From William E. Scheuerman to The Nation:
Your issue on Obama's first year only hinted at its most basic lesson: our anachronistic system is bankrupt. In any other democracy, an executive with Obama's skills and sizable majorities would already have passed healthcare reform, climate change law and banking regulations. . . .Yes, but are we still a democracy?
From Suzanne S. Espenshaden to The New York Times:
Here is what bewilders me: If every child in America is guaranteed a free education, why isn't every child in America guaranteed free health care?And now comes the leaked GOP fundraising plan prepared by the RNC finance staff and delivered to a group of wealthy donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Raton.
The fundraising plan is an aggressive campaign capitalizing on fear of Obama and a promise to "save the country from trending toward socialism."What else do they have to sell but fear and false accusations?
And, the saddest thing of all: it will probably work.
Ralph
I'm not sure it will work. We feel that because the opposition is so loud, the loonies are so loonie, and we're disappointed that Obama has not been as Obama-like as we wanted him to be. Well, he's getting to be more Obama-like by the day. We may take a hit in 2010 in Congress, but I expect that Obama will survive. Scheuerman's characterization, "an executive with Obama's skills" shows even to the other side, and I think that fact may carry the day even in this toxic post-Bush climate.
ReplyDeleteJust when I reach my low ebb of cynicism, you come along with optimism, Mickey. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm secretly hoping for the voters to see through all the GOP dishonesty and crassly putting politics ahead of what the country desperately needs. I'm just so used to having my hopes dashed, and I'm afraid to jinx it.
Wouldn't it be great if, instead of losing seats in Congress, we had the opposite? Vote out all the incumbants -- Dems and Reps -- who obstructed progress or were tools of the corporate interests/money and replace them with reasonable people: some moderate Republicans and lots of liberal and progressive Democrats.