Sunday, November 09, 2014 2:12:23 PM
President Obama must seize this moment and stake his claim to historical greatness
Sun Nov 09, 2014 at 09:00 AM PST
by Laurence Lewis for Daily Kos
(most links not shown)
In terms of pure horse race, the Democrats on Tuesday took an electoral drubbing, losing all the major races that were expected to be close, and additionally some that they were expected to win easily. The media dutifully reported it as a wave election for the Republicans, but that would be a misreading of what actually happened. The big story, as usual, was the lousy national turnout, the paltry number of eligible voters who registered, and the barely more than a third of them who made the effort to vote. If this was a wave, it was a wave of apathy and disdain. With an unpopular president, an unclear agenda, and its usual mid-term malaise, the Democrats did worse, which other than horse race should not be confused for the Republicans having done well. This wasn't a mandate for the Republican agenda, it was a rejection of the entire political process.
The approval rating for Congress remains in the toilet, [ http://www.pollingreport.com/CongJob.htm ] with the Republicans continuing to poll worse than the Democrats. Voters approved ballot initiatives that Republicans opposed and rejected initiatives that Republicans supported.
The president's lousy approval ratings remain significantly less worse than those of the congressional Republicans [http://www.pollingreport.com/obama_job.htm ] who were just empowered to make his job much more difficult. It would be a mistake for the president and congressional Democrats to interpret this election as a demand for acquiescence. This election was a demand for change, but that doesn't mean that voters were demanding what the Republicans were selling. In fact, many Republicans deliberately obfuscated their extreme agenda in an effort to make themselves seem more moderate. Don't expect them to attempt to govern with moderation. And don't expect voters to be happy with what comes next. Systemic change was not on the ballots.
A year ago, the Republican brand was all but dead. After yet another government shutdown, polls showed Democrats not only had a good chance of holding the Senate, despite a tough slate of races in Republican-dominated states, but also might win back the House, despite the extreme gerrymandering whereby Republicans have ensured that rather than voters choosing their congressional representatives, congressional representatives have chosen their voters. But the lousy rollout of Obamacare, and the media's dutifully focusing on the problems meeting the demand rather than the meaning of the demand itself, tanked the Democrats' numbers. And despite the subsequent millions of people who did take advantage of their new access to health insurance, the media never managed to make that a significant part of their narrative.
The Democrats lost campaigns on Tuesday, but they should not be manipulated into believing they have lost the initiative. It is still there, if they take it. People want jobs, and the Republicans will not offer jobs programs. People want more income, and except for those who already have plenty, the Republicans will not offer opportunity for more income. People don't want free handouts, they want fairness and justice and equality, and the Republicans never offer fairness and justice and equality. Democrats should. Democrats must. Democrats have to reclaim the mantle of being the people's party, and they must fight any Republican efforts that will widen the income gap, undermine civil and human rights, or loosen protections on workers, consumers, the environment, and the historically and institutionally disadvantaged. Democrats must stop playing political football with people's dreams and aspirations, they must fight for them in ways that are clear and consistent and that draw the broadest possible distinctions with the Republican agenda of greed and exclusion. The opportunities for Democrats now are huge, if they take them.
President Obama is a brave man. The fact of his presidency is testament to his profound personal courage. He is an historic figure not just because he is the first African American to win the presidency, but because he is the first president who was not a white male, and only the second who was not a white male Protestant. His victory opened the door not only to future African-American presidents, but to the possibility that any child born in the United States might some day grow up to be president. And the backlash against his shattering of that glass ceiling has been fierce and ugly, and given the anomalously large number of death threats he has received, genuinely dangerous. No one should underestimate this president's personal courage.
Politically, however, President Obama has been remarkably mild. Despite his great personal courage, and despite having come to office with a mandate for serious change, with a Democratic Congress with which to implement it, his agenda turned out to be centrist, accommodating, and incrementalist. For his entire first term, many liberals were frustrated and infuriated by Obama's usual refusal to fight for an agenda that was bold and visionary. Where was the political courage of a man with such personal courage? And then he stood at a question-and-answer session with congressional Republicans, and calmly, cooly, smacked them around so hard that their lead propagandist network fled in fear and shame. The same thing happened in his re-election campaign, when he attempted to be cool and civil during his first debate with a persistently dishonest Mitt Romney, and took a hit in the polls, then came out fighting in the second debate, leaving the pundits trembling and Romney in his political rearview mirror. Those were clues.
The public likes when this president fights against Republican dishonesty and extremism. His initial efforts to accommodate and acquiesce, during the first Republican government shutdowns, emboldened them and made him look weak. When he finally stood up to them, just one year ago, the public backed him, the Republicans backed down, and the political fallout looked to be devastating. If not for the bungled rollout of Obamacare and the media's typically manipulative reaction to it, this campaign season likely would have gone very differently. Every time the Republicans assert themselves, the American people reject them. As previously noted, even the Republicans themselves know that to win politically they have to hide who they really are. But that is not how they intend to govern. Already they are stating that the top two items on their agenda next year will be to pass a budget and to force President Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Already they are warning him not to pursue his own agenda. He must do the opposite of what they are demanding.
If the Republicans seek another budget heavy on tax cuts for the wealthy and service cuts for everyone else, President Obama must veto it. He must be specific and consistent in identifying and emphasizing how the Republican agenda will make most people's lives more difficult. He must not compromise on cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or Obamacare. He must move forward with immigration reform. He must not allow the deficit, which already has been falling under his agenda, to be used as an excuse for an agenda that will punish people and actually also make the deficit worse. With every Republican initiative he must demand answers as to how it will create jobs and financial security and how it will help people. Because inevitably, the Republicans will have no answers. With every Republican initiative he must point to who will benefit and who will suffer, because inevitably it will be the wealthiest who will benefit and everyone else who will not. The Republicans haven't changed their spots, they have merely cloaked them. President Obama and congressional Democrats must remove the cloaks and once again reveal the Republicans for who they are.
On no issue does the president have a greater political and historical opportunity than on the Keystone XL pipeline and climate change. On climate change he can stake his legacy. In the days before the election, as dutifully ignored by the major media, the most comprehensive scientific assessment ever taken of climate change made clear that the crisis is even worse than had previously been thought, and that serious action must be taken with no delay if we are to avert the most devastating climate impacts. The Republicans are uniformly opposed to taking action on climate change. They are climate change deniers, they give megaphones to discredited climate change deniers, and they will attempt to force the president to accept policies that will make the climate crisis worse. He must not compromise on anything climate-related. If they send the Keystone XL pipeline to his desk, he must cite the scientists and veto it. He must use all available executive options to implement responsible climate action. If Republicans cry executive overreach, he must not hesitate. If they threaten impeachment, he must not blink. He must, in fact, dare them to try their worst.
The next two years can be the moment in history when national consciousness finally awakens to the imminent danger of climate change. The next two years can be the moment in history when climate science itself finally supersedes politics, greed, and media complicity and incompetence in how people are distracted from or misperceive climate change. President Obama can make it happen. He can reject the Keystone XL pipeline. He can use every available means to implement responsible climate policies. He can dare Republicans to try to impeach him over his climate agenda, and force this nation finally to take a clear hard look at what the scientists actually are saying. He can point to the military leaders who say climate change is a national security issue. If the Republicans do try to remove him from office for being as bold as he must be on climate issues, the media will not be able to turn away. Everyone everywhere will be discussing climate change, and it will be impossible for the climate scientists to be ignored. The military experts will not be ignored. For every climate change denier the Republicans trot in front of the camera, the president will be able to present nearly a hundred to rebut. For every obscure and dishonest claim the Republicans make about climate, the president will be able to present the overwhelming scientific consensus. Climate change finally will be widely recognized as the critical issue it is.
This ugly election is an historic opportunity not merely to change the political conversation in this country, but to create the political conversation that the entire world needs. President Obama must be bold. He must dare the Republicans to do their worst. He must make an example of them, and he must set an example for the entire world. This was a wave election not for the Republicans, but against the entire American political system. By standing tall in defense of the common economic good, by opening the door to the realization of people's greatest dreams, and by staking his presidency itself on responsibly addressing the climate crisis, President Obama can prove to future eligible voters both the necessity of engaging in the political process and that the Democrats are the only political party intelligent enough, responsible enough, and compassionate enough to use the political process for the betterment of all.
The stakes could not be higher. The entire world cannot afford anything less. The mere fact of his presidency makes Barack Obama an historic figure, but in the final two years of his presidency he can redefine the future not only of this nation, but of humanity itself.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/09/1342595/-President-Obama-must-seize-this-moment-and-stake-his-claim-to-historical-greatness
Sun Nov 09, 2014 at 09:00 AM PST
by Laurence Lewis for Daily Kos
(most links not shown)
In terms of pure horse race, the Democrats on Tuesday took an electoral drubbing, losing all the major races that were expected to be close, and additionally some that they were expected to win easily. The media dutifully reported it as a wave election for the Republicans, but that would be a misreading of what actually happened. The big story, as usual, was the lousy national turnout, the paltry number of eligible voters who registered, and the barely more than a third of them who made the effort to vote. If this was a wave, it was a wave of apathy and disdain. With an unpopular president, an unclear agenda, and its usual mid-term malaise, the Democrats did worse, which other than horse race should not be confused for the Republicans having done well. This wasn't a mandate for the Republican agenda, it was a rejection of the entire political process.
The approval rating for Congress remains in the toilet, [ http://www.pollingreport.com/CongJob.htm ] with the Republicans continuing to poll worse than the Democrats. Voters approved ballot initiatives that Republicans opposed and rejected initiatives that Republicans supported.
The president's lousy approval ratings remain significantly less worse than those of the congressional Republicans [http://www.pollingreport.com/obama_job.htm ] who were just empowered to make his job much more difficult. It would be a mistake for the president and congressional Democrats to interpret this election as a demand for acquiescence. This election was a demand for change, but that doesn't mean that voters were demanding what the Republicans were selling. In fact, many Republicans deliberately obfuscated their extreme agenda in an effort to make themselves seem more moderate. Don't expect them to attempt to govern with moderation. And don't expect voters to be happy with what comes next. Systemic change was not on the ballots.
A year ago, the Republican brand was all but dead. After yet another government shutdown, polls showed Democrats not only had a good chance of holding the Senate, despite a tough slate of races in Republican-dominated states, but also might win back the House, despite the extreme gerrymandering whereby Republicans have ensured that rather than voters choosing their congressional representatives, congressional representatives have chosen their voters. But the lousy rollout of Obamacare, and the media's dutifully focusing on the problems meeting the demand rather than the meaning of the demand itself, tanked the Democrats' numbers. And despite the subsequent millions of people who did take advantage of their new access to health insurance, the media never managed to make that a significant part of their narrative.
The Democrats lost campaigns on Tuesday, but they should not be manipulated into believing they have lost the initiative. It is still there, if they take it. People want jobs, and the Republicans will not offer jobs programs. People want more income, and except for those who already have plenty, the Republicans will not offer opportunity for more income. People don't want free handouts, they want fairness and justice and equality, and the Republicans never offer fairness and justice and equality. Democrats should. Democrats must. Democrats have to reclaim the mantle of being the people's party, and they must fight any Republican efforts that will widen the income gap, undermine civil and human rights, or loosen protections on workers, consumers, the environment, and the historically and institutionally disadvantaged. Democrats must stop playing political football with people's dreams and aspirations, they must fight for them in ways that are clear and consistent and that draw the broadest possible distinctions with the Republican agenda of greed and exclusion. The opportunities for Democrats now are huge, if they take them.
President Obama is a brave man. The fact of his presidency is testament to his profound personal courage. He is an historic figure not just because he is the first African American to win the presidency, but because he is the first president who was not a white male, and only the second who was not a white male Protestant. His victory opened the door not only to future African-American presidents, but to the possibility that any child born in the United States might some day grow up to be president. And the backlash against his shattering of that glass ceiling has been fierce and ugly, and given the anomalously large number of death threats he has received, genuinely dangerous. No one should underestimate this president's personal courage.
Politically, however, President Obama has been remarkably mild. Despite his great personal courage, and despite having come to office with a mandate for serious change, with a Democratic Congress with which to implement it, his agenda turned out to be centrist, accommodating, and incrementalist. For his entire first term, many liberals were frustrated and infuriated by Obama's usual refusal to fight for an agenda that was bold and visionary. Where was the political courage of a man with such personal courage? And then he stood at a question-and-answer session with congressional Republicans, and calmly, cooly, smacked them around so hard that their lead propagandist network fled in fear and shame. The same thing happened in his re-election campaign, when he attempted to be cool and civil during his first debate with a persistently dishonest Mitt Romney, and took a hit in the polls, then came out fighting in the second debate, leaving the pundits trembling and Romney in his political rearview mirror. Those were clues.
The public likes when this president fights against Republican dishonesty and extremism. His initial efforts to accommodate and acquiesce, during the first Republican government shutdowns, emboldened them and made him look weak. When he finally stood up to them, just one year ago, the public backed him, the Republicans backed down, and the political fallout looked to be devastating. If not for the bungled rollout of Obamacare and the media's typically manipulative reaction to it, this campaign season likely would have gone very differently. Every time the Republicans assert themselves, the American people reject them. As previously noted, even the Republicans themselves know that to win politically they have to hide who they really are. But that is not how they intend to govern. Already they are stating that the top two items on their agenda next year will be to pass a budget and to force President Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Already they are warning him not to pursue his own agenda. He must do the opposite of what they are demanding.
If the Republicans seek another budget heavy on tax cuts for the wealthy and service cuts for everyone else, President Obama must veto it. He must be specific and consistent in identifying and emphasizing how the Republican agenda will make most people's lives more difficult. He must not compromise on cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or Obamacare. He must move forward with immigration reform. He must not allow the deficit, which already has been falling under his agenda, to be used as an excuse for an agenda that will punish people and actually also make the deficit worse. With every Republican initiative he must demand answers as to how it will create jobs and financial security and how it will help people. Because inevitably, the Republicans will have no answers. With every Republican initiative he must point to who will benefit and who will suffer, because inevitably it will be the wealthiest who will benefit and everyone else who will not. The Republicans haven't changed their spots, they have merely cloaked them. President Obama and congressional Democrats must remove the cloaks and once again reveal the Republicans for who they are.
On no issue does the president have a greater political and historical opportunity than on the Keystone XL pipeline and climate change. On climate change he can stake his legacy. In the days before the election, as dutifully ignored by the major media, the most comprehensive scientific assessment ever taken of climate change made clear that the crisis is even worse than had previously been thought, and that serious action must be taken with no delay if we are to avert the most devastating climate impacts. The Republicans are uniformly opposed to taking action on climate change. They are climate change deniers, they give megaphones to discredited climate change deniers, and they will attempt to force the president to accept policies that will make the climate crisis worse. He must not compromise on anything climate-related. If they send the Keystone XL pipeline to his desk, he must cite the scientists and veto it. He must use all available executive options to implement responsible climate action. If Republicans cry executive overreach, he must not hesitate. If they threaten impeachment, he must not blink. He must, in fact, dare them to try their worst.
The next two years can be the moment in history when national consciousness finally awakens to the imminent danger of climate change. The next two years can be the moment in history when climate science itself finally supersedes politics, greed, and media complicity and incompetence in how people are distracted from or misperceive climate change. President Obama can make it happen. He can reject the Keystone XL pipeline. He can use every available means to implement responsible climate policies. He can dare Republicans to try to impeach him over his climate agenda, and force this nation finally to take a clear hard look at what the scientists actually are saying. He can point to the military leaders who say climate change is a national security issue. If the Republicans do try to remove him from office for being as bold as he must be on climate issues, the media will not be able to turn away. Everyone everywhere will be discussing climate change, and it will be impossible for the climate scientists to be ignored. The military experts will not be ignored. For every climate change denier the Republicans trot in front of the camera, the president will be able to present nearly a hundred to rebut. For every obscure and dishonest claim the Republicans make about climate, the president will be able to present the overwhelming scientific consensus. Climate change finally will be widely recognized as the critical issue it is.
This ugly election is an historic opportunity not merely to change the political conversation in this country, but to create the political conversation that the entire world needs. President Obama must be bold. He must dare the Republicans to do their worst. He must make an example of them, and he must set an example for the entire world. This was a wave election not for the Republicans, but against the entire American political system. By standing tall in defense of the common economic good, by opening the door to the realization of people's greatest dreams, and by staking his presidency itself on responsibly addressing the climate crisis, President Obama can prove to future eligible voters both the necessity of engaging in the political process and that the Democrats are the only political party intelligent enough, responsible enough, and compassionate enough to use the political process for the betterment of all.
The stakes could not be higher. The entire world cannot afford anything less. The mere fact of his presidency makes Barack Obama an historic figure, but in the final two years of his presidency he can redefine the future not only of this nation, but of humanity itself.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/09/1342595/-President-Obama-must-seize-this-moment-and-stake-his-claim-to-historical-greatness
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