But the ground is swelling. The middle class is about to make one of the biggest statements it ever has in its political life. Its fighting back and its not waiting for Washington to roll up its sleeves and do the "dirty work". Could this be deja vu?
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| Courtesy of AP / AJ Mast |
Back in 2008, the economy was issue #1 on the minds of middle Americans and the sentiment was that the American Dream was slipping slowly out of reach. The war in Iraq was trailing a close second. Wall Street had just run rampant in an environment which lacked regulation and declared an all-out assault on the middle class by introducing derivatives and gambling on the presumed misfortunes of homeowners. Sub prime mortgages were no longer the "it" thing; banks had become greedy; over-indulging on fat-cat bonuses and other little perks, and, we suspect, all on the backs of taxpayers. With a Republican President eclipsed by a 31% approval rating and Democrats ruling both the House and Senate, it seemed the entire country wanted change. Big change. And they wanted it "now".
Fast-forward to 2009. The economy still very much American issue #1; we suffered one of the most severe economic recessions since the Great Depression. The job market hemorrhaged jobs at a rate of 779,000 during the month of January alone. Unemployment stood in some places, at best, 10%. We were involved in two wars; one of which, Americans have been supporting, albeit tiredly, for the last 8 years. Foreclosures sky-rocketed to a record high as people lost their jobs and struggled to make ends meet. The poverty rate increased to 14.3% as 43 million people were categorized as living in poverty. Banks hoarded billions of dollars as if fearful of another economic recession; and Americans were afraid to deposit their money into banks; they had no idea whether there would be a return on their investments or how such an unstable market would play out. We had a Democratic President with his party ruling both the House and the Senate and a small, but growing portion of Americans that were absolutely livid with Washington's "out-of-control" spending and the state of affairs in our country. Although those voices did not represent the majority; they were the voices that were moved to action while the rest of the country began to take notice.
Jump to 2010. The downward spiral effect of some of our most pertinent issues began to slow. The economy, though still very feeble, had begun to show signs of resuscitation. Unemployment numbers, still high, started on an encouraging descent in the right direction. The housing market had begun the slow and arduous process of healing, as "... several large markets have hit what appears to be a tentative bottom in home values," according to Zillow. We saw jobs being created in industries like health care, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and mining. Banks were opening up their lending doors again, as they were given incentives to increase small business loans. Even with the nation's outlook moving from pessimistically dismal to optimistically grim, the minority was still not satisfied. In fact, it was even more outraged by the amount of spending it had taken to ease the economy (i.e., the bank bailouts, TARP, the Recovery Act). What added to the frustration was the passage of bills like health care, that made the bitter pill of spending even more difficult to swallow. It had drawn a line in the sand and dared anyone to cross it.
From that minority, the Tea Party was born. Although a so-called fringe element of the voting constituency, its power to make a significant dent in Washington's political armour was questioned by many. The momentum of discontentment and disdain quickly swept across the nation, as the minority became a unifying force, dominating the 2010 elections and catapulting its own party to historic heights. We saw a massive takeover of the House of Representatives by Republicans last November; leaving Dems shuffling to pick up the pieces after losing one of the biggest battles fought of its political life. As they came into office, the Tea Party-backed group made epic promises, claiming that the era of "business as usual" had ended.
Now, in 2011, we find the tides of change shifting yet again; this time with a Republican-led House that vowed to its supporters that it would cut deficit spending and repeal Obama's health care. No one could foresee how much of a detriment their oath would prove to be to the American middle; as the GOP leaped forward, delivering a blow below the belt, forcing the wildly, unpopular Bush tax cuts down the throats of financially-strapped taxpayers. It left a really nasty taste in the mouths of many. How could Republicans claim to cut spending, while providing tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans? That was only the beginning. The Republican agenda has been packed, though only 3 months into the new year. So far, the country has witnessed the looming threat of a government shut-down, as some of the GOP's more conservative members' vow to "slash and burn", rather than compromise on many of the proposed spending cuts brought to the table. Oddly enough, to this point, even some Republicans have taken issue with many of the sweeping cuts being introduced, as Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), mildly put it, "... across-the-board cuts are a lazy member's way to achieve something." As conservatives hammer out their differences; one can only wonder how future, and inevitable rifts within the Republican party will serve to help them in 2012.
The GOP has already started down that slippery slope; proposing huge decreases and, in some cases, the elimination of federally-funded programs like Head-Start and Planned Parenthood. Some Republicans have justified their decision to cut funding, based upon the logic that if mothers would just stay at home, they wouldn't need programs like Head Start. They plan to end programs that, in some regards, benefit women and children like Title X; WIC, whose services help increase the survival chances of low-income babies born with low birth weight and higher infant mortality; as well as support services for older Americans who rely on Social Security and Medicare benefits. Its even gone so far as to push for legislation that would redefine the legal term for a "victim" of rape to be termed "accuser". Many women's rights groups label the GOP's latest efforts as "an attack on women's rights."
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| Courtesy of heytherejesus by Flickr |
As if plans to cut funding in these crucial areas were not controversial enough, one of the most recently proposed bills that has come under intense fire, is that which includes state budget cuts to unions in Wisconsin that strip public workers of their collective bargaining rights. Gov. Scott Walker also proposed to cut state aid to school districts and local governments by $1 billion. Protests are being held in Ohio as well as New Jersey, where the same policy is being considered for implementation by Republican Governors in those states, with many others to follow suit. Despite overwhelming political dissidence for these reform bills, GOP governors plan to ram these proposals through their respective State Senate, with no room for negotiation and little regard for their constituency who oppose the measure. Sounds freakishly familiar given that, just last year, we saw a minority insurrection against Democrats who were accused of the very same tactics.
While newly appointed GOP crusaders are cracking down; the middle class wrecking force is ratcheting up. Polls show that the majority of the public are in support of the unions' collective bargaining rights; and with the recent turn of unabated events in the Midwest, its beginning to look like Wisconsin may just be ground zero for the American middle's uprising. As Walker and his cronies dig their hills in the ground by threatening to lay off thousands of state workers, the people of Wisconsin have begun to engage in a grass roots drive to recall eight of the state's senators who were elected to office, Walker included. Needless to say, voters are having second thoughts about electing Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
Furthermore, in regards to what many now see as, "extreme" cuts in spending, others have begun to make the argument that the fiscal fight Republicans are engaging in, will do more to hurt the U.S. economy than actually help it grow. Goldman Sachs reports that "the GOP's proposed spending cuts would be a drag on the economy and slash economic growth by about 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product." Last November, Republicans made a pact with America through its Pledge: "We have a plan that will help create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive."
They stressed the need for job creation, but so far, have not implemented any new policies that reflect that. We need to look no further than Wisconsin to see the unfortunate reality behind the Pledge. The middle and working class have borne the brunt of the tax burden, public spending cuts and decreasing entitlement programs. The voice that spoke in the last election demanded jobs, but the new wave of Republican budget cuts may send the jobless rate shooting right back up into double-digit figures.
Even more potentially devastating than a Middle class revolution, would be the thread of GOP solidarity unraveling from within. While many on the far-right herald the efforts of the over-reaching cuts being made to domestic and government programs, there is also a growing portion of Tea Party supporters who feel that Washington Republicans are back-pedaling on promises made in November to slash spending and solve the country's debt crisis. It has issued dire warnings to the Washington-ites, that if they don't live "... up to the expectations of the tea party people, they will be eliminated one by one". With the kind of support it has from those within its own party; Democratic and Independent voters won't be the GOP's worst nightmare come 2012; it will be those that elected them to office.
The country has seen historic voting trends over the past 2 years; it hasn't taken long for the pendulum to swing in the opposite direction when voters feel disenfranchised or that Washington is simply not getting the message. 2012 might prove to be a year that witnesses yet another historic swing of the pendulum; this time the momentum may be enough to give Barack Obama another go at the White House.
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