Two Kinds of Hubris

Democrats shovel shit in their base’s face and tell them they had better act like they like it or face what Bundy called “the wild men in the wings.”

In politics there are two kinds of hubris. The first kind is the megalomania that says “I am such the shizznit that I will pursue my agenda fiercely and without compromise, the consequences be damned.” This is the line pursued by the Republican Party and all its mindless minions, from the elected on down to the electorate. While off-putting to those who hope for compromise and comity, it galvanizes the movement and guides zealots ever further into the GOP camp.

The second kind of megalomaniacal hubris is the kind that says “I am such the shizznit that I can bridge any divide; I am so reasonable and persuasive that I can get everyone and anyone to support my agenda, right, left and/or down the middle. I am so gifted in this particular brand of politics that I will begin from a position of compromise, in a good faith effort to put my opponents at ease, and then I will cajole them to join me in crafting bipartisan solutions to entrenched, partisan problems.” This is the line pursued by President Obama and the Democrats, on countless pieces of legislation, from health care reform and stimulus spending to the unemployment crisis and entitlement reform. They come to the table with hat in hand, already ceding their bargaining power before the cards have even been dealt. And then they get played.

Because then, just as Charlie Brown completes yet another run at the football, Lucy van Pelt pulls it away once again, and the Democrats end up flat on their asses, while the Republicans wave their recalcitrant obstructionism before their wingnut supporters like a badge of glory. The Democrats’ political capital lies in tatters as dispirited, self-loathing supporters question the wisdom of ever making deals with Republicans -- ever -- and wonder when their own political heroes are ever going to show the same intestinal fortitude as the opposition.

We’re still waiting, because this second kind of hubris smells a lot like cowardice.