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I have over the years begun to believe that most political power is wielded in back rooms and that We The People have very little say one way or the other. I still mostly believe this, but this last election took me by surprise. Obama, while not himself a liberal populist, awoke the sleeping giant, the We The People and he and his party "benefited" greatly. Why did I put that in quotes? Well, see, that's the surprise, for me and for a good many a Dem power broker, that We The People actually do still have some power.
This brings up a big ol' problem for our team, call it Team Democrat. Because, in actuality, they primarily serve themselves and their highest donors, just like Team Republican. But Team Republican can fool their base into thinking they are being served. The Democratic base doesn't appear to be that easily duped. Now, when Team Democrat was in the minority, it was easy for them. They could throw up their hands, look at us beseechingly and say, "What can we do? Please send more money and keep voting for us. Someday.......". Well, in a groundswell of populist rage and hope, we gave them their Someday but now, it's harder for them to convince us that they really are working for us. Reference the ever higher bar that Harry Reid assures us is needed so that the change they really, really want to give us will happen. Notice the test balloons from the White House that keep getting shot down.
Our poor Team Democrat is a bit befuddled and more than a little nervous. Obama told us we had power, we believed him, and damn, he was right! Now, nobody is exactly sure how much power We The People really do have and just how uncomfortable that is going to make it for Team Democrat. Are they going to be able to remove the public option and make it seem like there was just no choice and if they do, what kind of power will We The People choose to wield? Are they actually going to have to do our bidding on this and heaven forbid, other things?
Not that I would ever want to be him, but I especially wouldn't want to be Rahm right now. I suspect he isn't sleeping all that well and is downing a ton of Tums and wishing his boss had never unleashed We The People.
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