Inspired by the beautiful simplicity and devastating effect of Alan Grayson's emasculation of the Republican smoke-and-mirrors health care scam, I've begun to respond to Democratic fund raising appeals with the simple statement, "NO PUBLIC OPTION, NO MONEY"
Today I received a fundraising call from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, asking for a donation. I've been a strong supporter since the dark ages of the Bush Bamboozlement-probably losing my job at the time due to my politics. I donated repeatedly, as much as my wife would let me, and watched with deep satisfaction as she-essentially apolitical and nervous about confronting the morans-decided enough was enough and proudly mounted an Obama sticker on her car during the campaign. This was an act of courage on her part, as she works in a rural area dominated by the haters.
I took my kids to the first Obama campaign rally in Indianapolis, waited for hours to get in, then stood in the pouring rain to hear the future president, because I wanted them to experience history. They've never regretted going. I've canvassed for Obama, and engaged in numerous altercations with friends (now probably former friends) and colleagues, standing up tall for the progressive policies that mark the center. Most prominently, the public option.
Like all of us, I've been astonished at the cowardice and greed of the Baucuses, the Conrads, the Lincolns, the Bayhs, and the execrable Blue Dogs. And, I hope that this doesn't extend to the President himself. I am convinced that if the Democrats do not pass universal health care with a strong public option, they will probably destroy their hopes for maintaining their majority.
Why? We all know the arguments. Without a competing plan to the cancerous private insurance companies, a universal mandate will force all of us into their rapacious and unrepentant hands. It will be a bonanza for them, and a disaster for the rest of us. The Republicans will rip into the Dems with such glee, and there will be no one to defend the President, for he will have permanently alienated the base that had his back with such enthusiasm during the campaign. His current loss of popularity was completely from this loss of the base, and that is why the mouth-breathing neanderthals could win the day, with abso-fucking-lutely nothing but 3rd-grade-level taunting.
Now Alan Grayson has shown us what a Democrat looks like. The Republicans are such easy targets! They got NOTHING! Just stand up and say it! You don't need a dissertation-they got nothing.
So, following Mr. Grayson's elegant refutation of the clowns (Don't Get Sick, and if you do, Die Quickly-not even TEN WORDS), I've adopted a similarly simple, yet potent formulation for the weak-kneed fools in the Democratic Party.
When they call, say, NO PUBLIC OPTION, NO MONEY (5 words).
When they write, write back on the envelope, NO PUBLIC OPTION, NO MONEY (hat tip to the commenter in another diary who suggested exactly these words).
When Organizing for America emails, respond NO PUBLIC OPTION, NO MONEY.
Thank you Mr. Grayson, time for me to get out the plastic and shoot some money your way.
UPDATE: I didn't make this clear. While I will not enable the Blue Dogs, I will heartily support those Dems who I believe get it right (Dean, Grayson, Act Blue, the Progressive Congressional Congress, Rockefeller, et al)