A + B =

From various recent posts by Digby:

If "A" equals the influence exerted over politicians by Pete Peterson, et al.

And "B" equals a compliant academic/political/media establishment at the ready to push same.

What follows "=" is akin to "regulatory capture"; in this case, capture of a once conventionally liberal establishment.

And so, we get stuff like erstwhile slasher of Social Security receiving award named for a key figure in Social Security history, and architect of Medicare. The latter program having been established with the expectation that it would evolve into universal health care.

Well, it's not really algebra: the formula yields lots of results, but all are predictable and advance the plan.

No one can know what makes Obama tick, but I agree with those who think what motivates him here is the "legacy" angle, of being determined to get the kind of establishment approbation Clinton gets for "welfare reform."

Via Digby again: these charts, with telling captions in between graphics—

In each of the charts below look for the year 1981, when Reagan took office.

Conservative policies transformed the United States from the largest creditor nation to the largest debtor nation in just a few years, and it has only gotten worse since then...

Working people's share of the benefits from increased productivity took a sudden turn down...

This resulted in intense concentration of wealth at the top...

Which forced working people to go into debt...

Again, we can thank Saint Ron. Among so many other deeds, he slayed the health care threat.

4/2 update: just back from a break today is Sam Seder, discussing all of the above with Digby. Depressing as it is, it's some of the only public discussion of whether Democrats will ever wake up to how Republicans are salivating over the "Democrats slashed Social Security and Medicare" theme they anticipate using for their campaigns. Or whether Democrats simply are willing to do the dirty work because, in Sam's words, "the media will never punish Democrats for making government less responsive to the people, in fact, they will reward a Democrat for making government less responsive to the people."