What Happens When You Waste Time

So, I haven't written in a couple days. I've had a few ideas written on paper, but just wasn't in the mood to write something coherent.

In the wake of Lieberman keeping his chairmanship, I wanted to write a post about the different ways the Republicans and the Democrats treat their respective bases. But then, while perusing The Daily Dish I stumbled across another website which wrote about the exact same thing, only better. So if you want some excellent analysis on the subject go here. I'll just add what I was going to say:

Republicans treat their base with reverence, or at least they make the appearance of treating their base with reverence. If they pursue policies that hurt the white rural Christian working-class (and oh lord do they do they ever), they will 1) spin their actions to make it seem like they're acting in the bases interest, 2) talk about how God-fearing and patriotic their rural base is. Republicans, for better or worse, are unashamed to be married to their base, will walk proudly down the street holding their rural, hard-working hands. They will defend them against all comers, and make no excuses for the actions of the worst of them. When it comes time to dole out the goodies after an election is won, they throw them not just a bone, but the big piece of chicken reserved for the head of the household.

Democrats, particularly the spineless ones representing the party are utterly ashamed of the people who ultimately get them elected. They are more than willing to not only ignore the interests of their base, but Dems actually will brag about the ways in which they scorn them. Even with resounding wins in the last two election cycles, Democratic leaders still do not think Americans actually like their policies. They subscribe to the right-wing talking point that this is, essentially, a center-right country. They act like the geeky, slightly overweight guy who used his good personality and keen sense of humor to land the girl of his dreams. Even though they're married and she professes that she loves him everyday, he still cannot believe that she is actually with him. He thinks he needs to act like someone else in order to keep her- but in the end, no one likes a phony. To me at least, it makes the Dems seem ungrateful. They had people giving up days, months, years, of their lives in order to help get them elected (I know, I was one of them, although I'm not sure where I categorize myself at this point). Many of those people were the "far-left" part of the party, the very hippies that they deride in the papers. The ones Rahm Emanuel wants to upset because it appears "bipartisan", the ones Nancy Pelosi is so dismissive of. I bet that in the halls of Congress, Repubs talk derisively about their "Bubbas and Rapturists" just as much as the Dems talk bad about their "Hippies and Darkies." When they walk outside though, that's a different story.

Politically speaking, it is actually much more efficient to treat your base as if they were your loyal battered wife. The Democratic base, particularly because they are so politically inclined, will always come back to the fold, even if you persue policy after policy that is the antithesis of what they want. Better to focus your time, money, and legislative power on those crucial "swing voters," or as the hilarious Daily Show put it (and I'm paraphrasing), those fucks who can't seem to make up their mind. The Republican concentration on their base is a foolish move in the end, because they are wasting precious resources on 1's, those people most likely to come vote for them anyway. You have to continue to make overtures to your foundation of course; you want them to come out and vote and knock on doors. But you don't always have to kow-tow to them, and you don't always have to flatter them, because it means that their worst aspects will paint the entire party the same shade of racist/sexist/leftist/etc.

Obama may be heading down that road as well. Apparently, it was ultimately up to him that Lieberman stayed as chairman of Homeland Security and Government Affairs. His entire Cabinet is old-time Clintonistas and a bunch of people from his Chicago political machine. I got no problem with that per se (except for wanting to appoint John Brennan, the torture and extraordinary rendition apologist, as CIA Director, that is deplorable and completely unacceptable). Most Presidential adminstrations are filled with people who have served under previous Presidents or were a part of the Presidential-elects machine back in his home state. I just think that the so-called "most liberal" senator will disassociate himself from not only the worst of the "far-left" but also the best. His people will tell him that it doesn't play with certain segments of our society. Obama is his own man, nobody on his team will be able to pull the puppet strings on him the way that Cheney did Bush. He is pragmatic, and thoughtful, a damn good politician, and I'll hold back any kind of judgment until he actually starts. But even Pat Buchanan said that he needed to give his foundation a Cabinet seat. I just hope he doesn't forget about the base that worked their asses off for him to be in the position he is in.