Sean Wilson
Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:18:45 -0800
(Don) ... I would accept your position if the world existed as you have described it. Namely, if polls were what they said, and if the mood is as you believe. I think the better argument is that polls are a function of how things are framed, what television says, how far removed the issue is from the election drama, the state of misery, the belief that people are getting something for free, and the general problem with bell curves in general and mass culture in Rome in particular. Furthermore, no one I know of would credibly say that Democracy is founded upon polling sentiment. The Athenian model isn't even a starter. At best, "democrats" (small-d) argue for ballot initiatives and different election systems. So I cannot accept the world you paint.
Here is my world. If we had an election today for every seat in Congress right now, Democrats would get their butts kicked. In fact, American culture would probably overturn at least one of the houses to Republicans while leaving Obama in office (barely). In my generation, I have seen American culture tire of Democratic majority-government VERY quickly. This president and this party are living on borrowed capital (literally and figuratively). A great deal of this is their own fault. Ironically, this is EXACTLY what Senates are for. If anyone needs to look at why the Senate exists in American politics, just look at the Massachusetts race. You are getting a watered down health care bill, if at all, because (a) political winds changed; (b) you (Democrats) don't know how to navigate winds (you are bad sailors); and (c) if you want to govern, you have to keep winning elections (meaning no change of winds). And anyone today who thinks the Senate is thwarting rather than being obedient to the political culture as it exists RIGHT NOW isn't "getting it." And this is precisely why the American Senate exists. The old public clamor that captured the House is showing itself to be false, lessened or transitory. The Senate reflects this sentiment. The odd thing, though, is the 5% growth last quarter. If there's an economic miracle around the corner, look out. Rome could sing the praises of "morning in America" next year (if Democrats know that song). That could put you back in business. You could even say FDR did it. So I don't want to hear about polls. I want to hear about strong-armed executives and Democrats who know how to use power. I don't want to hear excuses either. You don't know how to govern (you = Democrats). Johnson would have had the thing passed in August. (Also: becoming the jobs president in year 2 is like playing offense in football, but only in the second half. You've got serious blunders here). Regards. Dr. Sean Wilson, Esq. Assistant Professor Wright State University Personal Website: http://seanwilson.org SSRN papers: http://ssrn.com/author=596860 Discussion Group: http://seanwilson.org/wittgenstein.discussion.html _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Conlawprof@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/conlawprof Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.