Awesome! This morning, everything’s different!
Except, watching CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc., everything is the same. If they aren’t playing violins for Rick Santorum’s crying little girl, the talking heads are calling into question the amount of change a Democratic Congress can affect with a Republican President. Or they’re claiming that the race for ’08 will limit what this Congress can accomplish. While blasting the left for Lamont’s loss costing Democrats an official seat.
Instead of casting doubt over the Democrats’ ability to make massive gains in the races, the punditry now doubts the Democrats’ ability to affect any real change.
Nice honeymoon period.
Everyone knows that all we can actually expect to get out of this new world is some gridlock, a bit of oversight on Iraq, and a lot of messy public squabbling. That’s not the issue. What stinks out loud is that so many in the media are already setting that state of affairs up as a defeat for the Dems.
Compare that to the response in 1994, when all the talk was of a cultural change sweeping the nation, that America had spoken — not just against Bill Clinton, but for the Contract drawn up by Newt. Surely, the Democrats brought some of this on themselves by not having anything like the Contract with America front and center, instead relying on not-Bush strategies to carry them to victory. But a lot of people are already trying to ratchet up doubt and disappointment to create a no-win space for the new Congress.
As much as I want them to concentrate on the environment, health care, and transparent governance in the long run, the Democrats must first come out swinging with some well-promoted populist legislation that would result in immediate improvements for most Americans. The minimum wage is an easy win. So are Medicaid drug and lobbying reform. Democrats must paint themselves as the active party working for specific improvements for the everyperson, and they must inject those issues into speeches and interviews over and over and over. Republican vetos must be framed as old-money cockblocking.
There are a lot of things the Democrats can’t control, but their image isn’t one of them. They just have to try.
It’s a testament to how liberal this country really is that Democrats an get elected at all despite the anti-Democrat slant of the media. Which all comes back to how pissed they are that Bill Clinton raised their taxes. Fucking babies.
I don”t know what you’re complaining about. I woke up this morning and a Pelosi aide had breakfast waiting on the table and was just finishing off the dishes. After the massage, I think he went to my neighbor’s house.
Ahem: Doom, Gloom, and the other one.
Rumsfelds gone.
Lieberman isn’t.
So it’s gonna be a wishy washy centrist christmas by the looks of things, at least seeing the repugs thrash wildly for the next few days as they get their scapegoat-on will be amusing.
COCKBLOCKING?!?!?!?
Did you make that word up? Because it is AWESOME !!!
I, too, noticed to surprising lack of Jubilation today, in the media and here in Austin. I finally decided the Austin “Lack Of” is due to FUCKING PERRY/Dewhurst blues. But Still!! We have gone from No Hope/possible relocation camps for “enemy Combatants” (read: Liberal Bloggers) to THERE IS HOPE ! AT LAST! THAT WE CAN STOP THESE FUCKERS!!
So I REALLY appreciate your POST, I think it is excellent and most timely.
Screw the populism, the first thing to do is to get Congressional control of the FCC .. that’ll put the fear of god* into the media, and change some POV smartly … maybe even prise a few of Uncle Rupe’s sticky fingers off some bits of the media, and perform a small ritual disembowelment on Clear
*That’s the vengeful, hellfire-smiting, petty-minded republican one, not the sexy liberal better-dancing, Discoballian one.