Reply #16: It goes far, far beyond Obama...

[JoseGaspar]

The anger at Obama is partly because he was supposed to fix it.

There is an "ideological" problem in the Democratic Party. Who does the Party represent, who is its base, what does it stand for and what is it against?

There is an endless willingness to talk about the mechanics of legislation, elections, and governance but no conversation about whose interests are thus served. The mealy-mouthed talk about "progress" and "incremental advances" merely deepens that crisis as does talk of "winning".

It can't be papered over any more... no more so than the Republicans can paper over theirs.

The alliance is different now and it can't be preserved by lying about it. Who is in and who is out?

Big tent, my ass. Half of the old "base" is on the outside freezing to death.

You can't be "for unions" and not even fight for card check. You can't decide that the policies that date from FDR and the New Deal are "old ideas" and not articulate exactly what the "new ideas" are.

It may all be an attempt to prevent a major schism but it is a very bad attempt. It will not work.

Is the Party for Globalization and out-sourcing or is it against it?

Is the Party for privatization or is it against it?

Is the Party for a Government approach to social safety or is it not?

Is the Party against war and foreign adventures or isn't it?


That crap about "we will accommodate many views" is the biggest bullshit line of them all.