Holy Shit... Don't Hold Back Bob... 'What Now for the Democrats?' - Robert Kuttner/HuffPo

[WillyT]

What Now for the Democrats?
Robert Kuttner - Co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect
Posted: December 5, 2010 08:56 PM

<snip>

...

Gestures like freezing federal pay levels and cutting the government workforce only play into the rightwing mantra that the government is the problem. Politically, they signal weakness. This move makes no significant impact on the deficit, reduces employment and purchasing power; and, characteristically, Obama got nothing in return. The Democratic National Committee, disgracefully, even used the Organizing for America email list to try to drum up support for a Democratic president freezing worker pay during a deep recession.

The Bush tax cuts expire on December 31. Most Democrats are beating on the Republicans for refusing to spare 98 percent of Americans a tax hike, so that the top 2 percent can continue to get lower rates. Most Democrats are whacking the Republicans for letting unemployment insurance expire at a time of increased joblessness. But the message gets blurred because of Obama's mixed signals.

And instead of drawing a line in the sand and making clear that Democrats will not cut Social Security, Obama encouraged Democrats to support the scheme of the deficit commission, which was an anti-government, anti-social insurance blueprint that had very little public support and no constructive impact on the economic recovery that the country needs, and robbed Democrats of their most potent issue -- that Democrats defend Social Security and Republicans don't.

To add insult to injury, Obama just proposed yet another Bush-style trade deal with South Korea, which is likely to be a net job loser for the U.S. The widely expected appointment of investment banker and Robert Rubin protégé Roger Altman as Obama's chief economic adviser to succeed Larry Summers will continue the Wall Street dynasty at the White House.

The problem, however, is not Obama's advisers. It is the man who appointed them -- and his failure to know how to fight and lead as a progressive. Let's stop pretending. Barack Obama is a disaster as a crisis president. He has taken an economic collapse that was the result of Republican ideology and Republican policies, and made it the Democrats' fault. And the more that he is pummeled, the more he bends over.

...

<snip>

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/what-now-for-the-democrat_b_792301.html

:wow:

:kick:

[potpolpilot]

1. What a breath of fresh air. Non negotiated frankness.

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. I simply do not understand why this President is doing what he is doing

n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

17. Nor do I..nor a lot of others...

[ProSense]

3. Yeah, don't

hold back on a stupid strategy:

<...>

There is also the likelihood in 2012 of a centrist independent candidate, perhaps Michael Berlusconi -- oops, I mean Bloomberg -- the billionaire martinet mayor of New York. What -- is Obama not centrist enough? Do we really need three candidates from Wall Street?

If things proceed as they have been going, here is what's likely:

Republicans take both Houses in 2012. Obama may barely hold on to the presidency, in which case a continuing depression becomes even more of his responsibility and we have an eight-year Herbert Hoover that the Republicans can run against for a generation.

Alternatively, Obama loses in 2012, Republicans become the governing party, do incredible damage, but don't cure the depression. And there is a shot that a progressive Democrat wins in 2016.

We could be in for a period like the late 19th century, of festering economic and social problems, failed one-term presidencies, and partisan oscillation in Congress.

To be clear: I am not rooting for a wall-to-wall Republican win is 2012 on the faint hope that it will set the stage for a Democratic comeback for years later. I am too mindful of the pitiful slogan of German leftists in 1933 -- "After Hitler, Us." Palin is not Hitler, but there is never a good tactical reason to root for the far right.

Yet if we are to be spared an awful decade, both economically and politically, either Obama needs to grow a backbone; or some other Democrat could well challenge him in 2012. the progressive community to stop crying in our beer and to get out and organize.

Hoover? What the hell is wrong with these people? Accepting a loss to set up a win in 2016?

Let them start a civil war within the Democratic Party. Keep pretending the President has no supporters. Kuttner might get his Republican President yet. Woo hoo!

[BlueJac]

5. Must of got the stupid from Obama.....n/t

[ProSense]

6. Doubt it.

Love these comments:

"the progressiv­e community to stop crying in our beer and to get out and organize."

You bash our president through the whole article and FINALLY get to this point. If the "progressi­ves," if that is what you want to be called, had done this in Nov, we might very well not be in the jam we find ourselves.
"You don't promote progressiv­ism by screaming in an echo chamber about how Obama doesn't do it as well as you'd like. You promote it by making average Americans believe in it." (SShaw490)

Mr. Kuttner - I hate to be blunt, but you couldn't even protect Russ Feingold's seat in Wisconsin.

As usual, nothing about organizing throughout the country--i­n the really tough areas--to elect Democrats to Congress that are more receptive to progressiv­e policies. Nothing...­.nada...

Instead, all of the focus is on the President as if he were a monarch or tyrant. What is up with this? Do progressiv­es want to end the concept of three co-equal branches of government­?

Very telling.

[yurbud]

7. the next time Republicans retake all three branches, we're done as a democracy

The GOP only has a few years left when they can claim with a straight face they've won elections because of changing demographics--from a dying white majority to the very Latinos the GOP has used a racial scapegoats for a couple of decades.

When fascists can't win elections they stop having them and go the Pinochet route.

[ProSense]

8. That's his strategy, not mine. n/t

[PufPuf23]

10. McCain and Palin = the GOP did not try to win in 2008. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

14. oops. wrong place

[Wednesdays]

27. You're shooting the messenger.

:shrug:

[xchrom]

4. Recommend

[ddeclue]

9. Amen!

[AndrewP]

11. Well said

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Sad..so very sad...but so true

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

The problem, however, is not Obama's advisers. It is the man who appointed them -- and his failure to know how to fight and lead as a progressive. Let's stop pretending. Barack Obama is a disaster as a crisis president. He has taken an economic collapse that was the result of Republican ideology and Republican policies, and made it the Democrats' fault. And the more that he is pummeled, the more he bends over.

[WillyT]

15. Yep...

:cry::cry::cry:

[ProSense]

16. That's absurd.

No one believes the crisis is the Democrats' fault.

Why doesn't Kuttner just write RNC press releases.

[BrklynLiberal]

18. ..yet..........

[ProSense]

19. Yet, what? n/t

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[democrank]

20. Sometimes....

the truth hurts.

[laughingliberal]

22. K & R nt

[struggle4progress]

23. So Kuttner explicitly opposes grassroots organizing -- I personally think that detail alone

clearly exposes his point-of-view

Anybody who has won real progressive policy fights knows to win policy fights, you have to put people in motion and you can't limit yourself to a single tactic

Kuttner's whole essay OTOH is designed to push a "change comes from the top down" model and to further encourage people to seek a single "silver bullet" solution: he wants to direct people away from grassroots work -- and instead he wants them to concentrate on launching a primary challenge to Obama. The internal inconsistency of his position is evident: Kuttner says The labor movement is just disgusted with Obama -- but Kuttner is arguing against precisely the kind of organizing emphasis that would strengthen the labor movement and other progressive movements

Note, also, other problems with Kuttner's suggestion. The "primary challenge to Obama" strategy offers multiple routes to failure: it can fail to produce a primary challenger, while simultaneously failing to shift Obama's public stances; it can produce a primary challenger, who wins the primaries but loses the general election by splitting the party; and it can produce a primary challenger, who wins the general election -- but then "sells-out" or is widely perceived as selling-out. If we follow Kuttner's strategy, the net result, of any of these failures, is that we STILL have nothing -- because we have not built a grassroots movement and are still stupidly expecting "change from the top down"

[Wednesdays]

28. I'm trying to think of the last time a primary challenger won the General Election

Scratch that--I can't think of the last time a primary challenger even won the nomination against a sitting incumbent president!

I can think of a few that gave a strong challenge--Ted Kennedy in 1980, Reagan in 1976, and TR in 1912, but someone actually succeeding would have to have been back in the 19th century.

[WillyT]

29. LBJ Dropped Out In 1968 Because Of Vietnam, RFK, And McCarthy

We don't know if RFK would have won against Nixon because Bobby was killed, but I think he stood a much better chance than Humphrey.

LBJ saw the Primary Challenge coming, and bailed...

:shrug:

[mistertrickster]

24. Primary challenge. Let Obama defend himself on a national stage in Iowa. nt

[Laelth]

25. Sad but true. k&r n/t

-Laelth

[whatchamacallit]

26. This statement is devastating:

"He has taken an economic collapse that was the result of Republican ideology and Republican policies, and made it the Democrats' fault." It makes you wonder who this president really works for...

[tomp]

31. the democrats are conspirators.

they are not innocents and have responsibility for allowing everything along the way that led to today's crisis. they are enablers of "republican" policies. the policies you see are bipartisan policies. the rest is theater to make you think you are actually represented in government.

i will not let them off the hook.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.