FLG's Surprised

Dianne Feinstein:

I just find that if you’re going to remake a sixth of the American economy, it’s very difficult at this time of great economic angst...there is real concern over debt and deficits

Matt Yglesias writes in response:

What I would say is that to have a progressive movement that’s effective at enacting legislation, we need to live in a world where senators from states like California don’t say this kind of thing whether or not they believe it.

Solemmegetdisstraight. One of the problems with health care reform is that Sen. Feinstein is being honest that many Americans, including her constituents, and very possibly including herself, are concerned that we are going to screw around with 1/6th of the economy and the size of the deficit? If this is a problem, it is number 200 gazillion down the list.

For some reason, Matt, who is way smarter than this, seems to think that the reason that people don't like taxes and progressive politics generally is some sort of propaganda war won by the conservatives. When I'd argue that, especially on the tax issue, America isn't a particularly fertile nation for progressive politics by nature. Sure, there was an exception during FDR, but trying to return to that golden age under the assumption that the American public has somehow been duped away is just wrong. And the idea that the correct response is to dupe them back, such that politicians shouldn't say or, more to the point, should ignore what is on their constituent's minds, is just crazy.