I don’t know Michael Barone but my brother used to work with him at U.S. News & World Report. He liked him personally but described him as “extremely conservative.” I had a laugh at that because Michael Barone is a borderline wing-nut. So, it is with some relish that I see he has dropped telling us that GOP will hold the house and, instead, decided to tell us that a Democratic Congress won’t really matter. He does this by analyzing the other big wave elections in American history and noting that most of them didn’t change things a whole lot.
His interpretation of history is badly warped, but that is not what interested me. What interested me was his interpretation of the 1974 ‘Watergate Baby’ election.
Similarly, the big Democratic gains in the Nixon-Ford year of 1974 did not produce policy gains or lasting partisan gains for the out party. The new 2-to-1 Democratic majority in the House did stifle attempts to come to the relief of Saigon. But under Gerald Ford and his successor Jimmy Carter domestic policy did not move far left. Deregulation of transportation and communications proceeded, and a 2-to-1 Democratic House passed a tax bill that cut the capital gains tax and included the great generator of individual investment accounts, Section 401(k).
Barone conveniently ignores that the Congress, between 1975 and 1979, enacted FISA, the first campaign finance laws, re-opened the JFK investigation and concluded it was a conspiracy, investigated the MLK and RFK assassinations, exposed the ‘family jewels’ of the CIA, and much more. The equivalent today would be to refuse to continue the occupation of Iraq, to pass FISA (again), to do election reforms, to expose the wrongdoing of the executive branch and intelligence agencies, and to re-open the 9/11 investigation.
If Barone thinks that is nothing, good for him. I call it a start. But first we have to have a wave election, and this could be a ripple or a tsunami. The polls are close in dozens of races. So do some GOTV, talk to your family, friends, and neighbors. Send them links to good articles. Help prove Michael Barone wrong.
Because having policies and procedures that actually helped the bulk of the population, and not just a small group of wealthy modern-day robber barons, would probably be a bad thing. Having the vast “unwashed” masses as our central focus could have devasting effects, likely leading to the downfall of our country, or even the collapse of western civiization entirely.
Michael, the dark ages ended some time ago according to my calendar.
Betcha this is set to become a fairly common conservative opinion. Just watch (but don’t blink).
I know this will sound like a crazy thought and it probably is. I was just wondering if some of the wing-nuts actually want a Democratic “Big Wave” election in order to be saved from themselves?
I mean, some of these folks must have some gray matter in the old noodle, right? Perhaps they can see that much of what they have brought upon us all produces situations that are not sustainable. If you want to look at it from a geo-political point of view, I can’t think of a time when the U.S. has been more isolated and out-maneuvered internationally. Economically, we are walking a tightrope over a very deep abyss, and the Chinese are pouring oil on the rope. Ecologically..well I don’t think I have to explain myself on that front to you folks now, do I?
So who has the most to lose if the system turns to horse manure, the average Democrat, or GOP member?
Not agreeing with progressive ideas does not necessarily mean a righty is stupid. Perhaps, just perhaps some of the bright ones will see that voting blue is in their own selfish best interests.
That thought has crossed my mind too. If we do manage to take control of either or both houses of congress, how long will it be before the mess in Iraq becomes a Democratic problem. Whatever goes wrong there will be all our fault.
You know things were going just peachy, according to plan, right on schedule as long as we stayed the course, but then those cut and run Democrats came in and screwed everything up.
The deficit? Our plan was gonna fix it til the Democrats came in an blew it all to hell with all their wasteful social programs. The debt? Look at all that red ink those damn liberals have run up.
I can hear it all now.
Bullshit! Republicans have had 6 years to “fix” everything that was broken. Instead they chose to start an unnecessary war, run up the deficit, et,al. They own it. 70 percent of the population knows it and I suspect more know they are just not willing to admit it to themselves. Hell, even my wingnut brother-in-law knows it and is beginning to see the economic impact that is being made as he sells cars in rural VA and was complaining that no one has any money.
Anything that they try to counter with will come across as shrill and ineffective. After all the b.s. they have done they will have lost control for a generation. Just as the democrats did and I’m looking forward to it.