The've Still Got It Wrong

The 2010 election is hailed by Republicans and the press as a rebuke to Democrats and the expansion of government. Democrat Harry Reid and President Obama talk about their willingness to work together with Republicans.

Why do they all get it wrong? The 2010 election was a rebuke to Democrats and to President Obama for not doing what they promised to do: work for change. They were not elected to let the Republicans continue to call the shots. There was a lot of change needed in this country and they let their base down by going along with the powerful elites: the corporations, the banks, the military, their Republican colleagues who put self-interest first. Watered down steps were not sufficient to get this country back on track.

Of course, it seems that Obama and the Dems are not the progressives that we hoped they were. The Obama administration was formed of Washington insiders who support the staus quo, the wars, the old way of doing things. They did not attempt to change the mindset from fear to hope. They were not willing to hold former administration war criminals accountable or change the way things were done. Or make the changes that put this country and its people first.

I suppose if government continues to act mostly for its own benefit, it does need to be cut back. But if it acts for the general welfare, things could be different in this country. People would be supportive of government. Cutting back should begin with an end to our quest for empire and military bases around the world and intervention in other regimes that we don't like, including military aid that just enables war and makes enemies.. It should include getting special interest money out of government. It should be geared to restoring more equality of income in this country. None of this has happened under the Obama administration and this Democratic Congress.

Unfortunately, they haven't learned the lesson. The people haven't voted for the Republicans because they like them. They have voted against the Democrats because they haven't lived up to their promise of change you can believe in.