Prescription for Disaster: Death of Public Option Could Depress Democratic Base in 2010

[t0dd]

Source: Firedoglake



It is time for a fair warning to all Democrats currently in Congress: Don’t be shocked when your bases does not turn out next year.

The public option is still supported by 59% of Americans and 80% of self-identified Democrats. Despite its overwhelming popularity, the Democrats in the Senate have been working tirelessly to kill the public option.

Will the entire Democratic base be so crestfallen simply because the final health reform package lacks a public option that they will all not turn out in 2010? No, but the public option is only one of the biggest symbols of the pure failure of Democrats to live up to their party platform. It is a 50-pound log put on the back of an already overloaded camel.

It is also unlikely that this health care bill will contain the extremely popular drug re-importation amendment which would help every American get their medications at lower prices, even though it has been a top promise for years from the Democratic party. The House health care bill contains the biggest roll back of women’s reproductive rights in a generation. The Senate bill has the most stupid, vile, bigoted anti-immigrant idea I’ve even seen in a Democratic bill.

That last provision would make it illegal for undocumented immigrants to pay full price for private health insurance on the new exchange. It is a knee-jerk, draconian, political move that attempts to appease the teabaggers while ending up costing the taxpayers even more money. Instead of buying insurance, the undocumented immigrants will be forced to use the emergency rooms for all their basic health care needs.

More here: http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/12/10/dont-be-shocked-when-the-democratic-base-does-not-turn-out-in-2010/

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. Well, that and the endless useless illegal wars. And the Wall Street fellation

among a few other things. :evilfrown:

[t0dd]

3. Like the WH making secret deals with Big Pharma? That's one of the most disgusting of all to me.. nt

[Hekate]

18. Does anyone know what's actually IN those "secret deals"? I keep reading references to them, but...

... can't recall any actual details. Could be I just missed that part in scanning the headers.

Hekate

[t0dd]

19. Yes. Here's a summary of the terms.

The WH agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to import drugs from Canada among other things.

[yurbud]

22. they would object to that fellatio comment if their mouths weren't full.

[RDANGELO]

2. The Republicans are going to run on eliminating the health

care bill. That means millions of Americans are going to lose health care, and thousands will die every year because they don't have coverage. That would motivate me.

[t0dd]

5. We'll see how many of the rest of us are motivated. nt

[silverweb]

4. Which is the sole reTHUG goal.

Big surprise.

[Echo In Light]

7. Establishment goal: maintain the two party ruse while protecting & aiding big biz

[The Magistrate]

6. This Is A Very Real Danger, Sir

The course taken by rightist Democrats is suicidal, for the Party and themselves as well. It will not be the liberal stalwarts who lose their seats over this; it will be conservative Democrats who go down to defeat. Had they the necessary qualities of courage and boldness, they could have chosen to stand with the people who vote for them most reliably, and worked to energize their devotion. Instead, they set a course of trimming and attempting to appeal to people who will never vote for them in a thousand years. They will pay the price, but do damage to the whole as well, since our majorities will be slimmer, and the enemy will feel the wind at its back.

"Good policy is good politics."

[leftstreet]

8. But honestly, wouldn't Harry Reid be thrilled to be back in the minority?

He could then legitimately blame the big, bad Republicans

:cry:

[The Magistrate]

10. Reid, Sir, Needs To Be Retired To Private Life

He is an unmitigated failure. Our caucus must end this practice of voting as Majority Leader some non-entity from a rural, Republican-dominated state. The leadership must be in the hands of reliable persons who represent a solidly Democratic constituency if anything is to be accomplished.

[leftstreet]

11. (thumbsup)

:thumbsup:

[Cary]

13. It will be our own agenda that will go down to defeat, and. . .

it will be because we true believers dropped the ball.

My fellow DUers have convinced me beyond a shaddow of a doubt that they're eager to cut off our own nose to spite our face.

I am deeply saddened, but it's clear we aren't worthy of the tasks. We're weak and the pukes are going to have a field day feeding on our weakness.

[FiveGoodMen]

25. As long as we accept betrayal after betrayal from our own party

The Democrats will never be more than one short step behind the pukes in their rightward stampede.

There will soon be nothing left to save.

[Vincardog]

20. I for one hope it will be the party over policy "centrists" who go down to defeat. Hopefully it

will be defeat to true Progressives in the primaries and they (the true progressives)will go on to win. How do we answer the "pragmatists" who insist that we have to sell out our policies to win Pyrrhic victories electing right wing politicians to undercut our progressive policies?

[Shagbark Hickory]

9. They've done it to themselves. It doesn't have to be this way.

[PHIMG]

12. Merge the tribes : Public Option + Medicare For All = real healthcare reform

Who is going to be the 2012 primary candidate that makes a name for himself running on a "Medicare For All" platform and against the DLC stain?

[NJmaverick]

14. Why does Dean and Krugman support the current deal?

[Wilber_Stool]

15. Not if someone runs

against the incumbents. I'd camp out all night to vote against an incumbent.

[rudy23]

16. I think ObamaRahma wants to lose so that their hand is "forced" by a Rep. Congress

into moving their corporate agenda forward, to please their donors.

[Triana]

17. As well it should. n/t

[AspenRose]

21. This is what happened in Virginia with Deeds

DNC, you've been warned

[leveymg]

27. You're right, and even Tim Kaine agrees with you.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111603533.html

Democrat Deeds ran without his base, Kaine says
Outgoing governor also faults decision to downplay Obama

By Rosalind S. Helderman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Monday that Democrat R. Creigh Deeds lost his campaign for governor because he was unable to energize his base, falling into a Republican trap that led him to shrink from the president and his policies.

In a meeting with editors and reporters of The Washington Post, Kaine (D) said Deeds squandered the opportunity to sell his own appealing life story as a guy who had overcome long odds and economic disadvantage. Instead, the rural state senator took the advice of campaign consultants who wrongly assumed Deeds's Democratic support was solid and believed he should instead focus on wooing independents by attacking Republican Robert F. McDonnell.

"After the primary was done, his advisers basically said, distance yourself from the president. We think we have our base locked down, we've got to win independents. And we're going to win by being negative about McDonnell," Kaine said. "That was the basic strategy they pursued, despite some significant urging to the contrary."

Asked about his own advice to Deeds, who lost to McDonnell on Nov. 3 by 17 percentage points, Kaine said: "I'd rather not talk about my personal conversations. But what I will say is that I always believed from the very beginning that the paradigm in Virginia had changed and that the way to win the race was to energize voters who had demonstrated they would vote for Democrats. That I did advise him very, very early. I advised all the candidates, prior to the primary, that was a path to victory."
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Kaine's post-election analysis echoes criticism of the Deeds campaign that emerged from Washington and top aides to President Obama even before the election. It is a narrative that shields Obama from counterarguments by Republicans, who have contended that Virginia voters backed McDonnell to send a signal that they were displeased with Obama's leadership.

It is also a critique that Kaine, as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, might be hoping will persuade congressional Democrats to be more supportive of Obama's policies, not less, as they contemplate their reelection efforts next year.

Kaine said the key to victory for Democrats in a highly competitive Virginia is recognizing that party members need not be "apologetic" about their affiliation to find success. He noted that about 200,000 more people voted in the Democratic primary for president on a frigid February day in 2008 than cast ballots for Deeds this year, and said McDonnell successfully spooked Deeds by suggesting that Virginians had grown anxious about the Democratic agenda.

"I think the issue of being nervous about the Virginia electorate was overdone and I think Creigh did exactly what the McDonnell campaign hoped he would do, which was distance himself from Obama."

[AspenRose]

28. The only silver lining in that hot mess

"Kaine's post-election analysis echoes criticism of the Deeds campaign that emerged from Washington and top aides to President Obama even before the election. *It is a narrative that shields Obama from counterarguments by Republicans, who have contended that Virginia voters backed McDonnell to send a signal that they were displeased with Obama's leadership."*

[FiveGoodMen]

23. COULD? It had better.

If Democratic voters will put up with this shit, then the party mean absolutely nothing.

[Toasterlad]

24. What Do They Care? They Got Their Lobby Money From the Coprorations.

And if they get booted out of office, they'll just get jobs as lobbyists.

Congress hasn't been about what the people want for at least 50 years.

[Echo In Light]

29. But! ... but! .... but!

Exactly

[dysfunctional press]

26. without a ROBUST public option at the least, i will NOT be voting for or supporting any "D's"

in november.