Enough time has passed since the election for us to ask “What precisely has been learned?”
Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, “Not much”.
Our politics remain inert and non-enrolling because there aren’t any, aside from the febrile paroxysms within the Movement. We remain isolated and suspended, our very expression of self denied by the suffocating paralysis of Obama and the Democrats’ admonition “At least we are not Them”. Their impotence is imposed upon us.
Witness the Commentariat. What to make of self-identified progressives and liberals [sic] trolling CPAC in 2013? Old 6 years ago. How little understanding still. One well known ‘liberal’ commentator asked “Why do Republicans allow CPAC to happen?” And so on. Decrying Politico’s transactional information culture misses that’s always been DC.
More damningly, the same Commentariat continuously is surprised by events. After their ‘reporting’ these last years purporting to explain Movements, political and economic histories. Do they not read their own words? Demonstrating that the last 20 years taught them nothing. Leaving us further stifled.
Cheney et al. re-taught the world the basic lesson: process is not politics. Process can serve political purposes, can illuminate and clarify values and goals, but by itself is a nullity. Yet for the last five years, non-radicalized political space in America has been wholly subsumed by nothing other than process and related commentary. We remain stupefied, distracted from concrete engagement by empty rhetorical ephemera and Tweets.
Nothing has changed.
That’s not to say, for example, that real choices aren’t being made. They are. But as defensive reaction to a fraction of a minority’s submersion in ritual role-play as self-identity. So we are dosed with ‘victories’ permanently enshrining 99% of Cheney’s tax cuts. Surely, you have another favorite.
Perhaps you are thinking health care? Recall health care largely began in the House. With the Senate trailing. A disaster in the making because the other Branch remained bizarrely mute at times – after the infamous Tauzin meeting. Many times the entire enterprise careened into near failure needlessly (from the Ds point of view). Labeling the legislation Obamacare later does not make it so. These words have profound meaning.
As one example, Andy Pincus, former General Counsel at the Clinton Commerce Department, largely on his own initiative and tardily dominated a Republican controlled conference successfully on a major bill that affects your very ability to read this. The EOP wasn’t even really paying attention. Pincus manipulated the appearance of EOP interest to sow discord among Republican factions.
Don’t take our word for it. Committee staffers for a once powerful ex-senator from Texas railed in the press about the Republican debacle. Among others who blamed Lott, etc.
That’s just example when a departmental lawyer can have an impact on a frozen, tectonic situation. The level of toxicity then only seems less with time. Knowing when and how to engage is crucial. Or being lucky. It’s possible Pincus never planned or even knew how Republicans perceived his role. But he acted even if as Quixote.
So back to today. Dinners are nice. Phone calls, too. But if not wed to an expression of goals transcending serving process they’re ultimately nihilism. All of us here have long prepared for accepting calamity by disengaged default in lieu of catastrophe. Long before others, our hearty band here diagnosed the Disengagement Disease (AKA as Goldilocks Syndrome – ed.). November’s sweet escape from Movement’s grasp turns sour quickly.
If only so-called progressives, etc. mocking CPAC, for example, could husband that energy building real, tangible post-2016 politics. All of us in our hearts feel their lack. Perhaps the 2008-2012 crowd took our measure correctly. And dreams of escaping our marginalization become merely recursive. One thing we do control: our hope.
Aldershot says
Directions: play at the same time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39YUXIKrOFk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFNF974izG0
Dr Leo Strauss says
Hilarious. What he’s missing is Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner and Depardieu as back up! Here’s an oldie but a goodie some may recall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV4IjHz2yIo
Aldershot says
Oh my god! That’s why I come to the Stiftung, baby. I spied a beaming Jody Foster toward the end.
Dr Leo Strauss says
It’s a gem for sure. In an earlier time, Sammy and Dino would have been there, too.
Aldershot says
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D67kmFzSh_o
DrLeoStrauss says
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Hs2AQwDgA
Will have something new up shortly!
Aldershot says
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5chkHjTNFgk
Aldershot says
A most curious turn of events. David Petraeus is closely connected, in the press, with wide-spread torture in Iraq. Said news released to coincide with the ten-year anniversary of the launching of Dick and Don’s excellent adventure in Iraq, and on the eve of our intervention into Syria.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/06/el-salvador-iraq-police-squads-washington
DrLeoStrauss says
Here are some thoughts, would be curious on your take.
Agree there’s an element of controlling the meta narrative of who’s responsible for the Civil War and St. Petraeus as proxy for the past and future.
What happens next remains open. So much of Permanent D.C. still has underwater stock invested in St. Petraeus LLC. We saw that with SASC’s demented fetishization of The Surge (c).
The Surge (c), while an existential fantasy for Neocons and some military, is still abstract stuff for many Americans. St. Petraeus’ involvement with explicit war crimes? That may have helped start the Civil War? Everyone can grok that.
Torture’s a mess that risks unforeseeable collateral damage for a lot of Permanent D.C., from the Hill, fawning media, the military, IC, etc. Lord knows Goldilocks abhors those circumstances instinctively as well. Suspect almost everyone will count on ‘Iraq fatigue’ to just turn the page.
Aldershot says
I can easily see everyone just turning the page, but vis-a-vis the mistress scandal (released to begin the tarnishing), I can just as easily see him being hung out to dry, with the added benefit of going further after Rummy and Cheney.
Dr Leo Strauss says
From your keyboard to cable news producers’ ears!
Aldershot says
“Yet for the last five years, non-radicalized political space in America has been wholly subsumed by nothing other than process and related commentary. We remain stupefied, distracted from concrete engagement by empty rhetorical ephemera and Tweets.”
Doc channels McLuhan :-}
DrLeoStrauss says
It’d be fun to channel McLuhan’s spirit. Perhaps have him host a Reddit “I’m the Dude Who Came Up With Medium Is Message – AMA!” He’d probably be a Twitter superstar in short order, too.