Pumpkin Pies, Progress, and The Great Disappointment

[derby378]

One of the most important lessons I learned about progressive politics was learned when I tried my hand at baking a pumpkin pie.

I had all of the ingredients lined up, had my pie crust ready, mixed up everything in the mixing bowl, baked it up good, and delivered my pumpkin pie to a local Democratic picnic where I hoped everyone would enjoy it.

The food at the picnic was good, and as I sampled my friends' entrees and desserts, I noticed that my pumpkin pie had gone almost untouched. Since I was in the mood for pie after a good meal, I cut of a slice of my own pie and took a bite. It tasted, well, earthy. This isn't right, I told myself. I've had plenty of pumpkin pies over the years, probably too many, but that's another story. My pie didn't taste nearly as good as any of the other pumpkin pies I've eaten. When I finally came home, I realized why.

There on the kitchen counter was a bag of organic, fair trade cane sugar that was supposed to be used in the creation of my beloved pumpkin pie. Unopened. Patiently waiting for me to do something with it. Boy, I felt like a tool.

But therein lies the lesson: if you're going to cook or bake something to eat, you have to make sure that all of the ingredients are in the mix, or the end product will probably taste less than satisfactory.

And it's the same with progressive politics. There are a lot of factors that go into crafting a new social or political institution that is designed to help as many Americans as possible while advancing personal freedom on one hand and general welfare on the other. It's a delicate balance sometimes, but you have to find that balance or the whole thing is going to blow up in your face - let alone fail to earn the monicker of "progressive."

What President Obama calls "healthcare reform" came up far short of being progressive. It kept the insurance companies firmly in charge of whatever reform processes were instituted, and it also made it illegal not to support these corrupt institutions with our hard-earned paychecks as of 2014. The only thing that could have kept these insurance companies honest - a public health insurance option - died a lingering death on the Senate floor with Obama making no reasonable attempt to preserve it. Without "sugar," the whole deal tasted less than satisfactory. Without that one remaining ingredient, the reform bill was as much of a failure as my pumpkin pie.

Then there was Obama lecturing progressive Democrats at a hastily-called press conference where he announced a deal to abandon his campaign pledge to end the Bush tax cuts for the richest 1-2% of Americans. He cobbled together this deal after conferring with Republicans, but not with Democrats. "Yes, We Can" had somehow morphed into "You'll eat what I serve you, you don't appreciate what I've done for you, and the Republicans are being mean to me so I have to do what they say."

In the end, it doesn't matter if Obama ran for office as a centrist. What matters is whether he is willing to listen to those who put him in the White House. That's what George W. Bush did - Big Business was all too happy that the Supreme Court ruled the "right" way. But Obama wasn't supposed to be the candidate of Big Business. He was supposed to be our President. The People's President. Change you can believe in and all that. Which is all the more tragic that Obama's term in office has turned into The Great Disappointment.

Will Obama take a step back from the podium to listen to his constituents at long last? Or will he continue his quixoitc quest for bipartisanship with politicians who want nothing more than to make Obama their flunkie before handing him his hat in 2012, provided he isn't defeated by a Democratic primary challenger first? Perhaps Obama should stop patting himself on the back long enough to take a long, hard look at the political scoreboard. And the American people, despite Republican victories in November, are clearly expecting Obama to do something - well, progressive.

[enough]

1. He is not going to change. He is what he is. Some of us just let wishful thinking get in the way

of clear vision. I know that's what happened to me.

[derby378]

2. In that case. he will be primaried in 2012...

...and there is a chance that he will lose the primary. Obama needs to wake up. Today, he sounds nothing at all like the man who ran against John McCain back in 2008.

[Phx_Dem]

3. Progressives didn't put Obama in the White House, African American and

youth voters did.

[derby378]

4. I'm not black, and I'm not exactly "young" anymore

And I helped put Obama in office. Ask me anything! :hi:

[davidthegnome]

5. Sorry, but aren't many

Youth and African American voters Progressives? I'd say it took a large number of people from all walks of life to put him in the white house. I'm hardly unbiased here - I am, after all, one of those youth voters. I can now admit to my shame though, and admit that I was taken for a ride. If I had to do it over again, I'd vote for Kucinich as I truly wanted to to begin with. I let others talk me out of it, because, according to them, he had no hope of swaying the masses.

Still, I think it required a great many progressives working together to elect Obama, perhaps youth and African American voters turned out in large, even record numbers, but we could not have done it alone. We weren't the only ones who were fooled.

[derby378]

6. Besides, if only the youth and African-Americans got the job done...

...there wouldn't be any need to reach out to this old fart white guy, right?

It takes all of us, working together, to effect the change we want to see. And we can't just sit back and assume our man will do the right thing, otherwise he may very well flip-flop like Obama just did.

[davidthegnome]

14. Sadly

I now regret that I reached out to so many to help him. Should I have supported Clinton instead? Or should I have really voted my conscience and gone with Kucinich? My heart is with Kucinich and those like him - but logic tells me that if I vote for a candidate so unpopular and politically weak I will be wasting my vote.

I have no intention of sitting back and assuming - I'm doing what little I can to effect change, but I think that perhaps the most important change in the near future will be in how Americans perceive politics (thus the most important task, for all of us, is to educate). I can't in good conscience continue to vote for the lesser of two evils when this is the end result. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, right?

I'm sorry I I helped convince people to vote for him - I should have campaigned for Kucinich. In the future that is what I intend to do. Now that should be a really good fight, shouldn't it? I think now, more than ever, that that is the right thing to do. I can't after all, effect change by repeating the mistakes of the past. Perhaps a candidate even better than Kucinich will come up. We'll see.

[derby378]

15. What does your heart tell you?

If you're committed to a particular Democratic candidate, by all means, vote for that candidate during the primaries. During the general election, we can hopefully put aside the "If only this guy..." long enough to vote for our party's candidate and then work to make sure our new Democratic President listens to us once in a while.

I was a Bill Richardson man in 2008. He got eliminated, and some people were advising me to back John Edwards. I appreciated his stand on some issues, but he just didn't set right with me, so I waited to see how this whole Obama/Clinton thing played out. But I must admit that I will always admire Kucinich's passion and drive.

[xxqqqzme]

7. Along w/ a bunch of progressive bloggers,

527s and bunch of older white folks. He is ignoring ALL the people who voted for him. One thing I do know, he got votes from a very, very small number of rethuglicans. I know not a single rethuglican in my family voted for him.

[derby378]

8. I'll wager more progressives than Republicans voted for Obama

Which is all the more reason for Obama to wake the hell up. :hi:

[polichick]

9. Well said - love the pumpkin pie analogy! k&r

[derby378]

10. Thanks!

And I always remember the sugar whenever I'm in the kitchen now. :hi:

[polichick]

11. I once made sugar cookies and forgot the sugar! lol

[derby378]

12. I can almost top that

Once I walked into a supermarket and saw a batch of "sugar cookies" that were made without sugar - only HFCS. Pays to read that ingredient label, it does!

[polichick]

13. Those lying liars! :)