Elections 2010: Lose the battle, but win the war

I grew up with crazy politics and politicians in Tamil Nadu. There was very little difference between the two main parties--DMK and ADMK. Almost always, whenever one got elected into power, very few of the populist programs put into place by the "other" would be dismantled. Further, it was not uncommon to even enhance the other's programs and even claim credit for it.

Politics here in the US is becoming, unfortunately, as clownish as the Indian politics. The Tamil Nadu electorate voting out one party in favor of another wasn't any decisive swing because of love for the other either. It was merely to throw one set of bums out with another set of bums, and repeat.

Which is why I like this analysis by William Saletan on why the Democrats and Pelosi did not lose the battle of 2010:

Politicians have tried and failed for decades to enact universal health care. This time, they succeeded. In 2008, Democrats won the presidency and both houses of Congress, and by the thinnest of margins, they rammed a bill through. They weren't going to get another opportunity for a very long time. It cost them their majority, and it was worth it.

And that's not counting financial regulation, economic stimulus, college lending reform, and all the other bills that became law under Pelosi. So spare me the tears and gloating about her so-called failure. If John Boehner is speaker of the House for the next 20 years, he'll be lucky to match her achievements.

I would think that this is the kind of ramming through that Bush had in mind when he talked about spending his political capital on reforming Social Security. Imagine if he and the GOP had carried that through! The same way they had rammed the wars through ...

There is a probability that the economy wouldn't improve a whole lot before the 2012 elections. And we will still have "non combat" troops in Iraq and Afghanistan? American voters will become like those in Tamil Nadu and replace their reps. If the GOP has learnt the lessons, then they too will try to tam through their favorite programs. Crazy, eh?

This is actually better politics in a way: the parties clearly stating what they are for and implementing it. I much prefer a principled government (not the irresponsible populism though) than one in which everybody hails bipartisanship.