I have heard quite enough from President Bill Clinton, the "Democratic Leadership Council" the "Third Way" people and now William Daley, rumored to be President Obama's new chief of staff -- not to mention from President Obama himself -- about "the center" and "we need to move to the center." I have also had more than my fill of "triangulation" and the political calculations that Mr. Clinton used, and now is tutoring the new Bill Clinton clone in the White House to use.
Apparently, to these Democrats, "the center" means being the same corporatist Republicans as explicit, actual Republicans, just slightly less so. This is not "the center"; this is mimicry -- it is being "Republican-lite: Half the fat cat of our regular Republican." The Republicans have moved so far to the right that they keep planting their flag on ever more extreme soil and the Democrats keep moving over there, to be "centrist" and "bipartisan." The entire political spectrum has moved so far right that I hardly recognize America anymore. The Republicans have called the tune and set the terms of debate for thirty years.
Enough is enough. Someone has to have the guts to stand up and redefine "the center." I am nominating myself; here and now.
An economically populist agenda would garner tremendous support, across the political spectrum. Challenging bank bailouts; demanding "tax fairness" (take that, Frank Luntz); an end to "free trade" agreements that ship our jobs to slave labor countries; a return to making things in America; an end to tax breaks for outsourcing; getting dirty money out of our corrupt politics (overturn the Citizens United case) and tariffs on cheap imports to America should be key issues. A balanced budget, by restoring tax fairness; negotiating prescription drug prices through Medicare, and ending waste, fraud and abuse in the Pentagon budget, farm subsidies to gigantic agri-business firms as well as attacks on "corporate welfare" (take that again, Frank Luntz) and a vigorous defense of the middle class would redefine "the center" and align the American people against the economic elites that have near total dominance of our nation.
Re-branding the Democratic Party in this way -- staking these issues out as our issues -- would redefine "the center" (we should simply declare, over and over, that this is the true "center") and we can then demand Republicans (and corporate Democrats) come over to us; and skewer them when they continue to be water carriers for Wall Street and the top two percent. It is time for an aggressive, in-your-face approach to politics, with relentless imaging, using the same words over and over. Use catchy sound bites to brand the Republicans (and these corporatist Democrats) as Wall Street patsies; corporate shills; bankers' front men and oil companies' errand boys. The "death tax" is truly the "estate tax" and that is part of "tax fairness".
George Lakoff has it right -- it is about framing. The aim here is to peel off independents and Republicans, and re-energize the Democratic base, to build a new coalition of "centrists" based on jobs at home for Americans; tax fairness and a balanced budget based upon honesty, and rooting out corruption, both political and governmental, and waste, fraud and abuse.
That is the new center. Enough of the mimicry and corporatism. The future of America is at stake.
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Paul Blumenthal: The Revolving Door Shouldn't Spin Again for William Daley
However, in today's politics I would be considered on of those evil progressives (/snark).
When did our country go backwards? How can 8 years of one President do so much damage to this country?
The Tea Baggers remind me of the moral majority from the 80's and 90's. Neither majority nor moral.
Before anybody slams me for Tea Baggers .... Their term, not mine.
The health care debate is an excellent example. Instead of working to communicate to the public the provisions in the bill that were truly beneficial to people --for example, guaranteed coverage, no life-time caps, increase in the number of health care providers, no pre-existing conditions, and a number of other helpful provisions that are easily researched and documented -- all we heard from the commentating community on the left was anger about the public option, predictions that the bill would never pass, conspiracy theories about backroom deals, hysteria over the Tea Party, anger that the bill wasn't single payer, and worst of all, constant repetition of right wing talking points and endless rumination about whether they were valid.
And the result of that ineffectual negativity is to give people the mistaken impression that staying at home and boycotting the midterms is somehow sending a message to congress.
When the conservatives are the ones who turn out to vote, then our elected representatives RIGHTLY get the impression that conservatives are the only ones who care enough about policy to go to the polls. Therefore giving the impression that the country is more conservative than it actually is.
I grow tired of the constant complaining from the left -- bereft of information that is helpful to the community and full of nihilistic negativity. I also tire of the unrealistic expectation that a senate without the requisite votes can pass progressive legislation.
It's time for a reality check.
The only complaint you will get from me is the left and Dems didn't do more to push their accomplishments.
Despite the Repubs, some good things were done.
But leading up to the 2010 election you would think the Dems, and left, did nothing good and what they did accomplish was terrible.
When are the Dems going to learn they can never work with the Repubs, given the chance the Repubs will make them look like pariahs.
I think the elections of 2010 proved that.
I consider myself to be pretty far left in my politics, and I recognize that I am further left than the Democrats I live around. The more ridiculous statements that come from Republicans, the farther left I have moved.
I am not saying I agree with all of Bill Clinton's beliefs. I don't agree with all of Obama's beliefs, either. Overall, Bill Clinton left us in better shape than we were when he came into office and that is how I judge him. He is brilliant and I think he is worth listening to. Obama is brilliant, also, but he isn't as good at governing. He has accomplished a great deal, but people are concentrating on what he hasn't done. I hope a second term will give him time to correct all of that!
Am I a corporate shrill because I believe in a free market system (Which we barely still have)? No.
Do I support the Crony Capitalism (Corporate Welfare) forced on the system by Progressives from BOTH parties? No.
Am I surprised that big corporate make their products in slave labor countries because of Progressive laws and taxes? No
Did I support the Progressive Big Bank and Big Corp./Union Bailouts? No. B.O.P. TARP ( Bush Obama Pelosi).
A return to the "Center" in America where Personal Responsibility and less dependence on the Government for our needs is the only way to save the Republic!!
Come on Moderator!!!! What’s wrong with this??? Everybody isn’t a Progressive
Am I a corporate shrill because I believe in a free market system (Which we barely still have)? No.
Do I support the Crony Capitalism (Corporate Welfare) forced on the system by Progressives from BOTH parties? No.
Am I surprised that big corporates make their products in slave labor countries because of Progressive laws and taxes? No
Did I support the Progressive Big Bank and Big Corp./Union Bailouts? No. B.O.P. TARP( Bush Obama Pelosi).
A return to the "Center" in America where Personal Responsibility and less dependence on the Government for our needs is the only way to save the Republic!!
A stairwell is created by making right AND left turns. If you don't believe me try this exercise. Put a pencil on a point and make a right turn and stop. Then a left and another right. Before you know it you will have creates a stair stepping aparatus. Moses did not walk on or into either side of the walls of water, he went straight down the middle. The most difficult running for a fullback is up the gut, but when you keep pounding it and using sweeps to the right and left, you will break down the defense. We have become way too extreme going right or left, we need to veer back towards the center for awhile. Nice article.
How does the president ignore half of the population? Why did he?
All I know is health care. I’ve been looking ideas in jobs that can’t be outsourced. Somebody suggested undertaker. It’s true! Careers in health care would impact the entire country, not just regions. Many levels may be obtained with a few months of training such as Phlebotomy, Nursing Technicians, Unit Secretaries, and Medical Assistants, Billing and Coding, and surgical technology, dental assisting. Think about it. We need men desperately in these areas as well before someone cries sexism. The Recovery Act left out women, that is all.
Health care is national work and infrastructure is local work. I repeat, put women back to work and the economy will recover faster and long term. Welfare and EBT drop as well.
This is down sizing for many but it's honest work that contributes to the life and well being of people. HC allows people to life, liberty (from sickness) and the pursuit of happiness”
Tax capital gains as ordinary income
Tax yearly incomes over $250K progressively up to 90% over $2M;
Tax yearly church receipts in excess of $1M;
Eliminate the “carried interest compensation” tax code provision;
Increase Social Security benefits by 10%;
Lower the SS retirement age to 62;
Eliminate the ceiling on SS earnings;
Progressively eliminate SS benefits for those earning over $100K yearly in other income;
Tax stock transactions over $1M in yearly aggregate;
Increase the estate tax on estates valued over $1M;
Tax luxury purchases on homes over $5M, cars over $50K, boats over $100K;
Eliminate the mortgage tax deduction on home mortgage debt over $250K
Double corporate income taxes and eliminate their offshoring tax and job loopholes;
Bring back a windfall profits tax up to 90%;
Legalize and tax illegal drugs;
Increase Medicare/Medicaid fraud detection budgets five-fold;
Decriminalize, regulate and tax most victimless crimes;
Eliminate farm and oil subsidies;
Publicly fund Congressional campaigns;
Limit individual campaign contributions to $100;
Limit contributions to independent political advocacy groups to $100;
Tax income from lobbying by former Congressmen @ 90%;
Bring the Iraq, AfPak troops home;
Subsidize university educations for worthy students;
Expand drug treatment availability to anyone who wants it;
Expand Medicare to all citizens;
Focus law enforcement and incarceration on violent crime.
Restore fairness and sanity to America and end 30 years of middle class destruction caused by misguided, voodoo economics. Our wonderful country CAN be great again.
Republicans want access to healthcare to be an exclusive members only thing like a country club membership. Does anyone even remember why progressives wanted the public option? It is so we can buy into Medicare. Unlike insurance, which is more interested in CEO pay and benefits, Medicare is a nonprofit organization. Nobody is getting rich to run Medicare. It is efficient and has low overhead costs. The progressives fight for the right to have healthcare for all and not make a select few rich doing it. Progressives aren’t done. www.boldprogressives.org.
Amongst many things, I did accounts receivable for a doctors office. Dr. S said his only reliable source of income was from the government plans. Yes, the reimbursement was lower. Reimbursements from all coverage are based on codes to represent the amount of time spent with the doctor. There is a big difference between someone who just needed a refill for blood pressure pills and the time it takes to explain to someone they have diabetes and how to survive it.
He never had to fight with the government to get paid. He did spend all Monday afternoon fighting denial of pays with insurance companies instead of seeing patients. He liked his Medicare just fine. They pay their bills.
The reality is that the country was never homogeneous. There was always good and bad, liberal and conservative, rich and poor. That's not to say there aren't trends that are important or issues to address, but the belief that the country's going wholesale in any one direction can only be supported by selective observation.
As people succeed the government should take more of their money ("tax fairness")
Companies should be forced to make products in the US even if they cost a lot more and therefore lower the standard of living of those who are buying them (that $10 t-shirt is now $35)
Stop bank bailouts but rather than give the money back to the taxpayer spend it on some other social program
Cut waste fraud and abuse in the Pentagon budget but not in social programs (defense is less than 20% of the budget).
The American people don't support soaking the rich with high progressive taxes, only the left resents the rich (you get a pass if your a rich leftie who SAYS he wants to give his money away but never does). Move to a flat tax or no income tax. Products should be made where is makes sense to make them -- not all products should be made in the US. Stopping bank bailouts is good, but then don't bail out the United Auto Workers Union by buying GM. Cut waste and fraud in the entire federal budget, starting by reducing the budget 20% across the board. That would be populist.
Spending it on social programs is giving it back to taxpayers.
"As people succeed the government should take more of their money ("tax fairness")"
It's not about taxing people "as they succeed" as you put it (I won't even get into that notion, because most people are walked into their wealth), it's about wise and prudent policy. Government has to be paid for, the wages of the non-wealthy have remained stagnant or shrunk over the last 40 years, while the wealth of the wealthy has skyrocketed (all because of right-wing policy), and a strong social safety net helps the entire nation (name me one nation that's doing well that doesn't haven't one), not to mention that it's the only humane thing to do (which is also really important). Given all of those factors, the only responsible policy is to have those who have more, pay more in taxes (right now, they actually pay *less* than the rest of us). They should enjoy their success, which we have no problem with, and they should pay it back to the society that set up the framework for and allowed the possibility of their success (by the same investments made by people that preceded them) by investing in America's future. That's all that those of us on the left are saying.
I agree that people who have much should give back to society, but where we differ is that it is not the government's responsibility to play Robin Hood and confiscate it and decide where it should go.
The rich do pay more in taxes than the poor. In our current system the top 1% of income earners pays 38% of federal income taxes, top 5% pays 59%, the bottom 50% pay less than 3%!! Even if there was a flat tax high income earners would pay more (15% of $1MM is more than 15% of $35K).
Try it another way, by looking at the average federal income tax rates based on income level. these are the rates that are actually paid after deductions.
Top 1% ave rate = 23.3%
Top 5% ave rate = 20.7%
Top 10% ave rate = 18.7%
Top 25% ave rate = 15.7%
Top 50% ave rate = 13.7%
Bottom 50% ave rate = 2.6%
The rich pay more in absolute dollars and as percentage of income in federal taxes.
By focusing on disparity of income in your comments, you overlook a more important topic, income mobility. That is the ability to move up and down the economic ladder. It if fairly robust in free market economies, but as a country moves to a more socialistic high tax environment like in Europe, income mobility is much more absent. That is, it is more likely to see a person in the US move up tax brackets than in Europe. Also, if you look at the mix of people who are in the top 1% today and those who were in there 20 years ago you would see different people (eg, Zuckerberg from Facebook, Google owners, people who made it to CEO in a corporation, etc.).
Americans have always valued moving up the economic ladder and attaining the American dream. Highly progressive tax rates inhibit this.