Just what Obama d o e s n ' t need

"Broad and Squishy" [Emphasis added.]

Chris Bowers offers exactly what Barack Obama doesn't need: a vision and description of the Obama movement that is guaranteed to alienate exactly those voters Obama now needs to seduce. This is painful.

Cultural Shift: Out with Bubbas, up with Creatives: There should be a major cultural shift in the party, where the southern Dems and Liebercrat elite will be largely replaced by rising creative class types.

And he then goes on to describe Obama in the precise manner the Republicans will want him described- as an elitist yuppie. Bowers seems to think this is a good thing. The word "myopia" comes to mind. So does the word "solipsistic."

Culturally, the Democratic Party will feel pretty normal to netroots types. It will consistently send out cultural signals designed to appeal primarily to the creative class instead of rich donors and the white working class.

The problem being, of course, that we netroots types are very much irrelevant, while the white working class remains the swing vote that will decide the election. We vote Democratic. Our earlier iteration enthusiastically voted for Dukakis, who was exactly the type of candidate Bowers is describing. The white working class didn't vote for Dukakis. This year's election will be decided in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, and Florida. I want Bowers to explain how the so-called creative class carries those states. The self-absorption of this type of thinking is truly astonishing. . . .

We will see lots of emphasis on non-partisanship, ethics reform, election reform instead of on, say, placating labor unions, environment groups, and the LGBT community by throwing each of these groups a policy bone or two. Now, the focus will be on broad, squishy fixes that are designed to appeal to several groups at once.

Um. Yeah. Because placating labor, enviros, and the LGBT community is a bad thing. I agree that throwing them the occasional bone was not a good thing, but that's because they need and deserve much more than that. Nothing squishy. Nothing broad. Very specific fixes that have to do with things like economic justice, saving the planet from being rendered uninhabitable, and basic human rights. This actually gets to the appeal of Hillary Clinton, who is, like Al Gore, a hardcore wonk. Try telling union voters that there won't be a targeted focus on workers' rights. Try telling environmentalists that stopping old growth clearcutting and coastal oil drilling, and making those responsible for creating then help bear the burden of cleaning up Superfund sites, and banning the use of the specific toxics that are poisoning our air, water, and planet aren't broad or squishy enough. And I won't even begin to address the trepidation Obama's post-partisanship instilled in many LGBTs, oh, back around the South Carolina primary. . . .

I find Chris Bowers downright insulting.