Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "Making the perfect the enemy of the good." [View all]ehrnst
(32,640 posts)65. I think you might be very disappointed to learn about the Civil Rights act of 1964
"I'm fine with compromise-but is it asking too much to make it clear that the compromise is only temporary, and to immediately encourage the people disappointed with the compromise to go out and start working for win support for more?"
Among the important compromises in the bill are exemptions from the employment discrimination prohibition of Title VII for businesses of less than 15 people, and the exemption from the Public Accommodations provision of Title II for small, owner-occupied motels and lodging establishments. Presumably, these exceptions exist for the benefit of racists who grew up in a racist system through no fault of their own. Congress might reasonably have concluded that forcing close contact between racial minorities and these racists might have been more trouble than it was worth. But these exemptions should have been time-limited; at this point, all but the oldest business owners spent their entire lives, or at least their adulthoods, in a nation were discrimination has clearly been against the law and public policy. The case for continued compromise of the policy is not obvious.
https://www.acslaw.org/acsblog/compromise-and-the-civil-rights-act-of-1964
I suppose hammering on Bill Clinton is newly faddish, but no one, and I mean no one, in politics is without the stain of compromise that harms the poor, including those who voted for Commodity Futures Modernization Act in 2000, which eased regulations on Wall Street, and paved the way for credit default swaps. Despite the good intentions, that created many more who needed public assistance starting in 2008.
And displacing minority low income people in order to move a nuclear waste dump where it was affordable to live, then continuing to profit from it, certainly would be an instance of compromise that harms the poor.
Like I said, there is no politician free of the sin of compromise or self-interest.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
117 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
Obviously, it is wrong to say that there's NO difference between the two parties
Ken Burch
Oct 2017
#13
Not about her-about the way that phrase"don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good"-
Ken Burch
Oct 2017
#17
Because every decision, every piece of legislation has a numerical metric of over or under 50%
ehrnst
Oct 2017
#59
That phrase "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" goes back to the Nineties
Ken Burch
Oct 2017
#21
"Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" goes back even farther than the '90's
ehrnst
Oct 2017
#23
I know it goes back to Voltaire, but it became a party maxim in the Nineties.
Ken Burch
Oct 2017
#29
I think you might be very disappointed to learn about the Civil Rights act of 1964
ehrnst
Oct 2017
#65
It was a different time. But for a lot of us, it's a big thing to want to be sure...
Ken Burch
Oct 2017
#106
Well, I do agree Dems could have done much better to sell H/C legislation to the public..
JHan
Oct 2017
#113
"Tearing allies down gives ammo to their opponents..." Yes indeed. I'd also add...
NurseJackie
Oct 2017
#114
For a refreshing change, why not blame Republicans for Republican-majority legislation
betsuni
Oct 2017
#52
There are few if any situations where Democratic presidents HAVE to sign Republican legislation.
Ken Burch
Oct 2017
#55
Sorry Ken, your misinterpretation of HRC's point/words seems like a real stretch to me.
emulatorloo
Oct 2017
#70
I did say I agree fully with what she says in the last line quoted in the OP.
Ken Burch
Oct 2017
#93
One counterarguemnt for your citation is the ACA, or "Obamacare" as it is framed.
guillaumeb
Oct 2017
#40
And the motivation, the root of THAT particular backlash was open racism. eom
guillaumeb
Oct 2017
#43
yes exactly. It was a a respectable strategy. Now we know it doesn't work. We know there is no
JCanete
Oct 2017
#48
ACA is not 'the same' as Heritage. "The Heritage Plan *Was* The Conservative Alternate to the ACA"
emulatorloo
Oct 2017
#69
Nobody on the left is actually against fixing K-12. It's just that by itself, that isn't enough.
Ken Burch
Oct 2017
#86
You believe a lack of college education renders secondary and primary education irrelevant?
LanternWaste
Oct 2017
#87
Of course the quote is accurate. Your "spin" is a logical leap you've made that is not
emulatorloo
Oct 2017
#103
It should be acknowledged though, that there is a distinction between compromising
JCanete
Oct 2017
#47
Interesting, thanks. That is absolutely a distinction. I'd assumed it was worse than Obamacare, but
JCanete
Oct 2017
#71
Yep, even I forgot . There's enough misinformation about the ACA out there already
JHan
Oct 2017
#76
I certainly don't always know. Sometimes I'm wrong. I'm not interested in going to the grave being
JCanete
Oct 2017
#78