Respectfully, I must ask that we change the conversation. I know the world is about to implode because Sarah Palin said some crazy sh*t. And I know Liebermann is teh sux and I, like you, can't wait to unseat him. I'm also completely aware of what the bagger-birther crowd has been saying and doing, and yes I am very worried. BUT I was going through my Obama scrapbook today and I came across something Barack said on the trail.
'If you don't stop telling lies about me, I'll start telling the truth about you,'
Remember this line? I do. Obama, apparently misquoting Lincoln, used it on the trail once he started getting tough in the last couple months of the campaign. From then on, we heard the truth about McCain's innumerable houses, His contributors, his many lies. This community had an incredible role in the more gloves-off truth telling during that time.
I think it's time we start spreading the word.
We're fighting a long hard battle for health care reform. We're closer now than we've ever been to any meaningful change, but deep down we all know this bill tastes like sh*tburger. Why? Because in the interest of compromise we have a public option lite. Why? Because instead of arguing for real reform as a moral imperative, we've had to run from the "socialist" label and talk about the fiscal benefits nobody buys. Why? Because the MSM compares our facts to whatever steaming @ss juice milkshake the lobbyists, republicans, baggers come up with in the interest of balance. Why? because close as we are, it feels like we've been on our heels the whole time, playing more defense than offense.
We have the power to make HCR happen. Ads are running, people are mobilizing, the blogosphere is humming. But the other side is doing that too. In fact they've gotten the most attention for it so far.
Let this be a lesson to us. A lesson? Yeah! I'm reminded of an Obama event during the campaign when pro-life protesters tried to shout him down, and he calmly cooled the booing crowd, and pointed out that "see...even that took people organising to get that done." He was right, that was the real message.
Meaningful HCR has been on the shelf for six decades, and we've got the ideas, but we thought Obama's charm and charisma would push things through. They didn't and they won't get climate legislation done, or Ed. reform, or anything big. But we can. Him, you and I. We were largely caught off guard by how effective the crazies were at disinforming, attracting attention, and mobilizing (or being mobilized). We started this process by opening our supplicant palms when we should have balled up fists and steeled ourselves for a bloody fight.
It's too late to get everything we want out of this bill, but if we move forward with the right attitude it will be one of many and we'll get closer to where we want to go. That said, while we can't get everything we want out of this bill, we can make sure the anti-HCR crowd enjoys as little benefit possible for obstructing it. How? We start telling the truth about them.
We reject the idea that HCR will harm our country, will kill grandma, or threaten personal freedoms and we need to start savagely beating them with that truth. Who's giving them money? What kind of heath care do our congress-people get? How many have gone bankrupt because of catastrophic medical costs? How many have had immediate family denied coverage?
When they call medicaid a "ghetto" do we ask what they mean? We recoil, but we don't hit back.
When they say people like their healthcare, do they realize there is a two-tiered system? within a single medical office.(Steaming Pile)
When they complain about the unsustainable costs, why do they make up lies about death panels? Is it because end of life counseling and new incentives would actually make the Medicare functional fiscally. (Lefty Coaster)
When they use such high stakes rhetoric, what are they actually willing to give up to see HCR not pass, if they believe so strongly? One freshman Senator is willing to put his job on the line for reform.(Zappatero)
They say they want to protect freedom. We want people to laugh at that kind of talk the way they were at "maverick." We don't need to be on defensive where we are strong. It's time for all these liars to get a mouthful of sh*tburger - they must bear the costs of failed bipartisanship! And they need to know there will be a price to pay for their bigotry deceit and lies. That won't happen if we just respond.
We need to be in campaign mode. We need movement! There's relevant content on the interwebs and Youtubez. Why isn't it pushing through to the MSM? because we're not making it happen.
I encourage everyone to promote relevant impactful content they find, and if you're so inclined, share what you've created. I encourage everyone to use Digg (that shovel-man icon you barely notice and mostly ignore) as a powerful resource to move stories important to us into the mainstream conversation. And, when the spirit moves you to change out of your pajamas ;) , I encourage you to go to a live event or organize one. We need to reclaim the narrative, and we can do that by changing the picture on the ground, conversation on the TV, and buzz on the internet.
Our enemies are outspending us by a mile. I'm not convinced we'll have much success competing with their resources, but we have time, creativity and will, and If they're not going to help make us well, we're going to have to start going viral on them!