distract: verb
to draw attention away.
The party leadership now has a way to distract us from the public option in conference. They allowed the Stupidpak amendment to be put in so that we will focus much of our attention on taking it out, and will be distracted from what otherwise would be our focus on the quality of the PO in the final bill out of conference.
Call me cynic, troll, whatever, I have lost all tolerance for the way this process has proceeded.
Call it distraction, call it divide and conquer, call it anything you want, but recognize it for what it is: a true sell-out of progressives and a methodical dismissal and dilution of what we stand for.
We had no floor debate about single payer, why? We had no floor debate about what kind of public option we should have, why? We had an amendment allowed on the floor that is the single largest blow to reproductive rights in my lifetime, why?
We are left with a situation in which our focus going into conference is divided and our energy is diffused.
This does not at all feel accidental to me, and I feel betrayed and used.
This is not change I can believe in.
This is one of two things: this is massive mismanagement or this is betrayal.
With this leadership, getting this result from our grassroots effort, on two issues where we have clear majorities in public opinion, this is not my party.
Twelve dimensional chess? Then call this check, fellow progressives, with mate in two moves. Don't you dare let them convince you that there is anything to celebrate. Can it possibly surprise you that I would rather have ownership of my body than have insurance?