Comments on: Austerity Now http://theactivist.org/blog/austerity-now // Culture. Consciousness. Critical Thought. // Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:43:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Chris Maisano http://theactivist.org/blog/austerity-now/comment-page-1#comment-74478 Chris Maisano Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:33:28 +0000 http://theactivist.org/blog/?p=2456#comment-74478 Rob, it's not so much that the Dems are buffoons or lack spine or something like that. It's just that like the Republicans they are a party of capital, but their need to pursue the interests of capital comes into conflict with the fact that labor and liberals (and some radicals) have set up shop in the party as well. But more often than not, the more conservative, capital oriented factions win out in terms of policy. That's what we're seeing now. The fact that there isn't a significant extraparliamentary left to exercise some pressure on the party doesn't help either. Rob, it’s not so much that the Dems are buffoons or lack spine or something like that. It’s just that like the Republicans they are a party of capital, but their need to pursue the interests of capital comes into conflict with the fact that labor and liberals (and some radicals) have set up shop in the party as well. But more often than not, the more conservative, capital oriented factions win out in terms of policy. That’s what we’re seeing now. The fact that there isn’t a significant extraparliamentary left to exercise some pressure on the party doesn’t help either.

]]> By: Rob http://theactivist.org/blog/austerity-now/comment-page-1#comment-74476 Rob Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:00:44 +0000 http://theactivist.org/blog/?p=2456#comment-74476 To be honest, I give up on trying to figure Obama out. I really wish there was a real alternative to having just a two party system in this country. On one hand you have a party of evil holier than thou morons, while on the other hand you have barely capable of getting anything done despite having a 60 -40 majority party of buffoons. Dem support is dropping not because they are too liberal and progressive. Its because they are not liberal and progressive enough! No real support for labor, no health care, no funding for parks, no funding for education... Almost everything we voted this guy into to office to do he is not doing and to make things worse doing the opposite. I would almost have McCain remorse if it weren't for his nut job running mate. Severely Disillusioned, R To be honest, I give up on trying to figure Obama out. I really wish there was a real alternative to having just a two party system in this country.

On one hand you have a party of evil holier than thou morons, while on the other hand you have barely capable of getting anything done despite having a 60 -40 majority party of buffoons.

Dem support is dropping not because they are too liberal and progressive. Its because they are not liberal and progressive enough! No real support for labor, no health care, no funding for parks, no funding for education…

Almost everything we voted this guy into to office to do he is not doing and to make things worse doing the opposite.

I would almost have McCain remorse if it weren’t for his nut job running mate.

Severely Disillusioned,
R

]]> By: Andrew Holt Williams http://theactivist.org/blog/austerity-now/comment-page-1#comment-74475 Andrew Holt Williams Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:54:36 +0000 http://theactivist.org/blog/?p=2456#comment-74475 If I can put on my cynical political strategist's hat for a second here... This sort of program seems in-line with the sort of Democrats that get elected in the swing states he's in the most danger of losing. Mark Warner was a Democratic governor here in Virginia who "restored fiscal responsibility" while also cutting back college aid and causing many students receiving substantial aid for universities to have to borrow for their final year or two of school. Evan Bayh proposed this exact thing last week. It's as if the only thing influencing this is getting just enough electoral votes from a couple of purple states to win it all in 2012, all while playing coy about "being a one-term president". Come on. If he wasn't running in 2012, he'd have no reason to go so far out of his way to please conservatives with this and to please pharma, banks, even organized labor with transparent pandering that accomplishes nothing of value to working people. If I can put on my cynical political strategist’s hat for a second here…

This sort of program seems in-line with the sort of Democrats that get elected in the swing states he’s in the most danger of losing. Mark Warner was a Democratic governor here in Virginia who “restored fiscal responsibility” while also cutting back college aid and causing many students receiving substantial aid for universities to have to borrow for their final year or two of school. Evan Bayh proposed this exact thing last week. It’s as if the only thing influencing this is getting just enough electoral votes from a couple of purple states to win it all in 2012, all while playing coy about “being a one-term president”. Come on. If he wasn’t running in 2012, he’d have no reason to go so far out of his way to please conservatives with this and to please pharma, banks, even organized labor with transparent pandering that accomplishes nothing of value to working people.

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