(no subject)
Sep. 21st, 2010 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
My gosh, but the Democrats completely messed up the DADT repeal, didn't they? There's theoretically a chance it could be voted on again next week but... I would be utterly shocked. They put it off, put it off, put it off, and now it's too late, the Republicans are going to sweep in November and it will be at least 10 years before we have another shot at DADT.
ENDA is not even on the horizon, apparently. I haven't heard it mentioned in a long time. And the DOMA repeal? Doubt it was ever even seriously considered.
It's safe to say the Dems have completely disheartened the GLBT community at this point, and we're big enough to swing some districts. Most of the credit for gay rights victories this year actually go to Republicans.
Frakkin' cowards. They are about to get beat by the tea party... the tea party, the modern Know-Nothing ultra-philistine iconoclasts who on a normal year would be the fringe weirdos who get a brief mention on the local news for showing up in colonial America costumes on election day.
The moral of the story? Don't compromise. I'm a pretty firm believer in this. I mean, sometimes it's okay to let go, to pick your battles sparingly, but generally you should try to exchange A for B as long as A and B are each things that someone fully wants. If you take A and cut it in half and offer that in exchange for half of B, you satisfy no one, and there is no victory to proclaim.
Also, a little bit of populism would have gone a long way.
ENDA is not even on the horizon, apparently. I haven't heard it mentioned in a long time. And the DOMA repeal? Doubt it was ever even seriously considered.
It's safe to say the Dems have completely disheartened the GLBT community at this point, and we're big enough to swing some districts. Most of the credit for gay rights victories this year actually go to Republicans.
Frakkin' cowards. They are about to get beat by the tea party... the tea party, the modern Know-Nothing ultra-philistine iconoclasts who on a normal year would be the fringe weirdos who get a brief mention on the local news for showing up in colonial America costumes on election day.
The moral of the story? Don't compromise. I'm a pretty firm believer in this. I mean, sometimes it's okay to let go, to pick your battles sparingly, but generally you should try to exchange A for B as long as A and B are each things that someone fully wants. If you take A and cut it in half and offer that in exchange for half of B, you satisfy no one, and there is no victory to proclaim.
Also, a little bit of populism would have gone a long way.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 08:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 02:17 pm (UTC)I remain at least partially convinced that the entire thing is scripted in advance. Obama is now blaming the economic crisis on Social Security and Medicare! I think he was picked (like Nixon and China) to be the guy who finally destroys what remains of the social safety net after Clinton's horrid depredations. Democrats are now hired to do this by the economic rulers because it limits the protests and diffuses the anger.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 05:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 05:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 09:18 pm (UTC)40% identifies as moderate
20% identifies as liberal
Because of this imbalance, this creates a different dynamic for Repubs and Dems with their "base." Repubs only have to keep the most conservative 11% of the moderates. Dems have to keep the most liberal 31% of the moderates. So most of the time Dems treat the "base" as moderates, not liberals - they actually need a greater % of moderates than liberals to win.
Still, for someone who is supposed to be a great orator Obama seems to be either unwilling or unable to "dog whistle" to progressives (as Paul Krugman calls it), whereas Republicans are great at doing this with conservatives.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-24 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 10:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 12:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 12:17 am (UTC)I don't know what to think of the tea party - It seems kinda like the djinn - Once you've pulled every crazy you can find out of the woodwork and not only introduced them to each other, but encouraged them to form cells? I think even the GOP is eventually going to regret this. I know the rest of us probably will.
Personally, this season, I have the choice between a Democratic career pol I don't actually mind (Adler: Voted Yes for the Hate Crimes expansion, eliminating the death penalty, for the good parts of the health care bill and against the dumber amendments - though there's some stuff I disagree with) vs. a GOP backed ex-football player who magically seems to have a shitton of money to spend on attack ads. I've seen how this little trick plays out for GOP folks: The national party manages their campaign and fund raising for them, then they vote line or the party yanks their machine and support the very second they fall out of line, effectively throwing them to the wolves.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 03:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 12:58 pm (UTC)And there is also the observation that no one had any intention of pushing DADT repeal through congress since the change was already being expected to come through the courts, so this was just a theatrical effort to remind everyone that GOP would rather defund the entire military than help lgbt servicemen.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-24 04:38 pm (UTC)Re. compromise, are you familiar with the work of Gramsci?