Pumpkin Pies, Progress, and The Great Disappointment

[derby378]

One of the most important lessons I learned about progressive politics was learned when I tried my hand at baking a pumpkin pie.

I had all of the ingredients lined up, had my pie crust ready, mixed up everything in the mixing bowl, baked it up good, and delivered my pumpkin pie to a local Democratic picnic where I hoped everyone would enjoy it.

The food at the picnic was good, and as I sampled my friends' entrees and desserts, I noticed that my pumpkin pie had gone almost untouched. Since I was in the mood for pie after a good meal, I cut of a slice of my own pie and took a bite. It tasted, well, earthy. This isn't right, I told myself. I've had plenty of pumpkin pies over the years, probably too many, but that's another story. My pie didn't taste nearly as good as any of the other pumpkin pies I've eaten. When I finally came home, I realized why.

There on the kitchen counter was a bag of organic, fair trade cane sugar that was supposed to be used in the creation of my beloved pumpkin pie. Unopened. Patiently waiting for me to do something with it. Boy, I felt like a tool.

But therein lies the lesson: if you're going to cook or bake something to eat, you have to make sure that all of the ingredients are in the mix, or the end product will probably taste less than satisfactory.

And it's the same with progressive politics. There are a lot of factors that go into crafting a new social or political institution that is designed to help as many Americans as possible while advancing personal freedom on one hand and general welfare on the other. It's a delicate balance sometimes, but you have to find that balance or the whole thing is going to blow up in your face - let alone fail to earn the monicker of "progressive."

What President Obama calls "healthcare reform" came up far short of being progressive. It kept the insurance companies firmly in charge of whatever reform processes were instituted, and it also made it illegal not to support these corrupt institutions with our hard-earned paychecks as of 2014. The only thing that could have kept these insurance companies honest - a public health insurance option - died a lingering death on the Senate floor with Obama making no reasonable attempt to preserve it. Without "sugar," the whole deal tasted less than satisfactory. Without that one remaining ingredient, the reform bill was as much of a failure as my pumpkin pie.

Then there was Obama lecturing progressive Democrats at a hastily-called press conference where he announced a deal to abandon his campaign pledge to end the Bush tax cuts for the richest 1-2% of Americans. He cobbled together this deal after conferring with Republicans, but not with Democrats. "Yes, We Can" had somehow morphed into "You'll eat what I serve you, you don't appreciate what I've done for you, and the Republicans are being mean to me so I have to do what they say."

In the end, it doesn't matter if Obama ran for office as a centrist. What matters is whether he is willing to listen to those who put him in the White House. That's what George W. Bush did - Big Business was all too happy that the Supreme Court ruled the "right" way. But Obama wasn't supposed to be the candidate of Big Business. He was supposed to be our President. The People's President. Change you can believe in and all that. Which is all the more tragic that Obama's term in office has turned into The Great Disappointment.

Will Obama take a step back from the podium to listen to his constituents at long last? Or will he continue his quixoitc quest for bipartisanship with politicians who want nothing more than to make Obama their flunkie before handing him his hat in 2012, provided he isn't defeated by a Democratic primary challenger first? Perhaps Obama should stop patting himself on the back long enough to take a long, hard look at the political scoreboard. And the American people, despite Republican victories in November, are clearly expecting Obama to do something - well, progressive.