C'mon, Democrats.
Feel what it's like to pass something the minority hates -- HATES -- and celebrate and chant when you succeed, rubbing their noses in it.
Feel the satisfaction of crafting something you think will be successful, honing it, defending it, admitting its imperfections but rallying around it nonetheless.
Don't you want to feel that again?
And again?
And again?
I'm suggesting this mammoth health care overhaul, this year-long marathon, this arduous and frustrating journey, be the catalyst for many more successful campaigns to change this country for the better.
I want to see financial regulatory reform. Bold, decisive, uncompromising.
I want to see environmental regulation and energy reform. Cap and trade. Big ideas. Strong. Meaningful.
And a dozen other things we ran and won on.
Now.
Not next year.
Now.
Ram them down their throats, Democrats.
Rear back and wind up and ram hard. With the base of your palms. Put your backs into it. Consequences be damned.
You have them on their heels. You have them pointing fingers. You have them acting like children. You have them feeling like failures. You have shown them what change feels like.
Don't let up.
Don't pull back now, apologize for the way you had to go about this, wish aloud for renewed bipartisanship, or any other wussy crap.
If you were worried that your 2010 or 2012 opponents would fling mud at you, that ship has sailed! You've overhauled the health care system! That's all they need! You'll be labeled a communist, a socialist, a tax-and-spender, a baby-killer, a grandma-killer, an illegal immigrant apologist, a partisan hack, and everything else they can think of. Even if you do nothing else this term. So why not do a ton more? Why not do whatever you want, knowing they're not going to be holding anything whatsoever back after this?
Let it be known that you have ideas, you have an agenda, and you're moving ahead with it.
Let it be known that you're open to GOP cooperation, GOP ideas, GOP votes, GOP amendments, etc.
But not GOP bullshit.
Let conservative members of both parties know that the train is moving. They can choose to get on board. They can choose to stay on the platform. Or they can choose to stand on the tracks. But it's not stopping.
People who want to contribute to the process, contribute. People who want to obstruct, obstruct. But know that we're out of patience for you, and we've shown here today that we're willing and able to work around you if need be. If you want to be a part of running this country, do so. But if not, don't expect any more lip service.
Be strong, Democrats.
Accelerate. Gas pedal down a bit more, out of the health care reform victory.
Aim higher.
Reach.
Your base is energized. The newspapers are starting to print the truth about the magnitude of what you've done. The GOP has failed to stop you.
Put your ideas into action and let the public see what it's like when motivated Democrats are changing the country. Let them soak that up and compare it with the Bush years. Let the comparisons and results speak for themselves.
Remember what it feels like to win.
Love that feeling.
Work to get it again.
Show them you mean business.
The American people follow leaders. Not wonks, or apologists, or nice guys. Leaders. So lead.
Double down.
Push it.
Take a moment to think about how nervous you might have been about how this would turn out, and then how it actually did turn out. The sky did not fall. The world did not stop turning. Not one Republican lawmaker voted for this bill, yet it will become the law of the land. You did it, by yourselves, and the law will still be the law.
So next time someone makes it sound otherwise, don't listen.
Don't shy away from historical references comparing this victory with Civil Rights, Medicare or Social Security.
Own what you've done.
Tell people the truth about how monumental a change this will be.
Ramp up the rhetoric to match the bullshit you've endured, mostly in silence, from the other side. Make sure they know you're not done.
In short: keep going.