krebscycle

Why are there no peace marches against the unpopular war in Afghanistan and the continuing expense of our “residual” occupation of Iraq? Why do Republican congressmen and state officials so rarely face protests against their lack of patriotism and hard care Party line? Why do highly profitable companies that are cutting jobs and benefits not face labor actions? In short, why is the American public so passive in the face of the GOP assault on the middle class? One of the factors was exposed in the early stages of the Wisconsin labor battle – one of the few exceptions to the rule about passivity.  If you had looked at blog coverage of the Wisconsin efforts, you would have seen a large number of comments and posts complaining about — President Obama.  It seems that Candidate Obama told a labor audience he was pro-labor and would walk the picket lines with them but he neglected to show up in Wisconsin.  This strange complaint illustrates the way that the progressive left has worked so obsessively and too successfully to divert all political discussion into an  Obama and more generally DC and DC media focused spectator sport. Clearly, the President’s presence or absence was not the most pressing issue for people attempting to organize electoral and public pressure  against a right-wing putsch.  But that’s the point.

 Every day the progressive blogs and  progressive left magazines publish expressions of disappointment in the President or disdainful I-told-you-so’s or, oddly, combinations of the two, from people who claim to be committed to liberal/progressive ideals. Explanations of why the President’s use of language incorporates Republican ideas and his negotiating abilities are laughable compete  with counter-theories that he is a highly skilled right wing republican whose elaborate masquerade only fools the chumps. These are not new critiques: some of the most influential critics have been elaborating the same theme since the primary elections back in 2007.  On the face of it, the motivation of these essays is mysterious. If you wanted to combat the “oligarchy” of wealthy people and powerful corporations and you’d concluded years ago that President Obama either supported them or was too weak/naive to oppose them,  wouldn’t you dismiss the President from your analysis and spend your time advocating some other form of political action?  What would be the point of reacting frantically to every rumor from Washington about budget negotiations if you were already convinced that they were some “kabuki” preordained to end in “caving” or pretend caving?

The mystery goes away if we understand that the motivations of the content producers are either to hold an audience, impress a sponsor, or to deliberately  produce despairing passivity. Instead of organizing a protest, registering voters, running for office, canvassing, or engaging in the political process, readers of these essays are encouraged to ride a roller coaster of terror and hope before, as in any horror movie, the final bloodbath that precedes the sequel. This is politics as commercial entertainment where each “trial balloon” or “informed source” can generate gasps of indignation or waves of stomach-churning despair in the entranced consumers. And remember that consumers are spectators to the process. Spectators don’t march on their representatives offices or for peace or picket an outsourcing company or take any action at all. They are a market, not an organized citizenry.