Josh Marshall noticed it; Steve Benen added his insight to it. Many of us have been buoyed a breeze of optimism over the past week or so. Some of this has to do with the growing numbers in and success of the 99%'ers -- OWS in New York and now going international. But Marshall points to the fact that Obama is now the framer of the national conversation, not the Republicans.
I don't suggest that the president's political fortunes have shifted dramatically. Yet despite the fact that Senate Republicans were able to block a vote on his jobs bill, it seems to have gone with relatively little notice -- probably because it's right there in plain sight -- how much the president's day in and day out push on jobs has simply shifted the national conversation, the focus on what the issue is that requires solving.
I think this is a bigger deal than we realize. ...Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo
Steve Benen is more cautious, but cheerful.
For the better part of 2011, the battle lines were drawn in a way that Republicans loved. The only topics of conversation that were permitted dealt with debt reduction, entitlement “reforms,” spending cuts, and austerity. The question wasn’t whether Washington would impose pain on an already-suffering populace, but how much. The discourse is now a very different place, because the White House had the sense to take a conversational detour. ...Political Animal
One thing I know for sure: what we might call the re-democratizing of the west (Europe, America) is in the hands of protesters who are much more sophisticated and well-equipped than those of us were were 1960's protesters. We were flakes compared to the activists of today. It's not just that the sleeping bags are warmer, but we have many more knowledgeable organizers, great communicators, tenacious volunteers, and, of course, the social media.
