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Election reactions
by
Rich Gardner | 11.05.2008
Happiness, sweetness, light and sunshine after a marvelous Democratic rout in Tuesday's election, along with more arguments against bipartisanship  happy, sweet sunshine Ah, the sweet smell of success! Victory has been attained, but it's not a military-type victory, attained with the blood of our enemies, the wailing of foreign widows and the crying of the children of other lands. No, the election of Barack Obama by 63 million to 56 million was obtained peacefully, with persuasion, with good arguments, and yes, with an economic situation that was the direct result of Republican rule over this land since 1981 (CEPR counts Clinton as a "Republican-lite" for the purposes of this study). Certainly, the Mideast, with the exception of Israel & the Kurdish NorthEastern part of Iraq, has been hungry for change and so welcomes the American regime-shuffling. And yes, I know it's mean, but I really had to guffaw at the National Review Online guy who bitterly complained that: Just watched Wonder Boy's speech. Hmph. "Callused hands?" When did he ever have callused hands?
Ri-i-i-ight! Like, anybody at the NRO knows about "callused hands" from anything but storybooks and the occasional field servant that they dealt with in their youth. He then blames "the swooning complicity of the media," but it's quite clear that the traditional media was firmly on the side of McCain throughout the election campaign. Media Matters also compared coverage of Obama's association with former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers to coverage of McCain's association with G. Gordon Liddy, whom Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman has described as McCain's "own Bill Ayers."
---- Moreover, while these same media outlets mentioned Obama's ties to Ayers 311 times in 2008 through Election Day, they produced only five reports mentioning McCain's connections to Liddy, whom McCain has praised and repeatedly associated with in public and in campaign settings. Sour? You bet I'm sour. Where was conservatism in this election?
Hmm, okay. but we have to ask, what exactly does he mean by "conservatism"? Where was restraint in government? Where was national sovereignty? Where was liberty? Where was self-support?
I heartily agree that government has been completely unrestrained under Bush. What with warrantless wiretapping, detaining prisoners without evidence of wrongdoing in defiance of habeas corpus (or the Geneva Conventions, as applicable), voter suppression through the widespread use of "vote caging," (that is, "sending 'Do Not Forward' letters to minority voters that, if returned, could be used to challenge them as nonresidents"), vote purging (famously seen in Florida before the 2000 election) and the firing of US Attorneys who weren't sufficiently pursuing bogus "voter fraud" allegations (as opposed to "vote fraud," which is when vote suppression is done by the government). Problem: Where was the NRO during all of this lack of "restraint in government"? Seems to me that conservatives of all stripes and varieties spent the early part of this century praising Dear Leader Bush and bashing the liberals who tried to object. Or did the bulldozing of Dixie Chicks' CDs strike people as an action where the right wing showed respect for political dissent? And remember: The "K Street Project"—the most successful shakedown operation since the first Gilded Age—was the brainchild of Representative Tom DeLay and Grover Norquist...
I don't remember any conservative objections to that, either. Granted, the "K Street Project" was shut down shortly before the Democrats took over Congress, but let's not confuse a preemptive, defensive reaction to an action based on principle. Quite frankly, Obama's choice of Rahm Emmanuel for Chief of Staff fills me with joy, as no, he's not as liberal as I'd prefer (He backed NAFTA and wants to privatize the border), but he "doesn't do 'bipartisan'," which I find completely cool at this point. A piece on PhillyIMC makes an interesting charge, that as the left of 1993 didn't put up much of a fight to control Bill Clinton's "Third Way," "Republican-lite" tendencies, that the left of 2009 will be equally useless at guiding and directing an Obama Administration. I dunno. Seems to me that the left of today is much more together, more energetic, more connected than it was in 1993. President Reagan garnered genuine support from the American people and the elder Bush, who inherited a lot of that good feeling, was less of an overt criminal than the younger Bush is. When the press corps of 1993 launched its all-out assault on Clinton with idiotic crap like "Whitewater," the press being crazy and out of control was a new thing and progressives weren't sure how to handle such a thing. Nowadays, we're fully aware of it and know how to deal with it. That's not to say the netroots are as powerful as the traditional media is, but I think they're far more able to take on the combination of the right-wing noise machine and the traditional press then they were before. Finally, I agree that there's a danger that Obama will become the new Dear Leader who can do no wrong and who will be defended from our side of the aisle whether he deserves it or not, but I think this blogger makes some very good points: But I genuinely expect that those who have made the restoration of our Constitutional framework and preservation of core liberties a top priority over the last eight years will continue to pursue those goals with equal vigor, regardless of the change of party control. And few things are more important in that effort than having a Supreme Court majority that at least minimally safeguards those principles. It's hard to overstate the importance of last night's election outcome in ensuring a reasonably favorable Court majority and, even more so, in averting what would have been a real disaster for our basic rights and system of government had John McCain been able to replace those three Justices with GOP-approved nominees. By itself, maintaining the Court more or less as is won't reverse any of the Constitutional erosions of the last eight years, but it is an absolute prerequisite to doing so.
I think all the work we put into making sure that McCain did not succeed Bush was well worth it. |
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Comments
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You lost me at the wiretapping
Submitted by BradJ (not verified) on Fri, 02/20/2009 - 1:30pmI personally think it would be nice if the government does as much wiretapping as it feels it needs to X 10. If terrorists live 2 blocks from you and they're plotting some wild attack would you like the US to head that off? I've never heard of any anti-terrorist committee busting in somebody's front door because they did a random wiretap for anti-terrorism and found out that a 17 year old smoked pot once a week.
Also, what is everybody afraid of being wiretapped for if they are outstanding citizens? I'm sorry, I have a lot of friends in the military and I just like feeling protected is all. Wire are people afraid of the US protecting us?
Sorry, I love feeling protection from the government. Without the protection of the government we most likely wouldn't be here.
The govenment has ample legal means
Submitted by Rich Gardner on Fri, 02/20/2009 - 2:04pmof listening in on communications. In 2002, when President Bush said "I need some more authority to conduct wiretaps," Congress gave him that authority with very little difficulty. Why can't the government do what they feel needs to be done within their current authority?
The government has simply never made the case that they need to go beyond the law. Progressives don't object to wiretapping per se, we just object to illegal wiretapping.
Barack Obama's father was
Submitted by bedroom furniture (not verified) on Wed, 04/01/2009 - 10:41amBarack Obama's father was born were always cautiously optimistic, but rain Tuesday night was viewed as a particularly good omen. It's hard to overemphasize Obama's popularity here. Even before he ran for president, there was a high school and beer named in his honor.
Obama Victory was a Great Day for the US
Submitted by FX (not verified) on Sat, 03/07/2009 - 7:04pmI am so happy Obama won and the Republicans lost so many seats in both the Congress and Senate. I wish them all the best of luck and hopefully they can fix all the problems the last administration got us into.
Yay for Obama
Submitted by Cheap Office Space (not verified) on Wed, 03/11/2009 - 10:44pmHopefully President Obama can undue some of the damage the previous administration.
Can President Obama
Submitted by Rickster (not verified) on Wed, 03/11/2009 - 10:54pmCan President Obama please stop all these crazy amendments to the constitution. 'Those who substitute freedom for security will have neither'
I'm glad to see the back
Submitted by Manhattan Breast Enhancement (not verified) on Thu, 03/12/2009 - 8:40pmI'm glad to see the back of Bush. He must go down as the worst president of all time. More of a dictator
Too much protection
Submitted by Middleton Wisconsin (not verified) on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 8:40pmToo much protection means no freedom. It's easy to say if you're innocent there's nothing to be afraid of, but before you know it your details are being sold to a shopping channel.
I am so happy Obama won and
Submitted by Sarah (not verified) on Mon, 03/16/2009 - 9:20amI am so happy Obama won and the Republicans lost so many seats in both the Congress and Senate. I wish them all the best of luck and hopefully they can fix all the problems the last administration got us into.
Looking forward to the future
Submitted by Love Astrology (not verified) on Mon, 03/16/2009 - 9:28amThe whole world is in a mess right now, and I believe that all this is a positive step forward and hopefully a brighter future.
Are you crazy?
Submitted by Breast Enhancement prices (not verified) on Mon, 03/16/2009 - 9:58pmRahm Emmanuel is a pit bull. He will finish the job that Bush started. He will bring in mandatory military service.
President Obama
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Obama: I hate to see what he
Submitted by XRumer (not verified) on Mon, 03/23/2009 - 8:18pmObama:
I hate to see what he and his wife will do for the rest of AMERICA..after they have over taxed and run ILL into the ground.
Why hasn’t anyone ever talked or told anyone about this man and his wife being a hater of AMERICA and its people?
This is a sad day for AMERICA.
Senate Republicans warned of
Submitted by buy viagra (not verified) on Mon, 03/23/2009 - 11:34pmSenate Republicans warned of deficits that could climb to $20 trillion in coming years and a weakened dollar if Obama and his Democratic allies get their proposed $3.6 trillion budget plan passed.
Vice President Joe Biden's
Submitted by buy viagra (not verified) on Mon, 03/23/2009 - 11:45pmVice President Joe Biden's economic adviser said the administration was open to negotiate with lawmakers. "We don't expect these folks to sign on the dotted line,"
Obama Elections
Submitted by Payday Loans (not verified) on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 1:49pmInternational reaction to the historic election of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States has begun. Below is a roundup of some reactions from the around the world.
Obama Elections
Submitted by Payday Loan (not verified) on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 1:56pmResidents of this tiny farming village where Barack Obama's father was born were always cautiously optimistic, but rain Tuesday night was viewed as a particularly good omen. It's hard to overemphasize Obama's popularity here. Even before he ran for president, there was a high school and beer named in his honor.
President-elect
Submitted by faxless payday loan (not verified) on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 2:15pmAround the world, people expect him to change this. The expectations are impossibly high, as the President-elect has already acknowledged. In Europe, many of those who have cheered him seem to expect a US president who will use all of the US's power and financial weight to solve the world's problems, regardless of its own interest.
United States' presidential election
Submitted by cash advance payday loan (not verified) on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 2:24pmWe will feast our eyes, ears and hearts on the results of our election. Oops. Well, it does seem as if the United States' presidential election this time around belongs not just to the Americans.
Should we believe Obama's words or actions?
Submitted by payday loan canada (not verified) on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 2:58pmWe believe to Obama!!!
He calls for sacrifices from all and then proceeds to give 95% of American families a tax cut. He promises to revive the housing industry and then asks Congress to reduce the deductibility of mortgage interest.
He calls for the reform of the education system and then signs a budget that eliminates funds that keep a few poor kids in private schools, and out of the clutches of the Washington education system’s bureaucrats.
President-elect
Submitted by cash advance (not verified) on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 12:19pmMedia Matters also compared coverage of Obama's association with former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers to coverage of McCain's association with G. Gordon Liddy, whom Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman has described as McCain's "own Bill Ayers."
Happy for him
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