And Democracy as defined in the United States Constitution itself.
The Breaking Point
By: Jane Hamsher, Firedog Lake
Thursday July 7, 2011 12:46 pm
What we’re watching is the death of the Democratic Party. Or, at least the Democratic Party as most of us have known it. The one that has taken its identity in the modern era from FDR and the New Deal, from Keynsianism and the social safety net. Despite any of its other shortcomings (and they are myriad), the Democratic Party has stood as a symbol for commitment to these principles. As recently as 2006, Democrats took over the House in a surprise wave election because the public feared that George Bush would destroy Social Security, and they trusted the Democrats over Republicans to secure it. Just like George Bush, Obama now wants to “save” Social Security….by giving those who want to burn it to the ground the the very thing they’ve wanted for decades.
Any member of any party who participates in this effort does not deserve, and should not get, the support of anyone who values Social Security and cares about its preservation. The amount of damage that the Democrats under Obama have been able to do has been immeasurable, by virtue of the fact that they are less awful that George Bush. But where George Bush failed, Obama will probably succeed.
Which means we’re watching another casualty here: Democracy. Or at least, the illusion that we live in a democratic society. The public, regardless of party, overwhelmingly opposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare. But elected officials of both parties are hell-bent on conspiring to bring the programs to an end. They seem to have come to grips with a fact that the public has not: their tenure in office depends on carrying out the wishes of oligarchical elites.
There is only one thing you can reasonably conclude as you watch the political theater that is transpiring: what the voting public thinks really isn’t all that important. And to the extent that it does matter, it can easily be channeled by those with sufficient money to pay the tab. Samuel Johnson said that patriotism was the last refuge of scoundrels, but in our modern era, that honor goes to tribalism. The list of horrors that people found intolerable when George Bush was in office, but are now blithely accepted because “Sarah Palin would be worse,” grows longer every day.
We’ll fight this, because it’s the right thing to do. We will probably lose. But we will make it as painful as possible for any politician from any party to participate in this wholesale looting of the public sphere, this “shock doctrine” for America. And maybe along the way we’ll get a vision of what comes next. Because what we believe in as Americans, and what we stand for, is not something the Democratic party represents any more.
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My emphasis.
that this was never “caving” it was always the plan.
In the 1850’s, the Whig’s fell apart on the pro-vs-anti slavery fault line, and in the end the anti-slavery Whigs were the ones who survived by being purged, since they went on to join the new Republican party while the Whigs collapsed to irrelevancy in less than a decade.
I personally believe that she often shoots from the hip. However, the emphasized quote is pretty accurate. But where does this leave us? Think of the consequences.
First, we would have to Primary an incumbent President. Good luck with that. In my (sadly, old) lifetime, that has happened only once, and the Democrat was defeated by a Republican then, even though Jimmy Carter was the Democratic candidate. He was not really primaried, but the problems that Edward Kennedy caused were important for his defeat.
Johnson did not run, so Humphrey was the candidate. Damned old Nixon crushed him, and that was not good. Ford lost against the affable but useless Carter. Actually, I liked Carter very much and voted for him in my very first election for which I was old enough.
Please disregard all of the previous thoughts. Here is what I really believe:
If our President, the leader of the Democratic Party becomes yet again a spelunker, I want him to be primaried! I voted for him, but that does not mean that I would again. IF he caves on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, he just needs to go. But that poses a HORRIBLE dilemma! We would either not vote at all, or vote for a Republican. Neither alternative is acceptable.
I will NEVER vote for a Republican! But I might just not vote for Obama IF he continues with this exceptionally stupid strategy. Now, if he invokes the 14th Amendment and shuts up all of the Republicans, that is another story. But he does not have the guts to do it. My faith in Obama is about as long as the fingertips betwixt my thumb and index finger when they touch.
Here is the problem: if Obama does what I think that he will, in other words, collapse, NO Progressive will vote for him. I know that I will not. That means that the Republican is a shoe in for the office.
We lose, no matter what happens. All is lost, unless our President becomes a leader! Or unless we can find a really good Democrat to primary him. It has been done before, but I would suffocate if I held my breath for it.
My predictions are these: say “hello” to a Republican President, a stacked Supreme Court, and both Houses of Congress becoming extremely right wing. It is a good thing that I can have my only misdemeanor record expunged, because I just might want to go somewhere else.
I am sorry if this is too much of a downer. It just does not look good to me. We would have been better off if Ms. Clinton had won.
Warmest regards,
Doc