The Professional Left Is Handing Republicans Precisely What They Want

By: Rmuse/politicususa.

Although human beings hardly give any thought to the process by which they encode, store, and retrieve information,  memory plays an all-important role in everyday life. Intelligent beings tend to use their memory in such a way they do not make the same mistakes over and over again and to avoid making rash decisions that could threaten their very survival. Americans have relatively short memories because they tend to both make knee-jerk reactive decisions and repeat the same mistakes, or fall victim to a recurring condition that caused them distress in the past. Republicans are prone to deliberately forget their policies caused the nation to fall into disrepair and economic distress, but it has nothing to do with their memories and more with their long-term agenda they hardly vary. The political left is really not different than the right in that they forget their past missteps and repeat them despite clear evidence they are on a path to hand Republicans precisely what they want and they are back again heading for a repeat of the 2010 midterm debacle that ushered in the era of right wing extremism and government stagnation.

Obviously, there are few Democrats, Liberals, or Progressives who are pleased that President Obama insinuated his budget due out this week includes changes to the cost of living adjustments (COLA) for Social Security, but their outrage, although understandable, is premature and informs their memories are failing them.  They also reveal ignorance about the power of the head of the Executive branch of government, which is an error they made during the President’s first two years in office that led them to sit out the 2010 midterms and hand power to teabaggers  the nation will have to suffer for at least the next two  years.

First, the President of the United States does not make the nation’s budget; he makes suggestions, attempts to compromise and garner support from an intransigent opposition party, but the nation’s budget is the purview of the United States Congress of which one house is controlled by right-wing extremists. Second, the President made the same exact offer to Republicans during the  fiscal cliff negotiations and they rejected it out of hand and gave the President the first tax increase on the wealthy in over  12  years and no spending cuts or chainedCPI affecting Social Security. Remember too, that there was complete outrage at the end of 2010 because the President failed to convince Republicans to allow the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy expire, but he kept tax cuts for 99% of Americans, secured a payroll tax deduction for two years, and extended unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed.

It is seriously time for the Left to take a step back, regroup, and remember what happened a little over three years ago when they whipped themselves into frenzy over issues which the President had no control. Yes, it is appropriate to express opposition to Social Security cuts, and scream at the prospect of the KeystoneXL pipeline’s construction, but revolt over a symbolic budget proposal that has no chance of passing either house of Congress? Maybe the Left should take a look in their own states and focus their outrage on the growing number of Republican legislatures and governors raping the life out of education, Medicaid, safety nets, and public employees and just imagine how much good they will do by primarying Democrats in 2014. However, that means giving an ounce of thought to the process by which they encode, store, and retrieve information, and recalling what happened the last time their outrage and overreaction over something the President had no control overruled their common sense and any modicum of self-preservation and regard for their fellow Americans. One understands why Republicans conveniently forget the damage their consistent policies produce, but it is beyond reason why the Left is willing to revisit the damage they caused this country when they sat out an important midterm election and worse, are making plans to do it again. Here is a news flash; Congress writes and enacts the nation’s budget, they alone have power to repeal DADT and DOMA, create a public option, fund relocating Guantanamo, and will be the branch that will not pass anything this President proposes. And for the record, they certainly will not be giving emoprogs unicorns, a medal for Bradley Manning, or anything else that helps the American people, so think long and hard about 2014 and if it is humanly possible, remember 2010.