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The Bear Bryants Of Political Bargaining

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Other Politics
Posted on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 10:43:40 AM EST
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David Kurtz makes a good point regarding David Leonhardt's wrongheaded column regarding Dems and taxes. I wrote about it earlier. Kurtz writes:

[Leonhardt's article] has an internal logic to it, but it rests on a series of premises that I would argue still go back to the core issue of the Democrats not being tough enough -- and I don't mean tough in simply a hardheaded, muscular way but in a savvy, persistent, opportunistic sense. Let me put it this way: If the roles we're reversed and Democrats were on the opposite side of the issue, wouldn't the analysis be that Democrats were running a huge political risk by blocking middle class tax cuts and getting blamed for raising everyone's taxes? MORE . . .]

It reminds me of the line attributed to the old football coach Bum Phillips, speaking about the legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant: "He can take his'n and beat your'n and take your'n and beat his'n." [. . .] Leonhardt's analysis is not really about the macropolitical choices for Democrats. It's about his perception, probably the right one, that Democrats won't be able to beat the Republicans at this game. It's not the game isn't winnable. It's that the Democrats aren't good enough to win it. All the proof you need of that is that the game would look very winnable if you swapped the teams.

Very true, and I refer everyone again to my posts on political bargaining. But I think the point extends to activists of the different poles. Conservative activists never give in. Progressive activists always seem to give in or are told to be "pragmatic."

Speaking for me only

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    The Bear Bryants Of Political Bargaining | 2 comments (2 topical)

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    part of the problem (5.00 / 3) (#1)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 10:49:11 AM EST
    is us.  meaning the fainting couch wing of the democratic party.  the republicans do not have one of those.  ever notice that.  how often do you see any republican wringing their hands that some republican is being to mean to some democrat?

    too many liberals are whiny wimps who have totally bought into republican framing.

    And we don't know how to cry in the (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by observed on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 10:57:37 AM EST
    right way. Imagine if Nancy Pelosi shed an occasional tear over the awful, hurtful things that Republicans say about her. It would really play  well!

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    The Bear Bryants Of Political Bargaining | 2 comments (2 topical)

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