Krugman: Only RISK Democrats Now Face Is EXCESSIVE CAUTION On The Part Of Its Politicians.

[kpete]

Krugman: We're Doing the Dems a Favor

...............

Normally, politicians face a difficult tradeoff between taking positions that satisfy their party’s base and appealing to the broader public.... But a funny thing has happened on the Democratic side: the party’s base seems to be more in touch with the mood of the country than many of the party’s leaders. And the result is peculiar: on key issues, reluctant Democratic politicians are being dragged by their base into taking highly popular positions.

Iraq is the most dramatic example.... It took an angry base to push the Democrats into taking a tough line in the midterm election. And it took further prodding from that base — which was infuriated when Barack Obama seemed to say that he would support a funding bill without a timeline — to push them into confronting Mr. Bush over war funding. (Mr. Obama says that he didn’t mean to suggest that the president be given "carte blanche.")
...
Health care is another example of the base being more in touch with what the country wants than the politicians. Except for John Edwards, who has explicitly called for a universal health insurance system financed with a rollback of high-income tax cuts, most leading Democratic politicians, still intimidated by the failure of the Clinton health care plan, have been cautious and cagey about presenting plans to cover the uninsured.

But the Democratic presidential candidates — Mr. Obama in particular — have been facing a lot of pressure from the base to get specific about what they’re proposing. And the base is doing them a favor.... There’s no conflict between catering to the Democratic base and staking out positions that can win in the 2008 election, because the things the base wants — an end to the Iraq war, a guarantee of health insurance for all — are also things that the country as a whole supports. The only risk the party now faces is excessive caution on the part of its politicians. Or, to coin a phrase, the only thing Democrats have to fear is fear itself.

more at:
http://www.dailykos.com/

[babylonsister]

1. I'm in total agreement with Krugman. Listen to your constituents, Dems,

that's why you're there (supposedly).

[ThomWV]

2. The Vast Majority Of Democrats In Office Are Wimps

Witness the confirmations they have allowed and they fear they have shown of Republicans over the last 7 years. Of course maybe its not fear of Republicans, maybe its simple love of money.

[femmedem]

3. 5th R. n/t

[NewJeffCT]

4. The Democrats never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity

As somebody on DU said a while back.

The Republic base moves their party towards unpopular positions, be it anti-choice, or pro-escalation, or tax cuts for the rich.

Dems need to be dragged kicking & screaming to take popular positions.

[tanyev]

5. They've worked so long and so hard at being inoffensive milquetoasts

that they can't grasp what the voters want and need them to do right now. (Many of them, not all.)

[Atman]

6. The democrats are pussies afraid of being called names by Cheney and Bush

Probably with good reason. Can you say "warrantless wiretaps" and "illegal spying?" I'm sure the Rovians have assembled quite the dossiers on the key players. Combined with all the influence money from their corporate buddies, the democratic leader simply don't have the spine to actually do THE PEOPLE's bidding. They've completely lost touch with why they're there in the first place.

.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. sticks & stones can break your bones, but Cheney's words can hurt you

yeah, that sounds about right.

the democrats in office are cutting their own throats. They have made the Religious Reich too powerful in their own minds. They have become afraid of being called soft on terra and unpatriotic. They are squandering their chance to save this country. This is a dismal day for America.

Let us see how they behave with the face of evil, front and center. They have their first chance today, with ALberto Gonzales. If they fuck this up, we lose. our country loses. the world loses.

[Atman]

10. "They have become afraid of being called soft on terra and unpatriotic."

What I don't understand why there isn't a one of them, save my main man DK, who will actually call the GOP out on this. When Cheney goes on the Sunday shows and berates dems, why aren't they issuing statements ten minutes later calling Dick "18%" Cheney a fucking lying gasbag warmonger? They don't have to use those terms, of course, something more diplomatic yet firm would do. But instead, they do NOTHING. They can't be afraid of the mass of Cheney supporters surging in protest. So I have to assume it's either pure cowardice, blackmail, self-interest, or a likely combination of all three.

.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

12. great point, but you pose a question for which no one has an answer.

I suppose we should ask them directly, but much like their position (?) on national health care, they won't answer.

[tiptoe]

15. (as well as strategy by a corporate-controlled-Media to selectively-suppress 'news' by non-coverage)

The relatively recent ongoing battle for "reality perception" in America: 'Realities can be read and reported' (requiring a free, independent, robust investigative press) and/or 'realities can be created and controlled' (ala Rove and *Co, reinforced by a controlled, perception-controlling, pseudo-news media).

Example, from The Count's post:

When the Pillsbury report said Whitewater was dismissed, Clinton had a press conferrence about it. As he talked, he saw nobody was taking notes. "You aren't going to cover any of this, are you?"

There was silence.

(From The Hunting of the President)

Adds Jim Sagle: "And they didn't."

Politicians are more or less savvy in recognizing 'reality matrices' and testing and responding appropriately to them.

[Blackhatjack]

8. Krugman has a history of being right about what Democrats should be doing...

The truth is it all comes back to the real issue --campaign finance reform. Without it our politicians will always have campaign fundraising as their first most pressing priority, and it will color every decision that they make in favor of those who contribute the most to them.

[Kagemusha]

9. The war's still the pink elephant in the living room.

I haven't forgotten Bush ranting not long ago about how Democrats want to take money from his war for (sneer) "domestic programs". It's hard to do universal health care while paying for ground combat. Perhaps Republicans feel that the war has the side benefit of making popular priorities hard to fund?

[antigop]

11. How disappointing -- more propaganda by omission on healthcare -- no mention of Kucinich

>>
Except for John Edwards, who has explicitly called for a universal health insurance system financed with a rollback of high-income tax cuts, most leading Democratic politicians, still intimidated by the failure of the Clinton health care plan, have been cautious and cagey about presenting plans to cover the uninsured.
>>

Kucinich has been a co-sponsor of HR 676 Medicare for All for years.

I am greatly disappointed in Krugman.

[Atman]

13. DK isn't an "Alpha Male"

He's a great guy, and brilliant, IMHO, with an incredible understanding of our nation's current problems, and he actually has bold solutions. But he's what, 5'2" and looks like a troll. Remember, I am a Dennis Kucinich supporter and I actually voted for him in 2004, but some sad facts about America's shallowness can't be overlooked. We're looking for a leader, and DK looks maybe like the leader of the Chess Club, but hardly presidential. I think that's the only reason he can gain any traction.

Maybe he needs to have his wife at his side while campaigning? People wouldn't even notice Dennis!

.

[antigop]

14. That doesn't give Krugman the right to distort the facts

As I said, I am greatly disappointed in Krugman for not telling the whole story.

[John Q. Citizen]

16. Yes, Dennis has the best plan for a number of reasons. I give

props to Edwards for at least putting his plan out there, but his plan is too expensive, doesn't control costs, and will result in a two tiered system of expensive superior care for the rich and expensive inferior care for the poor.

[tomp]

17. edwards ends up being wrong on so many things...

...doesn't he?