The right-wing position is, of course, based on a cynical fallacy: the claim that we should reward the rich so that they can fuel economic growth. This an utter sham. Rewarding the rich only rewards the rich, period, and the conservatives know it. Also a sham is their sudden concern for the deficit, a concern that’s about as real as John Boehner’s tan, given their zeal to reduce government revenue. Yet these conservative lies still gets treated as valid arguments. They are the economic equivalents of creationism, or the notion that the climate crisis is natural – useful lies in service of selfish policies. Their real philosophy is simple: the winners keep winning, and no one else gets a chance.
Yet Obama – and most Democratic leaders – lack the audacity or even the political horse sense to call the conservatives out as liars. As with almost everything in the last two years, the job of carrying that message has fallen to us – to grassroots progressives.
The existential threat to the Democratic Party is real. We stand for an active government that opens doors for all Americans – or we stand for nothing. We also must stand for maxims we’ve nearly forgotten: that an active federal government is the bedrock of market prosperity, that the most successful members of society are the ones who benefit most from government stability, investment, and rule of law, and so it is only right and fair that they should pay higher taxes in return for that higher benefit. And just as importantly: we stand for giving everyone an equal chance of success, rather than the conservatives winner-take-all economy.
Every extra dollar we hand out to millionaires is a dollar we’re not investing in America. Every sack of gold we toss at the feet of celebrities and hedge fund managers is a construction worker fired, a teacher fired, a police officer fired, a road unpaved, a school too crowded, a veteran not treated, promises broken, and a country disgraced.
That is our message – in fact, it’s just the beginning of our message. And if we lack the leaders to trumpet that message, then we need to start making the case on our own – and we need to start finding better leaders.
** speakblue: developing a stronger message and philosophy for progressives **
I think Obama owns this cave-in, and I’m not sure it links to the entire party.
That’s part of why it’s proposed that we need better leaders. Because right now, Obama is the only thing approaching a leader in the Democratic Party – and in general, it’s hard not to own the White House and not have the incumbent president be setting the tone for the entire party. There isn’t anyone else. He’s in charge – and he’s giving away the game (and now whining when he’s called out on what a weak job he’s done).