In seven weeks, we’ll find out whether a progressive agenda has any hope of happening, or if the Republicans will make enough gains to stall even more than they are now. It sounds like a lot of time, but it’s really not. And we’re currently facing an enthusiasm gap the likes of which we haven’t seen in my lifetime.
I was in college during the Lewinsky/Starr circus that made governing nearly impossible for so long; I knew many people who voted for Nader in ’96 because they couldn’t stand Clinton. I watched as the idea that the parties were all just the same grow, and even participated. I voted for Gore in 2000 because there wasn’t another viable option, not because I was approving of the Democrats.
Seriously, if it hadn’t been for the horrific overreach following 9/11 and then the Iraq War, I might have disengaged from politics entirely. But then hell came, and dark forces on the right made the distinction between Democrats and Republicans as clear as day. In 2003, in the campaign of Howard Dean, the idea of a Democrat actually fighting for Democratic (and democratic) ideals was a beacon for people like me, people who just needed a push to believe things could actually change.
We lost that year, and we learned that sometimes the people at the top weren’t as good as we believed them to be. But we learned something more important; we learned that we had a lot of strength in community, and that community was no longer limited to geography. And many people inspired by that campaign went on to run for office and win.
We had great victories in 2006 and 2008. Controlling the House, Senate and the White House, in a civilized world where majority rules, should have made implementing a progressive agenda a simple thing. And the list of achievements that the Obama Administration has accrued in less than two years is pretty stunning on its face.
So why do we have an enthusiasm gap? And what can we do in the next seven weeks to change that?
For why the gap exists, there are a few reasons. For one, there’s history. The party in charge usually loses seats in bad economic times, as these are. Obama came in with the banks just having been handed $700 billion in order to keep the largest banks from ceasing to exist, a possibility that would have created chaos and pain for the entire world. Within a month of being sworn in, he got a major stimulus bill passed. He saved the American auto industry.
But there was a feeling on the left that he started from a place of weakness, conceding far too much before negotiations even began, which made these efforts smaller than they should have been. The same feeling came with health care reform, financial reform, and a host of other achievements that this administration has made. So, there is disappointment, it’s real, and some of it is justified.
It’s also kinda pathetic. Rarely have we been given so many victories in such a short time, in such an impossible climate. Getting anything done in the Senate takes miracles right now, but it’s been happening.
With the emergence of the Tea Party, and their candidates getting on the ticket in Alaska, Nevada, Kentucky, potentially Delaware and New York, it’s amazing that Democrats aren’t just defensively eager to vote.
One thing that happened in 2008 that is not happening right now is the grassroots organization that the Obama campaign and Howard Dean’s DNC had separately put together. The two get out the vote operations were responsible for turning Obama’s victory into huge gains for the Democrats across the board. But those operations have not been used or replicated in this election.
And there is a reason for that. Obama the campaigner was an amazing thing to behold. Obama the President has been a much more staid, steady hand, which is often a very good thing for governing, but does not inspire the sort of grassroots excitement. It’s been noted that from Labor Day, Obama has been in more of a campaign mode, but is there enough time?
Lord, I hope so.
jeffcg Uncategorized gotv, midterms, Obama, tea party
A week ago, it seemed like Obama and the White House were ramping up the campaign for the midterms. Since then, other than one town hall on CNBC, there was almost no Obama on the teevee machine.