Fri, 07/31/2009 - 8:15pm — lambert
[Because I forgot to classify this under the Department of the Happy Dance, I'm leaving it sticky for a bit. -- lambert]
Pressure works. Bring the pain!
Class is out. No more "lectures." Let the "recess" begin!
NOTE Violet asks: Is it theatre? My answer. Shorter: It's not a question of theatre. It's a question of advantage.
UPDATE David Swanson gives a fine explanation of the theatre. And as the Ragin Grannies say, "If it's theatre, learn your lines and get on the stage!"
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But don't forget...
... the A-list blogs and kabuki-jerk groups like MoveOn.org were right not to push for single payer. It's not like there's some window of political possibilities that would be shifted in the desired direction by doing so, after all.
it was all part of their 729-dimension plan
to get the rest of us to agitate for single payer! something we lazyass single payer wishful thinkers would never have done had they not been reverse-psychologizing us all this time.
Doesn't matter
The insults and lectures and lies are on the record. I will take great pleasure in skewering any of that nonsense. Of course, since Corrente is a blog that everybody hates and nobody reads... Haw.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
drat!
i forgot my /snark tag again.
:)
Hey, I KNOW I'm a nobody!
Do you have to keep rubbing it in?
JFK has been shot, we miss him a lot
He always knew what to do
-- Philly Cream
Can't beat this kind of money, so pain it will have to be--
From commenter myiq2xu at The Confluence, a link to health industry donations in 2008:
There's more at the link, with graphic representation of amounts.
Trying to soothe
the anger of constituents. I don't believe many are serious at all. They will have the vote, lose, then hold press conferences preaching "they tried".
If they were serious, they would not have come out with statements that they had reached a deal and Waxman would not have given the store away to the Blue Dogs and Republicans in the first place.
Do they really think that voters are that naive? They have completely ignored the voters; have treated us like illiterate chattel; ignored any semblance of democratic governing; and refuse any transparency about what they are dictating for the peoples health care. They most likely expect the anger to subside, pass their ridiculous bill and move on.
It is comical and truly pathetic.
Well, we'll just have to get their attention then
Times are different now.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Yes. But Then We Will Have Them On Record
No more, "I would if I could" bullshit. They either vote for it or against it and if they're against it, well they are all up for re-election in 2010.
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. " - Eleanor Roosevelt
Exactly
This is one of those "teachable moment" thingies the president is always paying lip service to, except that this one will conclude in a revelation. These congresspersons will be revealed as being for or against single-payer.
But, we've always been at war with Eastasia...
except that....
...except that this is a purely "symbolic" vote --- Pelosi knows she has enough votes to defeat the proposal going in (indeed, I'd not be surprised if this vote wasn't part of the Blue Dog compromise...everyone else gets to vote for single payer while still sucking at the teat of the insurance companies...)
True, Paul
Then they'll blame the Blue Dogs again instead of trying to strong arm them into supporting something better and something their constituents will like. (Although I'm hoping some organizing is occurring in Blue Dog and GOP districts to at least put a little fear into them.)
And then the Dems and their "progressive" supporters will point to this vote and say "See Single Payer was never politically possible". At that point the progressive caucus, having got its vote, will provide enough votes to pass some horribly watered down bill.
The upside, however, is that there is going to be a vote on single payer, which means the shitty bill that probably ends up passing faced a better alternative and that's important, framing-wise, as we go forward. Because I'm betting whatever they pass ends up pissing people off rather quickly. So we need to be able to point out it wasn't the only option, they just wouldn't pass the better option (and we could always do this, but I think a vote helps). And hold Dems accountable - as a party - for failing to pass meaningful healthcare reform. Now, one way to do that is to head out after all the people who vote no on single payer since they are such conservative assholes they're willing to vote no. And to go after the party leadership for doing nothing to try to pass it other than bringing it up for a vote in the House, that includes, btw, noting repeatedly that Obama didn't whip for it, the House leadership didn't push for it, the Senate leadership was awol.
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. " - Eleanor Roosevelt
It's also an opportunity.
It's an opening.
Medicare for All is Civil Rights
yep
people in power never just hand over the keys to the kingdom simply because a few lesser beings ask politely for them.
Well, if money is the mother's milk of politics....
... the symbolism is the, er....
Who said that symbolic meant meaningless or trivial? Not me!
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Those public option hacks had better
get on board with Medicare for All since they all say, "But that's what the public option will lead to in just like 200 years".
Medicare for All is Civil Rights
Yep
It just won't be our elected representatives going on record, will it?
These things are always so educational.
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. " - Eleanor Roosevelt
Well, we have little time, and we
are going to have to drag these people kicking and screaming. Unbelievable. I checked out DK to see if people were beginning to see the possibility. Nope. The top rated health care diary reports it, then says of course this will never happen, but hey, it helps us get a robust public option. Birthers dominate the FP.
Medicare for All is Civil Rights
Organize. Picket. March. Write. Call. No letup.
No surrender. No retreat. NOT. ONE. INCH.
Medicare for Everybody, NOW -- that's the BASELINE.
Got a Congressmember's office within walk/bike/driving distance of your house? Show up with a sign and keep walking back and forth in front of the office during the recess.
We can admit that we’re killers … but we’re not going to kill today. That’s all it takes! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
1 John 4:18
Love it.
I'll be visiting with my Mr. Frank ASAP. He lives a few blocks away.
Medicare for All is Civil Rights
I want my Medicare, now, Dear Congressperson. NOW NOW NOW!
It's got be referred to as Medicare for All, bcz everybody knows what Medicare is, how it works, and what it does. The pols just have to honest about it--which they haven't been (leaders and prez, especially) about their creepy 1000 plus page abominations..
Good sign: If you want your Medicare NOW, call your representative NOW.
It can be done before freakin' 2013, fer sure.
Tony Blankley was on The Diane Rehm Show today and said that when a party is offering a really good program, they don't care if the opposition party votes for it (if they have the numbers, of course). If they say opposition votes are really important if often means they fear the public is not going to like the legislation and they want to spread the blame.
And if it's something the public will love, the oppo party will vote for it to share the glory.
Digby, too
Here. Get them all on record immediately.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Can we get the Freeway Blogger Corps on this too?
Get the word out. I posted at Burnt Orange. (Never done that before.) I'm commenting like crazy at The Great Orange Satan (anybody care to join me?) and everywhere else I can think of.
We can admit that we’re killers … but we’re not going to kill today. That’s all it takes! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
1 John 4:18
Thanks! And do join Sarah...
I burned up the wires at OpenLeft and FDL today... But thanks for going out on GOS; I'm still in once-bitten-twice shy mode over there, I guess.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
It was the highest-rated item on DU
http://www.democraticunderground.com/dis...
I wonder how many people realize this is a challenge to Dems at least as much as it is to Repubs....
Yep
If the Dems want to survive as a party, they need to do the right thing now, and not in 2013.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
It couldn't have hurt, what you all have been doing
Corrente is my go to blog for single payer, er Medicare for All advocacy. Congrats.