stupidicus

stupidicus's Journal

October 17, 2013

That's long been the case, and the "normal"

the only thing that's changing is the methods and means by which they "get it done".

Now it's just wouldbe tyranny by a Pee Party minority that's being used to put restraints on what is "politically possible" and to explain the Neville Chamberlin-like behavior on the part of dems. It's no longer just a good cop/bad cop situation, but rather a good cop/very, very bad cop one. As one who thought from the beginning that the whole point of the Pee Party formation was to drag the already off center ideological dividing line in DC farther to the right, I'm unsurprised by their tactics, but nonetheless alarmed by the success they've enjoyed so far.

WHat I don't get, is if the dems are so assured that the brown demographic tsunami is inevitably gonna drown the rightwingnut rats, and the country will come to love the first hostage Obamacare as they currently do SS, Medicare/Medicaid, why it is they aren't in more of the bully role. Being the adults in the room does nothing about the millions that will remain uninsured despite Obamacare, the jobs/stagnant wages/wealth inequality problems, or the need for more action on the biggest and most important issue of this or any other time, AGW. Like JC with the moneychangers, they need to adjust their conduct in a way that's appropriate for the problem to be solved, which are many.

The only win outta this mess is whatever negative impact it will have on the 2014 results in the house for repubs. Should they lose it, then the "politically possible" will once again be restrained by the tyranny of the minority in the senate, assuming that 60 vote requirement thing remains intact -- another thing nothing can be done about, or should I say has been done about, despite the high costs to us little people they allegedly represent.

Repugs no longer believe in democracy as this CR battle has shown, and far too many dems in DC are either oblivious to that or impotent in the face of the danger it poses to our republic and we little people in it. That makes them part of the problem whether they share the goal of rule by corporatism/fascism or not.

good post

October 16, 2013

I completely agree

I guess it depends on what you think has been "won". By not giving up more than they did to the extortionists?

As I see it, giving them the little baubble they got is likely to encourage as opposed to discouraging them from simply continuing to rinse and repeat with this kinda conduct, while leaving the dems who bail them out in the house responsible for whatever concessions they extract. According to rightwingnuts, the Bush tax cuts are now the BHO/dem tax cuts, as are all the impact they have on our debt and deficits. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_22294868/fiscal-cliff-bill-extends-most-bush-tax-cuts The "politically possible" is and has been for some time now, a euphemism for giving us dogs a bone, or a "win" in this case.

This tyranny of the Pee Party minority tactic is gonna be energetically exploited at every available opportunity by them, leaving the inexorable rightward drift on socioeconomic policy issues/legislation alive and well. I don't think any ego considerations need be made in terms of their being declared the losers, because it appears as if this conduct is hardwired into them now that they know such methods and means are the only way they can politically accomplish their goals.

The only thing we "won" is a respite from their madness until the next game in an undefined/unknown number for the series is started.

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/10/white-house-there-are-no-winners-here-175216.html

Even BHO knows there aren't any "winners" in all of this, but there has been many losers, as you rightly noted. http://wonkwire.rollcall.com/2013/10/16/chart-day-26/

The only real "win" I see has nothing to do with the specifics of the CR situation other than as an unintended result for rightwingners -- the potential for losses in 2014 their madness has enhanced the possibilities for. But that assumes that the dems will then try to blaze a trail leftward. For some reason I'm not very confident that they'll do so, given the way that "politically possible" thingy keeps getting in the way...

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