Reply #28: You have got to be fucking kidding me. [View All]

ANY good Democratic politician could have done better.

He has had OVER TWO YEARS to change the conversation in Washington. He came in with tremendous enthusiasm from the public and a mandate, and he squandered it. If he had wanted to, he could have started from DAY ONE to talk about progressive economic changes that would actually promote jobs and get this economy moving. He could have TAUGHT the country about Keynesian and demand-side economics. He is a fucking gifted speaker and teacher. If he had wanted to, he could have ignited a national conversation about our jobs crisis and economic problems, and he could have helped to build a new consensus that would PUSH the country in a better direction.

Instead, he squandered it all - first, by diverting from the economic crisis to focus on corporate health insurance reform, and second, by not even TRYING to change the economic conversation in Washington in any fundamental way. Instead of teaching and pushing for demand-side economic solutions that might actually work, he hired a bunch of corporatists for his own administration and adopted the REPUBLICAN FRAMING of our economic problems. As a result, what are we STILL talking about today? Spending and tax cuts and deficit reduction - to the point of threatening SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE, FOR GOD'S SAKE. And this when every sane person sees that we have a DEMAND PROBLEM. It did NOT have to be this way. It is this way, because he did not choose to do those things. He did not LEAD.