The press still doesn't get it. Even without the presidential election, we are about to have one of the most transformative elections in our lifetimes. If experts like Charlie Cook, or the Republican Party itself, are right, the Republicans are about to lose another 20 to 34 seats in the House and at least seven seats in the Senate.
That is gigantic. It will take decades -- maybe even generations -- for the Republicans to recover from that. Political tsunamis like this don't come along very often -- and we are about to have two, back to back. In 2006, the total tally between the House and the Senate was an astounding 36-0 seat change in favor of the Democrats.
This is an enormous story and yet hardly a peep has been heard from the press about this. In fact, quite to the contrary Newsweek just wrote a cover story on how this is still fundamentally a center-right country. On which planet? Could you have imagined the press declaring after the 1994 Republican "revolution" that it meant nothing because this was still a fundamentally liberal country?
The problem is the Washington bubble. Inside the Washington bubble, the Republicans are always right, the Democrats are always cowed. Every issue is framed from the conservative perspective and liberals are some fringe group outside of the "mainstream of America." Wake up press, mainstream Americans are about tell you for the second election in a row that they are definitely not conservative.
You see, every member of the traditional press that just read that last sentence will rebel. "Come on, how can you say the country is not conservative? That's outrageous." Watch, I'll outrage you even more -- the United States of America is a liberal country.
Compared to some Western European countries, we could be a little more liberal. But compared to the rest of the world, it's not even close. We are one of the bastions of liberalism. In fact, the United States has almost always led the world in being progressive. We created the United Nations, we rebuilt our enemies through the Marshall Plan, we pushed for human rights throughout the world, we established the idea of freedom of speech and of the press, and the list goes on and on. We are a liberal country and proud.
Now, these last two elections will show that a short-term flirtation with the conservative movement was a gigantic failure. We gave the country over to our conservatives for the last eight years -- and we hated what they did with it.
That's because Americans are not fundamentally conservative. They believe that when there is a disaster like Katrina, we should help one another and it is the government's job to be there for its citizens. They believe it is the government's job to regulate the markets (which simply means to establish some fair rules by which everyone has to play) so that the free markets are not left unfettered. They believe that first strike wars in foreign lands turn out to be a bad idea. They don't like torture. They believe in a minimum wage. And they fundamentally believe in a social safety net, as established in programs like Social Security.
Since the national press has been brainwashed by the conservatives for several decades now, it will take them some time to adjust to this. But adjust they must, because the Democrats will have control over Congress for along time to come if any of these projections are accurate. I know it's really hard to get it through their heads, but James Dobson does not represent us, Nancy Pelosi does. How long and how forcefully can the American people say that before the press acknowledges it?
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I think a dominant reality in the US today is a large group that sits outside the traditional conservative and liberal camps -they are the politically illiterate. Too many citizens are inactive and uneducated and have no way of reentering the fold. And the party that plays best to them, their fears mostly it seems, wins. This is cynical politics and living at it's basest form. American's are finally - gasp! - reacting against it. But having a survivalist instinct is equally base and doesn't mean that you are a liberal society.
Thank you for your article.
Obama's clear superiority of temperament and judgement has rendered all the Rovian tactics impotent. The public isn't swayed by these tactics unless there is some truth to the fears in the character of the candidate liberals have put forward.
No truth, no traction.
We're liberal because we want hillbilly Christians to stay in their proper sphere, snake handling rather than interferring with science. We want health care to be delivered rather than denied by large corporate interests. We want a better agriculture system that emphasizes sustainability rather than endless government subsidies. The list goes on.
God = Good.
If your money wasn't in something safe, and not in a 450K home you could not afford to begin with, then may God help you.
I'd only add this: We liberals are the ones who are always looking to the future, who, while respecting the framers of the constitution, understand that a document written in the late 18th Century might need some adjustments now and then to keep up with changing times.
Conservative: of or constituting a political party wholse disposition in is to preserve what is established (e.g. their control of government), adhering to a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability (i.e. their "tradition" and "traditional values"), stressing established institutions (especially church), and preferring gradual (or no) development to abrupt change; specifically, such a philosophy calling for lower taxes (for the wealthy), limited (or no) government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense (and offense), and individual financial responsibility for personal needs (as retirement income or health-care coverage; unless you happen to be an executive in the financial services sector who needs a bail-out or a VP candidate who needs a new wardrobe and a flight to church in Alaska).
Conservatives most often demonstrate "the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change".
Exactly, that's why We, the People are taking our beloved Country back! Thanks for all your outstanding efforts. Agape.
Period. The Court is so right wing now, we must turn the Alito-Roberts duo around, and fast. The "republic" party had all branches of Gov't. for the last six years and we see how well that worked out. I say, "Let Liberals reign", for many years to come. By the way, thanks for your great show. Love it!
I understand what the poster BBdisk was expressing, but the very fact that the majority wants change (no matter the reason) speaks to our progressive nature.
Certain segments of our society have been left behind and unfortunately the resistance for change was based on visual identity which laid the foundation for irrational fears and prejudice.
Nancy Pelosi does NOT represent me, or the rest of the majority of Americans who wanted impeachment and us out of Iraq.
Matt Taibbi nailed her and Harry Reid in his article "The Chicken Doves." They are Republican enablers:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18349197/the_chicken_doves
"Quietly, while Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been inspiring Democrats everywhere with their rolling bitchfest, congressional superduo Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have completed one of the most awesome political collapses since Neville Chamberlain.
...Pelosi seemed especially broken up about having to surrender on Iraq, sounding like an NFL coach in a postgame presser, trying with a straight face to explain why he punted on first-and-goal. "We just didn't have any plays we liked down there," said the coach of the 0-15 Dems. "Sometimes you just have to play the field-position game...."
To clairify: Clinton should be Senate Majority Leader.