Confessions of a Liberal

It’s tough to be a progressive these days, really tough. When Bush was sauntering around the world, cocky and ignorant (dangerous combo), life was easy. We could rail on fundamental religion, bemoan aggressive US foreign policy, argue for more funding of all the take-better-care-of-the-people programs because back then, at least we weren’t broke.

But like so many Americans, massive debt does not fly with me. It doesn’t turn me into a Republican, I’d still rather see more money going to inner cities than to buying Israel, but it does bring out the conservative STFU mentality (as in, “Times are tough? Too bad. STFU and quit whining.”) Now all that’s left to debate is who needs to STFU over what. I’ll give you this at the get-go: Liberals need to STFU about expanding social programs in a time of scarcity, but then, that’s tough when the bankers are rolling in swine flu shots and bonuses.

Healthcare is simple, really. Drug companies? STFU and deal with the competition that the rest of us have been dealing with. All that overseas cheap labor that everyone from manufacturers to tech workers have had to compete against? Yes, YOU my big fat US corporations, can compete against cheap drugs from Canada just like the rest of us have had to deal. This gets complicated since our man Obama has apparently caved massively on this issue. Aging populations whining over their Medicare benefits getting trimmed? STFU, because we’re your kids and grandkids, remember?? We are going to inherit the debt you are insisting upon every time you refuse to allow Medicare coverage to be reeled in. Do I support government funded healthcare for the elderly? Absolutely. But yes, it does need to be rationed. We ration our own money every day.

Wall Street needs to STFU. All the newly converted, anti-Obama faux-Libertarians need to STFU. Why? Because (cue overarching Liberal premise) money begets money and money protects money and we have a tacit agreement in the US that we’ll try to keep equal opportunity alive by supporting some form of income wealth redistribution. If we didn’t have a mixed economy we’d end up back where we started: feudal lords and fiefdoms. Goldman Sachs is a feudal lord, you are a peon. Don’t delude yourself that it’s any different. Regulation ensures that these players stick to the rules of fair play. Have you heard the arguments from investment bankers? That regulations “curb innovation”?? You can call CDOs “instruments” but keep in mind, these are not actual products. They’re pyramid schemes. Not my definition of innovation.

So, enough with the STFU. I am aware, painfully aware, that I also could use to STFU. And I have. No posts for months now. Because Obama has not been the great fixer he set out to be, and it’s taken some time to sort out the complexity of going from a righteous progressive during the Bush era, to being a disillusioned progressive today.

If there’s one thing I’m certain of it’s this (and then I really will STFU): the parties, Dems and Repubs, are irrelevant. Easy answers do not lie on either side of the fence. Times are so complex that a massive realignment and reshuffling seems in order. My hope is that pragmatism rules the day.

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December 16, 2009 | Filed Under Economy, Party Politics 

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