I’d understand better the general peevishness of a certain segment of the ‘progressive movement’ if they ever defined what it is that distinguishes them from non-progressive Democrats and what policies they want to see enacted that they feel are endangered by Barack Obama’s cabinet picks.
Thankfully, Atrios, who is not peevish, laid out some progressive markers today:
I don’t especially like his people punching the dirty fucking hippies under the bed, but on the other hand if they manage to convince people that Obama is a sensible centrist who wants to do sensible centrist things like build SUPERTRAINS, get out of Iraq, not torture people or invade random countries, strengthen labor protections, reduce income inequality, improve education, provide health care for people, and reduce poverty, while those DAMNED DIRTY HIPPIES just won’t shut up about their magic ponies, it’s fine by me.
If you look at the list of issues that Atrios provided and you keep in mind the types of Democrats that were on the wrong side of those issues over the last twenty years, you can develop a mental picture of the non-progressive Democrat. Very few Democrats fail every test, but almost all of them fail at least one. Real progressive politicians are actually quite rare. The Senate has a half-dozen, at best. Even Russ Feingold voted for the Defense of Marriage Act.
I think the main concern progressives have is that people who opposed Rubinomics have been vindicated (at least on the deregulatory front) and the people who opposed the invasion of Iraq have been vindicated, and yet people who were wrong about those issues are getting plum positions in the Obama administration. And that isn’t so much of a problem if Obama keeps his campaign promises as it is an injustice for the people getting passed over.
Obama’s legislative priorities are not little poll-tested mini-initiatives like school uniforms and tax rebates. He’s calling for the biggest investment in infrastructure since the 1950’s, the biggest health-care reform since the 1960’s, the biggest energy-policy change since the car replaced the horse and buggy. He’s on record supporting the most pro-union legislation in generations and the most pro-choice legislation ever, period. He promises to remove all combat forces from Iraq on an aggressive schedule, and he promises to end torture, restore habeas corpus, and dismantle Guantanamo.
I don’t know what planet you have to live on to see these policies as anti-progressive, or disrespectful to progressives. I think he is going to be the best president in memory on urban issues, and I like what he has to say about education policy. As soon as he is sworn in, he’ll be able to pass virtually every Democratic bill that was filibustered or vetoed in the last Congress. I have no concerns about the kinds of judicial appointments he will make. So, what could be the problem?
I think we can all come up a few people we’d rather see as Secretary of Defense or State, and a few of us have good suggestions for Treasury, as well. But, despite all the rhetoric about Obama being all celebrity and no substance, he ran on a clear set of campaign promises, and they haven’t changed much at all. The prospect that Obama will postpone the rescinding of Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy by two years is hardly a betrayal given current economic conditions. You have anything else substantive to complain about?
Obama is going to start rolling out his domestic cabinet. We’ll soon find out who will be running Education and Interior and Agriculture and the EPA. I’m sure that we’ll see several progressives and a Blue Dog or two. We might even see another Republican, although I doubt it. In the meantime, I am more concerned about Obama being able to deliver on his promises than the prospect that he will break them.
Obama wouldn’t be president if the Washington Establishment (both parties and the Media) had not failed so utterly. He rules their world now. Let him let them think otherwise, but Obama is the most powerful president since LBJ, and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet. I guess I think that that’s progress(ive).