I’m just lifting my head above water here on Friday evening after another week on our campaign to build the progressive citizen base. Unfortunately, as I reflect back on this week’s news, there are plenty of reminders of why I come to the office each day, and of why we need to take our country in a new direction.
On Wednesday, President Bush gave a weak and non-committal speech on global warming. Of course he warns of the dangers of actually enforcing our core environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act.
But, my favorite quote came before that, when he touched on how he’ll pursue his new goal of halting the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. In order to meet this weak goal, Bush assures us that “we also mandated new objectives.” This is meta-social change. We didn’t require actual changes—we required that we intend to achieve the changes. Clever.
On the same day, a new report predicted that one in 33 American homeowners will face foreclosure in the next two years and the New York Times reported that a hedge fund manager made $3.7 billion last year betting on (not against) the mortgage crisis.
Wednesday night brought little relief, as ABC News led the Democratic presidential candidates down a “he said, she said” path of schoolyard politicking.
Thursday, the Government Accountability Office confirmed what we already know—that despite tough talk, the Bush Administration lacks a coherent plan to fight terrorism. The title of GAO’s report pretty much speaks for itself: “The United States Lacks Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.”
I’ve been wondering for a while now how a man who built his war-time presidency around the notion that he was the guy to take down Osama Bin Laden “dead or alive” is barely questioned about Bin Laden’s whereabouts or the efficacy of his “War on Terror.”
Only a grassroots resurgence, anchored in core progressive values and prepared to take on the conservative right, will bring us real energy solutions, protect Americans at home while repairing our standing in the world, and restore fairness, balance, and stability to our economy.
It’s tough out there—but it’s good to be reminded of why I’ll be working through the weekend.
