This post was written earlier this afternoon, but whatever the election results might be, let’s all just step back and take a deep breath. In the grand scheme of things, regardless of how many seats the Republicans have won back, not much has changed. No need for the sleeping pills or the razor blades just yet:

1) We still have a neocon in the White House who is not going to push for our agenda.

2) We still have a two-party system that is controlled by wealthy corporate interests no matter which party has the majority.

3) We still a crap economy and a growing gap between rich and poor which neither party will do much about.

4) We still have serious energy and climate issues which neither party will do much about.

5) We still have a media system which feeds on partisan controversy and simiplistic dichotomites instead of ways we can solve our common problems.

6) We still have a public which blames all of it problems on political opponents or on the government as a whole, but which is unwilling to work or sacrifice to be part of solutions.

In what other ways are things the same tonight regardless of the election outcome? What’s on your mind tonight?

Last night, I made the mistake of turning on the television. I caught the last segment of  Spitzer/Parker and the first part of Larry King Live before I turned it off in disgust.

The first show ended with a roundtable discussion that focused on the midterm elections. I was hoping for some insight on how the emergence of the Tea Party and some of the surprisingly tight Senate races were bringing the economy and the failure of Congress into the limelight. Instead, it quickly became a discussion of campaign advertising tactics.

Each side whined that the other side wasn’t playing fair and cared more about winning than helping the people – the same old crap that partisan pundit hacks always throw up. The only helpful comment was when Spitzer reminded us that American politics has never been civil, and that this election hasn’t been any worse than many others throughout history. The difference, he correctly observed, is that the media now focuses on personalities and controversy instead of substantive issues. Shockingly, the rest of the panel disagreed, blaming the politicians for dragging the process to a new low.

In the end, no issue of substance entered the conversation, and despite his unusual level of self-awareness, Spitzer never forced the others to talk about issues instead of fluff.  . . . Read the rest of this entry →

A fascinating observation from Adam Serwer of the American Prospect:

Pro-gay rights Republicans seem to be less of an oxymoron these days. Former Solicitor General Ted Olson is, along with Ted Boies, leading the fight in the courts against California’s ban on same-sex marriage and schooling Fox News on what fundamental rights are. Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman has come out and begun raising money for the pro-equality group Americans for Equal Rights. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter, who once called Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards a "faggot," is headlining a political convention for gay and lesbian conservatives, and Sen. John Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Rep. Pete Sessions, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, will be appearing alongside other GOP elected officials at a dinner hosted by the Log Cabin Republicans. Even Glenn Beck has said he doesn’t think gay marriage is a "threat to the country."

Not all of these cases indicate an instance in which Republicans have embraced gay rights or even marriage equality — Cornyn and Sessions for example, are merely attending the event — but it’s hard not to conclude, as Marc Ambinder writes, that "it’s becoming less of a stigma for bigwigs to associate with gays in the Republican Party."

Certainly these developments don’t sit well with much of the GOP’s Christian conservative base – but the political landscape is shifting. It will be interesting to see how this trends plays itself out.

What’s on your mind tonight?

The following thought-provoking comment from "alternateid" appeared under a piece I posted Saturday on progressives and the 2010 election:

There are a lot of scared people out there who aren’t crazy. People disconnected from the details of politics. People who need a strong leader to guide them and tell them what to think and feel. That leader can channel their fears for good or for evil.

Since the big election tease of hope and change, the Dems have squandered every opportunity to provide that leadership, making no attempt to address the anxiety and concern many people feel. What makes it worse is that the betrayal fuels anger and even more anxiety.

The Dems walked away and the vacuum is being filled by people like Beck. People are getting the leader they need, someone to guide them and tell them what to do, unfortunately straight into a right-wing, xenophobic direction.

Until a progressive force steps in and addresses and channels those fears, we will remain stuck in the election cycle exchange of power. Meanwhile, the country slides further and further into fascism. The progressive obsession with holding off the bogey-man does nothing to address this mess but it does serve the Dems purposes nicely.

Good stuff, and a little different from the ranting and raving we usually hear on this subject.

What’s on your mind tonight?

The Pew Research Center has issued a new poll comparing the 2006 midterms to 2010:

It makes you wonder what the numbers would be like if Hillary were president. What’s on your mind tonight?

The Rand Paul controversy is not really about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Paul himself has said that he doesn’t want to repeal any part of the law. So instead of trying to paint him as a racist, we should be using this moment to expose the dangerous ideologies of the Tea Party and the conservative-liberatarian movement.  At the core of Pauls’ belief system is the notion that the federal government has no business regulating private business, and that in doing so, it violates our natural rights and causes more harm than good.

Here is a list of some of the ways throughout history that the federal government has intervened in private business, actions that have ensured "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" for a much greater number of Americans:

- Ending slavery. This is perhaps the most significant example of government doing good by sticking its nose into the private sector.

- Child labor. Before government intervention, children as young as four worked long hours in the most demeaning and dangerous jobs in places such as factories and mines, or even as prostitutes – and they never had a shot at getting an education.

- Workers’ rights. Before government intervention, there was no such thing as the 40-hour work week, overtime pay, or minimum wage. Life for the common laborer was little more than break-breaking work and a desperate daily struggle to survive.

Read the rest of this entry →