We didn't lose this fight. Barack Obama was in law school when this fight was lost.

[kpete]

We didn't lose this fight. Barack Obama was in law school when this fight was lost.

The role of Democrats should not be to convince people that government is great; it should be to help people reach their potential -- and government is a tool to do that. There has been a strain of skepticism about the government in the American character since the founding. Only the New Deal changed that significantly, but we have been returning to the norm ever since then.

This is the core of the left's critique -- the country doesn't agree with us, so take what political capital you have and use it to convince people to agree with us. But the presidency is not a Brookings lecture series; it's about governing the country and making a difference.

more:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0811/The_argument_on_the_left.html

[babylonsister]

1. Wow. Thanks, kpete. And from politico, no less. nt

[quaker bill]

2. Indeed n/t

[whathehell]

3. Things are lost in stages....I'm far more concerned with the "battle" than I am with Barack Obama.

"Only the New Deal changed that significantly, but we have been returning to the norm ever since then".

The "norm" you seem content to return to was one of NO retirement for the elderly, or benefits for the Disabled aka Social security, NO secure medical care for the elderly or disabled aka "Medicare" and NO "right" to collective bargaining, a SMALL middle class, a LARGE poverty class, and a very RICH and privileged Upper Class".

Trust me -- this is a "norm" you don't want to return to.

[chill_wind]

4. What "senior democrat"? Not that disagree

itself with reality of the uphill ideological battle, but why can't we know this particular senior democrat's name?

I asked a senior Democrat who's long defended Obama on this point about it, and he emails the condensed case for Obama

[whathehell]

6. LOL...I guess he'd rather remain "nameless". n/t

[whathehell]

5. Politico is a right-leaning organization and this

"senior", but unnamed democratic politician is a DINO.

[KoKo]

7. Probably Lieberman....

[whathehell]

9. That sounds right. n/t

[madrchsod]

8. politico....nothing more really needs to be said.

[inna]

10. complete and utter tripe

[flvegan]

11. Hold on, hold on..

So "we" didn't lose this fight because President Obama was, at the time, in law school when "this fight" was lost?

Someone please, shoot this joke of a point in the back of the head and free me from the stupidity of answering it?

[whathehell]

12. LOL. n/t

[chill_wind]

13. IOW... "senior democrat" is admitting

the towel was thrown in a long time ago and that he seems to agree that we shouldn't have used our political capital to regain lost ground.

And so it doesn't really matter to him, it sounds like, that the presidency is not a Pete Peterson Institute lecture series, either.

Pragmatism: "If you can't beat em, join em."