From Glenn Greenwald –
People are suffering economically and Democrats have done little about that. Beyond that, they failed to inspire their own voters to go to the polls. Therefore, they lost. By basing their power in Congress on Blue Dog dependence — rather than advocating for the views of their own supporters and implementing those policies — they failed, and failed resoundingly. Building their party around a large number of muddled, GOP-replicating corporatists not only creates a tepid and failed political image, but far worse, it prevents actual policies from being implemented that benefit large number of ordinary Americans. Democrats repeatedly refrained from advocating for such policies in deference to their Blue Dogs, failed to do much to alleviate the economic suffering of ordinary Americans, and thus got crushed. Anyone who thinks that Democrats lost because they were “too liberal” – rather than because Americans are suffering so much economically – is wildly out of touch, i.e., is a multi-millionaire cable TV personality who has spent decades wallowing in trite D.C. chatter.
It was American suffering that drove the voters.
No one at any time or any place told me they were voting against the Democrats because they had suddenly found a new political philosophy. People told me they wanted to vote against anyone in office anywhere, that they were all worthless, that they were all incompetent, (and most commonly) that they were all (insert seven or eight of the most vicious cuss words imaginable).
That’s not voter realignment unless you call wanting them all dead a political philosophy.
Americans want to be a vital concern for the government, not second to the banks, etc, etc,. but number one. They want help with their education, they want help finding jobs, they want government policies that keep jobs in the United States, they want a fair tax system.
Sometimes I tell people, friends and students, about some bizarre thing the government does (like allowing businesses to deduct the expenses of moving jobs overseas from their taxes – we pay for outsourcing). They ask me who they can write to, who they can e-mail or call.
I get to tell them the truth.
There is no one.
Every Senator and Representative in my state has voted to maintain those tax breaks and will continue to do so. There is no place to go. Not now, maybe not ever.
And if you have the foolish thought that an election is coming up in 2012 and you can get someone different. Well, the name of the candidate will be different, maybe the party affiliation will be different, but I can assure you they will vote to maintain those tax breaks.
American democracy does not work very well. There are only some issues that voting can effect.
Moving jobs overseas is a priority of both the Republicans and Democrats. They are both devoted the financialization of this nation and the destruction of its industrial basis.
There is nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, no one to turn to. The door of the federal government is closed.
James Pilant
