Guys. Guys! GUYS!!! Get it together.
Okay, so the White House is now facing imminent defeat in the Democratically controlled Senate on legislation the president has staked a huge amount of his political capital. This is the first time I've seen a 90 percent approval issue fail. Combine that with no movement on important judicial and executive branch nominations. So far we've seen a stupid $1 trillion dollar discretionary spending cut we were told was never going to happen, happen. And of course we've witnessed the political mess of the White House winning the worst kind of friends by attacking Social Security and making enemies of damn near everyone else. We're seeing stagnant workforce numbers, with still record numbers leaving the labor force, even more with some of the crappiest jobs imaginable, and even more stuck in the mud with few upside prospects. Not to mention austerity economics coming from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. And as a result, the president's popularity is falling underwater and people still feel the country is careening.
If there's at least one possible glimmer of win on the horizon, perhaps it is on immigration reform, but I'm not hopeful. The House is already talking about breaking up the bill. Considering this White House will always fight for any sort of line they can sign no matter how miniscule, I suspect by the time we get to the end of that process we will have possibly some watered down Dream Act and some extra money for border drones. That's bout it.
This isn't going well, and Democrats are in charge. 2014.
That's what our folks in Washington need to understand. That is going to be the overwhelming assessment we get from the public unless we turn this shit around and at least appear to be fighting for the average person. Because in 2014, nobody is going to give a shit that we didn't change the Senate rules or failed to reform campaign finance or that chess moves are being planned out for 20 years from now. All they're going to know is this shit isn't going well and Democrats are in charge.
So, to the White House and the Senate leadership: You all are about to get creamed. Again. I know the GOP will obstruct everything. Good. Use that as your springboard. Just dismiss this foolishness of trying to craft a bipartisan legislative agenda and go for the full on political combat. So just get rid of the filibuster, stop fucking around trying to balance the budget, and just start doing shit for regular people who are broke.
Do shit for regular people who are broke.
DO SHIT FOR REGULAR PEOPLE WHO ARE BROKE.