Blame the Left ...

Why not? We were the people who were promised everything to get our vote in November '08. Not that we got anything; but we had the nerve to add ourselves into the political equation. Greenwald:

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In what universe must someone be living to believe that the Democratic Party is controlled by "the Left," let alone "the furthest left elements" of the Party? As Ezra Klein says, the Left "ha[s] gotten exactly nothing they wanted in recent months." The Left wanted a single-payer system, then settled for a public option, then an opt-out public option, then Medicare expansion -- only to get none of it, instead being handed a bill that forces every American to buy health insurance from the private insurance industry. Nor was it "the Left" -- but rather corporatist Democrats like Evan Bayh and Lanny Davis -- who cheered for the hated Wall Street bailout; blocked drug re-importation; are stopping genuine reform of the financial industry; prevented a larger stimulus package to lower unemployment; refuse to allow programs to help Americans with foreclosures; supported escalation in Afghanistan (twice); and favor the same Bush/Cheney terrorism policies of indefinite detention, military commissions, and state secrets. [all ems in orig]

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And just something to think about; in Europe, most American Democrats would be considered staunch conservatives.

In this political climate (with the constant influx of corporate cash into the system), the "left" will continue to get nothing. Max Headroom was right; we're living in a 21st Century dystopia.