While I think the Meta-war is necessary and I'm not unwilling to take my part in it, the real deal is going down all around the industrial world. The price of US exceptionalism is that we seem to think we don't have anything to learn from the rest of the world. Right now, and I mean at this very minute, the same forces that we want President Obama to confront are raking in the dough from the capture of the Pension Funds of Ireland and making a nice attempt to snag them from Spain.
The excellent diarist Migeru has a diary up at the European Tribune which he has cross-posted here.
It is the fight that will determine whether we can beat back the massive money grab of the economic elite and it is being fought on many fronts. The futility of thinking that we can tackle these international operators on a national front is crazy and is part of our undoing. We would do well to inform ourselves of the events in the EU-hell we'd do well to inform ourselves of events anywhere outside our borders, but that is another story-because the chain of events is instructive and can be used to inform public opinion and to rally a pushback.
The looting of the treasuries of the world is advanced and obvious. Policies that will help all of us are available. We should be looking at Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Iceland and the rest of Europe and see what is coming (hello catfood commission) and try to stand together.
I'll say this about the Pragmatist/Progressive contretemps, I'm clearly on the "progressive" side but would love for a pragmatist to show me some wins. What is at stake is not just the Obama Presidency, its the ability to pass on a world that isn't just engaged in a race to the bottom.
Please go read Migeru's diary, either here or over at ET, if you go there look at some of the other good writers and chime in or lurk or whatever.
Hang together or....