(Cross posted from Progressive Blue.)
In case some were wondering, it’s not enough for one to say he has principles; especially "I have principles" followed with a qualifier. The acknowledgment of one’s principles have to be earned by standing by them otherwise they don’t really exist. Principled stances are theoretical lines in the sand. Even though there may be more than 1, there is a line too far where one cannot move the goal post anymore and then claim a principled 1st down. At that point, one cannot breach that line without that breach turning into an unprincipled one. You see, it’s not enough to support a Democrat when that said Democrat doesn’t adhere to the Democratic Party Platform. It’s also not enough to say you care about Medicare when you don’t even admonish those in power that call it an entitlement program.
This kind of framing does not garner support for Medicare and framing matters; ask Drew Westen who predicted the 2010 outcome years before it happened. And no, Medicare’s problems mostly stem from privatization and our other fully privatized system suckling off of it through Medicare Advantage. There was also its precursor in the deal president Clinton made with Republicans in the balanced budget act of 1997 which cut and privatized Medicare partially leading to Medicare Advantage which is 9% less efficient than your grandfather’s Medicare.
Medicare also has to deal with the dumping of the oldest sickest patients thrown out of the private system with little or no preventative care to blunt this fall and so then people are able to say, “See? Look at the Trustees report!” And so therefore we have a medical inflation problem throughout all systems because of this. There is Medicare fraud(con artists defrauding Medicare) which is being tackled more recently which is good, but Medicare doesn’t deserve to sacrifice anything. Medicare is on the chopping block and its days may be limited because our president and Congressional Democrats don't seem to be able to handle any successful negotiation. Why?
It’s highly efficient and what Canada based their single payer system on. The insurance lobby and Chamber of Commerce knows this as it’s popular for a reason; but it cannot function well with a privatized monopolized monster that has its tentacles in it. This monster has much higher administrative costs to boot as Medicare Advantage sucks compared to your grandfather’s Medicare. These negotiations show that Republicans know how to frame this debate to get what they want as they will use the Ryan plan to shove the catfood commission’s proposals down our throat as digby lays out.
I say nay to both, and we are not handling this government shutdown as we should:
Though President Bartlet is a fictional President, this is how it’s done as it was in 1994 though slightly to a lesser extent. Need I remind you that ultimately didn’t go well for Republicans? And so then in the 1998 Republicans did not fare well in that midterm. This needs an answer: “What’s next? In two months 5%? 50%? How many rounds do we go, Paul Ryan?” Then shut it down.
That’s called having principle and standing behind that principle. Wall Street owns most of our debt so calling this bluff whether it happens or not is the appropriate thing to do. Unfortunately we don’t have that kind of leadership in D.C but why would we if we don’t demand it and make excuses for anything and everything this administration does? Standing behind principles is what is behind the seeming recent victory in WI of Democrat Joanne Kloppenburg on the State Supreme Court and the heroes in WI.
In that case as well, unions already gave Walker what he wanted and yet he wanted more. Republicans always want more if you give them an inch they take a mile. He wanted their rights and now they have a right to recall every one of these union busting hypocrites. Fighting for these principles is having the intended effect across the nation as local progressives have had enough. They have earned the right to be called principled because they are principled.
As I have written about the tax cut sellout, this record and definition of “compromise” is not a good one or an accurate one. I can only hope there is some kind of agreement that doesn’t destroy the legacy of the Great Society and the New Deal because that is what defines the Democratic Party Platform. No president, candidate, or Machiavellian dance will ever change that platform. One has to ask one’s self whether they are truly committed to the Democratic Party platform.
If one defends a politician at all costs while saying they disagree but……..the end justifies the means, and by all means let’s cut 60 billion(pell grants, head start, the IRS budget to collect revenue among others) like they want to during a jobs crisis where people are not spending money the economy will continue lacking demand. That's not a principled stand. When Democrats do this and people defend it they can claim a lot of things, but having principles is not one of them.
Update: Even though I like the latest news that the president issued a veto threat for the Republican stop gap, I still better not see 60 billion in cuts or anything from the Ryan plan getting serious attention or the cat-food commission. And no, Main Street "sharing sacrifice" with Wall Street is not principled. It's BS. I'd also like to see bigger defense cuts and higher corporate taxes or lower that 30 billion number agreed to. That would fit within the confines of sticking to the principles of the Democratic Party.
I think the people who are writing and publishing diaries as we speak defending whatever cuts happen preeminently(blaming it all on Republicans who are doing what they do) should have a lot to explain to dying people. People on Medicaid will die either way with 33 billion dollars in cuts or 60 billion which is more likely now. So why should they have to die so Obama sycophancy can live? You diarists should be forced to explain this to them.