Home » Blogs » DCblogger's blog

Waterloo or Sarajevo?

Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:32pm — DCblogger

The Republicans are pushing the idea that the fight for health care reform could be Obama's Waterloo. Everyone keeps refighting the previous war. The whole of Versailles thinks that it is still 1993.

I don't think so, I think the debate over health care reform is Versailles' Sarajevo, the debate that collapses a decrepit political order. Arguably that was the Iraq debate, which is still playing out.

To change historical metaphors, I am also reminded of the German election of 1998, which created the Red/Green coalition. The German Social Democrats led by Gerhard Schröder continued their support for nuclear energy while the Green party took an uncompromising stand for renewable energy. They won enough seats to be included in the governing coalition and were put in charge of energy policy.

The health care debate offers the same opportunity. The whole of the political power structure is out of tune with the American people.

Keep contacting your representatives, state and federal, keep writing letters to the editor. The wind is at our backs.

»

Comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Let's to the Winter Palace, quickly!

By lambert on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 12:46pm

A flippant response to a post that I think gets it right.

—

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi

»

It's gonna be dang hot at the Winter Palace July 30th!

By gob on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 7:55pm

Really, please be there if you can!

—

Policy not party!

»

Alas

By koshembos on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 2:12pm

We may all care dearly about health care, but come election time I don't believe it will have a crucial effect. Guns, taxes and awful economy will dominate.

—

KoshemBos

»

Toll-Free Tele # for Congress & Petition

By NAVDOC3RDMAR on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 4:34pm

Follow the Money... Link

Sign this Single-Payer Health Care Petition: Link

Call Congress and demand,

SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE FOR ALL NOW!

SEMPER FI!

—

NAVDOC3rdMAR
USN (Ret.)
New Orleans,LA.

"Veni Vidi Vici"

»

I sure hope you are right...

By mass on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 6:44pm

I read stuff like this:

He gets at least as many complaints from people who want a so-called "single-payer" plan entirely run by the government, he said.

"None of the plans ... come remotely close to a single-payer plan, none of them," Obama said. "And that's to the consternation of a lot of people who are advocating for single-payer.

"We inherit a tradition of employer-based health care, of a strong private marketplace for health care and the idea that you would scrap that is unworkable," he said. "We need to build on the system we have, which blends government programs with a strong private marketplace to achieve a uniquely American result."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...

And, I cringe.

—

Medicare for All is Civil Rights

»

Sarajevo

By DCblogger on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 7:19pm

If you have an hour, you might watch this film on the revolutions that came out of the first world war.

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Revolution, and the Easter Uprising came at the very end of the First World War. The thing about decrepit regimes is that when the collapse they go all at once.

I don't want to over do this, I think Germany in 1998 is much closer to the mark. But our political establishment is completely dysfunctional.

To switch historical metaphors one more time, I see Obama as a Gorbachev type of figure. He understands that changes need to be made but cannot bring himself to see that truly revolutionary changes are necessary.

»

Yeah, scrap what's unworkable

By lambert on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 8:44pm

Like the health insurance industry.

—

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi

»