Asymmetrical warfare
by digby
The new NBC/WSJ poll says the same depressing thing it said a couple of months ago:
According to the poll, 68 percent of self-identified Democrats, as well as 76 percent of political independents, say they want Democratic leaders in the House and Senate to make compromises to gain consensus in the current spending debate.
By comparison, 56 percent of self-identified Republicans — and 68 percent of Tea Party supporters — want GOP leaders to stick to their position, even if it means the inability to achieve consensus.
Who do you suppose gets more of what they want in that situation?
Sadly for the Democrats, whose voters apparently don't follow politics, they will probably compromise and then get blamed for the terrible policies that result. And it's their own fault. They are clearly failing to articulate exactly what it is that these Republicans are trying to do and giving the impression that you can just split the difference and everyone will be happy. That's not true. The politicians might be happy --- after all, none of these policies affect them. They're rich, powerful people who will be fine no matter what happens. but it's going to be hell on the rest of us.
It's obvious that temperamentally, most Democrats just want everyone to get along and they believe that people of good will should come together and govern in good faith for the general welfare. They need to wake up. They are giving their leadership permission to take the path of least resistance and sell them down the river.
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