The birthers and the anti-health care screamers are the same people. I think that is obvious. I think the amplification of the birthers was to rev them up for anti-health care activism. And the screaming is just a cover for "bipartisan compromise." What was the big political noise about immediately before the screaming at the congressional town halls? The birthers. That stirred the essential Cheney lovers up, and got them ready to do this attack wave. The pro-corporate strategists knew that Rahm-guided Obama and the congressional Democrats were not going to make a clear stand for anything, would go for this uninspiring empty vagueness on health care, which would give the majority of the people nothing to rally for. Meanwhile, the screaming rightwing lying minority were already marching on the birth thing, and it wasn't hard for them to switch from screaming one kind of obvious lie - the birth certificate thing - to another - that health care reform is about trying to murder grannie and Trig.
The strategists knew that NBC and CNN and ABC and mostly even MSNBC would talk about the screamers as Democracy in Action. It took them months to admit that the birther issue was nuts. They also knew that the Democrats would keep looking for "bipartisanship."
The only possible way health care can get saved is if the Democrats get tough and rally people behind real reform - real medical security for the whole population.
If it doesn't get done right by September, they should turn it into a longer range fight, keep struggling with it, and articulate it to the people in a way people can relate to. The essential issue has to be, do we Americans, or do we not, believe it is in our interest that everyone have medical security? Do we, or do we not, realize that we are a wealthier country if everyone has protection? Wealthy countries take care of the population, and raise the general standard higher.
If it is presented that way, and strongly, by Obama, with the bully pulpit he can unify the party enough to create a groundswell. If they keep playing it so-called bipartisan with the Birther Party, which is what I am going to call Republicans, then they will lose for us and I will start to wonder whether that is not what they intend to do.