Political Armageddon

The end of the world is near—the Reagan world, that is. In one gigantic political battle, we can end the world of tax cuts for the rich, federal government-led attacks on organized labor, mindless deregulation, subsidies for wealthy corporations, war against science and preemptive war in Iraq.

The old political world will end on October 1, 2009 (the beginning of the next fiscal year)—if we just win the battle to enact President Obama’s budget.

Anyone who didn’t see or hear Obama’s Weekly Address on Saturday should go to the White House website [2]and watch it. It is a declaration of war against the special interests:

I realize that passing this budget won’t be easy. Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington. I know that the insurance industry won’t like the idea that they’ll have to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families. I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries. In other words, I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this: So am I.

There’s no question that this is the battle of a lifetime. As The Washington Post noted [3]:

Republicans and Democrats alike say the budget request, which seeks $3.6 trillion for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, marks the biggest ideological shift in Washington since the dawn of the Reagan administration.

Expect the right-wingers to rely on phony arguments. Remember some of their whoppers during debate on the President’s economic recovery package?

No doubt conservatives will focus attacks on the annual deficits that are foreseen by the Obama administration. A more hypocritical argument is hard to imagine after George W. Bush and his supporters in Congress took our national budget from a $200 billion surplus to a deficit of more than $1 trillion. It is clear that today’s conservatives are not—and never were—concerned about budget deficits. They are whining about deficits now only because they’ve finally been stopped from handing our nation’s treasure over to their rich friends.

The President’s address was nearly perfect. It only lacked one thing—it didn’t include a challenge to progressive activists to join him. We know the wealthy and powerful are gearing up to fight Obama with every penny and every ounce of energy they’ve got.

This is our time. If you’ve ever wondered what you can do to make this world a better place, this is it. Help enact Barack Obama’s world-changing budget. And if you need details—what are the key arguments, who are the targeted members of Congress, how activists can help persuade them—stay tuned. Campaign for America's Future will provide the information you need every step of the way.

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The writer is a Senior Fellow at Campaign for America’s Future and author of the recent book, Framing the Future: How Progressive Values Can Win Elections and Influence People [4].