Explaining the October Revolution, Trotsky said “power was lying in the streets—we picked it up.” Now I’m not one of those guys who gets sentimental about Trotsky; notwithstanding his falling out with Stalin they were both bad guys. But you’re talking about someone who had an understanding of political action.Apparently, alas, there are two parties that support the status quo.Ever since November of 2008, power has been lying not in the street but in the halls of Congress. And it seems to me that many members of Congress have been simply unwilling to accept that fact. They want to evade responsibility. They want to talk about Chuck Grassley or Olympia Snowe or now Scott Brown. They want to talk about polls. They want to talk about tea parties. They want to talk about cable news. They want to talk about process. But they have to recognize what’s happening. The power is there. Anthony Weiner and Barney Frank and Evan Bayh are all autonomous human beings. If they choose not to pass health care, then they have the right to do so. But it’s up to them and they just need to decide. The way things happen in politics is that people put themselves in a position to do certain things, and then they do them. House Democrats are in a position to enact a sweeping reform of America’s health care system. Will they do it, or are there two parties that support the status quo?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Democratic Congress
Matt Yglesias:
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4 comments:
Actually, I don't see what in the article you reference shows both parties "support the status quo." It's not that Congress isn't getting anything done because they all really support the precise way things are. It's rather that Americans are divided and factionalized over real disagreements, and relatively few of us, politicians or voters, are so unhappy with the status quo that we are willing to agree to compromises with opposing factions. Basically, our system is doing what it was designed to do, which is to keep things from happening. Unless you have a much deeper crisis than we have now, and a much more remarkable politician than the president seems to be at the helm, not much is going to change.
Well, the immediate issue is that the House of Representatives could pass the Senate bill with no changes and send it straight to the President. They are refusing to do so for reasons that seem to me part policy and part pride; to accept the Senate bill unchanged would be some kind of slight on the honor of the House. I find this very disappointing. The Senate bill is not perfect but neither was the House bill, and it would be a lot better than nothing. I am also seeing a lot of what looks like frightened running for the hills from people who are suddenly afraid that support health care reform (which a large majority of Americans support in general terms) will cost them their seats, and that really bugs me.
Yes, but what you're describing is not motivated by support for the status quo.
No, but it has the effect of leaving the status quo unchanged. So, in Marxist terms, it is objectively supportive of the status quo.
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