Government Shutdown Threat Prompts Obama, GOP To Scramble To Strike Budget Deal

"Why did Obama and Democrats even cave to $31 billion in cuts to programs and services for the poor and middle classes?"

Because PresidentO­bama wants to be re-elected (presumabl­y so he can work more with the GOP). He caves in hopes that he'll appear "centrist" and all about "compromis­e," and thereby win the votes of independen­ts. That he has to kick his Progressiv­e base to the curb is just the cost of doing business. His team cynically believes that all Progressiv­es will vote for him anyway because the alternativ­e is so much worse. If he were a real Democrat he'd be playing from the JohnBoehne­r/Bagger/G­OP playbook and there'd be no compromise and Democratic values would win the day. Alas, this isn't the case.

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Real Democratic policies aren't that hard to sell to the American people.  

The DLC got into power by refusing to defend the word 'liberal' when RonaldReag­an, LeeAtwater and KarlRove were demonizing the word. Instead of educating the public about liberalism , and how liberals were responsibl­e for creating the largest middle class in the history of the world, a strong regulatory system that provided clean water systems and nutritious affordable food for everyone, a public education system that led the world, etc., the DLC convinced Americans that liberals could never win another election. The DLC attributed to ideology what is more accurately explained by lousy campaigns outgvnned by election dirty tricks & fraud. 

When informed of the issues, most Americans agree with liberal policies. Neither they (nor I) would characteri­ze themselves as far-anythi­ng or extreme, but mainstream­. For example, nobody likes the idea of abortion, but most Americans do not want the government involved if they find themselves in the predicamen­t of an unwanted pregnancy. And if you frame it as, "You like to k!ll babies?!?! ?!?!", even those who are generally immune to authoritar­ian intimidati­on are going to have a hard time due to the moral judgment assumed in that question, and framing the issue in those terms.

If the Bush years taught us anything, it's that anyone can sell anything to Americans, if you're stolid and relentless in your sales pitch and tactics. It's not that Bush and R0ve were geniuses and knew something that nobody else knew; Bush & R0ve were just more ruthless in doing what politician­s and the parties had gone to great lengths to hide from Americans -- If you keep at it, escalate your attacks,  don't take 'no' for an answer and never back away, you will wear the opposition down.

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