Retreat and Surrender

[Joanne98]

Make no mistake about it, health care reform and the public option are the turning point for Obama and this country. Today's New York Times is reporting that factions in the White House are arguing about what compromises they will make in order to get health care reform passed. They did not have to have this argument. If Obama had organized his cohorts and gone on the offensive and stayed on the offensive from the beginning, he would be winning this battle, not losing it. That he did not do so speaks ill of his readiness to govern. If he yields now, then not only was he not ready to govern, he will not be able to govern. He will have knuckled under to the Republicans' bullying, and he will gain neither their cooperation nor their respect. They will know that they have him surrounded, and they will simply ignore and demean him for the rest of his term.

And he will have lost his progressive allies and well-wishers, who will have found that he cares very little for their support. The result will be a Republican return to power on a whole new footing -- even stupider, crazier, and more ruthless. Remember 2000, when the Republicans overran the recount in Florida, then stole the election, and then gloated and sneered about it? Those Republicans are going to look easygoing compared to the 2012 Republicans.

The public option is ground zero in the fight for America's future. It is the only way to actually control and rein in the insurance companies, as was shown when insurance stocks rose on rumors that the public option might be killed. But the public option is also a symbol. It symbolizes who is in power -- the people, who want the public option -- or the corporations, who don't. It's that simple.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-smiley/retreat-and-surrender_b_276288.html

[yurbud]

1. how can Republicans "bully" when they are extreme minority?

DLCers, the corporate-owned Democrats, pretend the GOP is forcing them to corporate-bidding when in fact they would pursue exactly the same policies if there were no GOP and they were the only bitch of Wall Street.

[yurbud]

2. how can Republicans "bully" when they are extreme minority?

DLCers, the corporate-owned Democrats, pretend the GOP is forcing them to corporate-bidding when in fact they would pursue exactly the same policies if there were no GOP and they were the only bitch of Wall Street.

[Demeter]

3. We Needed a Leader--We Got a Figurehead

same old, same old