Matt refrences a new "study" and cites this

Only 37% of moderates, but fully 59% of liberals, believe that the federal government is responsible for reducing income differences between rich and poor.

Matt should probably understand though that yes, my husband doesn't think the government should make us all financially equal.  So he's really pissed off that the government saved the rich, and did it in such a way as to totally screw the poor.  How did Matt just seem to miss how that has happened and it has the Democrats fingerprints all over it?

And Ezra blathers on about how Americans hate politics.  They are disinterested because they gave the lame duck session sky high ratings and the lame duck session put us deeper into debt.  But Democrats actually a few of the things during the lame duck that they promised to do for us years ago.  Excuse us all if we were phucking elated!  Does it occur to Ezra that Americans have been told for years and years (some of them from the cradle now) that the debt doesn't really matter.  And in fact, the only people that this debt really does matter to at this time is Wall Street, Goldman Sachs, S&P, all the big money....that all of our tax dollars went into saving not too long ago and that the Fed is still pumping billions into?  The little people need things, why should they care about the deficit when the deficit didn't matter until this month and only because our President and Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner say so?

Really, these two are a couple of idiots.  And my husband has other things to do all day long than be entrenched in political soap operas.  When it is time to elect someone, get your candidates up there so they can hear how they are going to manage things, and the moderates will pick the one they feel is going to get the job done.  And both of these yahoos need to get a grip on themselves because the moderates will hold that candidate responsible for his/her promises.  They are a heartless bunch.

If, as Ezra says, people don't generally have firm ideas on issues, then wouldn't it be nice if we had some Democrat somewhere who could be educational and persuasive, someone who could begin communication efforts aimed at where the people actually are and then move them toward new ideas?

Just how in the world does Ezra think that the elected leaders decided to try to fix the healthcare debacle?  Does he really think that the impetus for that movement came out of a sense of duty on Capitol Hill?  No.  That beast was only addressed because people far and wide had a strong opinion about our healthcare system.  And, not for nothing, the law we got out of that deal was a product of politicians who did not care; did not have the courage of conviction to do the right thing by simply expanding Medicare.

Almost every American has feelings about policy - whether they understand the role of government policy and exactly how it works or fails is irrelevant.  People do care about policy.  What Democrats keep doing is following the polls; and they keep getting beaten badly by Republicans who push the polls where they want to go.  

If the Democrats finally came out and defined some decent goals, explained their value, convinced the public that their design is superior, instituted the policy and delivered some positive results, they would be golden.

The fact is that if Yglesias and Klein are right that the DLC/Third Way approach is a must for the Democratic Party, then in fact progressives and liberals must then create distance between themselves and the Democrats in order to evaluate the best way to effectuate outcomes closer to their interests

Even if Yglesias and Klein are wrong about this the Dem leadership believes it as well.  But it's the same result in the end.  That "create distance" thing is the only natural thing to do.

Articulating this approach, however, tends to bring on shouts of "so you, fool, you'll vote REPUBLICAN????!!!!"

as if.

Or if not that, then "Supreeeeemme!!! Court!!!!"

Used to be Roe! v! Wade! Remember that?

One commenter here and ardent O supporter actually said that his/her vote and support was even better (??) than the support of the Dem party stalwart who does GOTV and canvassing because... drum roll please... s/he represented the center.

When that's not happening, people get scared.

according to mr. klein, we are a nation of frequent pants wetters, so frightened by our own shadows that the least bit of policy disagreement is enough to send us running to the fallout shelters, while popping a few valiums to calm  down.

And that whole "people of good faith" thing is Obama through and through.

I'm sick of it.

Most people don't care about policy?  That's just baloney.  Policy affects the lives of every single person in this country.  And while they may not know the ins-and-outs of making it, they know when it's good and when it isn't.  

Know what scares me?  That our esteemed leaders have closed their eyes to reality and are sending us to hell in a handbasket.  That jobs are going to get even harder to get.  That services for people who have no other options are going to be cut and people will suffer.  That our rights will continue to dwindle and wither away.  That our personal lives will be less and less in our own control.  That my children's lives will be harder for them than I ever wanted or expected them to be, In spite of how hard they work and how determined they are.

Know what else scares me?  That all this effort to move the politics to some mythical "center" is really just moving us toward the end of a two-party system.

That will work quite nicely with the two-class system that these politicians - with the help of people in the media like Ezra Klein - are helping to engineer: the wealthy, and everyone else.  Guess Ezra has no intention of being consigned to the "everyone else" class.

If "moving to the Center" rendered good policy results, then it would make perfect sense for the Democrats to do this (see Clinton, Bill.) If "moving to the Center" renders poor results (see, The Deal and the slashing of government spending in an economic downturn), then that will lead to bad political results.

( ya see, when I worked for 4 or 5 bucks an hour in '82-'84 during culinary school, I got my grant money CUT!)

There's NEVER been any doubt in my mind that the upper cla$$e$ want me to ONLY have the opportunity to grovel between the glamour of being a doormat, ass kisser, ass wipe, back scratcher, boot licker, serf or cannon fodder.

I bought the DLC "moderate" thing cuz I thought they were gonna make government work better, and then we could stuff ronnie raygun's lies back up the stinky chute those lies came outta, AND, government could show the private sector how to make things work, something other than fire hordes - hire temp replacements for peanuts - top management pocket$ everything.

This is what I HOPED for in the late 80's and early 90's.

Year after year, decade after decade, sell out after sell out & these 2 mouthpieces of the $tatu$ quo are $inging for their $upper with their right wing definition of independently swinging moderately center.

Ezra and Matt should should just join the Wisconsin Repuke Party and get on the side they belong on - they ain't on MY side.  

funny how the 6 figure a Dim-0-$ell outs have:

• hundreds of "leaders" making over 6 figures a year in state capitols and DC ...

• thousands of minions making a good wage doing communications and media and public relations and press releases ...

• HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS every election cycle

our side can't do message & tactics & strategy for the bottom 90%, OR

they really ain't "our side"?