Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich has recently been quoted that the "original sin of the Obama administration was to make the stimulus too small while giving out too much of it as tax breaks to businesses." The error of that early strategy and decision (just about the time that Republican De Mint was taking his "Obama's Waterloo" stance) is coming back to haunt this valiant President (yeah, I'm still in his camp!) and the price for that "sin" may be losing the majority in the House of Representatives.
Some look on that possible outcome of the 2010 mid-term elections (or worse: with the Republicans also regaining a majority--though not filibuster-proof--in the Senate) as a "good thing", talking about the hidden silver lining that governing more on a bipartisan basis would promote more compromise and legislation that at least moves forward. I wonder. Does the party that just screamed "no!" over and over deserve to hold the reins of power again after the disastrous George W. Bush years? Remember, this is the party that has trumpeted how important continued tax cuts for the ultra-rich are ( no matter about adding billions to the deficit!), while simultaneously trying cleverly to move the ownership of the U.S. deficit from the creator (Bush and his buddies) to the inheritor. This just isn't fair!
I'll be working my tooshie off between now and the mid-term election with two "get out the vote" efforts: Democracy for America and MoveOn. It's the right thing to do. We need to motivate like-minded progressive folks to get to the polls and rebuff the right-wing attempt to drive our country back into the ditch. Rhetoric from know-nothings who toss around irresponsible threats of "Second Amendment remedies") and "I want my country back" (from what or whom?) aside, it's time for the grownups to renew their vows and truly get the nation back on the road to a real recovery.
Footnote: I once had the opportunity to chat with Reich in a popular San Francisco drinking establishment--through a mutual friend who knew of my interest in his writings--but I'm sure both of us found the meeting lacking in any meaningful real content due to the extreme level of the grunge/punk/rock music.)
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