Conspicuously absent

Athenae writes:

And hey, Mr. President, anytime you want to show up and put on a cheesehead, Bucky's ready for you:

In an interview with Milwaukee television station WTMJ, President Barack Obama said he was monitoring the situation in Madison and acknowledged the need for budget cuts. But, he said, pushing public employees away from the bargaining table "seems like more of an assault on unions."

SEEMS?!? You're welcome for that fucking election, Obama.

This is one of those times where the "political realities" defense of Obama's passivity ceases to have any power. Here is a perfect opportunity to counter a year's plus worth of somewhat manufactured and mostly incoherent tea party rage with an actual bona fide demonstration that deficit hawkery isn't the only acceptable form of populism. And yet, where is he? Where is much of the Democratic leadership for that matter? You want your momentum back? Here it is. And it's not just in Wisconsin either. I often wonder what this President and his party actually give a shit about. This is one of those frequent times.

Update: I refer to Tea Party outrage as "somewhat manufactured and mostly incoherent" here when it may make better sense to describe it as manufactured incoherence. Anyone who thinks working class Americans haven't had reason to be outraged hasn't been paying attention for.. oh thirty years now. The Tea Party movement of the past election cycle, though, has been (mostly) the latest successful attempt by money to confuse and co-opt that rage. And that's, of course, nothing new.

I and many others have long argued that the way to beat this back is not through the sort of elitist pooh-poohing we get from Obama and establishment Democrats of justifiable outrage and aggressive tonality. Responsive political leadership would, instead, welcome the opportunity an energized electorate presents to address its valid complaints.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Crowds of public employees protesting a sweeping Ohio proposal to strip unions of collective bargaining rights are wearing red in an effort to steer public opinion away from the idea that unions are all-Democrat organizations. The move came as union protests by firefighters, teachers, police and state workers were joined by a smaller number of tea party activists who support the legislation. The measure would end collective bargaining and replace negotiated salary schedules with merit raises.

It's bi-partisanship we can believe in. Furthermore, it's an opportunity to affect meaningful political realignment while pulling us all back from the abyss. Even if Obama doesn't really give a shit about working people, this is a big big chance for him just within the context of the stupid politics. Is he going to just let that go too?