This diary contains two letters - first one pointing to the difficulty in getting out the Progressive votes and a couple of steps that might be helpful.
Second letter is written in response to the President's remarks at a fundraiser and which are directly relevant to the points raised in the first letter.
First Letter to Administration, Journalists, Progressive Organizations.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Among other things Progressives are bothered about a HCR bill so sham that no Dems are advertising this so called "historical" bill. They are bothered that the major benefits including subsidies will not begin until 2014; meanwhile 200,000 people (45000 x 4) will die for lack of affordable access to health insurance. They are upset that Public Option and the opening of Medicare for the 55-64 age group are both discarded in the final bill. They are concerned that Democratic credibility will be at risk when the public realizes that the unaffordable premiums are not coming down significantly, because lack of real competition.
If the Administration and the Democratic Leadership say all of this is result of necessary compromises – they should explain who are they compromising with. Name some names. This bit of honest speak would have work.
If all of this is a bit too much at this stage, minimally have Rahm Emanuel offer a sincere apology (including reasons for the contempt he holds) and for Gibbs to likewise apologize simply and directly. If they do that, it should mollify many a Progressive. There has to be a clear recognition of the Progressive positions in order to give them a way out of their dilemma.
IT IS NOT GOING TO WORK TO HAVE CONTEMPT OF PROGRESSIVES AND YET EXPECT THEM TO GET ENTHUSED BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF THE REPUBLICAN TEABAGGERS.
PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS!!!
Yours truly,
Arvind Agrawal
A second Letter to Administration, Journalists, Progressive Organizations, in response to President’s implied response to the letter above.
Dear Friends,
By the way as for not getting a response from the Whitehouse is concerned, finally the top dog himself made a statement yesterday night. It completely sidesteps or perhaps tramples on the question asked in the beginning of the previous letter.
To wit,
"Democrats congenitally tend to get — see the glass as half-empty. If we get an historic Health Care Bill passed – oh, well the Public Option wasn’t there. And gosh we haven’t yet brought about world peace and I thought that was going to happen quicker."
What travesty – mother Obama did not give the Progressive children the PO candy and they are now throwing a tantrum. I hope the President sees that the Progressives did not want PO for personal gratification, as a prestige issue or something to bandy about. It was after understanding the value of it in premium reduction and providing benchmark implementation of the HCR. Most of these words are not only found in many of the campaign promises they can be traced to the President’s speech where he spoke about it until he stopped talking about it.
If PO was not important Progressive groups would not have spent the massive manpower and money, organizing support for the President in securing the PO. Now he down plays the importance of the PO. He could have saved us our precious resources if he dissuaded us early on.
In the previous letter, I had requested that Rahm/Gibbs come clean and apologize for their contemptuous remarks as a way of trying to making amends and enthuse the Progressive base.
Please note that the glass you see half full of nectar — is not enabling the Dems across the country to sell this nectar. In fact they are assiduously avoiding marketing this heavenly product. I believe that glass is half full with Rahmade, a pungent flavored drink.
Your remarkable dumping on the Progressives a month before the elections is not only dishonest it appears be bad politics. I have been wrestling with the problem of GOTV of Progressives. I can not bring for myself to imbibe of the Rahmade let alone sell it to others.
Mr President, why do you and your staff continue to make our job of stopping the Republican Tea Party takeover. Just scaring the voters about the big bad GOP wolves is not enough, we gotta load our carts with some sell-able nectar.
Sincerely,
Arvind Agrawal
The Confused Progressive Donkey.
Progressive Refuse To Move.
Resulting Enthusiasm Gap.
The bottom line!