General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums...How Democrats Got Their Groove Back
Sahil Kapur
Last summer, Democrats reached a low point as the debt limit debacle was wrapping up. Not only did they succumb to the GOPs debt-reduction ransom in order to prevent an economic calamity, they failed to extract a penny in new tax revenues, and fissures were deepening between congressional leadership and the White House after President Obama offered to chop Medicare and Social Security. Republicans were firmly in control.
Fast-forward to today: Democrats are united in message and policy behind a narrative that holds Republicans accountable for the decline of the middle class, blaming them for rubber-stamping the agenda of a moneyed elite that is abusing the levers of power to rig the game in their favor. And Mitt Romney is their poster child for that phenomenon.
Its a perfect storm the presidents making that narrative and then hes running against a guy who exemplifies the top 1 percent, and who people dont like, said a Democratic leadership aide, who spoke to TPM on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. So everything has sort of contributed to this overall backdrop. Its all of a piece.
In recent weeks, Senate Democrats have united to pass a bill that ends the Bush-era tax cuts on incomes above $250,000. Along with that, they have cohesively with the Obama campaign used every tool at their disposal to pound Romney on his secretive tax returns and policy agenda, relentlessly painting him as a corporate predator who may not have even paid income taxes for a decade.
- more -
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/how-democrats-got-their-groove-back.php
It's not a good time to be a Republican: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021098343
sadbear
(4,340 posts)And help elect Paul Sadler and turn Texas blue again.
2pooped2pop
(5,420 posts)changed what was being discussed and gave the dems the opening.
For this I will be flamed.
Bring it on naysayers. We know the truth. Occupy changed what was being discussed and put some truth back into politics. Even if they disapear now, they have changed the world already.
cilla4progress
(24,729 posts)I agree with you that Occupy turned the conversation and amped it up in the direction it now is. It is a confluence of factors, timing, and events, with Occupy as one of the catalysts, that are working in Dems' favor. Along with Obama, let's hope for a sweep of Congress.
The next Pres. will be appointing as many as 5 Supreme Ct. justices - life-time positions. Couldn't be any more crucial!
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)the corporatists fully plan to continue business as usual after the election. The deficit commission is preparing as we speak...
We are hearing a lot of vague supportive words for the 99 percent. At the very least, we should demand a vow that our President will not consider, accept or sign any cuts to Medicare, raises in the eligibility age of Medicare, changes in the formula for calculating SS that would reduce projected benefits, or any cuts or slows in the growth of benefits whatsoever. No more sweeping, across the board austerity cuts. Our focus needs to be on concrete, structural help for Americans who are suffering as a result of rank corruption by banks and corporations, and punishment/hobbling of those thieves. Americans have suffered enough, been thieved from enough, and we should not have to tolerate this any longer.
A vow like that would merely maintain the status quo with regard to safety nets, and the status quo itself is utterly unacceptable. But we should damned well be able to count on *at least* that from our Presidential candidate.
Yet we don't hear those words, even though they would be tremendously popular during this election year. We don't hear them at all.
ananda
(28,859 posts)We need a strong Dem party in Texas.. still!
libodem
(19,288 posts)About the Paul Ryan, New Yorker, article? He exemplifies the problem of voting for 2 unpaid for, wars, the Medicare drug plan, and the tax cuts, only to turn around and try to stick us with draconian cuts to services. He is a real monster. A little disinfectant sunshine on these slimeball dirtbag bitches helps us look better.