Currently there are a number of diaries over the last few weeks attacking Jane Hamsher, supporting Jane Hamsher, some saying the HCR bill should be passed, others saying kill the bill.
I say all these diaries are off target and are playing into GOP hands.
The first question I ask is what changes the Republicans will support for the Healthcare system? None
What did they do when they had control of the Congress and the Whitehouse? A giveaway to Pharma!!!
So, what are we arguing about? Whether we are better off with the less than perfect Democratic bill?
This is all a diversion.
Rather than lsoing site of the goal and attacking each other, we should be identifying the real problem and addressing that problem.
What is the real problem???
I would suggest that the real problem is not that Obama did not push hard enough, not that Republicans sought too hard, it is because there are not enough progressive Democrats in the Senate!!!
Rather than fighting each other, we should be redoubling our efforts to get more progressive Senators elected.
In New Hampshire, we have Republican Judd Gregg retiring in a state that went for Obama and where both Representatives are Democrats. We need to work hard to replace Gregg with a progressive Democrat, just like Sununu was replaced in 2008.
In North Carolina, we have Republican Richard Burr who is up for reelection in a state that switched to the Democratic column in the 2008 Presidential election and elected a progressive Democrat for the Senate in the form of Kay Hagan.
In Ohio, Republican Senator George Voinovich is retiring. This again is an Obama state where seats in the House changed hands in 2008.
In Florida, Republican George LeMieux is not running with Charlie Crist or the Club for Growth Teabagger Marco Rubio running to replace him. Again, this is a state where Obama turned the tide of 2000 and 2004 and won (yes, I know that Gore actually won in 2000).
The bottom line is that if we get active, and get Democrats in these 4 seats Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, and Max Baucus lose their bargaining power!
Then again, we could fight the civil war and let Harry Reid get replaced, let Rubio win in Fla, return Burr for another term of saying NO so that we wouldn't get anything else passed that is even close to progressive.
We must marginalize the blue dogs and the only way to do this is by electing more progressives, not by arguing about Jane Hamsher.