On November 6th, 2012, President Obama will be re-elected to a second term. This will be achieved, in part, because his opponent is hapless. But we should not forget the other reason that President Obama will be re-elected: his aggressively center-right policies in key areas – in addition to national “security,” these include education and social safety net “reform” – make it hard for any Republican contender to differentiate her or himself from the president without alienating moderate voters.
This second reason for Obama’s soon-to-be victory will become clear as soon as the President and Congress return to Washington to address the looming $1.2 trillion in sequestration cuts that are set to take place on January 1st. As Howard Fineman has noted [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-fineman/armageddon-in-congress-_b_1924619.html?utm_hp_ref=politics], one of three things will happen. Congress will either: (1) punt in order to delay the cuts without actually addressing the problem, (2) reach a deal, or (3) let the cuts take place. Now, we know that everyone will be very motivated to avoid letting these cuts take effect, so they will either punt or deal. Either way, the foundation for restructuring the federal budget will be put in place soon after the election.
If Republican campaigns around the country continue to collapse, there can be no doubt that the Obama Administration and Democratic allies will lay claim to a public mandate. The problem? Every indication we have suggests that Obama will use this mandate to pursue a “grand bargain” on the federal budget to avoid sequestration cuts. This deal, for instance, was touted by Obama surrogates at the DNC and is one of four key policy initiatives listed in his “New Economic Patriotism” TV spot [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYI7qPO5wVw]. And recent press reports suggest that Simpson and Bowles are already laying the foundation for passing this disastrous proposal during the lame duck session. They claim to have the support of 47 of 100 senators, including Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin1, and 150 of 450 members of the house [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/30/simpson-bowles-say-their-debt-panel-plan-the-best-/?page=1].
There can be no doubt that Obama’s “grand bargain,” which he proposes as a “balanced” approach to the budget, won’t be a deal for the 98%. We know from last time around that Obama’s $4 trillion deal calls for minimal tax increases while imposing devastating cuts to social safety net programs. (If you’re a bit fuzzy about what happened the last time around, check out my article on the debt deal and its intellectual underpinnings. [https://www.thepointmag.com/2012/politics/lack-audacity]) Obama wants to come into his second term with a policy win, but to paraphrase Sen. Bernie Sanders: we need to be sure Obama’s first legislative achievement isn’t achieved on the backs of poor and middle class working families, students and children, the sick and the elderly.
As progressives, we need to remember that we Occupied Wall Street immediately following the collapse of the budget negotiations that have lead us here. I cannot help but think that the success of OWS depended, at least in part, on the mass disenchantment with President Obama.
This fall, progressive organizations should capitalize on this age of disillusionment. What we need is an Occupy 2.0 to make sure that this time around everyone in Washington, Democrats and Republicans alike, know that we won’t let them get away with the grand swindle. Occupy was a leaderless revolution because many of us, especially the young, have never seen a political leader. Too many of us were waiting for Obama to step into a phone booth and emerge as superman. No more.
We know, in the words of Fredrick Douglas that “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” So this November, let’s send our leaders back to Washington with a real mandate: Tax corporations and the rich, establish a financial speculation tax, expand and strengthen our social safety net, and create the biggest job program since the Great Depression. That’s the 98% mandate.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
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