It occurred to me this morning that Republicans don't fear returning to a 19th-century boom-and-bust economy because their constituents either believe that they are well off enough to ride out a bust, or that they have nothing to lose. The first group surely includes many that have no idea what a bust economy actually looks like, while the second group has clung to the twin life preservers of guns and religion for so long they think that they can ride out any storm.
In sense, the Republican opposition to the auto bailout makes perfect sense. Of course their main demand is huge concessions from labor. A reasonable observer would ask exactly what more the UAW could give. Wages in Detroit are close to to parity with foreign auto manufacturers in the South (who killed American car companies? Maybe the anti-labor policies and massive tax breaks for foreign automakers established by Southern legislatures had something to do with it), there is a plan in place to move the legacy health care off the books, the 95% pay rule is gone...what more is there to give? Of course that is the reasonably informed person. The nationalistically informed person knows that UAW killed the car makers because that's a story that just writes itself, and in the US today reporters don't have the time to do anything but stories that write themselves. (Plus any story that doesn't ape Republican talking points is immediately branded tripe from the liberal media, which influences editors across the country).
What is particularly galling is that not only are Democrats not loudly pointing out that the GOP is in favor of killing a major American industry in favor of turning those plants over to some other company, but they seem to be struggling to make sure that everyone notices that they are perfectly willing to sell out environmental interests , not be particularly vocal in their support of the auto workers who built those goddamn companies, and seek to compromise whenever possible with Republicans.
Somehow, someway the Democratic leadership seems to have internalize GOP talking points. They still seem to see themselves as the party-out-of-power that needs to prove the American people that we are capable of governing the county and the best way to do that is be Republican-lite whenever possible. For fuck sake, the GOP controlled the House for 12 years and the Dems are still acting like they own the place. Let's show some freakin' spine. What's the point of passing an auto bailout if it's basically going to conform to what the GOP wanted in the first place? What the GOP wants is not good for working people or America. Haven't we fucking learned that by now?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I'd hasten to add that there's a significant GOP constituency that actually sees the boom/bust cycle as the natural order of the universe - the "creative destruction" that Friedmanites are always yammering on about. (For added fun, you can always make the leap to social darwinism that is implied).
Word on everything else, although I do think you gloss over an issue of pragmatism - if GM needs $4 billion by the end of the month and you only have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, concessions will have to be made, and even then... It's a Faustian bargain. Don't get me wrong, the concessions all suck, but the Rethug caucus will wield considerable caucus until this Congress finally adjourns.
Best case scenario would be that GM got the cash to tide them over until the end of the year, then an enhanced D majority along with Rs from heavy manufacturing states gets down to the real business. Unfortunately, the rest of the GOP caucus wants their pound of flesh.
Yes, but what's wrong with this?:
Pass the bill you actually want out of the House. Put it up in the Senate. Let the Rethugs block it. Hold two days of hearings about what unAmerican bastards these assholes are, how they want to destroy jobs, how they want tax breaks for the rich, they want war, they want old ladies knocked down in the street, then and only then do you put up the bill that will pass.
Just effing Christ, we're so eager to compromise it makes me sick and you know my bargaining style.
Did you miss the post-partisan memo? We're all s'posed to be shitting flowers and sunshine! Doing that to the GOP would just be mean and totally ruin our new brand, which is apparently "doormat magnanimity."
Post a Comment