• And, finally, there’s talk that we have a president who’s a Democrat — the party that created the American social contract of the 20th century. Initially, he focused on reshaping and extending that contract into the 21st. Now that the Republicans want to repeal it all, he’s nowhere to be found. Has anybody seen him? Does he still exist?
• Washington Post opinion writer Harold Meyerson • From his editorial yesterday about Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposed budget. We find this pertinent because reflect’s what is perhaps the most unforeseeable and (if you’re a liberal, or even a moderate, or a conservative who believes in these social contracts) nerve-wracking element in the looming debate over Ryan’s budget, namely — will President Obama stand or fold? In Washington, few things have become as familiar a sound as the President’s voice saying words like “bipartisanship” and “compromise,” but his opposition rarely if ever cedes any credit for this, and rarer still gives anything back. Will this latest effort to privatize large swaths of the social contract be worth fighting for, or will the President take another opportunity to thanklessly bargain away his base’s enthusiasm with his political rivals? It’s truly hard to say. source

Posted by Chris Tognotti • Permalink