2.1.2 We're Not Out of the Woods Yet (2013- )
Where things stand at the end of summer 2013--a good chance for progress
The main reason: the center-right and solid-right GOP must take their party back from the far-right extremists
After their compromise with the newly reelected President Obama that avoided the so-called Fiscal Cliff, Republican leaders could have dropped the obstructionist stance and started to work with the administration in a more normal fashion. That actually happened in the Senate on one key issue for the future of Republican party with the passing of a bi-partisan compromise immigration bill, though it was immediately blocked by far-right dominated House. However, on everything else they made the decision to continue obstructing and prolonging gridlock, especially by (1) allowing the supposedly unthinkable Sequester to go into effect (which hurt the economic recovery and delayed yet again the so-called Grand Bargain compromise on the budget) and (2) defeating new common sense regulatory gun laws (even after the Sandy Hook slaughter of children and despite their being favored by 90% of Americans, including the majority of the N.R.A. members).
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Personally, I believe this can't continue and that progress toward solidly establishing a center-left era will be made during Obama's 2nd term, despite the many nay-sayers who are proclaiming that it can't happen. The main reason is that the Republicans are between a rock and a hard place--continue catering to their extreme right and be irrelevant except in their gerrymandered House districts or go through the difficult but necessary task of reconstituting themselves with new, more centrist conservative principles and values that will allow them to compete in national and state-wide elections. Many Republicans are saying this also (see below). I believe there may be some changes this fall so that a few major pieces of Obama administration legislation could pass with bi-partisan compromises. If it doesn't happen then, its almost certain to happen prior to the 2016 election.
The President went on the offensive in the summer of 2013 by appealing directly to the American people to reject Republican obstructionism. On July 24 he gave a major policy address on the economy, powerfully spelling out what his focus will be in that area for every day remaining in his second term (link to transcript, right). He is concerned, as he always has been, to start lessening the extreme levels of inequality and lower levels of social mobility that have been building for the last several decades (see graph, right). (I will be reviewing the details of this address soon.) (Source of graph--http://www.thenation.com/image/extreme-inequality-chart#) The best series of graphs I've found about our present extreme inequality is found in a Mother Jones article, It's the Inequality Stupid (see http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph) Shortly after the speech, E. J. Dionne hit the nail on the head about the potential of Obama to get his long obstructed legislation through this time around in his column "Obama Goes Big." He said that Obama's possible legacy as a transformational president like F.D.R. and Reagan would depend on his success. He gave three reasons why he thought Obama would in fact succeed. (I will be reviewing this column soon, but see it for yourself now--link, right.) |
Pressure from the other side also--Republican moderates: "We want our party back!"
This poster (left) shows that even back in the 2nd Bush administration some in the GOP felt they were loosing their party. (See also Sullivan (2006, 2007 paperback) The Conservative Soul: Fundamentalism, Freedom, and the Future of the Right. 5.10 for one who sounded the early alarm.)
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For another example: David Brooks, a center-right commentator I have learned much from, wrote a column in August, 2013 "The Neocon Revival." In it he sees the ideas and values necessary for a conservative revival to be those similar to the ones he values from the early neocons (quite different from their later cousins known by the same name)(link, right).
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- What will happen in the fall of 2013?
- Will the crisis largely be over by the 2014 election or will the Republican role the dice for another election cycle?
- What will the make-up of Congress be 2015-16?
- What will be the legacy of the Obama presidency?
- Will the crisis continue through the 2016 election and the next presidency?
It's going to be an interesting. I'm working to help end the crisis. How about you?
Chris Matthews Hardball College Tour - America University -
Obama's faith and politics see segment at 30-minutes of 42 minute interview |
The next page and its sub-pages are devoted to seeing several earlier layers of historical context that
can help us more fully grasp the meaning and significance of our present crisis in faith and politics since 2000. |