The magic of 60
Jul 1st, 2009 | By Nunzia Rider | Read more in: PoliticsApologies to those of you who read an earlier, incomplete version of this story. I published instead of saved. Here’s the complete version.
No, I’m not turning 60. I’ve got a few more years before I reach that hurd … milestone. I’m talkin about 60 Democrats in the U.S. Senate. Well, 58 Democrats plus Joe Lieberman and Bernie Sanders.
Just wanna remind you that 58 Democrats plus Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman does not equal 60 liberals. Look at Lieberman. Al Franken, that dude’s a liberal and we’re good to have him in the Senate. Besides, he’s got sense of humor, which is an improvement over the 99 other folks in the Senate from the very get-go.
Well, there is Tennessee’s Bob Corker, but I seriously don’t think he’s intentionally funny, which is a requirement to prove a sense of humor.
Having 58 Democrats plus Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman in the Senate will help on some things, but to be perfectly honest, not on anything that actually matters. Naming a post office after Bill Clinton? Got it. Ridiculously ineffective measures to keep assault weapons out of the hands of people who don’t need them but which will then cause conservatives to fall out crying their guns are being taken away? Check.
But check this. Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, has an 83 percent rating from the Christian Coalition. That doesn’t sound very liberal, now does it? Ben is anti-abortion, supports teachers leading prayer in schools and thinks we should have a constitutional amendment banning flag desecration. He also doesn’t think the government should negotiate prescription drug costs for Medicare and is a big supporter of the Patriot Act.
Don’t know about you, but I can think of several areas where we might fall short of 60 votes.
And Ben Nelson ain’t the only one. There’s Lieberman, of course. I don’t think I need to tell you just how “liberal” he is, particularly in the areas of national security and killing other people. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he does have a liberal bent in some place, but the man endorsed John McCain for president. ‘Nuff said.
But how about, oh, say, Mary Landrieu? Not quite as conservative on abortion and prayer in schools as Nelson, and pretty good on civil rights, Mary’s still a little hinky on conservation — she’s real big on Drill Baby Drill, being from Louisiana with that big old Gulf of Mexico out there just calling out for some strong steel rods to drive deep into the earth and push out that hot gushing black gold.
Oh, sorry. Got carried away.
Landrieu did vote no on Samuel Alito, although she voted yes on John Roberts, thinks English should be the official language and likes the idea of a fence between Mexico and Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
All in all, not quite the lost cause as Nelson or even Lieberman, but still can’t be fully counted on for consistent progressive votes, even if she is … oh, never mind. Can’t say that here.
And for god’s sake, the Dems now count Arlen Specter as one of their number. Now, Arlen started out as a Democrat, then switched to Republican and now he’s back. And the Republicans never did care for him all that much. I suppose he did seem pretty liberal compared to the rest of his former colleagues, but as a Dem — um, nope.
Neither NARAL nor the right to lifers particularly care for his abortion votes. He gets a 60 percent rating from the ACLU, but only 32 percent from the NAACP. Christian coaltion: 81 percent. Gay marriage? No. Adding gays to hate crimes legislation? No. No to tax incentives for energy and conservation initiatives. Yes to drilling in ANWR.
Now, I’m not trying to bring us all down after finally getting our 100th Senator and giving poor Amy Klobuchar, who might also have a sense of humor, a partner from Minnesota. All I’m sayiin is we shouldn’t be expecting much to be different. We already know the president isn’t gonna push for too much that’ll upset the Republicans, and Harry Reid … well, no.
And when it comes down to needing 60 votes — we already know we can’t count on Republicans Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins, although why they’re so afraid to buck their party I can’t quite comprehend. It’s not like Maine would care. That’s one state that seriously can’t be defined as red or blue. But when it comes down to 60 votes — there’s still too many questions among the Dems themselves to feel all that confident.
Of course, that only matters if the Senate ever has to vote on something really controversially partisan, say, like repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. And I don’t see that coming. Do you? And just today, the CIA Inspector General’s torture report was delayed again. I guess they ran out of heavy black redacting marker. Nobody’s ever gone face trial for what we’ve done.
And besides, just how liberal are all the rest of the Democrats? I mean seriously. Take away the constant Republican refrain of “socialism” and whattaya got? A buncha weaselly liberal-wannabes too afraid they’ll lose their big donations to actually step up and be liberal. Yeah, they’ll make all kinda noise about this or that liberal issue, but when it comes down to it, well, goshdarnit, those Republicans just wouldn’t support what we really wanted so we had to vote for this piece of shit bill that doesn’t change a goddamn thing and that the Republicans didn’t vote for anyway.
Jonathan Walker at the Campaign for America’s Future suggests we might be better off electing moderate Republicans since they appear to be the targets anyway, and moderate Republicans are as rare as real liberals in the Senate.
The problem is that Obama has a strange, overwhelming bipartisanship fetish. Apparently, getting good legislation passed, truly fixing our health care system, and providing Americans with the best possible care at the lowest possible price is all less important than the approval of a handful Republican senators.
Obama has said so himself multiple times: “The president has told visitors that he would rather have 70 votes in the Senate for a bill that gives him 85 percent of what he wants than a 100 percent satisfactory bill that passes 52 to 48.” In other words, Obama is happy to make our health care system 25% worse solely for the approval of Republican Senators Grassley, Hatch, and Snowe.
But Al Franken, he’s a bonafide liberal. So’s Amy Klobuchar. And Russ Feingold. Of course Bernie Sanders, and he’s a real socialist. Barbara Boxer on a good day. But that’s damn sure not enough votes to count on to push a true progressive agenda. Does that mean we stop, give up? Hell no.
It means we make sure the real liberals know we have their backs, and that we make sure the wannabes know we’re not going anywhere. Barack Obama would not be president today if it weren’t for a strong liberal, progressive turnout and vote. GW threw scraps at the regressive bible-thumpers who put him in office. Barack Obama may be trying to do the same. But unlike regressive ideology, progressive ideas will eventually win out. It’s in the definition.
Bottom line, though — 60’s no magic number. But I will invite you all to my 60th birthday bash.
AWOP contributing editor, politics
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regardless of which way i list, I am so freakin glad that debacle is over and they are finally getting on with the business of the people. i thought Al was at his funniest when he would do on site reports for SNL with a satellite dish and aluminum foil on his head. but thats just me, i was also smoking pot then too.
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July 1st, 20092009-07-01T21:27:51ZF jS, Y at 5:27 pm2009-07-01T21:27:51Zg:i a
I loved those reports, and I wasn’t smokin pot then.
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That this went on so long is a joke. But, ultimately, for once, I’m glad of the outcome. I hope Franken is not another Kevin Johnson (new mayor of Sacramento and former basketball player) or Hulk Hogan.
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Our good old Snowe & sidekick Collins are VERY sensitive to us what elecktid them. They axtually send around people or call, both at random, before a contentious vote on a touchy issue. They generally do what the people say, not the party. Got their flaws, but then again, one of our 2 reps, 1 from largest ‘area’ district east of Mississippi River, happens to be our Rep and a French Catholic.Strongly pro-life, uncommitted on GLBT, and barely cognizant of the issues. Sorta the ‘anti-lib’ in Dem clothing. Even after all this time, Snowe ALWAYS gets a competative race for re-election.
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July 2nd, 20092009-07-02T07:08:27ZF jS, Y at 3:08 am2009-07-02T07:08:27Zg:i a
I was mighty proud of your girls on the stim vote. I’ve always been a bit more fond of Snowe than Collins for some reason, not quite sure what it is. But you got yourself a very interestin’ state there, Mike. Quite different from the other 49.
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It’s so quiet and winters so limiting here that folks just sit around and talk things over for entertainment. We do have the old ‘Town Meeting’ deals where the interested people come, socialize, sit, debate, and LISTEN to other points of view than their own. All of this debate isn’t coming from DC or some party hq, not even from ads in papers, mailings, tv, or radio; it is originated and expressed by your friends and neighbors, almost all you know personally. The original ’stump speeches’ and grassroots proposals and support stem from the actual thinkers of the thoughts who are also friends, neighbors, co-workers, residents, and most of all VOTERS. Everything up here seems to spring from seeds of ideas sown by the guy who plows your driveway, cuts wood, raises the food you eat, and has a personal interest in how things are decided and the slim budget monies are raised & spent.
Guess in many ways we’re kinda so slow and backward here that we operate kinda like the Founding Fathers set it up after they were put in decision making positions in the very same manner in the 1700s. Being in harsh conditions with low average income, scarce jobs, great education & resources, and knowing that what you do and say affects not faceless masses, but folks you depend on and who depend on you for safety, assistance, and survival makes it nearly impossible not to feel you really do count and have a voice.
Like other states, we have the right to people’s veto or repeal via proposition, always had it since becoming a separate state in 1820, but find it’s best used the way it was intended. No $$$ for signatures, reasonable time limitations on petition submissions, public forums, town hall meets, local & state governments you as a citizen can easily address while in public sessions, and most of all: a general reluctance by all to engage in knee-jerk reactionism. Those falling into emotional traps set by extremist without checking out reality as to FACTS, effects, and possible repercussions of their actions are in the minority here.
Sorry for lecture, just that what often seems so common sense and accepted here is so perverted and skewed by zealots elsewhere. One last thing of possible interest, we operate the Tribes, which are autonomous entities owning our own lands and controlling our own resouces as we ALWAYS have in the past several centuries, in the manner we always have. We do it by discussion, education, and CONCENSUS at open to all Tribal member meetings. Rather than doing the way the newcomers imported from Europe, immgrants that have made it in this hardscrabble and unforgiving place have sorta copied OUR ways. Even now there’s a big push by the state to get their ‘educated in universities’ natural resource managers to learn why our resources remain pristine by simply using the ‘old ways’ of our people.
It’s also telling that most powerful regulatory offices here aren’t gotten through political appointment as often as a combination of politics tempered by years of actually working in the trenches as an employee. To get some offices it’s even required the selection come from the ranks of the folks who have spent their lives employed and running the day to day business of the entities over which they’ll preside. When state power changes hands, most often these folks are kept in place by the new guys regardless of political orientation. We need policies and leadership based on experience AND knowledge far more than we need policies based on fund raising and political accumen. End diatribe. Old Indian go back to TV.
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I’ve often thought that our general getting away from that kind of political operation has a direct cause and effect on the crappy way the system operates now. I think we were wrong to ever leave the town hall meeting structure. True, there’s a lot more of us now, which makes it more difficult, but not impossible. Technology — the same technology that we’ve used to isolate ourselves — could also be used to bring us together, as it does at places like AWOP. So maybe we can’t get all of us into a building and come up with a consensus, but we can do something different that achieves the same purpose.
Of course, the problem is getting our intensely apathetic and ill-informed electorate interested enough to participate. How does that work in Maine?
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Ya start by listening to their views, complaints, and problems. Then inform them of a path that will help THEM solve THEIR problem, express views to more folks, or find redress for complaints. Most folks would do it themselves if they just were shown how without being treated in a condescending manner. Once they do it once or twice, they apply it to more things using the lessons learned.
After a few successes they love showing their peers how to do the same. Then they start discovering that if a buncha them yell together with the same message,they can effect change. Most people are just reluctant to seek help from folks as they dislike feeling inferior. Sadly, most politicos and other ‘leaders’ are only too happy to make them feel they ARE inferior and need THEIR ‘generously offered’ help, if they’ll just do as the the politico etc wants and think and do as they think and do. Be intimidated, be afraid, I’ll save you is the prevailing mantra most heard these days. How better to achieve power if you have no real solutions to offer?
A favorite ‘thinker AND activist’ of mine, Margaret Mead, summed up neatly. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Real power is not in the firm grasp of those in power, as I see it REAL power rests in the hands of average folks, but is only realized if they act as a unit and not follow blindly. To me, the easiest way to get them motivated is to show them how easy it can be and how it’s to their advantage to change things in a way that benefits them and those most like them.
Once they get a taste of success, they feel better about themselves, their abilities, and how things CAN be if they get involved in solving their own dilemas. They also don’t generally take too much time before finding another ’stupid situation, law, or practice’ that annoys them enough to attempt another effort at changing things.
As the successes start to pile up, the word spreads among their peers etc and the little snowball is on its way to being an avalanche. Also seems failure often spurs them on once they know changes can be effected by their own efforts. I suspect it’s that way everywhere people are given the opportunity to assert themselves.
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