Rahm Emanuel thinks that not having a health care bill passed is what killed the Dems in 1994 -- hence the hair-on-fire gotta-get-it-by-Christmas silliness and the beating up of House progressives like Ellison and Baldwin -- when in fact it was Rahm's pushing NAFTA through in 1993 that was the main thing that caused millions of demoralized Demos to stay home the following year.
This is something that we have to explain to the House progressives -- or any other Democratic House members -- who are thinking of allowing the Senate's bill to slide on through without reconciliation. (Besides, the only people who know for sure what all's in it are the insurance lobbyists -- and they just announced that "we win", which means most Americans lose.)
Rahm Emanuel thinks that not having a health care bill passed is what killed the Dems in 1994 -- hence the hair-on-fire gotta-get-it-by-Christmas silliness and the beating up of House progressives like Ellison and Baldwin -- when in fact it was Rahm's pushing NAFTA through in 1993 that was the main thing that caused millions of demoralized Demos to stay home the following year.
I myself just called Ellison’s office to let them know that just because Rahm says they need a bill — ANY bill — before Christmas doesn’t make it so, and that a Rahm-favored public-option-less bill that forces people to buy insurance that costs more and covers less (or else pay thousands in fines) is what will demoralize progressives going into next year, just as Rahm’s ramming through NAFTA in 1993 caused the betrayed Democratic base to stay home in 1994.
Emphasize these points, over and over again, when/if you call your Democratic representatives:
1) A bad mandate-packed bill without even a PO will hurt Dems FAR FAR MORE than no bill at all, much less a good bill. Don’t be stampeded by fake deadlines into committing electoral suicide.
2) Rahm is the same genius who gave us NAFTA in 1993, which caused millions of unhappy Dems to stay home the next year. Obama and Congressional Dems listen to him at their peril.