From a marketing and PR point of view, Obama could have taken a leaf from Franklin Roosevelt’s book: When Roosevelt couldn’t get things through Congress, he turned to the people; he appealed directly to voters. He used Republican intransigence to build up pressure, and then at election time, was able to replace some of the obstacles. For the last year, Obama has totally blown the opportunity to blame the mess both on the past administration and on the unwillingness of Republicans to let him through to make the change he promised during the campaign. If he had used different strategy, 2010 should have seen a sweeping housecleaning in the House and Senate and a vast Democratic majority in place for the next two years. Instead, I think Obama’s cushion will be a lot thinner, and he’ll have even less room to work. The result will be a one-term presidency with meager accomplishments, and probably another round of Republican aggression.
The last Democrat who was willing to use some muscle to move his agenda forward (an agenda that was not at all popular in large sections of the country) was Lyndon Johnson. From his grave, LBJ must be wondering why Obama is afraid to lead.
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Tags: barack obama·energy reform·george w. bush·george will·health reform·lyndon johnson
Oy, a few more like this and we’re really in trouble:
Death toll in Haiti climbed above 200,000, millions more injured and/or homeless.
Supreme Court removed restrictions on corporate campaign contributions, and this could have severe consequences for our democracy (I particularly like Rabbi Arthur Waskow’s commentary on this).
Not that they were using it anyway, but the [...]
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THIS strategy will result in one year writing good laws that won’t get passed, throwing the bums out, consolidating power, and having an amazing third and fourth year. Franklin Roosevelt used this strategy successfully in his first term, showed the public that he wanted to make real change, and swept back into office not just for a second term but for a third and a fourth.
Obama, as a former community organizer, knows how to do this.
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Tags: barack obama·democratic party strategy·democratic senate majority·framing·martha coakley
The Civil Rights movement gave Lyndon Johnson (no progressive) room to push through several major pieces of Civil Rights legislation. Earth Day and the environmental movement of the early ’70s gave Richard Nixon (not a progressive bone in his body!) a mandate for the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency. yet we on the left (and I include myself in that) have largely stood by
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Tags: barack obama·lyndon johnson·organizing·progressive politics·richard nixon
For the last 28 years, I’ve lived in or just outside Northampton, Massachusetts. About ten years ago, Northampton established the position of City Poet Laureate, with a two-year term. Until two years ago, the post was mostly ceremonial. The official poet would occasionally show up and read a poem to mark some event or other, [...]
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Tags: arnold Schwarzenegger·bob dylan·bruce springsteen·civil rights·john lennon·leopold senghor·leslea newman·northampton massachusetts·pete seeger·poet laureate·poetry·sarah palin·vaclav havel·vietnam war
Spend 12 minutes listening to the best commentary I’ve heard on the healthcare mess, from MS-NBC’s Keith Olbermann.
He is the only other person I’ve heard advocating my viewpoint: that since compromise isn’t working anyway, since the right-wing nutters will call you a socialist no matter what you do, you may as well fight for what [...]
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Tags: healthcare bill·keith olbermann
This is not about politics; it’s about communication style, using a politician as an example.
My wife teaches business communication (with a heavy focus on international dos and don’ts), and she and I both give Barack Obama high marks for his sensitivity to other cultures.
Two quick examples among many:
For his state dinner last night with [...]
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Tags: barack obama·cultural differences·india·international communication
Last night I saw a video that shocked me: A spliced-together out-of-context montage from Barack Obama’s speeches and media appearances to create the illusion that he is a radical Muslim extremist (and disparaging Islam generally in terms that would be quite familiar to the Jews who were victimized by similar descriptions throughout history.
I will not [...]
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This just in: Proponents of single-payer health care, a/k/a Medicare for All–the system used by almost every developed country in the world–will not get our promised floor vote after all.
If I were in Congress right now, I’d vote no. The bill has gotten weaker, more complicated, and more expensive with every turn. As I understand [...]
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Poetry as an Organizing Tool? Oh , Yeah!
December 24th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Arts & Entertainment, Democracy, General Commentary, Peace and War, Politics
For the last 28 years, I’ve lived in or just outside Northampton, Massachusetts. About ten years ago, Northampton established the position of City Poet Laureate, with a two-year term. Until two years ago, the post was mostly ceremonial. The official poet would occasionally show up and read a poem to mark some event or other, [...]
[Read more →]
Tags: arnold Schwarzenegger·bob dylan·bruce springsteen·civil rights·john lennon·leopold senghor·leslea newman·northampton massachusetts·pete seeger·poet laureate·poetry·sarah palin·vaclav havel·vietnam war