Oh, hey, a java party…
Hey, all you third-party rebel types — check this out in the Times:
Democrats Need a Rally Monkey
By KATE ZERNIKE“Wake Up and Stand Up.” So urges the bold motto of a seedling movement calling itself the Coffee Party, a leftish alternative to the Tea Party movement.
The Coffee Party! Jeesh, why didn’t we think of that? But hang on:
[I]t’s going to take more than a jolt of java, which so far amounts to not much more than a wishful exhortation, to energize the left. The buzz and the intensity for some months now have been on the right, led by Tea Partiers as they’ve zealously and methodically marched with plans for what Sarah Palin called “another revolution” come the fall elections.
Well, yeah.
What would it take to get back the intensity Democrats had just a year ago?
Some say it can’t be done.
“When a party’s snakebit, it’s really snakebit,” said Charlie Cook, the independent political handicapper, who is predicting a thumpin’ for Democrats in November. “That happened to the Republicans in 2006 and to a certain extent in 2008, and it’s true of Democrats now.”
Snakebit? Okay, whatever. Snakebit.
But why are the Democrats snakebit? Why oh why oh why?
The Times quotes Stanley Greenberg:
“[O]ur side is demoralized by the lack of progress. It’s almost independent of the energy on the other side.”
Yes! So far, so good.
But then, sadly, the article departs the universe of logic, physics, and Euclidean geometry, and sails off into the parallel universe of Barack Can Do No Wrong.
The problem, we are told, is that “we” let Barack down. Here’s Jonathan Alter (who’s writing a book called — oh joy — The Promise: President Obama, Year One):
“Obama had that line in his campaign, ‘We are the ones we have been waiting for,’ ” Mr. Alter said. “But ‘we’ didn’t show up.” People believed it was enough to have Democrats controlling both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. They failed to understand that not every Democrat was a liberal, and got hung up on — or turned off by — party leaders’ unwillingness to push things like the public option as part of health care reform.”
“‘We’ didn’t show up.” Just savor that. Just roll around in it for awhile. Soak it in.
What voters need to do, according to Alter and his co-twits, is stop fixating on those silly things they thought they were voting people into office to do, and instead get excited about whatever it is that the Democrats are actually doing. You know: rolling back abortion rights, bailing out the health insurance industry, torturing prisoners, giving gigantic wads of billion-dollar bills to Wall Street. Though the twits don’t say it like that.
See, this is the fundamental disconnect. These clowns in the beltway, these pollsters and columnists and Village idiots, think of politics as a team sport. The problem they’re analyzing is why the Democratic Team isn’t selling out the stadium anymore. Why has star quarterback Barack’s Q score dropped? What do we need to do to freshen the brand?
There is no sense, none whatsoever, that people in a republic vote for representatives to act in accordance with their wishes on certain issues. And that when that doesn’t work anymore, the fucking system is broke.
Fucking twits.
30 Responses to “Oh, hey, a java party…”
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ugsome says:
I joined the Cocoa Party: “We are a spontaneous and collective expression of our desire to forge a culture of ludicrous propaganda that is entirely blame-oriented.”
http://www.facebook.com/group......0386299906
March 7th, 2010 at 1:21 am EST -
Violet Socks says:
Ooh. I like that.
It occurs to me that if I didn’t have a sense of humor, I would have gotten a lot more accomplished in my life.
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Sameol says:
How about the UnCola Party?
The Party That Refreshes.
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weboy says:
It’s sadly revealing - and a bad omen for his book - that Alter can’t even remember the quote correctly: “We are the change we’ve been waiting for”. The point being that change, and the potential for change, is inside all of us. I have my issues with Obama and that campaign… but in general I think the capacity for change is indeed the best thing we’ve got going. The trouble with the kind of inspiration Obama created - generalized, vague, untethered to specific, actionable goals - is that it becomes the province of the Jonathan Alters to then turn it into the exact opposite: not a continued push for the energy and passion of change, but a dull acceptance that this is about all we can get, and we just have to accept it. If you’re wondering why those kids are suddenly feeling so turned off and unenthused about going back to the polls… I’d say, start there.
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lambert strether says:
Actually, Violet, I think the tea and coffee parties are both interesting, and both, according to your inside/outside concept, need JP “cognitive infiltrators,” and rapidly, too.
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Miranda says:
The Mt. Dew party? We’re awake! Oh, yes, we are!
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pdgrey says:
Great post DR. Socks! And, Miranda, that’s really funny.
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Three Wickets says:
“Wake Up and Stand Up.” Isn’t that a Bob Marley song. Did they like steal that.
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sherry says:
These clowns in the beltway, these pollsters and columnists and Village idiots, think of politics as a team sport.
True, as evidenced by their inability to discuss politics without using dumb sports metaphors.
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myiq2xu says:
I guess we are the ones we’re still waiting for.
p.s. Please don’t insult clowns.
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Leis says:
I never comment though I read this blog daily, but I think I finally have something to say that is worth noting. Here it is; Are you fucking kidding me? And fuck you. I am going to further let down the D’s when I don’t vote for them anymore. What a disappointment I turned out to be.
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la-t-da says:
“cognitive infiltrators”
I agree with that, lambert. Some should wear the clothes of “Obama is not a socialist. I am a socialist. I should know.” We could see how strong their coffee is then.
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la-t-da says:
“Wake Up and Stand Up.” Isn’t that a Bob Marley song. Did they like steal that.”
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” Isn’t that a Hopi prophesy that Kucinich used first giving the Hopi credit for?
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la-t-da says:
“We are the ones….” Or did Obamamites borrow it from Alice Walker and not credit her? It is all so confusing.
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HeroesGetMade says:
My personal favorite Obama slogan was change you can believe in which telegraphed the faith-based nature of his support. Personally, as a reality-based person, I’ve always been more impressed with change you can actually see. Seeing is believing, no? More likely, I suppose, is that I’m just a racist and can’t see it.
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RalphB says:
Apparently we have not shown up yet. Maybe we got lost when Obama took that big right turn?
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monchichipox says:
To Whom It May Concern:
When you throw a good old fashion pot party evite me. I’ll be sure to attend that one. These days it will have to be right before my bedtime though. It’s not like the good old days when pot would make me laugh at things like, I don’t know, I rock laying on the ground.
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Grace says:
Jonathan Alter was the same guy who during the primaries wrote an article for Newsweek, which basically stated that his own mother, who had been or still was a “feminist,” was willing to sacrifice her wishes for a woman president because Barack was, well….just gold. The message was that women who supported Hillary needed to give up on the idea of her as president because it wasn’t important enough. Jonathan Alter is just another Obama’s sycophant with a middle-age crisis who gave himself over to the Messiah in an effort to “rejuvenate” himself, like many others. Sorry if I sound a little cynical.
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cgeye says:
The Cocoa Party? Spawned from a Pajamas Media post:
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Ciccina says:
“Personally, as a reality-based person, I’ve always been more impressed with change you can actually see.”
She shoots, she scores - that is dead on.
No fundamental disconnect among the Villagers - they’re doing what they always do, looking out for their own individual brands (Jonathan Alter TM). Those who staked their reputations on The One can’t criticize him now without implicitly criticizing themselves.
Alter (etc.) is always right; Alter (etc.) supported Obama; ergo Obama is always right. Alter (etc.) and Obama are always right, but things are going wrong, ergo someone else is to blame. Alter (etc.) got to where they are by being relentless self-promoters, and they’re not going to drop the ball over some puny *issues* that don’t affect them. Issues = other people’s problems.
Us and them - to quote the blessed Pete Shelley - we’re playing a game with two different sets of rules.
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monchichipox says:
Hillary saw this coming.
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lambert strether says:
Ciccina: “The Villagers are doing what they always do, looking out for their own individual brands.” From your lips to, er, the Goddess’s* ears.
NOTE * Rather, The God(ess)(e)(s) Of Your Choice, If Any.
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DancingOpossum says:
“Obama is not a socialist. I am a socialist. I should know.”
Heh — this is my word-for-word standard response to GOPers when they start raving about Obama being socialist. I have never yet met one who was able to speak after hearing me say this, not one.
Speaking of Obama’s slogan-stealing tactics, don’t forget that “Yes we can!” was stolen from Cesar Chavez. He doesn’t have an original bone in his body, that clown (OOPS).
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anna says:
In case you missed it: Last night Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director at the Academy Awards. She directed “The Hurt Locker.”
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dandelion says:
Wasn’t Jonathan Alter the guy who also wrote that Hillary should run for governor of New York and in that way she’d get the experience she needed so that she could then make a run for the presidency after Obama? This was early in the primaries. No irony at all in his commentary either, no suggestion that — ahem — Obama might need a little more governing experience. Reminded me very much of being told how inexperienced I was in the corporate world as I was bypassed for promotion by all the younger guys in suede shoes.
I remember the article because I remember how many Dem “friends” of mine seized upon that suggestion as the perfect solution of what to do with the bitch who wouldn’t quit: install her as gov. of NY and get her some experience!
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la-t-da says:
#23 I started saying “Cesar Chavez is rolling over in his grave” since he saw his picture hanging in the Obama headquarters. I intend to resurrect the true meaning of populist.
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DancingOpossum says:
Thanks for the link to your blog la-t-da, much good stuff there.
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Grace says:
There was another pattern with Obama having to do with at least 2 women who are now part of his cabinet: Janet Napolitano and Kathryn Sebellious. These 2 women were governors of Arizona and Kansas when Obama was campaigning, and both were popular in their respective states. It seems to me that they also gave themselves over to the Obama’s spell, and in a way interrupted their political careers to stand by their MAN. To the point that very few people now remember who they were before they got “married” to Obama, gave up their own identities, and symbolically became their husband’s helpmates.
Am I the only one who sees this? That Obama uses, not only women, but everybody who can be useful with no regard whatsoever for them. I still remember the stupid, overused line during the primaries, that his mother was a “strong woman,” that he learned from her so much, blah, blah….But the line also implied that strong women should sacrifice their own ambitions for the “better good.” I think that Obama deep down is a closeted women hater.
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DancingOpossum says:
Not so closeted. He was willing to use every misogynistic tactic he could against Hillary and did it with gusto. He hates gays and women and is indifferent to everyone else. What a guy!
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Grace says:
DancingOpossum: may be you’re right that he is not that closeted and I agree on how he used disgustingly sexist tactics against Hillary, same as his wife saying that if Hillary “couldn’t control her own house, how could she be in charge of the White House.” About his hating gays, I heard and read back during the primaries about his having been on the “down low” in Chicago, and of course about that guy, Larry Sinclair. So if he comes across as a gay hater, it may be as a way of covering up his own skeletons. And yes, his aloofness is sickening.
