We've been bringing knives to a gunfight. We've been getting outflanked by a party that will stop at nothing to deny Obama a victory and deny our citizenry what it needs: universal, affordable health care. Oh those terrible demagogues, we say. Tsk, tsk.
Well demagogue this: What if Obama, in his address to the Joint Session, used a visual illustration to make the point which the MSM has failed to make, to expose the "dirty little secrets" of not just the Republican obstructionists, but the Blue Dog Democrats. What if he used the real "nuclear option"?
What I'm talking about is something most of us here at Daily Kos are familiar with - - Nate Silver's 6/16/09 chart showing how dependent each Senator is upon special interest money:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/...
Let Obama call them out. Then let Enzi, Conrad, Baucus, Grassley, Nelson, et. al., decide between exposing themselves to public shame or doing the honorable thing.
Just the threat of doing it might be enough to change votes.
I know this is considered taboo. I know how ungentlemanly it might seem to name names and point fingers, especially in the hallowed chambers of Congress. But isn't Obama the one who promised us transparency and accountability?
Obama has the big stage. He knows a game-changer is needed now. If not now, when? If not Obama, who? How long will we allow our country to be controlled by special interests? At what point do we say enough is enough?
I know it's a dream. I know it'll never happen. Obama isn't the type. But what if?