I'm a lurker. I don't really contribute to the site, using it mostly as a resource for getting the news a few weeks early and learning a few things from insightful contributors that I wouldn't find anywhere else. However, I was extremely active during the presidential campaign in that diaries and stories on Daily Kos motivated me to go door-to-door, phone bank, and donate the portion of my college loans and scholarships that wasn't essential for food or beer (I know, that's probably not kosher).
Anyway, I'm back to just lurking and being inactive. The Congressional Democrats haven't been giving me a reason to get excited and I'm not feeling the same urgency from Obama that I felt a year ago. In fact, judging from what I've been reading on the site, there seems to be a significant portion of the community that's feeling to same way: just itching to support someone who's willing to fight for the public option.
After reading pronin2's excellent diary and seeing a few others over the past couple days, I'm hoping Rep. Raul Grijalva is that person.
After spending months and months hitting my forehead against my keyboard, exhausted with the antics of Baucus and Nelson, frustrated with the lack of advocacy from Obama, with only smatterings of brilliance from Rep. Anthony Weiner (if you're in the mood to watch a good serving or completely-unrelated-to-health-care-but-still-thoroughly-refreshing-smackdown).
With the CPC, CBC, and CHC whipping up their members, we're finally seeing the congressional troops being rallied. I hope Rep. Grijalva and the other Representatives who support the public option realize that those of us who actively supported Obama last year are ready to be rallied too. I know, I know, there are many of you who are already going balls-to-the-wall on the public option (going to town halls, asking for pledges of support for the public option, etc.) but there are many more of us who need someone or something to rally around.
Because, at the end of the day, I feel like no amount of grassroots effort from myself is going to change the mind of those who have been bought by the insurance companies. I'm sorry for being a Negative Nancy (and sorry to any Nancy's out there), but Blue Dogs and Republicans are willing to make any lie, no matter how egregious, to justify their opposition to the public option. All I hear are excuses about how expensive the public option is (no), how unpopular it is (double no), and how it's politically infeasible (only when Democrats act like Republicans), and suggestions to sit down and shut up so that the grownups can get work done (thanks Rahm).
So Rep. Grijalva, you have 80 to 100 votes for a bill with a strong public option? You can count on me doing everything I can to support them. I just want to see a group of high-profile individuals making a fuss louder than any we've seen from the Blue Dogs. I want to see those 80 to 100 Representatives all over the news, calling out Republicans AND Democrats for their hypocrisy, for the bribes they've taken, for their lack of morals and empathy. I want to see you all describing the public option as Medicare for everyone, saving our country money, and talking about how 60-80% of the population supports it. I want to see a fury of blunt honesty that'll embarrass Ross, Cooper, Baucus, and Nelson into acting like Democrats or getting out of the way.
The truth is, if someone starts telling the truth, I'll back them up as best I can and I'm sure many others feel the same way.