Election 2020

[Eric the Green]

(11-12-2019, 12:40 PM)Mikebert Wrote:

(11-12-2019, 10:42 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(11-10-2019, 11:10 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Yes -- we are in a Crisis Era, and even an Obama-style Presidency might be utterly inadequate. We will need major reforms of the political system to prevent  another play-for-pay system even more blatant than what Trump has shown us. That is even before I discuss changes in economic norms.

I've always felt that Obama was elected out of time.  Yes, he's black, and that made caution mandatory.  Nonetheless, he acted far more cautious than required, including his push on healthcare.  He operated on the old plan: comity and compromise.  There was no comity then, and less now.  And compromise?  Really?  That was a non-starter from the go, but he persisted to the end.

I would point out that Obama had no grist to grind:

When the panic struck, the Republican administration proposed the TARP to prevent financial collapse.  Republicans in congress refused to support their own president's policy.Democrats stepped up to the plate to do so. Where was the progressive opposition? Nowhere to be seen because nobody knew what was going on.  There were no memes out there for that. Since then we have had Occupy who gave us the 1%, and Piketty's monumental Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Should this be tried again, there is a greater likelihood there will be progressive opposition.

Perhaps so.

Quote:When health care was being negotiated, Medicare for all (MFA) was eliminated right form the start, without any discussion. Obama had run on a public option, which Clinton had argued was unrealistic. Obama couldn't get it done, proving Clinton right. Again, where were the progressives? Had they been vigorously pushing for MFA, the deal Obama would make with conservative Dems would to give up MFA in exchange for public option. Progressives did not act because MFA did not yet exist as a meme. Now it does.

As I remember it, Hillary favored the public option and the mandate, and Obama opposed the mandate, and then Obama adopted Hillary's mandate proposal.

Quote:Back then less action was taken on global warming than could have been. But then there was no Green New Deal (GND). Now there is, so should there be another financial collapse it would be possible for progressives to use the 1% meme to oppose a second TARP, while proposing GND as the preferred policy.

Last 4T, FDR had memes to work with in 1933: free silver, 40 hour week, postal banks, etc. Obama did not in 2009. But a future president in Obama's position will have memes.

But this argues we are still some ways from a regeneration.

The events you suggest could happen may be possible if the Democrats win everything in 2020. With the inadequate Democratic presidential field, that may not happen. We'll see; it's still possible. But not if Warren is nominated.

I call what's happening with these new memes and movements a regeneration, even before it is acted on by government, which may not happen until 2023 or even 2025.