by Ed Schultz
Here’s the thing about being a pioneer, a visionary…. It’s a frustrating business. You eventually discover that it takes the rest of the good people a while to catch up. The good news is: They eventually do. But by that time, you will be flying ahead to the next thing. God bless the visionaries!
Man, I was so frustrated that we kept losing elections to George W. Bush by a hair. Gore…Kerry…We worked so hard! I had this vision of what these good men could help us accomplish. And maybe I was like a lot of folks, thinking that the transformational statement America made in electing an African-American Democrat meant that things were going to get easier. After all, hadn’t America evolved?
Instead—skreeech!—what the hell? Is that another roadblock up ahead? It turns out, along with an increasingly strident Republican opposition, there were conservative Democrats blocking the way. Now, that doesn’t make them bad people—despite my intemperate remarks from time to time—maybe they’re just reflecting the districts from which they come. When you have a big tent, along with the donkeys, you get a few goats and a skunk or two. That is both the strength and weakness of the Democratic Party. (The Republicans, on the other hand, have this itty-bitty tent filled with elephants and fat cats. No wonder they’re so grumpy.)
Nor has President Obama lived up to his potential. Inspirational? Blessedly so. Smart? As a whip. But can he kick asses when the time comes? That remains to be seen. And on some issues, in my opinion, the time has come and gone. Take off the wingtips, Mr. President, and grab those steel-toed boots. You won nine Bush states! That’s a mandate.
As hard as I have been on the president, I know that all of us—even one as gifted as Barack Obama—have strengths and weakness. In the end, we are only human. Some of us are closet smokers. Others take a wide stance in airport bathrooms. Greatness is never independent of flaws, and often greatness is achieved in spite of them. Let us not build our pedestals too high, because the fall can do you in. I continue to admire and support the president and have faith that Barack Obama can become a great leader. Heck, I’m an American! That was my hope for George W. Bush. I wanted America to succeed! Nothing has changed for me in that respect.
The opposition tactic is to throw a wrench into the gears of government, then blame the driver when things stall. That’s not an upright thing to do, but that’s what passes for statesmanship these days, and that’s why Barack Obama is at the wheel of a stalled car of state from time to time. It’s easy for the attention-deficit media to fall into the trap of thinking that maybe the progressive movement has failed. Not at all! It all comes down to power. There are just not enough progressives in positions of power. Not every Democrat is a progressive, just as every Republican is not a close-minded right wing zealot. So—I know it’s difficult to have patience, believe me!—but don’t get down over the slow pace of things. Now is the time for another big push. Many things come down to which side wants it more.
As I said earlier in this book, we need educated news consumers because those are the people who become engaged voters. The blessing in all of this mess is that many American voters have emerged with a much deeper understanding about the way Washington works or, in some cases, how it doesn’t. We have watched health care bills born, all shiny and clean in committees, then seen the various incarnations pulled apart, amended, and kneaded all back together again. What was for many of us a mysterious process has been revealed for what it is—a painstaking, political, bare-knuckle brawl between ideologies, a brawl that’s taking place—and taking so long—at a time when the middle class of America needs prompt support and attention or else it may entirely fade away. Otto von Bismarck famously said, “Laws are like sausages. It’s better not to see them being made.” But I disagree. I think the more we understand about the way the system works, the better our chances are to reform it.
The Barack Obama administration has been a whirlwind tour of the legislative process, blind alleys and all. Most presidencies have a rough first year. Barack Obama has had one of the most trying, but in spite of it all, his leadership kept the economy from crashing. Even if Republicans won’t give him credit for any of that now, historians will later. And even though we fell short of getting national health care in his first year in office, Obama made great headway with health care reform. He has begun restoring America’s standing in the world. He has reached out to other countries, and they’ve reached back. And he’s managed not to invade anyone! Holy smokes! That should count for something. But this is America. We want more, and we want it now!
Here’s the reality check: All of the struggle we’ve witnessed during Obama’s first year is part of the democratic process. On rare occasions in America’s history, transformational legislation has happened seemingly overnight, but most of our progress has been measured in three yards and a cloud of dust. Civil rights didn’t come overnight, nor has racism disappeared. Some profound changes come with the stroke of a pen, like Medicare and Social Security. Wars start and end with a pen. Other change is measured by generations.
Endure, my friend. Keep working. Keep the faith.
The radicalism and festering hate that has infected the right casts a shadow over the light America represents. Likewise, the extremists on the left have often tainted the process with uncivil ugliness. That kind of behavior stems from fear and frustration, and I understand that, but we have to rise above it.
The stranglehold the two parties have on power seems to have choked the life out of progress, but time will tell. Maybe enough leadership will emerge to break that gridlock. I have hopes.
If old-fashioned fiscal conservatism ever returns to the Republican Party—and don’t mistake a mindless, ugly attack on social programs and the poor for any sort of fiscal restraint!—I would welcome back the Republicans. If the part of the Republican Party that was slow to rattle sabers and that championed personal freedom emerges again, America would be better for it. We can balance the pragmatism of what once was the party of Lincoln with the progressive vision that strives to better the human condition. We can embrace good ideas, no matter from where they sprout.
I will continue to support the Democratic Party for now, but as I have shown by my unsparing criticism of some Democrats, I’m not in the tank for anyone that isn’t on the right side of the issues. I’m on the airwaves every day to make a difference for the American family, for the middle-class worker. My roots are in the middle class. The middle class are my people.
I was honored when asked to run in North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan’s place, after his announced retirement at the end of his term, but I realized I can best serve the middle class from where I am now.
So where do we go from here?
The president once said something compelling and thought-provoking that I think we ought to take to heart: “This is our time…. We are the ones we are waiting for.”
What he is saying is, it’s time for us to lead—time for you to lead. There are many ways to do that. Get involved. Speak up at the coffee shop. Write letters to the editor. Write letters to your legislators (typed and original, my colleague Chris Matthews says). Support American businesses when you can.
Our mission is to keep working to elect progressive leaders wherever we find them. Vote for the right person who will do the right things—someone who will do the bidding of the voters, and not of the corporations. And if you cannot find the right person, be that person.
Understand that there will be some setbacks. So what? That’s life. Huddle up and here we go…three more yards and a cloud of dust. As long as we keep coming to the line, the game isn’t over. Progress may not come as fast as we, in our impatience and impertinence, demand. But if we are patient and persistent, it will come.
Joseph Marshall III, a Lakota author who grew up in the Dakotas, wrote, “Each step, no matter how difficult, is one step closer to the top of the hill…. The weakest step toward the top of the hill, toward the sunrise, toward hope, is stronger than the fiercest storm…. Keep going.”
That’s the mission.
Keep going.
Searchable Terms
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.
abortion, 83
Adelson, Jim, 11–12
Afghanistan, 31–32, 33, 47, 62, 126–34, 135, 137, 138, 187
drug trade and, 134–35
AFL (American Federation of Labor), 156
AFL-CIO, 158
Air America Radio, 17
air pollution, 96, 97, 102, 148
al-Qaeda, 31–32, 36, 37, 126, 128, 130, 131, 132, 133–34
American Enterprise Institute, 73
America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 56
Andrews, Mark, 86
Antos, Joseph, 73
arms business, 32–33
automobiles, 25–26, 72, 90, 92, 101, 121, 143
China and, 140, 143, 146
electric, 92–93, 97
hydrogen-powered, 98
Axelrod, David, 64–65
Bachmann, Michele, 182
bailout, Wall Street, 4, 38–42, 61
Bangladesh, 143
Barbour, Haley, 125
Bartiromo, Maria, 30
Basin Electric Power Cooperative, 97
Baucus, Max, 84–85
Bazmore, Bill, 11
Beck, Glenn, 182
Bender, Tony, 59
Benowitz, Neil, 78
Bernanke, Ben, 118
Bhagwati, Jagdish, 158
Biden, Joe, 133, 153–54
big business, 183–84
Bilmes, Linda, 33
Bin Laden, Osama, 31, 36, 129–30, 134
Bismarck, Otto von, 195
Bloomberg, Michael, 186
Blue Cross–Blue Shield, 85
Blue Dog Democrats, 190–91
Boeder, Laurie, 15
Boehner, John, 67, 69
Boeing, 145
Boxer, Barbara, 189
Boyce, Phil, 1
Bratkowski, Zeke, 12
Brokaw, Tom, 5
Brown, Scott, 66
Buffett, Warren, 159–60, 166, 169
Bugajski, Janusz, 138
Bureau of Economic Analysis, 145
Bush, George H. W., 48, 58, 110, 191
Bush, George W., 4, 17, 25, 38, 85, 105, 109–11, 112, 116, 117, 119, 148, 175, 185, 188, 195
economy and, 41
election and reelection of, 187, 188, 194
Iraq and Afghanistan and, 28, 30–31, 32, 47–48, 49, 62, 126–30, 135, 137
Medicare and, 71, 73–74, 75–76, 162
national debt and, 28, 70, 73–74, 162–63
oil and, 90, 92
stem cell research and, 79
taxes and, 47, 166
terrorism and, 15, 35–37, 38
BusinessWeek, 30, 109
Calderón, Felipe, 112
campaign contributions, 184–87
Campaignmoney.org, 86
Canada, 67, 68, 76, 90, 141
Cantor, Eric, 69, 75
Cap and Trade, 101–2
capitalism, 14, 73, 151, 165
Capitalism: A Love Story, 163
Carter, Jimmy, 42, 122, 188
Cash for Clunkers, 25, 101
cattle industry, 53–54
Census, U.S., 45, 60, 170, 171
Center for Responsive Politics, 85, 86
Cheney, Dick, 4, 31, 38, 41, 47–48, 49, 62, 69, 79, 124, 127, 128, 129, 161, 172, 175, 188
Cheney, Liz, 128
child labor, 147–48, 156, 161
childrensdefense.org, 55–56
China, 43, 44, 62, 93, 103, 109, 110, 111, 114–23, 143, 145, 146–47, 148
air pollution and, 102, 148
automobile industry and, 140, 143, 146
jobs outsourced to, 45, 107–8, 141, 142, 160
oil and, 90–91, 121–22
workplace conditions in, 155–56
Chrysler, 26, 46
CIA, 36, 37, 58, 130
cigarettes, 78–79
Citizens for Tax Justice, 163
Clean Air Act, 97
Clear Channel, 175
climate change, 69, 95, 96, 97, 98–102
Clinton, Bill, 28, 37, 48, 58, 72, 103, 110, 111, 115, 119, 162, 163, 178, 179, 191
bin Laden and, 129–30
Clinton, Hillary, 16, 18, 179
CNN, 181
CNNMoney, 167
Colbert, Stephen, 59, 180
Coleman, Norm, 191
college, 60–61, 110, 166, 168
Columbia Journalism Review, 176
Colvin, Geoff, 145
Common Cause, 184
Commonwealth Fund, 67
Concord Monitor, 82
Conrad, Kent, 15, 16, 39, 68, 86–87
Conservation Reserve Program, 134
Constitution, 62, 123
Fourth Amendment to, 35, 37, 38
Patriot Act and, 35, 38
COOL, 52–53
Copenhagen Consensus Center, 101
credit cards, 164
Cuba, 55, 67
Cuban, Mark, 165
Cuomo, Mario, 1
Dann, Marc, 40
Daschle, Tom, 16, 190
debates, broadcasting of, 186
debt, 32, 150–53
Defazio, Peter, 165
defense, national, 24, 29–38, 62, 115, 121, 125–26
DeMint, Jim, 69
Democracy Now!, 175
Democracy Radio, 16
Depression, Great, 27, 47, 50
Dershowitz, Alan, 1
Dickinson, Tim, 69
doctors, 82
malpractice and, 82–83
dollar, 117–18, 119–20, 146–47
Donahue, Phil, 175
Dorgan, Byron, 16, 27, 50, 76, 108, 141, 142, 145, 197
Drewnowski, Adam, 54
drugs:
illegal, 111–13, 127, 134–35
pharmaceutical, 75–76, 79–80, 86
Durbin, Dick, 5, 118
E. A. Schultz Construction, 21, 154–55
economic crisis of 2008–2009, 4, 19–20, 25–26, 110–11, 117, 118, 119, 126, 140–41, 143, 170
bailout and, 4, 38–42, 61
economic policy, 24, 38–49, 62–63
Economic Policy Institute, 111
Economic Times, 119
Economist, 112, 159
Economy.com, 111
Edelman, Marian Wright, 55
Ed Schultz Show, The, 2, 15, 16–18, 22, 193
Ed Show, The, 2, 9, 19–23, 174, 182, 189, 193
education, 6, 24, 29, 55–61, 63, 66, 82, 108, 121, 164, 165
college, 60–61, 110, 166, 168
Eisenhower, Dwight, 58, 183–84
Eisinger, Jesse, 40
Ekwurzel, Brenda, 100
elections, 184–88, 191
electoral process, 187–88
Electronic Business, 98
Emanuel, Rahm, 168
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 150
Employee Free Choice Act, 46, 47, 85, 158
energy, 6, 34–35, 63, 89–102, 110, 122, 146, 183
coal and, 95–97, 98
electric cars and, 92–93, 97
electric grid and, 93–94
ethanol and, 97–98
nuclear, 98
oil, 33–35, 90–92, 95, 116, 121–22, 127, 145, 164, 166
wind, 94, 95, 122
EPA, 99
exercise, 77–78
family, 56
Farm Bill, 50
farmers, 14, 15, 63, 134
big agriculture and, 51–52
subsidizing of, 49, 50, 54, 55
FBI, 35, 36, 37
FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), 27
Federal Family Education Loan Program, 61
Feinberg, Kenneth, 42
Feingold, Russell, 185
Feldstein, Martin, 95
Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Hou
seholds to the U.S. Taxpayer, The (Rector), 108
fiscal policy, 24, 38–49, 62–63, 121
527 groups, 185
Flores, Clara, 143–44
Forbes, 166
Ford, Gerald, 80
Ford Motor Company, 26
Fortier, Ross, 12
Fortune, 145
Four Pillars, 24–63
defense, 24, 29–38, 62, 115, 121, 125–26
education, see education
fiscal policy, 24, 38–49, 62–63, 121
food, see food
food, 24, 49–55, 63, 121
safety of, 52–53, 148
Fox Entertainment Group, 173
Fox News, 45, 174–75, 176, 177–78
Franken, Al, 191
Friedman, Thomas, 5–6
garment industry, 143–44
Gates, Bill, 168
Geithner, Tim, 154, 190
General Motors, 26, 46, 72
Gerard, Leo, 140–41
G.I. Bill, 27
Globalist, 120
Global Market Information Database, 92
Goldman Sachs, 41–42
Gompers, Samuel, 156–57
Gore, Al, 95, 130, 191, 194
Grassley, Charles E., 50, 85
Grayson, Alan, 75
Griffin, Phil, 20, 22
Guardian, 133
Gutierez, Marivel, 144
Hannity, Sean, 1
Hardball with Chris Matthews, 128, 179
health care, 6, 29, 33, 44, 63, 64–88, 110, 142, 143, 158, 164, 166, 178, 187, 190, 195, 196
Clinton plan for, 80
food and, 54
insurance companies and, 64–65, 67, 75, 77, 81–82, 86, 164
malpractice lawsuits and, 82–83
