Change Is Gonna Come
"We are the change that we seek."
- Candidate Barack Obama, February 5, 2008
"Change is gonna come."
- President Barack Obama, September 28, 2010
Uh-huh. So that's the way it is -- and that's why the Democratic majority is likely doomed in November.
How dispirited is Obama's Progressive base? Out of power, they were the change. In power, change -- by their reckoning -- never quite came. But here's their man, promising that the change is still gonna come -- someday, somehow, even as the Republicans are set to make near-historic gains in the House. If the change still isn't here, after months and months of supermajorities, then why not? "We have," the Left must be thinking, "already lost."
That's your enthusiasm gap right there.
What are the rest of us thinking? "Too much change. Too fast. And for what?" Our insurance plans are dissolving. Our taxes are going up. Our domestic energy sources stifled. Our debt is skyrocketing. Our allies are hesitant. Our enemies emboldened. Our faith in our public institutions has never been lower, even as their reach extends and intertwines ever further into our lives. This is not the America we wanted; it's barely even the America, in our darker moments, that we feared.
This change the President promises is yet to come? We've seen enough already. It stops on November 2.
But 11/2/10 is also the day the Tea Party is really just getting started. In 30 days, we put the brakes on Obamanomics. But in 2012, 2014 and beyond, we get rid of whatever Republican deadwood remains. No more "Me-Too Republicans." No more RINOs. The great Progressive experiment of the last century has brought us to the brink, thanks in large part to so-called "compassionate conservatives" and other progressives-of-the-right. But their days are numbered, even if those days are somewhat longer than the poor Blue Dog Democrats will enjoy.
And then change is gonna come.
It has to.
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Comments :
Sep '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
Preach it, brother.
Aug '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
From your post to G-d's ears. And, if at any time you decide to drunk blog Ricochet (drunk blogging a blog, is that too meta?), I'd recommend a drink for every post by Claire. That'll make a jolly week for sure!
Jun '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
Could it have ended any other way for the Democratic majority? First you start with an ideology that is philosophically flawed. Then you rely on people who are functionally incompetent to put your policies into practice. Now what? Just like their faux rally on Saturday, the Left loves to make public spectacle of their noble intentions only to leave a big mess behind for someone else to clean up. Have we learned our lesson yet?
Sep '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
Paules --
Excellent points. But also remember that just because the collapse of progressive policies is inevitable, doesn't mean our success resisting it is also inevitable.
This is a fight, and a nasty one.
Jul '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
Right on.
Hay, Mike Murphy! Ya reading this?!
Jul '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
All together now: "Purify, Shrink, Lose," repeat ad infinitum.
The problem with the "purge" talk stems from it's unconservative nature. I'll leave aside tactical issues; is anyone here actually surprised to find that moderate Republicans, moderates generally, are wind-checking weasels? They're politicians for crying out loud, of course they shift with the polls, it's in their interest.
Isn't the job to move the "moderate position" to the right? Don't we want to make Tom Coburn into a squish, instead of being squish-free?
Jul '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
Two Words...
Bra - Vo!
Sep '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
Sorry, but, moving moderates to the right has never worked.They always end up betraying us and the only overall direction continues to be left with only the pace being at issue. It is time now to stop. And after we have come to a stop, start moving right. And if we fail, then we know the great American experiment is over and we can plan accordingly. But, it is time to stop the drift and try to regain our core principles. No more accommodation. No more moderation. Fight.
May '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
About time you showed up over here, Martini Boy.
A modest proposal for the incoming GOP class: if you take a meeting with Trent Lott, you automatically draw a primary opponent in 2012.
Edited on Oct 4, 2010 at 5:45amAug '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
I don't know if I saw this and appropriated into my mind or if I thought of it, but it sure would be nice to see a bunch of bumper stickers with the slogan "Change yourself, first!" plastered across the plastic bumpers of our nation.
Aside from that, this is the only change I want to hear: Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
May '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
Nice to see you posting, Stephen.
Since I live in the Dingell Satrapy, I've been watching Dr. Rob Steele's race for Congress with keen interest. (Y'all may remember he was interviewed on the Ricochet podcast a while back.) I've been treating Steele's prospects as my bellweather for the hoped-for mega-wave this November. I can report good news: Dingell is taking Steele sufficiently seriously that he has agreed to a debate on October 20. This detail, however, caught my eye:
I suspect buried in there somewhere is a profound metaphor for our times, but I just can't quite figure out what it is.
Jun '10
Re: Change Is Gonna Come
This paragraph deserves to be singled out and turned into a talking point.
What a pleasure to see my favorite drunken blogger!
Also - it's ironic that it takes Obama for conservatives to be such a proponent of "change" in Nov. 2010