“Democracy in a nation of three hundred million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That’s just how it is.”
— Pres. Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, Jan. 27, 2010
There seems to be a lot of heat under America, particularly America’s virtual political nation — its progressive blogs, websites and online magazines. In the days of the long drawn out battle over health care reform, progressives feel Democrats are not doing enough, fast enough.
At sites like Daily Kos, Firedoglake, and Huffington Post, progressive bloggers ranging from Alec Baldwin to everyday Janes and Joes like you and I have been literally screaming disapproval at the President, Democrats in Congress and each other.
Never a political party to let unity ruin a good argument, diaries and threads on these sites were devoted to: telling Obama what to do; telling Obama to fire Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Treasury Secretary Tim Gethner (which I think he should anyway); telling Obama he’s a sellout and a traitor to the left; telling other progressive blogs that THEY are traitors to the left. Not only that, but accusations flew about special SWAT teams of bloggers from radical progressive (Neo-liberal) sites allegedly disrupting the blog discussions of other progressive sites with opposing views about current events.
In a 24 hour news cycle, a story that captivates mainstream media for more than a few days means it has ‘legs’. When bad news with ‘legs’ happens to Democrats it appears that in political blogs, Democrats panic quite openly. And when they panic, all the news watches. After the Massachusetts election where Republicans were crowing the loss of Ted Kennedy’s seat to Republican Scott Brown for hours on end and into the week, one would think after visiting their political websites that progressives, moderate and neo, had literally lost their bleeping minds.
Blogs are 21st century (virtual) town halls, providing instantaneous news reaction and opinion on an hour-by-hour basis. Political blogs, Daily Kos, for instance, are a unique and highly effective news feedback loop, taking in tidbits of political import like a homeopathic tincture, and letting that information generate debate for a readership of over 375,000 per day–and that’s a slow news day. During campaign season, Daily Kos can generate up to a million hits a day. You can understand how valuable that is to major news organizations. You can get a snapshot of the American political psyche with a mouse click. All you have to do is open up Huffington Post or Daily Kos and like a basal thermometer, get a read on who’s ripe, who’s hot, and when are things ready to pop.
The nation is itching to restore the economy demolished by Wall Street, secure affordable health care, and bring jobs back to ravaged cities across the US. Things are popping. Where is the recovery? Where’s health care reform? Are we there yet? Why aren’t we? Faster! Faster! More! More!! All a news reporter has to do is click on their bookmarked progressive blog and report back with this headline: “Democrats in disarray”.
But Democrats aren’t the only ones in the throes of fury. Republicans, even the neocons of the Bush Administration are being pushed aside for news attention by the Teabag Nation, formed as a response to the Obama Administration. They represent not just Republicans but Libertarians and Independents. Currently, the Teabaggers are having a time of it not getting ripped off by Republican consulting firms set up to make money by exploiting Teabagger activist anger. The first National Teabag convention, slated for early February, is falling apart at the seams because of infighting over profiteering.
Everyone is openly acting out anger in the hopes of getting attention. In a way, its similar to most two year olds finding their voice, unhappily realizing that the world has limits, and like it or not, learning to have to live with them. Progressives are shouting to their Democratic President and the government that he and it need to live up to his campaign promises. Conservatives are shouting at the President and government in general because its taking away their freedoms. Like lemmings, we’re following our political kindred over the edge into the lake, biting and chewing at each other and burning up. All the while, the major networks and news industry chuckle, take notes and bank the check from their next commercial sponsor.
Look forward to the days, weeks and months of battle between and amongst our polar opposites and our friends on which way the country must go and whose voice will screech the loudest to get heard. This is not going away. Not for a while. At least not until we feel recognized and its evident that someone is listening. Like any toddler tantrum. Democrats and Republicans, the two major national parties in America, seem to be splintering at the moment. That’s what happens when Saturn and Pluto in cardinal signs literally square off.
The way through this is patience, and prying our hands off our eyes–once we’ve gotten past the anger and denial. But it does not mean passivity, because there are still way too many interests keeping everyday citizens of all stripes away from having a government they deserve: one that has their best interests at heart and acts on that. The anger out there is really justified.
Reading the quote at the top of this article, its very funny, ironic even, that the one person who seems to be the locus of this national shouting match made the case for the very show we’ve got. I’m glad he appreciates it. He’s going to need all the big mental berth he can get to handle it. Me, I’m just putting my hands on my hips and wondering with horror and a wry smile about how strange the ways nations are born and how they grow up.
Yours and truly,
Fe Bongolan
San Francisco
NOTE:
I’ve corrected the post to replace the date of the first national teabagger Convention from March to early February.
Kelly:
Agreed about Volcker. His presence is a signal to Summers and Geithner that something is stirring the shit-pot.
By the way, did you catch the op-ed in WSJ about Obama turning America into a Venezuelan democracy? It was total, oblivious, WATB, I don’t care cause I got mine and I want more kind of crap. Teabaggers and Democrats should be mad. The more the WH separates from these assholes, the happier I will be. Which is probably why the Republicans are going after him with big guns.
Fe,
Yes, let’s hope but in the meantime Obama has set his team and he supports them. I take him at his word that his team represents his position.
For me, I am keeping my eye on Volcker. He has hung in there even though he has been marginalized until last week. I would love to believe that Volcker is Obama’s secret weapon. If Volcker resigns from his role as economic advisor, that will be a signal for me.
“When we are working toward solutions, patience will be essential, especially when the road ahead is long and hard. There is a fine line between patience and tolerance. The country is at an economic tipping point and we don’t have the time to continue to tolerate the administration’s self interested definition of the problems. The status quo is being protected at the cost of any real solutions. At any time, Obama could make changes to his team members. This is something I keep in focus in the face of all the noise. It is a template.”
Kelly:
It is my prayer he sets Rahm and Tim, and as the offshoot Summers aside so Goldman-Sachs and the rest can go to hell.
Jude and PW:
I think the more we identify this, the more we can withstand the heat, and let it happen. I think the vehemence is something we haven’t been used to since the 60s, though this time, the lexicon is different.
The tiresome game of who is more right will wear us down. But I think, or maybe more hope that our republic is stronger than that. Stranger things have happened before now, and there are plenty of us out there who know what it was like to appreciate what it is now.
The only thing I do object to are the guns at these confrontations. There needs to be some ground rules if we’re going to engage in hand-to-hand verbal war.
Fe,
Really appreciate your observations and done with real style. And some heat.
Your piece brought to mind an exchange I had earlier this week. Here’s my heat.
The President should not be measured by his individual characteristics, but as a leader of a team of his own choosing: his administration. A president has complete power to chose the people who will carry out his central strategy. I think Obama has failed in the selection of his team. Many of them are the architects of the economic system that is crushing this country. Many are continuing to define the problems based on their own self interest. Any solution is based on how the problem is defined.
When we are working toward solutions, patience will be essential, especially when the road ahead is long and hard. There is a fine line between patience and tolerance. The country is at an economic tipping point and we don’t have the time to continue to tolerate the administration’s self interested definition of the problems. The status quo is being protected at the cost of any real solutions. At any time, Obama could make changes to his team members. This is something I keep in focus in the face of all the noise. It is a template.
Fe – It is a very good thing to keep one’s head while all about us are losing theirs. You go above and beyond that by helping others (myself included) to get a handle on things to see them more clearly, thereby enabling others to krrp our heads as well. Uncounted times your words have cleared the fog of confusion for me and given structure to frenetic chaos. Thank you.
Jude – Thank you for the quote from Karl Rove. By coming out in favor of illteracy and ignorance he has revealed his true colors as never before. It is amazing that a quote like that can just slide by. Thank you for not letting that happen. The very fabric of our nation is woven from the premises that universal literacy and publicly finance education are fundamental to sustaining a republic. Not that he cares.
Jere – how are you doing? While shaving this morning i was thinking of you and wondering how you are doing with this Full Moon energy. You are an important part of this community. What would we do without our poet?
Fe, hey cat,.. while the kids are in “disarray”, and the nation is floundering with it’s new found sense of legs.. (or not),.. The choice is still yours and mine, to find that external balance point, the one that externally balances our internal decisions.
I’ve enjoyed your perspective since day 1. I can’t help but think you are saying more than you do. You’ve a righteous voice.
Politics make me ill.
I feel as if I’m done with the b.s. that ignoramus’s throw around as distraction.
.. I’ve been here way too long.
This is it, Fe, you’re cool, You’ve got a lot of vibe flowing your way. Throw that shit out as far as you can.
Energy always overflows the vessel!
(No idea what I’ve just said to you but, hope it works for you!)
Love ya, sister…
Jere
Hey, you read my mind, sweetpea! I was just conjuring a piece about how Huffy has become a Roarshark test to the Lefty zeitgeist. My mind started to perk reading this lede, today: Obama Still Loved By The Over-Educated. WTF? I guess that leaves out Joe and Jane Six-pack, and probably their grandparents too but the whole premise needs to visit its therapist.
And yes, the din is amazing, we’ve become a regular Tower of Babble, talking at, over and under one another. I do like to cruise through comments though, since they often contain pearls to plunder … and to renew my (occasional) faith in my fellows. As to the aforementioned article, one response offered this:
“As people do better, they start voting like Republicans—unless they have too much education and vote Democratic which proves there can be too much of a good thing.”
— Karl Rove
Me, I’m throwing all my ante in for too much of a good thing … education is still the key to unlock what we’re missing in this nation. That and the ability to think for ourselves. This is shaping up to be the Year of the Tantrum and the rest of us are going to have to learn how to become Squeaky Wheels if we want to be heard.