*** didn't say More Right Wing, please.

k/r

[readmoreoften]

3. I don't see moderates that way at all.

Independents are one thing. (I'm definitely no longer a Democratic, but would never vote Republican) But 'moderates' I've found are generally people who want to 'sound good' at all costs. It's a rhetorical position. Perfect for politicians, but terrible for running a society. I've found that a lot of self-professed 'moderates' are people who like to think of themselves as 'balanced people'-- so in a sense, they have no ideas whatsoever--they just want to win the game.

I think the 'moderates' liked the way the new President sounds. But the independents definitely did not mean 'straddle.' Most of the 'ideas' seem to be with the independent progresives outside the party in my opinion. (Maybe that's because I'm one of them. :shrug:)

[Why Syzygy]

4. I don't put myself

in the "moderate" camp either. But, they always lump us together. I don't know any. I do know a lot of Libertarians. They may consider themselves moderate. But, in my view, they are some of the most radical.

[madfloridian]

11. You make some good points.

"Moderate" sounds good, but too accepting of everything at times.

There seems to be a dearth of real ideas now within party constraints. It seems like we are back to pat answers and talking points mode.

That's because of the power structure of the party in part. There is officially one person in charge, and others don't want to cross the line and offend.

[adamuu]

5. good post

nice assembly of articles on the topic. thanks.

[pleah]

6. Bipartisan, to me, means cave to the thugs.

I have been against this from the beginning.

K&R

[The Wizard]

7. Using the term

extremist Republican is redundant. They've been on the fringe for years. The corporate media has an interest in framing them as mainstream.
Generally speaking, most Republicans are borderline cases when it comes to reality and civil discourse. Some froth at the mouth and chew table legs.
As the corporate media loses influence, the population is beginning to understand the foul nature of the Republican party.
When Rush Limbaugh is the face and voice of your Party, it's time to try something different. Everything changes once the lying starts. As the truth catches up on them Republicans will get more insane and eventually self destruct. Until they are erased from the political landscape, they can eat shit and bark at the Moon.

[bertman]

8. I think we should name Molly as a patron Saint of the Progressive movement.

Enshrine would be more like it. No one is more deserving of the title.

Madflo, I have a question: Was that local Democratic leader just spouting stuff he had come up with in his own mind, or is this now the top-down mantra of the Florida Democratic party/national Democratic party based on President Obama "reaching out" to the fascists?

I ask because I was under the impression that the "reaching out" was an Obama attempt to test the waters rather than a pure policy strategy. I do realize that he talked about reaching across the aisle during his campaign, but that is standard fare from both sides during a campaign.

Of course, with the DLC-types whispering in our President's ear, there's no telling what b.s. he's being fed.

I hope you're right about him being smart enough to figure it out soon. Based on what I've seen with his Financial Failure Reward Part II he seems to be taking his cues from the neo-liberal-Wall Street-Banking Cabal wing of the party. So far, that doesn't inspire much HOPE for CHANGE.

[madfloridian]

21. Here you go...an interesting post about our Democrats.

I am just not sure of the whole answer. I do know that because of our leaders in this conservative fundamentalist area with a Southern Baptist church on every corner....that this was one of the earliest areas to be in completely with DLC policies. One of the leaders here a couple of years ago famously said that if we didn't like DLC policies they would stick it to us anyway.

A state Dem chair said the DLC was the "wind in our sails."

Making his way through the Florida delegation, for example, he's greeted by the state party chair, the head of the state DLC, and a gruff lawyer from Lakeland named Bob Grizzard. Defiantly wearing a t-shirt from Clinton's 1992 campaign over his checkered oxford shirt, Grizzard tells me he's a "proud member of the DLC." When I ask him about the prominence of liberal speakers on the convention docket, he says, "We're the party of diversity and inclusion," then pauses before adding, "and if they don't want to swallow DLC, we'll stick it to 'em." A minute later, he grabs the shoulders of an African American delegate and pulls him over. "He's not quite with us yet," Grizzard confides to me jokingly, "but we'll give him time." Grizzard's friends are a little embarrassed by the gesture but share his triumphalism nonetheless. "The DLC is the wind in our sails," says Bob Poe, the state party chair.

Yep, they are our leaders. They are slowly being replaced, but the same devotion to conservatism still exists.

[Wetzelbill]

9. I think he has figured it out

He's just still trying to be magnanimous and find a way to enact good policy. He appears reasonable and forthcoming after trying to work with House Republicans and when not one voted for the stimulus after he worked with and met some of their ideas halfway it made them look petty and small. It may not be evident yet, but that will catch up with the GOP. Obama has a way of making others look bad in comparison to him. Like he made McCain -a guy with a fawning press corps, great brand and interesting back story- look infantile because he was putting out cheapshot ads about Obama's "celebrity" and coming close to accusing Obama of supporting child molestation. Soon after the press started calling McCain on his lies.

Right now, the far right controls the message, they've worked on framing it in their favor for decades. A study revealed that the major cable networks had more Republicans on in the last few weeks to discuss the package than Dems. But soon enough, that will get old, especially because all they do is obstruct and throw out the same failed ideas and Obama, as I said earlier, has a way of making people look bad when they do that sort of thing. I think because of his reasonable and magnanimous nature he's going to have a better relationship with the media in terms of them relating to his policy ideas. In the wake of serious crises, the GOP looks selfish, Obama doesn't, that should help him.

[madfloridian]

13. What concerns me, though, is that you are correct. The right controls the message.

People who tried to say that out loud are not very visible right now. My concern is not so much with Obama as with those surrounding him and the messages they whisper in his ear.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. I don't necessarily wake up screaming when I hear "bipartisanship," but

I do get extremely nauseated.

Ever since Reagan took office "bipartisanship" has not meant "both parties working together for the common good" but "the Democrats trying to placate the Republican bullies by handing over their lunch money."

[madfloridian]

15. Exactly right...

Only partisan when Republicans are in power. We are supposed to play nice.

[madfloridian]

12. Forgot a link..

to the last two quoted paragraphs in the OP. US News

Myth of post partisanship

[KoKo]

14. Good Read, MF. With Daschle out can we "cross our fingers" hoping that Dr. Dean

has a chance? He at least would be one Progressive in Obama's Administration that is shaping up to be much more Repug than I would have thought, so far.

[madfloridian]

17. Hate to say it...

but I doubt it.

[KoKo]

22. I'm still hoping for the "Wild Card"...but then I don't play cards..so what do I know...n/t

[asteroid2003QQ47]

16. IBTL

What's with all this criticism of the blind faith crowd. Surely you cannot fail to see how well the recipients of blind faith have benefited throughout time?

[D23MIURG23]

18. We didn't fix Europe's fascist problem by reaching across that aisle either. n/t

[martha thacker]

19. I consider moderates

fascists in todays political climate. I am an extremist. But Howard Dean's aggressive tactics ? He balanced Vermont's budget and still could afford humane social programs. Give me a break... Rahm Emmanuel fits right in with Obama for his diplomatic approach? Propaganda. Dr. Dean for chief of staff after Rahm Emmanuel is fired for just not fitting in with polite society.

[glinda]

20. I miss Molly big time.

[madfloridian]

23. She was a special lady.

I miss her as well.