Framing Debate, or My Progressive Crisis

As a good Minnesota progressive, I'm finding the results of this year's midterm elections to be rather disappointing. Disappointing, but not entirely unsurprising. That's just part of the game for Democrats.

I think the part that bothers me the most, is the Democratic Party's unwillingness to frame issues in any way other than that of their Republican opponents. For example, let's take the most incendiary topic, maybe one of the linchpins of "tea party" rage: the health care reform bill. Now, as I sit here as a reasonable adult, I saw a lot of good things. It let folks stay on their parent's insurance until age 26 (that helps me). It creates markets whereby folks can go online and compare quotes from different (private) insurance options. It prevents insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, and eliminates caps on coverage.

But you don't hear about those things. You hear about how Democrats nationalized our health care. You hear about death panels, and evil bureaucrats. You hear about how the government can't force its citizens into doing things.

Well of course, that's bullshit. Nothing got nationalized. The Federal government is already the nation's largest health care provider. There's no public option, there's no universal-payor system, there's nothing like that. The government can't force me to do things I don't want to do? I don't want to join the military, but they can force me to do that. Of course the government can force us to do things - it's called the Commerce Clause.

You do have to hand it to conservatives; they have an uncanny knack for spin. It's incredible that a party that drove the country into the ground starting in 2000 can now, after two years of being out of effective power, claim that they can solve our problems (which they helped create) by the same tactics that didn't work previously. Because let's not kid ourselves, there are no "new ideas." The current Republican party apparently prides itself on its refusal to compromise on anything, and has pretty well played the part the past few years. I think that's shameful, be it coming from liberal or conservative.

I could write all night, but I won't, because I have homework to do. I think progressives in this country, especially those in public office, need to grow a pair and start setting the record straight. This notion that Obama and his liberal machine is destroying America; why, that's ridiculous. Why are we feeling ashamed of reforming health care, or regulating securities transactions, or spending money that the private sector doesn't?

It goes back to framing the conversation. It's hard to frame when you constantly think you need to be on the defensive. I suppose everything is cyclical, but it's difficult to be optimistic when you can't seem to defeat Michele Bachmann...