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Walks Like A Duck, Talks Like A Duck...Ain't A Duck
Swampland —
... Thomas Frank, a man of many bellows, bellows yet again in the Wall Street Journal today, repeating his usual trope that anything associated with the Clinton presidency is toxic and that by associating himself with Clintonites, Barack Obama is in danger of becoming toxic, too. As usual, Frank---who wrote a whole book about the triumph of nitwit conservatism in Kansas without proposing a single specific policy that liberals might pursue to win them back--has nothing to say about Obama's actual proposals. He's just worried about the body language. ...
Well That Didn't Last Very Long-- Bipartisan Approach To Obama's Stimulus Package Crashes Into The Shoals Of GOP Partisanship And Extremist Ideology
DownWithTyranny! —
... In today's Wall Street Journal one of the country's most perceptive and astute political analysts, Thomas Frank, has penned a powerful column, Obama Should Act Like He Won. It's well worth reading. ...
What Tom Frank Said
Open Left - Front Page —
This is your edition of "What Tom Frank Said":
"The real-world function of Beltway centrism has not been to wage high-minded war against "both extremes" but to fight specifically against the economic and foreign policies of liberalism...And centrism's achievements? Well, there's Nafta, which proved Democrats could stand up to labor. There's the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. There's the Iraq war resolution, approved by numerous Democrats in brave defiance of their party's left. Triumphs all...
It is so obviously preferable to be part of the movement that ...
Hair of the Dog, Take Two: Let's Watch Who We're Being Bipartisan With
DownWithTyranny! —
... Reaching that goal without angering businesses-- who simply hate unions and have always and will always oppose the aspirations of working men and women-- is like making an omelet without breaking an egg. This is just plain silly-talk. Like Thomas Frank opined in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, in the heart of the beast, Obama should act as though he won, not kowtow to the enemies who are just waiting for him to slip up so they can do him in and cripple his ability to do any good whatsoever for the people who elected him. ...
Tom Frank advises Obama to "Act As If You've Won"-- Centrism is a chump's role
Corrente —
David Sirota posted about this article with the title "What Tom Frank Said."
Frank points out that Tom DeLay understood that playing to the middle watered down his objectives; he said he told Repubs to start every proposal as far to the right as possible and in that way the general discussion pulled the national discourse to the right. Frank stresses Obama needs to recognize this and not create a "centrist position" which will merely become a starting point to move rightward. As have we all said. Read more… ...
Yesterday's news
The Sideshow —
Thomas Frank says, "Obama Should Act Like He Won. [...] And centrism's achievements? Well, there's Nafta, which proved Democrats could stand up to labor. There's the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. There's the Iraq war resolution, approved by numerous Democrats in brave defiance of their party's left. Triumphs all. [...] President-elect Obama can learn something from Mr. DeLay's confession: Centrism is a chump's game. Democrats have massive majorities these days not because they waffle hither and yon but because their historic principles have been vindicated ...
Howie Klein: Hair of the Dog Doesn't Work For Hangovers-- Let's Watch Who We're Being Bipartisan With
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... Reaching that goal without angering businesses-- who simply hate unions and have always and will always oppose the aspirations of working men and women-- is like making an omelet without breaking an egg. This is just plain silly-talk. Like Thomas Frank opined in the Wall Street Journal this week, Obama should act as though he won, not kowtow to the enemies who are just waiting for him to slip up so they can do him in and cripple his ability to do any good whatsoever for the people who elected him. ...
Mike Lux: Bipartisanship and Playing Games
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... If you want a great take on the worship of bipartisan centrism, check out Thomas Frank's great Wall Street Journal column, "Obama Should Act Like He Won". In the meantime, enjoy the games: they've just begun. ...
Bipartisanship and Playing Games
Open Left - Front Page —
... If you want a great take on the worship of bipartisan centrism, check out Thomas Frank's great Wall Street Journal column, "Obama Should Act Like He Won". In the meantime, enjoy the games: they've just begun.
