From TalkLeft: How The Lame Duck Session Moved The Overton Window To The Right By Big Tent Democrat <http://www.talkleft.com/user/Big%20Tent%20Democrat>, Section Other Politics <http://www.talkleft.com/section/otherpolitics> Posted on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 10:14:58 AM EST
Tags: (all tags <http://www.talkleft.com/tag>)If the health bill leads to a revolutionary reform of health insurance and health care delivery in the United States, history will consider Barack Obama to have been a very successful President. That's how history works. (I'm of the opinion that the health bill, while progressive in some aspects, such as expansion of Medicaid coverage, is not meaningful reform and does not contain elements that will lead to reform (I'm no fan of the exchanges.)) But the issues I care about the most right now - economic growth, the foreclosure crisis and income inequality, were not addressed adequately in the first two years of the Obama Administration and almost certainly won't be in the next two years, And indeed, to read the year end stories about the Lame Duck session of Congress, it is amazing how the Overton Window has moved well to the Right in the first two years of the Obama Presidency. Take, for example,TPM's Brian Beutler's listing of winners<http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/top-5-lame-duck-winners-2010.php?ref=fpblg>and losers <http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/lame-duck-losers.php> of the Lame Duck session: Winners: Here's a list of the lame duck's big winners to help you sort it all out. 1. Barack Obama: The President didn't get everything he wanted out of the lame duck. Most notably *he didn't get an omnibus spending bill*, which would have helped him implement the health care law, and he didn't get the DREAM act, which remains a top priority for Democrats. But even if you just count the big items -- *his tax cut plan*, START, Don't Ask/Don't Tell repeal, and the 9/11 first responders bill -- he walked away with a lot. (Emphasis supplied.) Stop for a moment and consider this paragraph carefully. the President got nothing on spending in the next fiscal year, leaving it vulnerable to massive slashing by the GOP, he did get, an amazing achievement apparently, extension of the Bush tax cuts. Other big "achievements" were passage of a noncontroversial START treaty (controversial only because the GOP decided to fight even nonc0ntroversial issues to throw red meat to their base and a noncontroversial (at least it used to be) 9/11 first responders health bill (a bill whose merits, from what I could tell, was a noun a verb and 9/11.) This amounts to winning for Democrats these days. To me that says it all. Progressives can not win when winning is defined on these terms. Indeed, Beutler defines Bernie Sanders, who lost on EVERY issue, as a winner too. Here's Beutler's thinking: 5. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT): Though the Senate's most progressive member couldn't actually derail the President's tax cut compromise and swap it out with something less friendly to the wealthy, Sanders made a name for himself: Filibernie. For 10 straight hours he held the Senate floor, to remind voters and people in the media how deferential the government is to the wealthy. A win for progressives now amounts to being able to make a speech. (Important caveat: DADT repeal is a real progressive achievement.) *That is how **the middle has been defined*<http://www.talkleft.com/story/2006/07/14/963/98336> * in the Obama Era - conservative policies get enacted, progressives get to make speeches protesting conservative policies.* *Isn't it wonderful? Why aren't you celebrating, you progressive ingrate!* Speaking for me only ** *DADT* (5.00 / 1<http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/1?mode=alone;showrate=1#1>) (#1 <http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/1#1>) by TeresaInSnow2 <http://www.talkleft.com/user/TeresaInSnow2> on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 10:59:41 AM EST Aravosis says DADT wasn't really repealed: A lot of the media is talking about how today DADT was repealed. It wasn't. Today we gave the President, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Secretary of Defense the ability to get rid of DADT *if they so choose at some point in the future*. So DADT won't be repealed until the President, along with DOD, decides to do just that. Link <http://www.americablog.com/2010/12/dadt-update.html> So the greatest progressive achievement may or may not be an achievement at all...You'll have to judge whether he's right, since I earned my JD from matchbox university.... ;-). *Personally, I think given this choice, our rightie Prez and the guys at defense aren't going to repeal anything. * *does this mean* (none / 0<http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/2?mode=alone;showrate=1#2>) (#2 <http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/2#2>) by CST <http://www.talkleft.com/user/CST> on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 11:06:56 AM EST when the president does repeal it - the "credit" will be all his? (IMO - no - but your argument would certainly suggest as much). Cmon now. This isn't new news. But you can't honestly believe this isn't going to happen. They had all those hearings/studies/votes on this issue just to kill it once it finally passed? I don't think so. Parent <http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/1#1> *DADT still in effect* (none / 0<http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/4?mode=alone;showrate=1#4>) (#4 <http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/4#4>) by MO Blue <http://www.talkleft.com/user/MO%20Blue> on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 11:09:23 AM EST Despite President Barack Obama's signing of a law repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent a memo to troops warning them that *it remains in effect* until 60 days after the government certifies that the military is ready for implementation. *The Pentagon says it does not know how long the certification process may take.* In the meantime, Gates is essentially telling gays and lesbians serving in the military not to come out until 60 days after that determination is made. link <http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/23/gates.dadt/> To the best of my knowledge there is no time requirement on when government certification must be made. So I agree with Teresa, this is just kicking the can down the road and may or may not actually result in gays being able to serve openly in the military. Parent <http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/1#1> *it's especially ironic* (none / 0<http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/3?mode=alone;showrate=1#3>) (#3 <http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2010/12/27/111458/29/3#3>) by CST <http://www.talkleft.com/user/CST> on Mon Dec 27, 2010 at 11:09:18 AM EST that Bernie Sanders is a "winner" for opposing the same bill that - in passing - makes Obama a "winner". In other words, you win when you win, and you win when you lose. Too bad we are all really losers with this one. 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