Liberals' Turn To Misread Election Results

After the U.S. elections in November, I opined that it was inevitable that both parties would tend to read the wrong messages from the results.  The Republicans were a little quicker to leap to the wrong conclusions, boasting that voters had totally rejected equitable health care, were in favor of more Bush-style deficit spending, and wanted government turned over to the wealthy.  All about 95% wrong, of course.

Now Democrats are trying to catch up in the race to ignore reality; they began with a low drone of grumbling about "compromise" on taxes as if any other course of action were really possible; now we hear that liberals are concerned about several points: that Obama may work with Republicans and "shore up the middle;" that the deficit commission recommended Social Security cuts; and that the President might "cut out his core constituency." 

Here, I would have to say the left wing's fears are well grounded.  If Obama is politically savvy he will move in those directions.  The most liberal wing of the party seems deaf and blind to the fact that political success is incremental, and lies usually in hewing closely to a moderate course.  In fact, the "core constituency" of either major party IS the middle; the more extreme elements on both sides, that like to think of themselves as the "core," are really the fringes.  "Base" is a slightly more accurate term, because cognate phrases like  "baser instincts," "basement," or even "lean toward second base" give us a better sense of what we're dealing with.  The base is an anchor; and an anchor inhibits movement.

The "base" tends to exhibit similar procedural thinking, whether it's right or left.  For example, both will argue that we can deal with our deficit simply by swearing allegiance to labor union expectations (Democratic base) or turning ourselves over to be managed by an oligarchy of CEOs (Republican base).  To me, it seems obvious that neither of these approaches can possibly work.

Comments

[Gabbygeeaer]

Interesting analysis. Obama may have made more smart moves behind those closed doors with the GOP leaders than he is getting credit for. He got DADT passed, which will help him keep support from the gay fringe group and not hurt him with the center. He probably is going to get his nuke treaty with Russia ratified, which will help him with the left-leaners and more moderate lefties near the center. I've never doubted the guy is plenty smart, but still I may have underestimated him.