On 2012-04-03, at 8:16 AM, Doug Henwood wrote:
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> On Apr 3, 2012, at 8:08 AM, Marv Gandall wrote:
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>> There is a great deal of collegiality and bipartisanship at the top of both major parties. There is really not that much to choose between a Barack Obama and Mitt Romney or a Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, nor between any of the other members of the three branches of government, nearly all drawn from the upper bourgeoisie. They may have differing liberal or conservative values, but the range of policy options open to them is narrow, as they quickly come to appreciate on assuming office.
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> I'd agree that there's not much diff between Romney & Obama - which will make their campaigns interesting, as they try to maximize the distinctions - but once you get to the Congressional level, there are sharp differences. Look at all the haggling over fiscal policy - even if the leadership can agree on something, the Rep leadership can't deliver its rank & file. Thank god for that - it's saved us from bipartisan austerity.
Yup, I alluded to the House being closer to the masses than the Senate or executive branch. Eric Cantor and his congressional caucus and Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are farther apart than Reid and McConnell and their confreres are in the Senate. But I would't want to exaggerate the differences even at this level, not that I think you would either. My sense is that if Romney gets in, he'll be able to push through a bipartisan austerity agreement along the lines of Simpson-Bowles which would unite the Cantors and Pelosis. The Republicans haven't compromised on that package of cuts and taxes till now because they smell Obama's blood in the water. The wild card if Romney, wins will be whether the DP ranks rebel and are able to put sufficient pressure on the Democrats to play the spoiler role the Republicans have now been playing under pressure from their own supporters. The two parties respond to pressures from their base when in opposition and ignore them when governing. It's how the two party system works in electoral democracies, not only in the US.