Still annoyed this morning

And trying to avoid the news. I know it will all be about how Obama is failing and the Democrats suck. I understand the symbolism of Kennedy's seat going to a tea-bagging Republican. I get that. This was a bad day for Democrats, no doubt. And part of this is purely the Democrats fault, but like so many times, I wonder if they will not learn the absolutely wrong lesson, and assume that it means they are supposed to turn right. As if, of course, so many Democrats aren't already right of center. I think those who suggest that we already have a Republican party, and need to offer a real alternative.

I also think that the media stupidity does not help us. It helps the Republicans, even though they have nothing to offer right now. The media favors an overly simplistic view of the world, and that is exactly what the Republicans are selling. I read somewhere that Scott Brown (that is his first name, right?) wrote an op-ed in Boston where he laid out his policies, and they were all simplistic right wing claptrap. Tax cuts? Seriously? No serious economist thinks that is a good thing for our current situation. They may disagree about how we raise revenue and jump start the economy, but they all agree that tax cuts are not some magical talisman that heals whatever economic reality you see.

But that sells to people, as I noted before, who have no real deep thoughts about policy. Tax cuts are simple--and they ostensibly mean that individuals will have more money. Except when they result in reduced services and more pressure on local infrastructure. I have argued, and will continue to argue, that most middle and working class Americans have lost far more in services, tuition costs, healthcare costs, and in real wages than they have ever come close to gaining in tax cuts. It is a net loss, and a substantial one.

But it is genius for the right wing. Those losses are hidden, while the tax cut is visible. When you think about it, it is an amazing sleight of hand. You tell people you are giving them back their money, while you rob them with the other hand. They thank you for the tax cut and ignore the losses elsewhere. Same sleight of hand procedure, I suspect, that the right uses on Christians--giving them fake piety and language on the front, and then enacting unchristian policies in back. Tell them you follow Jesus and he is the most important person in your life, and then turn around and enact torture policies. And the Christian right turns out to vote for you.

Sigh.