Killer Politics (21 page)

Failing that, there is another avenue. I believe the system would function much better if there were more political parties. If a third party did emerge, even if it managed less than 20 percent of the seats in Congress, its mere presence in Washington would hopefully restore old-fashioned “what's best for the country”–style debate. A minority can have the power of the majority as power brokers—as evidenced by the clout wielded by the Blue Dog Democrats during the health care debate. We
have conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans, and as insufferable as the Blue Dog Democrats can be, their willingness to buck their party isn't always bad. In the long run, that kind of diversity is healthy. But when it comes to getting things done quickly, it's the shits.

I know liberals were frustrated with Ralph Nader because he may have taken enough votes to cost Gore the election in 2000. It's a weak argument. The fact is, Al Gore could not carry his home state of Tennessee. Do I think the Supreme Court robbed Al Gore? Sure. Any court that refused to allow a complete recount botched it. But any football player will tell you that you never want to let your opponent get close enough that a referee's decision decides the outcome. Even McGovern won his home state.

In comparison, while it seemingly took forever for the courts to sort through the Al Franken/Norm Coleman election in Minnesota, they took enough time to get it right.

If there was ever a classic case to show that your vote matters, it was in that senate race. Franken prevailed by just a couple hundred votes. That gave the Democrats a chance at a sixty-seat majority in the Senate! A few hundred votes shifted the balance of power in Washington.

But even that kind of majority has not broken the gridlock, and I think both parties are treading on thin ice with American voters. I think both parties are going to discover that if they cannot govern, the American people will begin to support a third party. Maybe even a fourth party. If so, those parties will dilute the power of the existing parties—and it's hard to argue that it is not a good thing.

Ralph Nader's third-party run may have hurt Al Gore, but Ross Perot's third-party candidacy opened the door for Bill Clinton by taking votes from George Herbert Walker Bush. So Democrats and Republicans alike at one time or another have resented third parties. But, as Americans, we may discover that a viable third party is the element that revitalizes this democracy.

I'm not looking to upset the applecart for no reason. If the Democrats can get it done, I'll be happy. But if push comes to shove, my allegiance is to the middle class of America. The American citizen is the collateral damage in this political war. As jobs are lost, houses foreclosed upon, and credit card companies and insurance companies continue to pillage, they're fiddling like Nero in Washington, D.C.

I MUST BE CRAZY, BUT I STILL HAVE HOPE

FRIENDS, WE'VE COVERED A GREAT DEAL OF GROUND IN THIS BOOK.
I haven't pulled any punches and my knuckles are sore, and many of the issues we've covered continue to unravel, but I hope I have provided some optimism, too. If you are a regular listener to
The Ed Schultz Show
on the radio or a viewer of
The Ed Show
on MSNBC, you know that I tell it like it is. I tell the unvarnished truth so much my chairs have wood rot!

And I'm a little frustrated because so much opportunity lies before us and the change we fought for has come so slowly. But that's America. Participating in this great democracy has never been easy. Anyone who thinks otherwise has fallen for illusions from the shiny pages of the lesser history books, the ones disinfected of all the blood, sweat, tears, and pain. All good things in life require a heavy lift, so roll up your sleeves. We are not done yet.

I have to keep reminding myself, and you should, too, that in many ways, we are pioneers. Let me explain. I started this book talking about the importance of flying ahead of the airplane—about knowing where you are going, about having a vision for the future. The fact that you are
reading this book tells me you share my vision of a greater America, a country that rises higher to achieve justice and one that bends lower in compassion for those left behind.

Here's the thing about being a pioneer, a visionary…. It's a frustrating business. You eventually discover that it takes the rest of the good people a while to catch up. The good news is: They eventually do. But by that time, you will be flying ahead to the next thing. God bless the visionaries!

Man, I was so frustrated that we kept losing elections to George W. Bush by a hair. Gore…Kerry…
We worked so hard!
I had this vision of what these good men could help us accomplish. And maybe I was like a lot of folks, thinking that the transformational statement America made in electing an African-American Democrat meant that things were going to get easier. After all, hadn't America evolved?

Instead—
skreeech!
—what the hell? Is that another roadblock up ahead? It turns out, along with an increasingly strident Republican opposition, there were conservative Democrats blocking the way. Now, that doesn't make them bad people—despite my intemperate remarks from time to time—maybe they're just reflecting the districts from which they come. When you have a big tent, along with the donkeys, you get a few goats and a skunk or two. That is both the strength and weakness of the Democratic Party. (The Republicans, on the other hand, have this itty-bitty tent filled with elephants and fat cats. No wonder they're so grumpy.)

Nor has President Obama lived up to his potential. Inspirational? Blessedly so. Smart? As a whip. But can he kick asses when the time comes? That remains to be seen. And on some issues, in my opinion, the time has come and gone. Take off the wingtips, Mr. President, and grab those steel-toed boots. You won nine Bush states! That's a mandate.

As hard as I have been on the president, I know that all of us—even one as gifted as Barack Obama—have strengths and weakness. In the end, we are only human. Some of us are closet smokers. Others take a
wide stance in airport bathrooms. Greatness is never independent of flaws, and often greatness is achieved
in spite of them.
Let us not build our pedestals too high, because the fall can do you in. I continue to admire and support the president and have faith that Barack Obama can become a great leader. Heck, I'm an American! That was my hope for George W. Bush. I wanted America to succeed! Nothing has changed for me in that respect.

The opposition tactic is to throw a wrench into the gears of government, then blame the driver when things stall. That's not an upright thing to do, but that's what passes for statesmanship these days, and that's why Barack Obama is at the wheel of a stalled car of state from time to time. It's easy for the attention-deficit media to fall into the trap of thinking that maybe the progressive movement has failed. Not at all! It all comes down to power. There are just not enough progressives in positions of power. Not every Democrat is a progressive, just as every Republican is not a close-minded right wing zealot. So—I know it's difficult to have patience, believe me!—but don't get down over the slow pace of things. Now is the time for another big push. Many things come down to which side wants it more.

As I said earlier in this book, we need educated news consumers because those are the people who become engaged voters. The blessing in all of this mess is that many American voters have emerged with a much deeper understanding about the way Washington works or, in some cases, how it doesn't. We have watched health care bills born, all shiny and clean in committees, then seen the various incarnations pulled apart, amended, and kneaded all back together again. What was for many of us a mysterious process has been revealed for what it is—a painstaking, political, bare-knuckle brawl between ideologies, a brawl that's taking place—and taking so long—at a time when the middle class of America needs prompt support and attention or else it may entirely fade away. Otto von Bismarck famously said, “Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made.” But I disagree. I think the more we understand about the way the system works, the better our chances are to reform it.

The Barack Obama administration has been a whirlwind tour of the legislative process, blind alleys and all. Most presidencies have a rough first year. Barack Obama has had one of the most trying, but in spite of it all, his leadership kept the economy from crashing. Even if Republicans won't give him credit for any of that now, historians will later. And even though we fell short of getting national health care in his first year in office, Obama made great headway with health care reform. He has begun restoring America's standing in the world. He has reached out to other countries, and they've reached back. And he's managed not to invade anyone! Holy smokes! That should count for something. But this is America. We want more, and we want it now!

Here's the reality check: All of the struggle we've witnessed during Obama's first year is part of the democratic process. On rare occasions in America's history, transformational legislation has happened seemingly overnight, but most of our progress has been measured in three yards and a cloud of dust. Civil rights didn't come overnight, nor has racism disappeared. Some profound changes come with the stroke of a pen, like Medicare and Social Security. Wars start and end with a pen. Other change is measured by generations.

Endure, my friend. Keep working. Keep the faith.

The radicalism and festering hate that has infected the right casts a shadow over the light America represents. Likewise, the extremists on the left have often tainted the process with uncivil ugliness. That kind of behavior stems from fear and frustration, and I understand that, but we have to rise above it.

The stranglehold the two parties have on power seems to have choked the life out of progress, but time will tell. Maybe enough leadership will emerge to break that gridlock. I have hopes.

If old-fashioned fiscal conservatism ever returns to the Republican Party—and don't mistake a mindless, ugly attack on social programs and the poor for any sort of fiscal restraint!—I would welcome back the Republicans. If the part of the Republican Party that was slow to rattle
sabers and that championed personal freedom emerges again, America would be better for it. We can balance the pragmatism of what once was the party of Lincoln with the progressive vision that strives to better the human condition. We can embrace good ideas, no matter from where they sprout.

I will continue to support the Democratic Party for now, but as I have shown by my unsparing criticism of some Democrats, I'm not in the tank for anyone that isn't on the right side of the issues. I'm on the airwaves every day to make a difference for the American family, for the middle-class worker. My roots are in the middle class. The middle class are my people.

I was honored when asked to run in North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan's place, after his announced retirement at the end of his term, but I realized I can best serve the middle class from where I am now.

So where do we go from here?

The president once said something compelling and thought-provoking that I think we ought to take to heart: “This is our time…. We are the ones we are waiting for.”

What he is saying is, it's time for us to lead—time for
you
to lead. There are many ways to do that. Get involved. Speak up at the coffee shop. Write letters to the editor. Write letters to your legislators (typed and original, my colleague Chris Matthews says). Support American businesses when you can.

Our mission is to keep working to elect progressive leaders wherever we find them. Vote for the right person who will do the right things—someone who will do the bidding of the voters, and not of the corporations. And if you cannot find the right person,
be
that person.

Understand that there will be some setbacks. So what? That's life. Huddle up and here we go…three more yards and a cloud of dust. As long as we keep coming to the line, the game isn't over. Progress may not come as fast as we, in our impatience and impertinence, demand. But if we are patient and persistent, it will come.

Joseph Marshall III, a Lakota author who grew up in the Dakotas, wrote
,
“Each step, no matter how difficult, is one step closer to the top of the hill…. The weakest step toward the top of the hill, toward the sunrise, toward hope, is stronger than the fiercest storm…. Keep going.”

That's the mission.

Keep going.

The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.

 

abortion, 83

Adelson, Jim, 11–12

Afghanistan, 31–32, 33, 47, 62, 126–34, 135, 137, 138, 187

drug trade and, 134–35

AFL (American Federation of Labor), 156

AFL-CIO, 158

Air America Radio, 17

air pollution, 96, 97, 102, 148

al-Qaeda, 31–32, 36, 37, 126, 128, 130, 131, 132, 133–34

American Enterprise Institute, 73

America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being,
56

Andrews, Mark, 86

Antos, Joseph, 73

arms business, 32–33

automobiles, 25–26, 72, 90, 92, 101, 121, 143

China and, 140, 143, 146

electric, 92–93, 97

hydrogen-powered, 98

Axelrod, David, 64–65

 

Bachmann, Michele, 182

bailout, Wall Street, 4, 38–42, 61

Bangladesh, 143

Barbour, Haley, 125

Bartiromo, Maria, 30

Basin Electric Power Cooperative, 97

Baucus, Max, 84–85

Bazmore, Bill, 11

Beck, Glenn, 182

Bender, Tony, 59

Benowitz, Neil, 78

Bernanke, Ben, 118

Bhagwati, Jagdish, 158

Biden, Joe, 133, 153–54

big business, 183–84

Bilmes, Linda, 33

Bin Laden, Osama, 31, 36, 129–30, 134

Bismarck, Otto von, 195

Bloomberg, Michael, 186

Blue Cross–Blue Shield, 85

Blue Dog Democrats, 190–91

Boeder, Laurie, 15

Boehner, John, 67, 69

Boeing, 145

Boxer, Barbara, 189

Boyce, Phil, 1

Bratkowski, Zeke, 12

Brokaw, Tom, 5

Brown, Scott, 66

Buffett, Warren, 159–60, 166, 169

Bugajski, Janusz, 138

Bureau of Economic Analysis, 145

Bush, George H. W., 48, 58, 110, 191

Bush, George W., 4, 17, 25, 38, 85, 105, 109–11, 112, 116, 117, 119, 148, 175, 185, 188, 195

economy and, 41

election and reelection of, 187, 188, 194

Iraq and Afghanistan and, 28, 30–31, 32, 47–48, 49, 62, 126–30, 135, 137

Medicare and, 71, 73–74, 75–76, 162

national debt and, 28, 70, 73–74, 162–63

oil and, 90, 92

stem cell research and, 79

taxes and, 47, 166

terrorism and, 15, 35–37, 38

BusinessWeek,
30, 109

 

Calderón, Felipe, 112

campaign contributions, 184–87

Campaignmoney.org, 86

Canada, 67, 68, 76, 90, 141

Cantor, Eric, 69, 75

Cap and Trade, 101–2

capitalism, 14, 73, 151, 165

Capitalism: A Love Story,
163

Carter, Jimmy, 42, 122, 188

Cash for Clunkers, 25, 101

cattle industry, 53–54

Census, U.S., 45, 60, 170, 171

Center for Responsive Politics, 85, 86

Cheney, Dick, 4, 31, 38, 41, 47–48, 49, 62, 69, 79, 124, 127, 128, 129, 161, 172, 175, 188

Cheney, Liz, 128

child labor, 147–48, 156, 161

childrensdefense.org, 55–56

China, 43, 44, 62, 93, 103, 109, 110, 111, 114–23, 143, 145, 146–47, 148

air pollution and, 102, 148

automobile industry and, 140, 143, 146

jobs outsourced to, 45, 107–8, 141, 142, 160

oil and, 90–91, 121–22

workplace conditions in, 155–56

Chrysler, 26, 46

CIA, 36, 37, 58, 130

cigarettes, 78–79

Citizens for Tax Justice, 163

Clean Air Act, 97

Clear Channel, 175

climate change, 69, 95, 96, 97, 98–102

Clinton, Bill, 28, 37, 48, 58, 72, 103, 110, 111, 115, 119, 162, 163, 178, 179, 191

bin Laden and, 129–30

Clinton, Hillary, 16, 18, 179

CNN, 181

CNNMoney, 167

Colbert, Stephen, 59, 180

Coleman, Norm, 191

college, 60–61, 110, 166, 168

Columbia Journalism Review,
176

Colvin, Geoff, 145

Common Cause, 184

Commonwealth Fund, 67

Concord Monitor,
82

Conrad, Kent, 15, 16, 39, 68, 86–87

Conservation Reserve Program, 134

Constitution, 62, 123

Fourth Amendment to, 35, 37, 38

Patriot Act and, 35, 38

COOL, 52–53

Copenhagen Consensus Center, 101

credit cards, 164

Cuba, 55, 67

Cuban, Mark, 165

Cuomo, Mario, 1

 

Dann, Marc, 40

Daschle, Tom, 16, 190

debates, broadcasting of, 186

debt, 32, 150–53

Defazio, Peter, 165

defense, national, 24, 29–38, 62, 115, 121, 125–26

DeMint, Jim, 69

Democracy Now!,
175

Democracy Radio, 16

Depression, Great, 27, 47, 50

Dershowitz, Alan, 1

Dickinson, Tim, 69

doctors, 82

malpractice and, 82–83

dollar, 117–18, 119–20, 146–47

Donahue, Phil, 175

Dorgan, Byron, 16, 27, 50, 76, 108, 141, 142, 145, 197

Drewnowski, Adam, 54

drugs:

illegal, 111–13, 127, 134–35

pharmaceutical, 75–76, 79–80, 86

Durbin, Dick, 5, 118

 

E. A. Schultz Construction, 21, 154–55

economic crisis of 2008–2009, 4, 19–20, 25–26, 110–11, 117, 118, 119, 126, 140–41, 143, 170

bailout and, 4, 38–42, 61

economic policy, 24, 38–49, 62–63

Economic Policy Institute, 111

Economic Times,
119

Economist,
112, 159

Economy.com, 111

Edelman, Marian Wright, 55

Ed Schultz Show, The,
2, 15, 16–18, 22, 193

Ed Show, The,
2, 9, 19–23, 174, 182, 189, 193

education, 6, 24, 29, 55–61, 63, 66, 82, 108, 121, 164, 165

college, 60–61, 110, 166, 168

Eisenhower, Dwight, 58, 183–84

Eisinger, Jesse, 40

Ekwurzel, Brenda, 100

elections, 184–88, 191

electoral process, 187–88

Electronic Business,
98

Emanuel, Rahm, 168

Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 150

Employee Free Choice Act, 46, 47, 85, 158

energy, 6, 34–35, 63, 89–102, 110, 122, 146, 183

coal and, 95–97, 98

electric cars and, 92–93, 97

electric grid and, 93–94

ethanol and, 97–98

nuclear, 98

oil, 33–35, 90–92, 95, 116, 121–22, 127, 145, 164, 166

wind, 94, 95, 122

EPA, 99

exercise, 77–78

 

family, 56

Farm Bill, 50

farmers, 14, 15, 63, 134

big agriculture and, 51–52

subsidizing of, 49, 50, 54, 55

FBI, 35, 36, 37

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), 27

Federal Family Education Loan Program, 61

Feinberg, Kenneth, 42

Feingold, Russell, 185

Feldstein, Martin, 95

Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Households to the U.S. Taxpayer, The
(Rector), 108

fiscal policy, 24, 38–49, 62–63, 121

527 groups, 185

Flores, Clara, 143–44

Forbes,
166

Ford, Gerald, 80

Ford Motor Company, 26

Fortier, Ross, 12

Fortune,
145

Four Pillars, 24–63

defense, 24, 29–38, 62, 115, 121, 125–26

education,
see
education

fiscal policy, 24, 38–49, 62–63, 121

food,
see
food

food, 24, 49–55, 63, 121

safety of, 52–53, 148

Fox Entertainment Group, 173

Fox News, 45, 174–75, 176, 177–78

Franken, Al, 191

Friedman, Thomas, 5–6

 

garment industry, 143–44

Gates, Bill, 168

Geithner, Tim, 154, 190

General Motors, 26, 46, 72

Gerard, Leo, 140–41

G.I. Bill, 27

Globalist,
120

Global Market Information Database, 92

Goldman Sachs, 41–42

Gompers, Samuel, 156–57

Gore, Al, 95, 130, 191, 194

Grassley, Charles E., 50, 85

Grayson, Alan, 75

Griffin, Phil, 20, 22

Guardian,
133

Gutierez, Marivel, 144

 

Hannity, Sean, 1

Hardball with Chris Matthews,
128, 179

health care, 6, 29, 33, 44, 63, 64–88, 110, 142, 143, 158, 164, 166, 178, 187, 190, 195, 196

Clinton plan for, 80

food and, 54

insurance companies and, 64–65, 67, 75, 77, 81–82, 86, 164

malpractice lawsuits and, 82–83

medical tourism and, 76–77

Medicare, 44, 48, 66, 68, 71–72, 73–74, 75–76, 80, 81–82, 85, 86, 162, 196

pharmaceutical industry and, 75–76, 79–80, 86

Hegemon: China's Plan to Dominate Asia and the World
(Mosher), 115

Hightower, Jim, 1

Himmelstein, David, 74

Holman, Craig, 84

Hong Kong, 57

Hoover, Herbert, 25

housing market, 39

Huddy, Juliet, 45

Huffington Post, 140, 174, 180

Hughes, James, 152

Hurricane Katrina, 15

 

immigrants, 44, 106

immigrants, illegal, 103–13, 157, 158

health care and, 83, 84

income, 3, 45, 46, 109–10, 142, 184

India, 43, 44, 107, 111, 120, 132, 147, 160

Inequality.org, 3

infant mortality, 67

Inhofe, James, 125

Institute for Policy Studies, 158

insurance companies, 64–65, 67, 75, 77, 81–82, 86, 164, 183

International Center for Technology

Assessment, 34

International Labor Organization, 109, 147

International Trade Commission, 144

Internet:

media on, 180, 182

sales on, 171

Iran, 58, 62, 121, 132, 136, 138

Iraq War, 28, 30–33, 47, 50, 59, 62, 90, 121, 126–30, 135–36, 137, 163, 174, 175

Israel, 32, 137

 

Jackson, Andrew, 163

Japan, 57, 67, 117, 119, 120

jobs,
see
workers

Johnson, Alex, 57

Johnson, Lyndon, 69, 71

journalism, 177, 178, 180–82

 

Kaplan, Jeffrey, 185

Karzai, Hamid, 131–32, 189

Kennedy, Edward “Ted,” 46, 66

Kennedy, John F., 30

Kennedy, Robert F., 87

Kerry, John, 185, 187, 194

KFGO, 9

Klein, Joe, 170

KNDK, 2

Korea, 57, 62, 136, 143

Korean War, 30

Krugman, Paul, 117, 165–66

KTOX, 2

 

Landrieu, Mary, 85–86

Lay, Ken, 164

Lerner, Stephen, 41–42

Levi Strauss, 143–44

Libby, I. Lewis “Scooter,” 127

Lieberman, Joe, 69, 85

life expectancy, 67

Limbaugh, Rush, 1, 175

Lincoln, Abraham, 69, 197

Lincoln, Blanche, 85, 86

loans:

home, 39–40

small business, 153

student, 60–61

Los Angeles Times,
108, 121

Lovins, Amory B., 98

Lynch, Michael, 82

 

Macau, 67

McCaffrey, Barry, 111

McCain, John, 18–19, 125, 185

McGovern, George, 191

McNamara, Robert, 30

Madden, John, 12

Maher, Bill, 124

malpractice lawsuits, 82–83

Manlove, Kari, 102

Marshall, Joseph, III, 198

Massing, Michael, 176

Matthews, Chris, 128, 179, 197

Meacham, Jon, 72

media, 173–82

Medicaid, 44

Medicare, 44, 48, 66, 68, 71–72, 73–74, 75–76, 80, 81–82, 85, 86, 162, 196

Mexico, 43, 90, 111, 132, 143

drug wars in, 111–13

immigrants from, 104, 105, 106, 107, 109, 157

NAFTA and, 107, 110, 141

Meyers, Seth, 125

Meza, Santiago, 112

Miller, George, 46

Moaveni, Azadeh, 137

Moore, Michael, 163

Morici, Peter, 144, 145

Morning Joe,
64–65

mortgage business, 39–40

Mosher, Steven W., 115

Mother Jones,
180

MSNBC, 2, 9, 20, 22, 23, 64, 66, 128, 174, 176, 177, 178, 179, 193

MSNBC.com, 57

Mullen, Michael, 115

Multinational Monitor, 167

Murdoch, Rupert, 173, 181

Musk, Elon, 34

 

Nader, Ralph, 191

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), 107, 110, 141, 146

Nation,
180–81

National Commission on Children, 56

national debt, 28–29, 41, 47–48, 73–74, 162–63, 164

China and, 116–17

NATO, 31, 128, 133

Nelson, Ben, 86

net worth, 3

New America Foundation, 72, 74, 81

Newhouse, Joseph P., 76

News Corporation, 173

Newsweek,
41–42, 72, 122, 133, 136

New York Times,
5, 76, 95, 117, 143–44, 165

9/11, 15, 31, 32, 36–37, 59, 126, 130, 134