Ok, it's too late to do much about Joe Lieberscum. But it's not too late to learn something.
And Democrats will have to accept the responsibility if we fail to do so.
And the time to start is now, and continues on through the 2010 mid-term elections.
The talk seems to be that the liberal base will sit on their hands out of resentment, apathy, whatever.
And that will be the blunder of the century.
To try to help us avoid that, the gloves have come off, and Dr. Dean is leading the way, again.
I think Dr. Dean has it right, but is deliberately playing hard ball, and reversing the psychology in the process. I think when he says let's kill the bill, he means merely to show just how pissed off liberals really are, to show some real spine, now that they've been awakened from their 40+ year slumber.
And I think when he says we should just use reconciliation to get something decent done, he really is telegraphing the opposite suggestion - that if this weak bill is the only practical way to get certain reforms done, then do it, grudgingly of course - but not without coming in aftwerward and using reconciliation to shore it up - by instating some sort of medicare buy-in or other public plan for all those that this bill will leave without coverage. Sure that would have to be renewed in 5 years, but it will have a chance to prove its own merits in the meantime, assuring it then gets a real permanent vote of its own at that time - as no politician would be able to vote to take it away... ala medicare.
Why the psychology? For the same reason that Joe Lieberscum used as an excuse to dick over every living American, again: Because when Rep. Weiner (NY) openly said something was good, it was an invitation to dump it -- You cannot be honest when the GOP have so mastered dishonesty as a weapon.
To mix the metaphor a bit, with all due apologies for doing so, Dr. Dean is going "all-in". And he's taking a ton of white-hot heat from fellow Democrats - who enjoy a majority he was the architect of - so that there is an "out" later on that the GOP will be too busy dancing in the streets thinking they won a big victory to take note of and prepare for.
This may seem to some to be overly optimistic and sympathetic to Dr. Dean, or the Senate, or whoever.
But I really believe that it is the case. It's hardball 101. And Dr. Dean and a few other top Dems decided to break it out now, because they have no choice.
It would have been better, easier, to just be able to count on a simple procedural vote of party-loyalty, but Joe Lieberscum screwed that up.
And make no mistake, Joe will not be bruised. He can lose his Senate seat, and still have a nice multi-million dollar cushion courtesy of the insurance companies to land on.
But the rest of the country will be battered badly if we don't find a way to circumvent his disgusting behavior.
And if Dr. Dean and others are going to go to the mat on this, all us common-folk Dems had best be prepared to do the same.
And like the election last year, it will require "leaving it all on the field of battle". It will be a bruising mid-term that follows a bruising Summer, a painful Spring, a treacherous New Year, and a wince-inducing tomorrow and day after tomorrow, on through Xmas.
No one is exempt from duty.
It's time to face a few facts and move on to prepare:
- Lieberscum and the GOP and big insurance will appear to take a victory on this bill
- But the only way to insure they don't in the end is to get it passed, preferrably without the mandate to buy it
- and then "fix" the gaps in reconciliation, by providing a real public option to all those left out...
- and start working now for November 2010