Cautious optimism returns

I feel a slow gathering of positive signs in the political situation. Obama has drawn a line in the sand about raising taxes on the wealthy. He is taking a different tack now, at least it seems that he's through letting the Republicans control the message. He's not only standing firm, he's going aggressive -- beginning to turn the tables on them.

Eric Cantor is making noises about another showdown and possible government shutdown over passing legislation to cover disaster aid for the recent hurricane damage -- saying it has to be offset by cuts, and he's targeting the energy budget -- as if tweaking the Dems and daring them to fight back.

They will. Obama will. This is a win for the Dems. The Repubs want to deny disaster aid to hurricane victims as a political gambit?

Another sign: Last week Elizabeth Warren announced her campaign for Senator to oppose Scott Brown in MA. And already she has surged in polls, pulling even with him in a very short time.

Perhaps I am also a bit swayed toward optimism by the final end today of DADT, as well as the CA appeals court judge deciding yesterday that video tapes of the Prop8 trial can be made public. So now Jon Stewart and Rachel Maddow can play clips of testimony and show the world what idiots and what a pathetic lack of any evidence the anti-gay forces brought to such a momentous case.

And then Bill Clinton pulled no punches at the opening meeting of his Climate Initiative annual meeting today. Saying that the GOP presidential candidates' denial of climate warming science ". . . makes us look like a joke, right? You can’t win the nomination of one of the major parties in the country if you admit that the scientists are right?" Then he named names: Only Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney have not flatly denied the validity of the science.

But here's the latest today: Republican Lamar Alexander (R-TN) who has been #3 in the GOP Senate leadership is stepping down from that position in order, he says very plainly, to be more independent and able to work with Democrats on some issues to get legislation passed.

He was careful not to disparage his colleagues, but the message between the lines is clear. He's fed up and ready to try to make the Senate work again.

It's still rough going, and ignorance reigns in the GOP; but the Dems seem to be waking up.

Ralph