Thursday, September 09, 2010

Enthusiasm gap

We've been hearing a lot about a so-called "enthusiasm gap" between Republican and Democratic voters. Rs are enthused, so the story goes, and Ds are demoralized.

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but I'll admit to a fair amount of demoralization. I think that is a big reason for the lack of posting here.

I'm suffering from a failure of expectation management. I expected that President Obama and Congress could and would deliver some real reforms and change. Sure they got health care reform, and some financial regulatory reform, and a consumer protection agency. And that's all good. The problem is, health care reform is so weak, distant and ineffective that I don't see much good from it, and the others are weak sauce also. Just earlier this week, an NPR reporter closed a story about effects of health care reform on people who currently have health care by saying (I paraphrase) "expect to pay more and get less." Great.

And what really torques me is the way that fool Max Bauchus let the Republicans play him; water down the provisions to try to reach compromise, then get zero votes. And even more demoralizing; the public started out in favor of health care reform. But, given the way Bauchus and other Dems dithered and dinked around, and gave time for the Rs to demagogue it last August, with Palin and her "death panels" lies, Dems totally blew it. Total failure of politics. Ineffectual clowns, we Dems.

Rs can't govern, and Dems won't.

C'mon, throw us a bone. Recess appoint Elizabeth Warren to the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Hang tough on not extending tax cuts for the rich. Start naming names and calling out the obstructionism of the Rs. (Yesterday's naming of John Boehner 8 times is a good start.) Also, please start calling out the lies the opponents tell.

Give us something to get excited about. I'd like to start blogging frequently again.

1 comment:

Sisyphus said...

Agree to some degree on HCR. Fact is though, its too important to repeal and even Minnick says it'll be a hot agenda item to fix what's wrong with it. Its still a win and congress has no choice but to kick in some cost saving measures.

And the shear volume of legislation demonstrates much accomplishment. This hasn't been done since LBJ who had the record for the most legislation under his watch.

But yeah, we all worked hard to deliver change. We couldn't do much more than give them the White House, both houses with massive majorities and it seems all we got was this shitty recession. We ain't gonna do it again, particularly when from all appearances the route they consistently wanna take is appeasement.

But buck up my friend. The alternative is mighty scary.