Mary Landrieu's appearance on MSNBC is the last straw for me; she is a net detriment to the Democratic party. She and her ilk fundamentally undercut the vitality of the party, and their continued dominance leads Americans of different affiliations to the thought: What point is there in voting for Democrats? So, this is me raising a flag: if Senator Landrieu can't bring herself to support the party consensus on this primal Democratic issue, the party should no longer support her. Any fellows among the Parishes who feel similarly (and if you're here, how could you not a bit?) we need to organize. There is no change without real strength.
My letter to Senator Landrieu:
I just saw the Senator's appearance on MSNBC from a few days ago, and quite frankly it was embarrassing. On the basis of what she said, it leads me to believe that she is either so totally in the pocket of insurance lobbyists so as to have to spout self-contradictory nonsense to defend against the obvious utility of the public option, or simply does not actually know what the policy entails.
After viewing the interview, I was left with the perception that the Senator has confused a single payer system with the public option. For example, she touted her belief in "the market" and her opposition to the government "running every program." These are misplaced arguments when applied against the market-based reform of the public option. The public option merely provides competition to the existing market; it is not Medicare for All, which is a policy one might label "free healthcare" if they were informed. No, what people hear when the phrase public option is said is affordable healthcare.
Indeed, the Senator is exactly backwards. A vote for the public option is a vote for the market, which is to say, the mechanism by which competition provides better services at cheaper prices by the ability of the consumer to choose between the various services. I myself am a fan of the market. A vote against the public option is a vote for the insurance cartel to continue to use its anti-trust exemption to maintain its monopoly control over the majority of state markets. Support of monopolies is contradictory to support of the market, and thus the source of my assertion against the Senator.
Further, to vote for an individual mandate, included in the Finance Committee Bill, thereby requiring every citizen to purchase these policies, grown to exaggerated price and poor service due to their being shielded from competition and a real market, is to reinforce monopoly.
In the interview the Senator also said she believes in public-private partnerships, again leading me to believe the Senator doesn't know the content of the public option or is disingenuously misrepresenting it; the public option is the epitome of a public-private partnership, whereby the government and private enterprise have a symbiotic relationship. The government operates as a gardener, not as the sole provider.
To reiterate from previous phone calls and messages sent, there is no issue more important to Democrats than real healthcare reform; and there is no real reform without the public option. If the Senator can not refrain from filling her pockets with AHIP and other lobbyist's money long enough to get out of way of the near unanimous support in the party for the public option (80 - 90% variously among Democrats in numerous polls; prominent Congressmen and Senators on the conservative fringe of the party similarly padding their war chests not withstanding) there is no place in the Democratic party for the Senator. The Senators arguments might work on the average voter who isn't really paying attention; that may even be a majority of Louisiana's citizens, but I think the Senator has miscalculated how deep and broad the passion is for health care insurance reform. If the Senator persists in repeating Republican Party talking points in such a ham-handed fashion, the question is not 'if' she will have a primary challenger, but 'how many.' That primary challenge is several years away, but such is the dedication of the rank and file to the public option, you can count on it.
Sincerely,
Aaron Baczkowski
Lifelong Democrat, frequent donor & campaign volunteer
Increasingly a supporter of whoever in the future initiates a primary challenge against the Senator.
I live in New Orleans, but was born and raised in Buffalo, and among other differences between the places, (such as the fact this city lacks real seasons) the conservative bent among the the state's politics is perhaps the most jarring. It is a knee-jerk conservatism; most people haven't really had any trenchant arguments for a progressive or liberal positions and the Democrats pointed in their direction, and hearing Mary Landrieu's performance on MSNBC the other day, the origin of that condition has become pretty clear. With local Democrats reciting Republic party talking points and no real voice for liberalism, who can be surprised how many Federal Democrat Hunting Permit bumper stickers you see, even in the city?
I am a great supporter of Howard Dean; his campaign was the first to which I ever gave (it was in the primaries, after reading about Dr. Dean releasing a picture of himself eating a $5 sandwich at a fundraiser in response to a news story about a $1000-a-plate dinner Dick Cheney had held). And I very much agree with his idea that people can be persuaded; half the Democrats' problems come from its leaders being afraid to make a persuasive argument in favor of Democratic party principles. If you have an articulate candidate fighting aggressively for the 'Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party,' you will not only see those candidates win, but opposition to liberalism wane. The greatest trick the Republican party ever pulled was convincing people that it is the Party of the people (though they had great allies in the historical analogues of Max Baucus with his individual mandate, public option-less mess of a bill.)
Mary Landrieu is a net detriment to the Democratic party, and she needs to be primaried. If half-republicans like her are allowed to thwart the will of the majority of the party and the country, bringing about awful compromise bills which give life to the argument that the Democratic party is what the Republicans characterize it as, without repercussions, then we will continue to have a party dominated and hindered by its conservative fringe. So, we need to either pressure them to vote like Democrats, or remove them from office.
As I said in my letter, the primary is several years away, and memories being what they are, who can blame whatever reader in her office gets my message for disregarding it as bluster? No, what is required is action and organization, to put meat to it: talk is cheap. So I put this to you: we need to demonstrate the depth of our feelings and move her on her vote, and if she doesn't: follow through and set the groundwork for a primary challenge.
If I might suggest the direction of commentary to this diary: suggestions for immediate courses of action, such as renting a billboard in the NOLA area and other cities (I don't know the rate in the city, but according to story of the efforts of the recent HS grad who set up the Fire Dick Jauron website and rented a digital billboard, it was $1500 per week). Its a real possibility she won't be swayed, so to would proceed we'd need to set-up some organization (would it be premature to talk about a PAC?) so any advice on that, would be greatly appreciated. If you live in Louisiana and want to join in, let me know who you are: primarysenatorlandrieu@yahoo.com.