Reid and Pelosi do not deserve our scorn on HCR

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

A lot of the President's least-critical (double meaning intended) defenders argue that the president did all that could be done given the political realities.

That's a hopeless argument because the point of a Presidential initiative is to shape the political realities.

The Bully Pulpit. (Teddy Roosevelt used "bully" the way we use "awesome" or "brilliant." It's not about bullying people. Teddy was saying that the Presidency is an awesome platform from which to be heard.)

You put out something coherent and sell it. You keep selling it until such time as national attitudes have changed enough that you are ready to go to congress. Our representatives are a craven lot motivated primarily by fear and the trick is to make them more afraid of opposing a measure than they are of supporting it.

If everyone in their state is clamoring for the thing it makes a difference. Congress-persons make constant calculations balancing the corporate interests that give them money they need to get re-elected versus the voters who give them the votes they need to get re-elected.

"I will use my popularity and reserve of trust and control of the news cycle to make this measure very popular and you will oppose it at your peril."

Even some Republicans would have signed onto this thing if they were sufficiently afraid not to. Had Collins or Snowe faced automatic rejection by the voters of Maine for stomping on an incredibly popular HCR they would have voted for it.

The problem is that it was NOT incredibly popular. There was nothing to fear in opposing it.

And whose fault was that?

Our most dramatic WWII operation was, as so many storied operations are, made dramatic by a failure. The navy was supposed to clear out all those bunkers on Normandy beaches. They missed some... for whatever reason Omaha beach was not cleared properly and our soldiers walked full-on into heavy fire. Meanwhile those landing at other beach sites landed almost unopposed. (So placid in places that British soldiers on one Normandy beach tried to stop on the beach for tea. True story.)

Reid and Pelosi were tossed a request to draft bills with minimal policy support form the WH and piss-poor political support. The President did not create an environment wherein congress-persons would be afraid to oppose wildly popular reform.

And, operating on a largely unprepared battlefield, they accomplished something of a miracle. They sold out as much as they needed to sell out and got the best bill possible in a FUBAR political environment. They rounded up the most available votes they could out of the crap hand the WH dealt them. Some people voting for this bill will be doing so expecting it to cost them their seat. It is an accomplishment to get such votes.

[Cant trust em]

1. I think you make a lot of good points, but HCR is a thorny issue

easier than your average issue to scare the crap out of voters.

Most of American politics is driven out of fear (HCR and WMD/Terrorism being prime examples) so this was easy pickings for GOPs to blast.

[Clio the Leo]

2. Kick NT

[question everything]

3. Kick and R

to, at least, move the "Less than 0" to 0

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. I pretty much agree. K&R n/t

[impik]

5. Yep. The president is to blame for passing

the most important social legislation in 45 years.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. Read harder

[Tatiana]

7. I am particularly impressed with how Pelosi handled herself and the House.

To get a bill such as the House version of HCR out of a Congress that included so many "Blue Dogs" was truly brilliant and savvy politics.

Harry Reid had the more entrenched conservative crowd, but Pelosi had an overwhelming number of viewpoints to deal with and consolidate.

In many ways I understand President Obama's position. It's said often, but it bears repeating... he inherited a mess. A colossal mess. A mess on all fronts... economic, national security, environmental, health care, etc. I don't know that George Dubya left anything right with this country when he left it. The President has spent a lot of political capital and effort on the economy and national security fronts. Maybe he thought he'd take a step back and not micromanage, letting Congress do the job that it is paid to do in drafting and passing legislation. Maybe he felt as though he had the power of the veto to fall back on if a bill to his liking wasn't passed.

However, it is clear to me that somewhere along the line, we went from having a strong reform bill that included a public option as the goal of this whole process to having any health care-related bill come out of Congress and pass as the current goal. That's hugely disappointing. Considering the Obama camp was so phenomenal during the campaign with messaging and slogans, I find it hard to believe they could not have simplified and sold health care reform like they did Obama's candidacy. The President has been extremely busy, but health care reform deserved his attention and his personal stamp. If it is passed, it will be one of the signature accomplishments of his administration. It's baffling that he has not been more involved.

Of course, perhaps, he didn't want to make himself the focus and thought his presence would distract from the process.

[vaberella]

8. Yup. My issue is entirely with the Conservadems/Bluedogs. Those assholes are like Repubs. n/t