Republican Frum says HCR passage will be republicans Waterloo

[Hamlette]

At the beginning of this process we made a strategic decision: unlike, say, Democrats in 2001 when President Bush proposed his first tax cut, we would make no deal with the administration. No negotiations, no compromise, nothing. We were going for all the marbles. This would be Obama’s Waterloo – just as healthcare was Clinton’s in 1994.

Only, the hardliners overlooked a few key facts: Obama was elected with 53% of the vote, not Clinton’s 42%. The liberal block within the Democratic congressional caucus is bigger and stronger than it was in 1993-94. And of course the Democrats also remember their history, and also remember the consequences of their 1994 failure.

This time, when we went for all the marbles, we ended with none.

. . .

No illusions please: This bill will not be repealed. Even if Republicans scored a 1994 style landslide in November, how many votes could we muster to re-open the “doughnut hole” and charge seniors more for prescription drugs? How many votes to re-allow insurers to rescind policies when they discover a pre-existing condition? How many votes to banish 25 year olds from their parents’ insurance coverage? And even if the votes were there – would President Obama sign such a repeal?

We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat.

http://www.frumforum.com/waterloo

I remember Hatch saying on TV that the problem is if this bill is passed, it will create another constituency for the dems and the GOP will never be able to get a majority again. Frum agrees with that argument. More at the link. Great stuff. (Like how could we even negotiate once we convinced everyone that the dems wanted to kill their grandmother. Ha ha.)

[Luminous Animal]

1. Why do DUers continually call this bill "health care reform"

when even the White House refers to it as "health insurance reform"?

[BurtWorm]

5. Because we recognize that the aspect of American HC in most dire need of reform is financing.

No one is dumb or naive enough to think health care itself is being reformed, I don't think.

PS: We're far from the only ones who use this shorthand.

[SPedigrees]

16. Health Insurance Reform should be the official term.

Changing the language would have helped shut down the teabaggers' meme of 'socialized medicine.'

[malaise]

2. He was on GEM$NBC

It was freaking priceless.

[Hekate]

6. Three links here -- it is indeed priceless.

The thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7973420

The vid
http://www.dailykos.com/tv/w/002619 /

Frum online
http://www.frumforum.com/waterloo

[terrell9584]

3. Something tells me

That the repeal of the individual mandate is going to be a centerpiece of the Republican campaign this fall and I can already imagine how that will turn out.

[Dappleganger]

9. Let them try.

It will be pants on the ground time all over again.

[old mark]

4. I was hoping they would not understand this till November, when they lost again...

He may be one of the last smart people left in their party.

The lies repeated by the GOP over and over again today, and their obvious distain for the good of the people really are evident on TV - the truth comes out, and the republicans will pay the cost of their evil.

mark

[ThomWV]

7. I think he's right, and I think if the bill had been stronger it would have hurt them more

[NotThisTime]

12. Agreed, an even stronger bill would have ensured their abject failure in 2010

Only a fringe of the right wing would turn back their Medicare or Medicaid, had we given Medicare for all as a single payer system, we would have set a real statement

[proud patriot]

8. I agree with Frum

The republicants are going to get caught in their lies

[NJmaverick]

10. Frum is correct in pretty much everything he said

he is realistic enough and honest enough to admit this bill was a HUGE with for the Dems and the president and the American people.

[RobertSeattle]

11. GOPolean!

[stopbush]

13. Saw Frum on some gabfest Friday. He looked like a defeated man.

Gone was the swagger and the "we're creating a new reality while you're still arguing about the facts" chutzpah. The man knew that the Rs were going down to a major defeat, but I don't think he could have imagined the margin of victory.

Two words: Permanent Minority.

[patrice]

14. You had to think there was a mis-match somewhere when MedCo FIRED Beck McCall for being too high

profile with the "death panel" talking point.

[patrice]

15. Waterloo also because the ONLY way forward for them now is to turn one American against another.

They can't just suddenly start saying something like "That stuff we said against HCR was wrong" they can only continue their line of rhetoric and extend it to "Your fellow Americans are your enemy."

We MUST counter that line.

[JBoy]

17. Frum is one of the few Repubs who still has a grip on reality.

[Hamlette]

20. agreed, he's the only one I read

since John Cole and Sullivan left the party (they were rational at times, now all the time.)

[Motown_Johnny]

18. well Frum is telling it like it is, I have got to give him that

We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat.



(also, they have no marbles)

[14thColony]

19. "the most radical voices"

Wrong word, boss. The extreme fringe of the right is called "reactionary." The extreme of the left are the radicals.

Unless this is more of that "lets turn the entire meaning of words on their heads so we can pretend there really are things such as commie-fascists."

I know, it's almost certainly not what he meant, and I did savor the rest of it like a fine wine...