How America Shot Itself in the Foot
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- Published on Thursday, 04 November 2010 10:06
- Written by Chase McGee
I suppose there was little surprise yesterday morning. The House Democrats lay battered and broken as Republicans, triumphantly standing atop their opponent's metaphorical grave, gallantly professed their intent to hand deliver the "message" the American people want sent to the President. While the Democrats still retain the majority of the power simply by holding on to the Senate and White House,
the power they held with frail hands has certainly waned more still in the wake of the election fallout. I am, of course, both disheartened by the certitude of stagnating in an antiquated set of values and dismayed by the fruition of economic policies which I have voted against in every instance I have been allowed to do so. Mostly, however, I am saddened that the direction of America is guided by, what I see as, a short-sighted and capricious electorate.
In 2008, eight in ten voters claimed they were very worried about the economy. In an effort to restore America as a global economic powerhouse from the early stages of its collapse, these same voters explored the obvious solution in the Democrat experiment. Two years later, with an equitable ratio of concerned voters, that party could not be saved on the merits of merely averting an economic maelstrom; their inability to circumvent the turbulence altogether was their undoing. The success of the stimulus is rendered a matter of perspective – it may have been effective in a myriad of ways, but the level of success to the individual voter is measured by a quick glance in to his or her wallet. When nine million people have lost their jobs and your program only recoups 3.1 million, you still have about six million people, as well as their families, frustrated with the economic climate and, understandably, not bubbling with patience.Yet, to censure Obama for this supposed failure is like benching Donovan McNabb in the last two minutes of a game, while the Redskins are in the lead, for a quarterback that has shown potential for a good game. There's a reason, however, that individual is second-string. In an effort to win the game, short-sighted decisions resulted in long-term detriment. It is my opinion that we have just lost our chance at the economic Super Bowl because our winning game plan didn't seal the deal at halftime.
Rasmussen reports that only 32% of the nation thinks America is headed in the right direction. This is a depressingly low number, but only when not viewed in the context of the same poll taken prior to President Obama's election when our perennially discontent compatriots measured below the 20% margin. The poll itself indicates a variety of things, but chief among them is that the majority of America is constantly pissed off about something. Of course, if you're at all familiar with voting, you are cognizant of the fact that the most pissed off people are also the most likely to vote. Think about it: Are you more likely to complain about poor service at a restaurant, or seek out a manager to compliment your server? No, most often you won't go out of your way to compliment the server because it is your understanding that it is his or her function to make your meal enjoyable. If he or she succeeds in performing his damn job, whoop-di-doo. If, however, that server fails to accommodate you adequately, your night is upset, and you will have someone know about it. What follows from this universal parallel, is that the party faithful and those who are, at most, not displeased with Obama and Congress's performance showed in fewer numbers than they would have in 2008. If I may return to my metaphor, what the restaurant patron has been nigh to see is how the kitchen staff (GOP) was working especially slow and the host sat one too many tables (Obama's ambitious agenda) for your waiter to serve you in an exceptional fashion.
I do not blame the results of this election solely on the old, white men who don't understand their Medicare isn't privatized and who didn't get the memo that their taxes were cut immediately after Obama's election. Nor do I hold the independents, who more and more I feel are a mixture of a small sect of true individualists and a much broader sect of cut-and-run voters, at complete fault. I also thrust my metaphorical wagging finger in the faces of those who are content enough to not actively controvert the Democratic rule, but not shit-giving enough to counteract an agenda that, once forced upon them, will be potently oppressive to their way of life. "The welfare queens," I hear a Republican ask while reading this blog tomorrow. Sure, them, too. Mostly, however, it will be blue-collar workers, the barely-scraping-by's, homosexuals, women who consider their bodies their own and any one else who doesn't have enough money to be considered American Crossroads GPS material. Your inaction has created a schism in American politics that will be more of a foil to the Democrats than they have already been to themselves, if that seems possible.
Where we go from here is entirely up to the remaining Democrats. Be it Harry Reid or President Obama himself. For Obama's part, he can start by being a bit more congenial with his base and more open with his opponents. While I agree with the majority of his policies and the bulk of his governance, he needs to be much more transparent with his inability to attack certain items he had previously hoped to. I encourage anybody who hasn't to read the recent interview Rolling Stone did with the president. In my opinion, it's a very good start in that direction. The Democrats need to take a hard line against the GOP petulance that was most evident during the recent small business bill legislation. It shouldn't have to be a fight, but when your brother wants to steal all the glory while framing you for drawing on the wall, it's time to put a foot down on such puerile behavior. Whether or not you believe the bible to be true, the wisdom therein sometimes is poignant: A house divided against its self, cannot stand. While we may grit our teeth and hide our nice silver, it's time to see how we can make this odd couple resemble Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau instead of Cain and Abel.
