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For decades now, the Republican party has talked about social issues to get votes from an economically depressed middle class and used the power of office thus obtained mainly to depress the middle class further. Thomas Frank famously asked, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” in 2005. I hope he won’t write a second book in 2014, “What’s the Matter with Greenwich Village?”
As much as I support the principle of gay marriage and the news that the DOJ position has evolved to the point that DOMA has now been determined to be unconstitutional, I can’t help but think that the Democratic Party isn’t simply flattering the Republicans with imitation. Are we really supposed to forgive the total sellout of liberal principles by Barack Obama just because he may now be recognizing the most important and obvious modern-day civil rights issue in America? Obama’s White House has mainstreamed torture and the rest of the Bush security state; is raining down hell on civilians in Yemen, Libya, Pakistan and presumably elsewhere with drones; has pivoted to debt reduction in the middle of a grueling recession; listens to Tim Geithner; and is considering bring Jamie Dimon into his administration. If you want to have a few minutes with this president, it’ll cost you a bit less than one year’s median annual American salary to have dinner with him. He has allowed the Republicans to define liberalism as bad by identifying himself with the left but making bipartisanship (with terrorists, authoritarians and anarchists) the metric of success instead of anything remotely utilitarian.
Yes, the car is in the ditch, but just because I may someday have the legal right to marry another man, I’m supposed to vote for a president who is poisoning the reputation of liberalism, perhaps for decades? I’m supposed to walk precincts for this man? Make phone calls?
Unfortunately for the country, the DLC triangulators forgot that liberal voters tend to be a bit wiser to the ways of the world than people who send money in to the 700 Club. Liberals have a broader world view. Sure, I appreciate a little evolution on social issues, but I’m pretty sure 2012 will look a lot like 2010. People like me will not turn out to help Obama protect war criminals and tax cuts for the wealthy while he shreds this country’s safety net and engages in as much war-mongering as Bush/Cheney. Not gonna’ happen.
60 Comments
There’s Greenwich Village in Kansas? *G*
Yes, exactly. Rec’d.
So much is going so wrong.
I remember as a child (growing up in an extended family that was comprised of a lot of military personnel and Federal employees) that early on I grabbed hold of the fact that we as a nation DID NOT TORTURE. Nor did we condone it being done by others. In fact if you engaged in such practices you would suffer our rath.
So regardless of what transgressions we were guilty of, I was able to hold fast to that saving grace, that definitive demarcation of humanity, and proudly make it a part of my identity as an American.
How in hell have we allowed ourselves to stray this far from those values that I always believed to be immutably defining of us as a people?
Thanks, Lobster. Great diary. I read this morning that we are “droning” Somalia, too. Article said that AQ there is planning attacks on US. One more country; lots more dead people.
Legend has it that George Washington forbade his troops from torturing British POW’s. The father of our country – George Washington – emphatically denounced torture as un-American. America was modelled on that principle.
Oh well, Fuck That. USA USA USA!
The car is no longer in the ditch, they have plowed up the road.
“is considering bring Jamie Dimon into his administration”
Satire is having such a hard time keeping up with reality these days…
It’ll be worse: A GOP House, Senate and White House (with a president who’ll be happy to use the ratcheted-up powers bequeathed to him or her by the previous occupant.)
In 2008 I had hope, I believed change would happen, and I worked to help elect Obama.
Not again, unless something changes.
I just wonder what part of “for the people” he doesn’t understand.
Never mind AQ there, the military is gearing up drones for deployment in this country. We will see full deployment over major cities for “terrorist control” well within our lifetimes. Drones already have flown experimentally over parts of the US. The problem is not abroad, it’s right here in the cankered heart of America.
If he’s OK, you should be OK. Didn’t you get the memo?
Yep, Thanks and the new problem is so do demodogs and 0. Sorry I’m to old to vote for the lesser, I tried to help and I hate what’s coming. I didn’t want to leave this as a legancy but it’s now generation against generation. The plan has worked perfectly against thosre that care about others before profit.
Stasis You Can Believe In.
I wish it were just a standstill. We’re going backwards.
In fourth gear.
“I’m supposed to vote for a president who is poisoning the reputation of liberalism, perhaps for decades?”
That question will be in millions of folks’ minds. And the answer will be: No way!
I hope that is the answer.
There is still time to get my vote in the Dem column on the Presidential line – all he has to do is tell the GOP to pound sand on the debt limit – declare it unconstitutional – and say he will never touch Social Security, Medicare, or Medicare except in the logical – and not mean spirited – approach of Medicare for all with the Maryland price fixing board waiver for all, and a Social Security with no caps for both wages and benefits (and I am OK with a higher retirement age as long as it reflects ONLY the effect of increased lifespan from lower mortality rates in the retired population)
But I am not holding my breathe and stamping my feet – I am pretty sure that the “they made me do it” speech is being written even as I post.
Sadly the right is doing this worldwide – they are playing the non-rich against one another in Greece – frightening the professionals into demanding that no change be made in the games now used to keep new university grads out of those professions (like law and engineering), frightening business owners into demanding no change in the bureaucracy that prevents one from starting businesses in Greece, reducing “competition”, but really just so the rich and corporate gain market share (albeit in a shrinking market because of the austerity measures), and stopping the downsizing and reinventing of the public sector so those jobs go to those with the best qualifications, not the best political connections, telling folks that the change would mean their kids could not get jobs based on merit in either the public or private sectors. The rich and corporate want a poorly functioning government that does not have time or resources to regulate them. And Greece is Exhibit One – Greece should look to Iceland that just said “No” – just as Obama should look to Iceland to see what a backbone looks like.
I’m not doing shit for the fraud in the WH this time around. He doesn’t need me. He has Wall Street and the Obamabots.
Can you imagine Goldman Sachs deploying thousands of bond traders to work the phones and walk precincts during the run-up to Election Day 2012? Neither can I.
Wall Street will give him the cash and the Obamabots will do the rest. This time they’ll have to work double time because there won’t be one self respecting progressive/liberal/radical that wants to help the Trojan Mouse.
“What’s the Matter with Greenwich Village?”
No, there’s nothing wrong with Greenwich Village. In the least. And to write this on the heels of what the actual Gay communuity is talking about with the diss to NY’s Marriage Equality shows a bit of ignorance.
Do not assume for a second that the gay community is monolithically behind Obama for one hot second. That answer is clearly “No.”
The lesson that should be learned here, and therefore showing the question that should be asked is “How do you get him to do what he has, reluctantly, done for gay people?” And the answer is “pressure the shit out of him.”
Gay people are nowhere NEAR through pressuring this jerk, and he is in no way assured of a monolithic block of gay votes as this post suggests. Do recall November 2010.
The DADT vote was AFTER the humiliating 2010 election losses and really only a lure/bait thrown to gay activists after 30 million prefious Dem voters stayed home.
No, nothing is wrong with Greenwhich Village. Not a goddamned thing.
Hi folks! I had to get that out of my system, and when I hit submit I took a long walk. Great to see you all here, sorry I missed the discussion.
I had the good fortune to sit down with Glenn Greenwald recently. I asked him how he kept going. He believes there is still power in ideas and that one should never give up. Those are good fighting words.
Kelly, I did not mean to impugn the activists who have won a victory. I am angry with Obama. He is going to do the absolute minimum for the country and everything he can for the wealthy.
We’ve been thrown a bone. I appreciate the bone, but really it just makes me angrier.
Nor do I mean to imply that the liberal gay community will roll over now. What makes me mad is that OBVIOUSLY Obama is hoping they will.
Because he would have.
I like that, what a pithy observation.
To quote Thomas Paine when asked about the French beheading people during the french revolution. . . . Brutal people are a reflection of a brutal and/or unjust life. Look at Lynndie England. She grew up in Kentucky and West Virginia in a trailer park. I suspect that the military was a step up for her.
The exact plan is to keep unemployment high enough so that desperate people will have to man the cash rich candidates phone banks.
Obama has already agreed to cut Medicaid in exchange for a debt ceiling vote.
There was always going to be a debt ceiling vote. The anarchists can’t get paid if they f*&k up the system too badly. Everyone has known that the bondsmen will get their money for months.
As Digby says, the tell is what has already been agreed to. And that includes Medicaid.
It is really, really hard to believe that the first black American president, a Democrat, is willing to put proposals on the table to gut Medicaid, which serves a disproportionately high number of black Americans.
Why is he doing this? To get reelected. To get his paycheck.
Pathetic.
I see your point, Allan, but I’ll raise you:
Exactly how has having a “Democratic” Senate and White House worked out? We have all the policies of Bush/Cheney — name one that hasn’t been expanded! — and liberals are getting the blame.
Doing a job half-assed is much worse than not doing it at all.
Well, you have a communication fail going on here. Titles are specifically chosen, and you chose “Greenwich.” That has meaning.
Who isn’t angry?
But my point is your title, along with your second sentence “Thomas Frank famously asked, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” in 2005. I hope he won’t write a second book in 2014, “What’s the Matter with Greenwich Village?”” as well as your third sentence “As much as I support the principle of gay marriage and the news that the DOJ position has evolved to the point that DOMA has now been determined to be unconstitutional, I can’t help but think that the Democratic Party isn’t simply flattering the Republicans with imitation.” taken altogether, paint a kind of bias picture that gay people don’t care about anything else.
Big mistake, bad picture, not happy about it.
Yes, that makes all too much sense.
My concern is that once this coming fight has been fought, the bitterness and anger will have changed me irreversibly, and ruined the time I have left.
I hope I am wrong, and that redemption will be a gift all of us share.
From Politico by way of Digby:
“Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, is considered a strong dark-horse candidate [to replace Geithner].Dimon has said he is not interested in public office but many on Wall Street believe he would accept the job if asked by Obama. But the White House will have to decide whether Dimon, who leads the most successful bank in the U.S., is too closely aligned with Wall Street.”
He didn’t think Daley was too close…
Yeah, we’re going backwards all right, while out eyes are firmly looking forward.
Now where have I heard that backward/forward thing before?
“He believes there is still power in ideas and that one should never give up.”
From your/his lips …
Fair criticism.
Again: My point is that I believe Obama is trying to buy off the gay community, and that I hope they (we) don’t fall for it. My last paragraph was my attempt to make the point that this isn’t likely to work, and just shows how pathetic Obama’s calculation is.
I don’t worry about the “progressive” name being sullied. I don’t cling to definition. Call me a Realist. A Realist will know that the GOP and DEM party’s are one and the same. I know that the environment and world economy will collapse,just when is a guess. I know i will never see a retirement. I am a Realist i aint going to piss an moan. Then again i wont be silent as the ignorant foul all that humanity could be. Some say i am a godless dirty fucking hippie, but Realist rolls off the tongue better.
—Are we really supposed to forgive the total sellout of liberal principles by Barack Obama just because he may now be recognizing the most important and obvious modern-day civil rights issue in America?—
Why yes indeed, as surely as Black Americans are supposed to be halfway though our 115,378th consecutive chorus of O Happy Day because you-know-why.
Not only is it infuriating that this seems to be the depth of “strategizing” that takes place in this administration, it is embarassing. They need to be disabused, and soon.
I just re-read our back and forth more carefully and I see how I/we came to this misunderstanding.
When I said the Democratic Party was flattering the Republicans with imitation, I was talking about Obama and party operatives flattering Rove & Co for their manipulative techniques.
I was NOT talking about the gay community/activists in the Democratic party and how they would respond to this pathetic pace of “evolution.”
And I thought I was strong suited in cynicism.
They didn’t get the message in 2010. I don’t see much capacity for learning at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
One more fail: “buy off.”
Since when is doing the right thing called “buying off”? I get your point he has a pathetic record, but fercryingoutloud, by the way you style it he has to “buy off” several more constituencies that is otherwise known as “doing the right thing.”
Ah, enough of this, it was a mistake to look at the blog besides checking my email. Lighting off some fireworks with the friends here will be far more satisfying.
As I’ve commented here before, the 1st Black American President to invade Africa when Libya began.
Orwell would just shake his head in amazement that he had been on the right track but hadn’t allowed his imaginings free enough rein.
That’s a good one — right up there with noting he is the Nobel Peace Prize winner who has launched the most cruise missiles.
Of course, now we know cruise missiles aren’t hostile.
Amen
Ok, I think we just plain disagree. I do not believe he was thinking about “doing the right thing”. He is looking for votes. I see no evidence whatsoever that he cares about the lives of gay Americans. None.
Have fun with your fireworks.
No, they are “Orwellian Humanitarian”.
Who says Obama is a Democrat?
Walter Benjamin said the angel of history flies
forward while looking backward.
in the ‘Theses on the Philo. of History’.
nerd moment over.
No need to apologize, I’ll go look up Walter Benjamin.
Doubt I’ll read whatever that was, but thanks.
There are some “actually” smart people at this site and I never tire of it. I spent so much of my life being smothered by rednecks because of necessity.
I think the whole gay marriage thing is a side show. The theft of TRILLIONS of dollars by shifting debt onto taxpayers is the issue of the century. Obama has done nothing to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Ask yourself, why are we in debt as the result of other peoples bad business decisions.
Cleary those were not bad business decisions.
+1
Are you kidding? The closer to Wall Street, the better. Geithner and Dimon can swap jobs to keep that revolving door humming.
Great post Lobster! Wow, you stirred some shit brother, and who’d a thunk it after so many seriously technical posts of such great import and educational value to so many of us here in this community.
Me, I’m a Highschool drop out with 6+ years of community college part time, left home at 15 because I had no other choice. I revel in the exchanges here, especially with such as you. Thank you.
Ok, x3.
PDragon, good to see yer fonts in here again.
Been WAY too long . . . *bowsnwhistlesgreetings*
Interesting read Lobster . . . Kelly makes some good points tho.
As a proggy, I’m delighted that it would seem the LGBT community is as Kelly describes it.
When GLAAD and some of it’s board members were exposed a few weeks ago, I was concerned about the fragmenting of the LGBT community wrt proggy values for the masses.
I’m less concerned . . . we are all truly in this together.
We hope and fight and blog on. Bless Glenn Greenwald.
Rcc’d, you seem to have a heart . . . keep on using it to help others.
We the people don’t have much these days but we can use our hearts and actions and help those who have more needs than we do.
Bless the homeless, all of them. They need us badly all other issues aside.
You always manage to just get to “The Heart Of The Matter”.
Obama threw us a bone. I take it as a sign of weakness. And the first indication I have seen that he actually wants a second term. Isn’t it a pity that our first black president is owned by rich white men.
When I first heard this story my reaction was like yours lobster. But my second thoughts were more like Kelly. Not because I’m gay. I’m white and working class and I am NOT whats the matter with fucking Kansas.
It costs $1.77 hour for my 40 hours times 52 weeks of pay so that MILLIONS of old people aren’t living in the streets and have food and health care. Aside from all the noble happy happy tele tubby nicey nice reasons for this noble outcome, I can visit friends and family in other parts of Seattle, in other parts of Washington State, in Arizona, in Florida, in Massachusetts, in Vermont, in Pittsburgh … and there aren’t hordes of diseased elderly beggars outside the grocery stores living in discarded cardboard boxes!
IF you don’t give a shit about millions of starving homeless diseased elderly beggars, you MIGHT give a shit about being able to go food shopping without being accosted by them AND having to avoid running them over in the parking lot, NO? $1.77 an hour is actually a VERY good deal so we don’t have to deal with that kind of daily mess, AND, so we don’t end up outside that grocery store, diseased, broken down, old, and begging.
Somewhere in the $1.77 there are lots and lots and lots of service providers getting paid to help those elderly, and those service providers buy washing machines and groceries and use transportation and use electricity and use water and need windows and need toilets and need roofs and need doors … and that provides lots and lots and lots of jobs! whew. un-fucking believable.
It costs me 10 cents an hour for my share of FEDERAL education and job training – and given how shitty the job training can be and given what a fuckign yuppie scum arne duncan is, too much of that dime is wasted.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/taxes/tax-receipt
It costs me about 50 cents an hour for defense, and for every penny going to the guard on the wall & her clothes & her food & her pay & his tools … how many pennies go to fat cat white collar thieving defense contractor scum? We ALL wish we knew that answer.
Treating people fairly – XX people, brown people, gay people, whatever people – COSTS money —- and we do NOT figure out how much it costs to treat people like shit cuz we don’t want to know that it costs MORE than treating everyone fairly!
0bummer lets wall street scum steal HOW MUCH AN HOUR outta my pay? Probably dollars – dollars going to pyramids, pyramid schemes, ponzi schemes, yachts, mansions, personal jets, mistresses – and he throws some pennies on the ground for lily ledbetter and gays …
and we’re supposed to scamper around on the ground in genuflecting glee !!!
fuck him.
rmm.
So, grab your Bible and let’s follow Michelle!