Mario Cuomo

Mario Cuomo belonged to what the late Paul Wellstone called "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.  An unabashed liberal who vetoed death penalty legislation year after year based on his Catholic beliefs, he nevertheless supported a woman's right to follow her own moral compass in deciding whether or not to choose abortion.  Financial problems in New York during his three terms prevented him from implementing many of the social programs for the disadvantaged he hoped to achieve, but he remained an inspiration to Americans unwilling to unravel the New Deal.

Cuomo's 1984 keynote address to the Democratic Convention remains, for me, the greatest appeal to traditional Democratic values I ever have heard.  If you missed this rhetorical masterpiece, watch it here.

Changing Direction

Okay, I was kind of obsessed with the evils of religious belief last month, but the holiday season has a way of doing that to me.  Despite John Kerry's current attempts to make progress towards Israeli-Palestinian peace, I will not obsess over the concept of the "Jewish (apartheid) state" for at least a month or two.

So, instead, let's try to parse the significance of Bill DeBlasio's inauguration as Mayor of New York City yesterday.  His address was both populist and progressive, but there was a bit of weirdness involved.  For one thing, he was sworn in by Bill Clinton, the man who led the Democratic Party away from its progressive ideals and into the pocket of Wall Street — the alleged "Democrat" who signed the bill to "end welfare as we know it," would not consider the regulation of derivatives, and signed the bill that ended Glass-Steagall.

Was it a signal?  Hillary was there too.  Did the Clinton presence signal that Hillary is ready to move the Democratic Party back towards the left if she gets her turn to run in 2016?  And if she runs as a progressive, will she follow through if she wins?

Also present was the not especially progressive Democratic Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, also mentioned as a potential candidate in 2016.  Since he currently holds office, if he means to make a progressive turn he'll actually have to do it, right out there in public.  (It also would be nice if he could follow through on his promise to clean up the Albany cesspool of corruption.  New Yorkers used to look down on New Jersey as a cesspool of corruption.  These days, it's kind of a toss-up.)

Andrew's father, Mario Cuomo, anticipated DeBlasio's use of the "Tale of Two Cities" analogy a few decades ago, when he delivered the keynote address at the 1984 Democratic Convention.  To me, it remains the greatest convention speech of modern times, far surpassing the 2004 Obama speech (which turned out to be, largely, bullshit.)  Andrew ought to give it a listen — and so should you.

A Tale of Two Cities

Back in 1984, Mario Cuomo delivered the keynote speech at the Democratic convention. In it, he articulated what used to be the basic values of the Democratic party. I like to listen to that speech at least once a year, to remind myself that, once upon a time, Democrats shared my values.

I have a fantasy in which I take Barack Obama prisoner, prop open his eyes with those mechanical things so popular in the B movies of twenty to thirty years ago, and force him to listen until at least some of it sinks in. That won't be happening, of course, but I provide the following video for the edification of any of you who have seven minutes or so to spare, plus, perhaps, a little extra time to mourn what we have lost.

Obama gets it right

I couldn't be more happy. Our President finally has made a concession to the Democratic Party's liberal base, and appointed the woman on whom I have had a long-term crush, Elizabeth Warren, to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Obviously, she never could be confirmed in the official position by the Senate — every Republican and, quite probably, a few asshole DINOs would vote NO — but as a "special adviser" to the President, she can do the job for the time it takes to write the regulations that make the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau significant.

In the meanwhile, the Tea Party seems to be making life difficult for the Republicans. Sarah Palin lookalike Christine O'Donnell just might make it easier for the Democrats to hang onto Delaware's Senate seat in November. As for Carl Paladino, who will be running against Andrew Cuomo for governor of New York — well, he probably will do better than Rick Lazio would have, given how much money he has to blow on television ads — but, hell, he's no less an asshole than Lazio. New York, I believe, is ready for another Cuomo. While I'm not at all sure that Andy can live up to Mario's legacy — including, of course, the "Tale of Two Cities" speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention — I'm still convinced that Paladino is an asshole.

One way or the other, it's nice to see Obama paying some attention to the Democratic Base. It's about time.