The Bully Pulpit Failure & Other Failures

For those of us who are typically in thrall to the concept of American exceptionalism and the idea that "the American experiment" was still alive and well, the 2008 election of Barack Obama certainly brought tears to our eyes. And yet, two and a half years later, in the midst of the current "manufactured" American "debt crisis" - when the opportunities for strong Democratic leadership are at an absolute apogee - Barack Obama chooses to step back from them. He does not do this timidly but resolutely and consistently. It is beyond pathetic.

Even in the face of "GOPspeak" which the ending of a decade-long Bush gift of lowering taxes ( http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_landay6_08-06-11_EQPHQHH_v9.39577.html) to those who don't need it is called a "tax increase" by Republicans, the President himself calls the current agreement on the debt a "balanced" tax-and-debt package (when the top 1 percent continue to control 40-50% of the wealth in the country)...He will simply not talk about class warfare in spite of the fact that this actions by the Tea Party and its adherents have are totally consistent with such a theory.

It is not surprising then, as has been pointed out recently by the chief executive of a polling company (Greenberg-Quinlan-Rosner, a polling company that works primarily for center-left interest groups) that the "common man" is disgusted with the Democratic Party. Even though Democrats and others support the DP's policies, they have very little belief in the Party's abilities to implement them. And, Obama represents these policies perfectly. As Landsy emphasizes, "if they [the Dems] are to win trust and votes, Democrats must show that they are as determined as the Tea Party to change the rules of the game....

What should Dems do??? (I paraphrase the Landsay article here): a) they should limit or bar corporate contributions to electoral campaigns; b) they must force public broadcast media to "freely" publish candidate ads; c) they must simplify the tax code and remove the loopholes, etc. Obama has failed consistently to stand up for any serious Democratic principles. He has consistently caved when any serious conflict was involved. Why should I vote for him in 20012??? Because the alternative is so much worse? Wow, that's an real exciter!!! Sadly, he will expect Progressives to support him vigorously...in spite of the fact that he has absolutely refused to stand up for the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party. And, the Super coalition to which the President agreed will be simply a reprising of the same.....No revenue increases...

I will take bets now....