When Winners Sulk

The losers win. This piece by Digby is an astoundingly good description of the way most of us Americans perceive winning and what that means.

The Democrats won big in 2006 and bigger in 2008. Victories giving them control of both houses of congress (and super large majorities in both) as well as the presidency. Any and all failures to accomplish things are theirs. Not Republicans. No matter how much it is the truth that bizzare rules and reprehensible behavior among the opposition is, in fact, to blame for the lack of accomplishment, that is not the way we collectively perceive things.

Democrats have control of pretty much everything (and to a much greater extent than Republicans ever have) and have accomplished next to nothing. Republicans are clearly winning, and Democrats are clearly useless, and in a country that values winning over losing more than it does right over wrong, votes are likely to go to the winners, i.e. Republicans.

Along those lines, any time I read (or hear) some "liberal" pundit crow about how the health care--actually health insurance--legislation as some major accomplishment I want to claw my eyes (or ears) out. That any Democrat would want to claim that the Republican legislation which passed was a win is not just a shame, it's a concession that only Republicans can win. Even when they all oppose and fight against it, Republicans still got their legislation passed. Democrats are pathetic losers, even when they "win".