(Cross-posted from Blue News Tribune. Blame sabutai for putting me in a metamood.)
Here is something I am tempted to call misguided activism:
http://www.jennymccarthybodyco…
But is it? It certainly gets one’s attention.
It got me thinking about the state of activism in the Obama era. For one thing, I didn’t hear a single Democrat mention John Ensign yesterday. If he were a Democrat (and this were June 2001), the GOP would howl.
So all hail leftist restraint, or maybe leftist prioritizing. But sometimes, I must admit, I miss the delirious, joyous defiance that was Queer Nation (“We’re here, and we’re queer!”). They are alleged to have stormed into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and thrown holy water on to the ground to protest the Catholic Church stance on gays. At the time, even pro-gay rights people were offended by Queer Nation. One person argued to me that they kept some people in the closet, because they didn’t want to be associated with that type of militancy (this anecdote was given without examples).
But here is what I remember: President George H.W. Bush saying he had no problems with gays, just the militant ones. He wouldn’t have said that if he didn’t have to. In other words, Queer Nation (and other groups) expanded the terms of the national debate. That may have been a necesary contribution to advancing gay rights.
So what now? The tension is pretty obvious: condemn Obama for not moving quickly enough, or keep thinking “President McCain” and “Sarah Palin an aging heartbeat away” and be patient.
I have a foot firmly in each camp. For one thing, I admit a “no single payer” hangover. On one hand, I understand why it was taken off the table; on the other hand, I don’t understand why. We have both the House and the Senate. I know there is no Democratic unity on the issue, but there is a large chunk of the party that wants single payer. Why not, then?
Thoughts?
First on Senator Ensign. Republicans tend to be all over this stuff for a reason. One conservative narrative is that liberals are undisciplined, hedonistic pleasure seekers. Had a liberal done what Ensign did, it would fulfill their narrative and they’d be quick to flay it. Democrats only seem to pick on this stuff when it’s funny, like Senator Larry Craig. I think that’s how Senator Vitter got a pass. His problems did not lend themselves to comedy nearly as much.
The Republican Party is shedding moderates like a shaggy dog in July. Their leaders tell them they’re welcome — as second class citizens. They can be moderate as long as they don’t express it. That’s given them remarkable cohesion. The Democratic Party has never had remarkable cohesion.
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p>So we end up with Senators like Lieberman, Nelson, Conrad, Lincoln, Landrieu, Pryor, and now Spector who are completely unreliable. Making them more reliable might just be a matter of redirecting their fear: make them less afraid of Republicans and more afraid of primary opponents.
For the most part these days Obama inspires quiet disappointment. Bush inspired anger. Anger is more dynamic and easier to organize. Disappointment can cause apathy as much as anything.
Jim, I’ve heard you and other people complaining that Obama didn’t come out for single-payer.
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p>I mean … that was just never in the cards ever. Edwards didn’t propose it; nor did Hillary; nor did Obama. Kucinich liked single-payer, OK. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea; but it does mean that he told us he wasn’t going to pursue it. And he’s more-or-less proposing what he said he’d propose, with the exception of being “open” to a personal mandate to buy insurance.
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p>So, it’s not like he told us any different.
I agree, but I must correct the complaint, Charley. I knew single-payer was way off, politically. You’ve heard me complain about Democratic inertia on healthcare in general after every candidate spent a year citing our failing healthcare system as one reason to elect Democrats.
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p>Oh wait — I did complain that single-payer was taken off the table so early. In their minds, that was probably a tactic, because everyone knew it was never there. But I think its effect was to reinforce old bad habits. They should have made people work for every concession.
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