Dear Ezra,
You know we love you--hell's bells, we wouldn't exist if it weren't for you.
But as one of the resident word-wonks around here, I am compelled to at least attempt to parse your use of certain words regarding that which, since yesterday afternoon, I've taken to calling A Wailing Boehner of a Failed Bailout.
It
wasn't a "failure to communicate". It wasn't a "failure of leadership".
And--hear me out, as I have a fair bit of ad agency and marketing
experience to back me up here--it most certainly was not a failure to package things nicely.
[Let's
say someone gives me birthday present (it's October 11th--thanks for
asking!), and when I tear open the wrapping paper, I see before me a
horrible, scratchy, puce-colored sweater that's not only several sizes
too big, but also riddled with moth holes, splattered with
unidentifiable stains, and suffused with the unmistakable odor of
rotting rubbish. Well, let's just say I'm unlikely to be any happier
about my "present" if all said gift-giver does is re-fold the sweater,
wrap it in pretty gilt-colored tissue with a satin bow, and hand it
back to me.]
No, what we saw yesterday was actually--in terms of politics if not economics--a success of sorts. Call it A Success of Democracy, if you like.
Do
I think the House Republicans were really representing the much-vaunted
will of the revered People? Oh for goodness' sake, of course not--not
in the pure sense that they care so much about the people, they simply
had to stand their ground, contributors and their portfolios be damned.
No, it was a success of democracy in the broader sense. To paraphrase
an old movie title: Fifty Million* e-mails Can't Be Wrong.
Did
all of those cranky constituents have Economics degrees? I'm guessing
no. But they did, and do, have voter registration cards. And they
expect their representatives in government to listen to their concerns,
even if they have to subtly (or not-so-subtly) threaten those
representatives with the loss of their jobs in order to get their attention. In short, democracy worked.
And now, if it's to keep
working, Congress must go back to the workbench wherein a decent,
already-built armature awaits its clay layering and a bit of kiln time; confer
with the experts; craft something muscular and task-specific that
benefits the whole country as
opposed to a moneyed few--meaning, leave out any capital gains tax crap
for now and focus on building in not only the safeguards and oversight,
but also some serious provisions for enforcement of the law; and create
a program to help homeowners avoid foreclosure (which will, in turn,
keep those debt instruments nice and healthy).
Stop by and visit the left bank sometime soon, Ezra. Life is sunnier, artsier,
and infinitely more enjoyable over here.
Cheers,
Deborah
* Give or take a few
Also at litbrit.
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