Let's be serious here. - Democratic Underground

Mythsaje

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Sat May-16-09 02:05 PM
Original message

Let's be serious here.

It's easy for some of us to come under fire, taking criticism for grumbling (rather loudly) that not only haven't we accomplished a single watershed moment in this new regime, but some of the measures enacted are faux "reform" seemingly designed to keep us complacent. "See, they're trying."

Oh, they're trying all right. Very trying.

I'm critical not because I don't like Obama et al, but because I understand the ultimate stakes here. We didn't fight so hard to put Democrats in power because we wanted to slow down the disintegration of everything we know. Or, at least, I didn't. Half measures aren't going to do it. Giving the power of health over to the insurance industry, complete with mandatory buy-ins, isn't going to protect the American people. Failure to put a cap on usurious interest rates isn't going to help the economy.

Isn't it about time we said "profit's okay, but we are quite aware of the difference between reasonable profit and predation?"

I'm not going to accept that "they know more than we do," or "it's not that simple." Addressing the issues that confront us IS that simple. We need sane and responsible energy policy, we need health care that works, we need consistent and universal dedication to education, we need ecological awareness, and we need justice for the things that were done in our name. Doing anything else at this point is surrendering to a weakening of America, and a abdication of responsibility to the people, not only OUR people, but all of those harmed by the neocons and their policies of the last couple decades in particular.

Half measures aren't going to do it. "Just enough" isn't enough. Half-hearted "reform" that doesn't address the real issues won't get us out of the pit dug for us by the ideologically insane.

"Things are going to get worse before they get better."

No, things are going to get worse before they get worse. UNLESS we goddamn have the guts to do something about it.

Yes, some of the moves have been the right ones. I'll give Obama (if not necessarily Congress) that much credit. But it's really time to tackle the big issues, not patch things up around the edges. We don't have that kind of time. One of the reasons I didn't support Obama from the beginning was that he struck me as too "status quo," though not nearly as much as Hilary. My choice turned out to be a major disappointment, which culminated in me taking a break from the whole political scene for a while. But in the end, walking away is surrendering, and that's one thing I've never been particularly good at. I'm a bit like the Black Knight from The Search for the Holy Grail. "It's only a flesh wound."

Constructive criticism of the administration and our "representatives" is tolerated, if not necessarily welcomed. That's good, because I'm going to continue to bang that drum no matter how hard we try to hide behind the "that's all they can do" chant. It's not, and I'm not going to pretend it is. The only difference between "slowing the fall" and "rushing us into the abyss," (as the Republicans (McCain and Palin) would have done) is how fast we're circling the drain.

If you're really comfortable with dancing along the edge, that's great. I'm not, and I'm not the only one. With the Republicans continuing to throw poo at their own brand, they're as out of favor as they're likely to get. This is not the time to allow them and their ostensibly "democratic" enablers to play surrender monkey.

I haven't given up hope that we can affect a real change. We just can't give up.