Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: "It's not about strengthening Social Security; it's about cleaning up the mess created by the president's tax cuts."
Josh, please. Stop with the thesis that the Republicans are incompetent mess-makers. Stop with the "they just cannot help themselves."
The President's "plan" for Social Security is of a piece with his upper-income tax cuts. His policy is to redistribute wealth, income and power from the poor and middle class to large business corporations and the very wealthy. Everything he does, everything he proposes has that aim. And, he has been amazingly successful. Under his stewardship, the economy has shown remarkable productivity increases, and no wage increases; all the benefits of economic growth have gone to corporate profits. Everything he does on the environment, on tax policy, on business regulation has the same aim: reduce or hold down wages, increase profits, eliminate taxes on capital/wealth. Its deliberate.
A large part of his support comes from people, who support his well-advertised albeit impotent social conservatism, and who (and this is important, Josh) believe that government is inherently incompetent. They don't support Democrats, because they do not believe that Democrats are either any more competent or committed to a different set of values. Bush, during the campaign, turned back Democratic proposals to increase taxes on the very wealthy, by nonsensical assertions that the wealthy would just "hire accountants and lawyers" and the middle class would somehow end up paying. Its not logical, but it fits very neatly with the government as incompetent thesis, which the Republicans pushed for 30 years, and which you continue to support.
When you see a moron like John Bolton on stage, it is hard not to see the Bush Administration as fundamentally incompetent. By Kennedy/Johnson/Clinton standards of policy craft, they certainly are incompetent. But, their political base is trained to see all government as incompetent, and assertions about the need for the best and the brightest to hold sway as elitist. Bush, like Nixon, makes a calculated appeal to mediocrity, stupidity and envy, which reaches large numbers of people. People, who would prefer idealism, probity, rationality and competence, are already Democrats.
Democrats need to make arguments, which stand a chance of peeling off some Republican support. The best arguments highlight Republican ill-will and corruption. The O'Reilly voter is ready to believe the Republican political leadership has betrayed his economic interests. The O'Reilly voter is regularly told that a Democrat elite has betrayed his interests, and he believes that. Democrats cannot believe that the O'Reilly voter does not already know that Republicans are betraying their interests. But, how would the O'Reilly voter know that? Democrats are telling him that Bush is incompetent and hypocritical, slanders he expects to hear, and dismisses.
Let Democrat praise the Bushes as competent, but evil. Let the People know that Bush is aiming at the target he's hitting. Its the truth, and it will be a lot more effective with the non-Democrats, who hold the balance of political power.
Josh, please. Stop with the thesis that the Republicans are incompetent mess-makers. Stop with the "they just cannot help themselves."
The President's "plan" for Social Security is of a piece with his upper-income tax cuts. His policy is to redistribute wealth, income and power from the poor and middle class to large business corporations and the very wealthy. Everything he does, everything he proposes has that aim. And, he has been amazingly successful. Under his stewardship, the economy has shown remarkable productivity increases, and no wage increases; all the benefits of economic growth have gone to corporate profits. Everything he does on the environment, on tax policy, on business regulation has the same aim: reduce or hold down wages, increase profits, eliminate taxes on capital/wealth. Its deliberate.
A large part of his support comes from people, who support his well-advertised albeit impotent social conservatism, and who (and this is important, Josh) believe that government is inherently incompetent. They don't support Democrats, because they do not believe that Democrats are either any more competent or committed to a different set of values. Bush, during the campaign, turned back Democratic proposals to increase taxes on the very wealthy, by nonsensical assertions that the wealthy would just "hire accountants and lawyers" and the middle class would somehow end up paying. Its not logical, but it fits very neatly with the government as incompetent thesis, which the Republicans pushed for 30 years, and which you continue to support.
When you see a moron like John Bolton on stage, it is hard not to see the Bush Administration as fundamentally incompetent. By Kennedy/Johnson/Clinton standards of policy craft, they certainly are incompetent. But, their political base is trained to see all government as incompetent, and assertions about the need for the best and the brightest to hold sway as elitist. Bush, like Nixon, makes a calculated appeal to mediocrity, stupidity and envy, which reaches large numbers of people. People, who would prefer idealism, probity, rationality and competence, are already Democrats.
Democrats need to make arguments, which stand a chance of peeling off some Republican support. The best arguments highlight Republican ill-will and corruption. The O'Reilly voter is ready to believe the Republican political leadership has betrayed his economic interests. The O'Reilly voter is regularly told that a Democrat elite has betrayed his interests, and he believes that. Democrats cannot believe that the O'Reilly voter does not already know that Republicans are betraying their interests. But, how would the O'Reilly voter know that? Democrats are telling him that Bush is incompetent and hypocritical, slanders he expects to hear, and dismisses.
Let Democrat praise the Bushes as competent, but evil. Let the People know that Bush is aiming at the target he's hitting. Its the truth, and it will be a lot more effective with the non-Democrats, who hold the balance of political power.
posted by Bruce Wilder at 11:25 AM
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