Vocabulary Lesson: The Right-Wing Radicals of the Senate Are 'Moderates' in Beltway Speak
By Susie Madrak Sunday Sep 06, 2009 7:00am
I was reading this story about Obama trying to get the progressives into line behind his healthcare surrender compromise, and I was intrigued by the language. What does "moderate" mean, class?
WASHINGTON (CNN) – As Obama prepares to go before Congress and lay out more details about his stance on health reform, he held a conference call Friday with some of the most liberal members of the House, who say they won't vote for a bill without a government-run insurance option.
Two congresswomen on the call, which took place Friday afternoon, tell CNN that the president probed them about how entrenched they are, even asking them to define what they mean when they call for a "robust" public option.
"I think he would like to convince us that there is something sort of that could lead to a public option that would satisfy us, and guess what? It doesn't," Rep. Lynne Woolsey, D-California, told CNN in a telephone interview after the conference call.
Woolsey, the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, insisted that the president did not explicitly warn them that he may have to give up a so-called public option in order to pass a bill through the more moderate Senate, but it seemed he was laying the groundwork.
There's that Overton window again! If the Senate is "moderate" (i.e. too flipping wingnut crazy to even consider the truly moderate compromise of a public option), that must mean the actual moderates in the progressive caucus are literally INSANE!
"He has to decide where that line has to be drawn and he knows we have to decide where the line can be drawn," said Woolsey.
The conference call included leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
Another Democratic source familiar with the call said the president did made clear it will be hard to pass a public option out of Congress because of deep opposition from moderates, and talked about what's most important to him — market reforms that force more competition, lower costs for health care, and expanded coverage for the uninsured.
But both Woolsey and Rep Barbara Lee, D-California, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told CNN that they told the president point blank that they do not believe a health care proposal without a government-run option is real reform.
"All of our caucuses are very unified about a robust public option, and that is essential in healthcare reform efforts," Lee told CNN in a separate phone interview after the conference call.
Here's the White House thinking, as leaked by another one of those very busy White House sources *cough* Rahm Emanuel *cough*:
A Democratic source close to the process told CNN Friday that the White House was very conscious of the potential congressional fallout: "How do you [get the deal passed] without a revolt in the House? It can be done, but very delicately."
The bottom line, said the source, is that the president would have to "move to the center" on the issue eventually, "and it's not a bad thing to have liberals screaming at him." That development will help sell the deal to Americans and "convince them it's a good, moderate deal, if liberals are mad."
No, Rahm, we won't be screaming. In fact, we'll be very, very quiet. Screw us on healthcare reform, and all you'll hear is the Zen sound of a few million activists sitting on their hands for the next four years.
No more checks, no more phone banking, no more letters or calls of support. You're on your own now, pal. Go ask your new "moderate" friends for help.
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The alleged "center" is a no man's land.
There is no one in the "center" when it comes to Health Care Reform.
There are those in favor of Health Care Reform and those opposed.
Those opposed want some warmed-over version of business-as-usual to put massive profits in the hands of the Insurance Corporations.
Those in favor of Health Care Reform want single-payer - either as the Universal Health Care Solution, or as the "public option."
There is no middle ground.
Obama was elected as an Advocate for the People, not as an Advocate for the Corporations, or to be the SpokesPerson for the DLC - but that's what he's turned out to be.
Dead on. Even the public option we are being given is watered-down as is. Amazing that it is still billed as 'radical' or so 'out there'. If we don't start winning some of these battles, this country is finished, and we'll be going down slowly with the ship.
Grab a life jacket, and get to the boats!
Wonder if the oligarch's will let their teabagger moron supporters into the boats with them, or if they will make them swim for it? That way they can make bets on how many of the morons will survive: Give the fat-cats something to do while they are waiting.
There should be no confusion about the Republicans, they are the ULTRA RIGHT WING.
This post has the shoe on the wrong foot.
It is the 'Moderate' Democrats who are the RIGHT WINGERS.
The people that voted for Obama THOUGHT he was their advocate. If they been paying serious attention they would have known differently.
I knew without any further question after the FISA vote that he was in the bag, and he was going to stay in the bag.
We have a Corporate State. I don't know how to successfully bring change but I know it will not be found in the Democrats.
http://www.babyblues.com/
Amen.
It is so refreshing to see progressive blogs taking the lead to actually start fighting for what is right. This country is slowly being dragged not just to 'the right', but a neo-fascistic, unsustainable, corporate takeover that depends on a largely uneducated mass and educated self-serving financial/political sector. It is so sad, pathetic, infuriating to see that the Obama administration not only is complacent but ultimately is part of the problem in a lot of ways. It feels like we've learned that a cosmopolitan sentiment is just as easily coopted by all the wrong influences. Thank you, Crooks and Liars. The future is the progressive blog world - look forward to when the blogs start putting out own candidates to start taking this country back!
Jessica Alba?
I'll say one thing. There is only one thing worse than not getting health insurance reform this year. It's the rethugs coming back into power in 2010 or worse 2012.
Remember don't let them control vocabulary, frame issues, or form their own self serving narratives. I know it's hard with corporate media working hand in hand with them but thank God we have a much more powerful media, the internet.
I'll say one thing. There is only one thing worse than not getting health insurance reform this year. It's the rethugs coming back into power in 2010 or worse 2012.
Sorry, but no. If the Democrats are no better than the Republicans--if they both serve the same corporate masters--then there is no point in supporting them.
We need to be looking for new candidates NOW. With luck, we can put them in office in 2010, 2012, and 2016, but if Obama is just W-lite in policy, then we need to replace him in 2012.
Where's my transparency? Where's the closing of Gitmo? Why are we putting more troops into Afghanistan? Why are we still in Iraq? Why isn't HR676: Medicare for All the bill that's going to coast through?
Because Obama is breaking every last promise he made to us during his candidacy. Unacceptable.
I wont' for for Romney/Palin. But at this rate, I'm also not voting for Obama/Biden. The bumper magnet's off my car. Time to start wooing me back, b/c I'M THE BASE.
You throw us under the bus--we'll never help you again until you make your crooked, corporatist way straight. Think we're kidding? Don't bet on it, pal. I have no time to suffer fools like you gladly that sell out the better interests of the public for your personal political "gain".
is a PUKIE agent infiltrating what used to be the Democratic party, and he has done a great job at that. I say Rahmie is just as bad if not worse than ROVE!!
that's gonna take you down to beelzebub
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons...
I fear that this president may be motally wounded by his own flawed reasoning.
With Robert Gibbs saying this a.m. that the prez would be "asking" for a public option is more of the same equivocating that has taken all of the work done by millions of people to gain the presidency and the congress and turned the democratic party into the ineffectual, betrayed mess it is quickly becoming.
The president does not seem able to stand and commit to a "This shall be because 60+ million people said so" and has not only let us down but is leaving progressive members in congress to twist slowly in the wind while providing the insurance and pharmaceuticals huge protential windfalls.
Approximately one month ago the repubs were broken. Yet, fox news, glenn beck, the gang of six, the town hall thugs, et. al. are all allowed to stomp all over truth and decency while the progressives who want to see all Americans given equal care, opportunity and justice are given the backhand once more.
I'm not sure if this man, the president, was always indifferent and unwilling to stand for what is right or we/I just assigned to him all of the hope and change we longed for in a leader.
My personal disappointment is so enormous it is painful. The countries loss is beyond expression.
Mr. President, please prove me wrong.
If the public option is removed I'm through with Obama. His entire, short as it is, tenure as President has been one of completely abandonment of the Progressives who fought for him.
I know the Reichwingers are thinking if Progressives revolt that it will mean a return to power of the Republicans but once they have to start identifying who their candidates are and what they are going to do instead of just mouthing off it won't be as easy as they think. For us now is the time to build a party/candidate/positions for the 2010 and 2012 elections. Get out in front with clear concise policy proposals, actions, and work as we can FOR a real Progressive candidate and combat the Reichwingers filth.
I will not vote for Obama in 2012 if he continues his ways. However, it is the leadership in the House and Senate that are not whipping the Democrats into shape. While the Democratic Party represents a far wider range of people than the Republican Party, they need to be whipped into line on issues such as this. I did not like Tom DeLay, but he was good at getting what he and BushCo wanted. We just do not have that kind of leadership on either side of Congress.
HOWARD DEAN FOR PRESIDENT!
Why do you think he was put out to pasture? He was no longer needed as a voice to attract the leftists. We now thought we could count on Obama for that, but it is apparent we did not get what the label had on the package.
So, Dr. Howard Dean for President. FINALLY someone who truly UNDERSTANDS Healthcare reform needs. Not the political needs of healthcare reform.
http://www.switch2dean.com/
I let Obama/Rahm know that "reform" without a robust public option is a giveaway to the insurance companies and a mandate to buy insurance WITHOUT a robust public option is the largest and most regressive tax America has ever seen.
the Democratic Party platform contains the public option as a PLANK. Failure to fight for it is a betrayal of the campaign promises he made me. I donated to him. I fought for him. I believed him.
If he passes "insurance reform" instead of health care reform, he will face a primary challenge, and even if he wins that, he will not have the millions of "little people" fighting for him and donating and calling and blogging. It was the "little people" who elected him, not the corporate overlords he and Rahm now want to kowtow to.
Seriously, I will NOT be quiet if he does this. If he screws us this bad, this early? He goes down.
We are not Republicans. It's not "Our Party no matter what". We care about ideals and performance.
We have never been what the Villagers claim: enthralled by a cult of personality. We expect him to follow through on his promises. If he's a liar, all that support that he apparently thought was for HIM, as a person? GONE. And deservedly so.
The Dims butt-fuck you EVERY TIME, and you meekly line up again and again to vote for the skeevy fux...
I voted Dem to protect SCOTUS. Really didn't expect too much otherwise.
I had some silly hope of seeing Dems rise to the occasion.
But it looks like were getting what I expected = nada.
Sanford, Craig, Vitter all are still backed by Republicans. Unlike the Reichwing we will drop our support and work for people who carry out their promises. With KKK Rove and the Republicans it is Party Uber Alles...not so on the Democratic side.
are the dumbest people on the planet. Now I think sometimes thaat progressives/liberals are right there with them. Why talk about who or who you will not vote for in 2010/2012 when there will be thousands of issues wi will have to consider before then?
At least we are critical of the people who we put into office, unlike the Republican Party where nothing that they do can be wrong and are praised even when they screw up. The Democratic Party is made up of a far wider range of people than the Republican Party. I might not vote Democratic every time, but it sure isn't a vote for the new Fascist Party that the Republicans have morphed into.
for Reagan 2 2012.
No more phone banking.
No more checks - what was I thinking? Oh yeah, I was thinking that the Democrats might grow a spine and do the right things if they were handed a triple majority! Silly me...
Perhaps it is time to take the mojo we developed in support of Candidate Obama and use it for a third party candidate.
or delusion?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7VCHj2OSdw
kick ass man . . . .
as it turns out. We had the audacity to hope.
Please excuse me while I evoke the technicolor yawn.
. . . the commodified nature of a political culture that tends to reduce elections to corporate-"crafted" marketing contests revolving around candidate images packaged and sold by corporate consultants and public relations experts.
Well there's a news flash.
Any more obvious pearls of wisdom?
Out of the mouths of babes comes pearls of wisdom
Along with the creamed spinach.
is that he's showing his true colors early.
Not even 9/11 yet! and we see that we need to get a new candidate and a new party. We've got the time to take him out in 2012 if necessary. The Rethugs are not even trying: they only have the fundigelicals and Patriots and racists as a base, and their fringe candidates show it.
Let the 'real Republicans' have the Blue Dog Party. We have the ability to organize and fund alternatives. Obama proved that, at least.
Proof of concept and showing his true colors early: things to thank Obama for.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/im...
Because by 9/11/11, it'll be "Patriots' Day," or some jingoistic, nationalistic crap.
Cuz who needs "Labor," anyway. They can't come right out and call it "Owners' Day," after all...
It's supposed to be in honor of unionism
Just not in Texas.
IX/XI
should have been volunteer's day since that fateful day.
I said it then, and say it now. I remember those first few days very clearly. I clearly remember being disgusted hearing that the firefighters needed batteries for thie radios. And the calls for stuff kept coming to the local communiites, for sleeping surfaces, food and water, breathing masks, and everything needed to rummage through "the pile." I clearly remember saying to myself, batteries?, they need fucking batteries, and we are in the harbor of New York? Duracell or Energizer should have a fucking barge full of batteries pulled up to the docks, along with all the other whorporations that are relying on the SOCIALISM of this society to fend off the "ATTACK" on Corporate Merikkka.
It was the VOLUNTEERS who put out the sweat and effort to find the victims. It was NOT the corporations who did anything. The corporations couldn't even give stuff for free to the cause until they figured out that if they didn't, it would be bad PR.
I lost all hope in Corporate America in those first few days. Never will I trust them again.
9/11 is VOLUNTEER's DAY. Go in to your local Firehousem bake them some cookies, maybe a cake, if you are a local store give them a discount or free shit, if it were not for Volunteerism in this country, we would be nothing.
Volunteerism is the true focal point of that thing we call Progressiveism. Ayn Rand rethugnikkkans do not volunteer.
David Sirota: Progressives Pay the Price for Confusing a Party With a Movement
Where?
Being a hard-boiled cynic about everything has its limitations.
Eventually no one takes you seriously about anything.
You might want to think about that.
As Sirota points out in the last sentence I quoted it is "Firedoglake.com, Democracy for America, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and local organizations" who embody the Progressive Movement.
It exists.
Protagoras of Abdera was a Cynic
Evet just a roid.
.
Interesting thing about the Cynicism movement, they were individualistic and weren't purveyors of ultimate Truth, as if it were a god.
It was a less abstract, more experential school of philosphy.
They would try to convince you to search your own preconceptions to find the underlying truth, which may have nothing to do with what they consider the underlying truth, since both are based on experiential percepts that can be explained, but not necessarily agreed upon, because they were born from different sources.
And that would satisfy the Cynic. The last thing a Cynic would try to do is "convert" someone to a particular view.
Taking out a few Blue DINOs would be a very good start.
Is this any better?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsKO_r76kfQ
ahhh, no.
Granted, the price tag on this is enough to spark serious debate.
But we all know that we're spending too much right now on a number of issues. War, being the largest of them. Defense spending being another.
Cutting those two back seriously would be more than enough to get single payer, or this so called public option off of the ground.
Funny thing, I'm hearing the Nancy Pelosi is the strongest advocate holding on to the public option. She says that the House has the votes.
And that the House will push forward on the public option. Regardless.
Here it comes. Get your popcorn ready.
to maintain appearances. She's a problem.
Do you think it's just a coincidence that she maintains this view, and has been on this site before as a guest fielding questions? (Though not nearly enough).
I think she's trying to keep her word.
I'm getting very tired of all this negativity. Cynicism will get us nowhere. But there is some truth in it. I can understand peoples loss of faith. After all, We are talking about politicians. The glass seems to be slightly less than half full. But I'm not willing to throw in the towel yet. But I am getting tired of this so called bi partisanship. The GOP can go to hell. They're the ones responsible for the state the country is in. They're the ones who have made it almost impossible to right any of the wrongs created by them. And there are an historical amount of wrongs created by them. Then when the Prez tries to correct this mess, they obfuscate, lie, and blatantly obstruct and meaningful reforms. I haven't forgotten that the Prez inherited this mess. And I won't forget what the GOP has been doing.
Well people are forgetting two obvious thing-a-ma-bobs, our Enlightenment era Founding Fathers fear of "mobocracy," so as a preventative they basically created gridlock with the tripartite system of governance with checks and balances, and the Hegelian Dialectical dictum of thesis/antithesis/synthesis.
It's those damn bluedogs. If the Prez fails on this, the midterm will give the GOP more power. Then we'll have gridlock until the next Prez is elected. And that may be sooner than we want.
At anyrate, I have chores to do. Have a good one Y.
My point was under such a system people rarely are 100% satisfied on anything.
But, it's the left who is so divided. It's the left who is screwing this up. The GOP doesn't have to work very hard to divide the left. We're doing it all by ourselves. The cynics aren't helping any. But you're right. 100% satisfaction will never happen. 60% would be nice.
they seem to be headed towards trying to pass a bill that 100% of Americans are going to be 100% against. Well maybe not 100% of Americans, the insurance company execs are sure to be very very pleased by the looks of things.
No Vacation Nation
See also: Take Back Your Time Day
It's really starting to look like we have a thin veneer of rhetoric covering the same old corporation-supporting structure. The Obama campaign is starting to look like Bush's: find a formula to get you into the White House and then do things that bear little resemblance to the campaign.
But, making, then ignoring campaign promises and supporters is nothing new in American politics. It's not "change you can believe in" but "more of the same old same-old"; maybe he can run on that in 2012?
http://thiscampaignsaxa.files.wordpress.com/2...
Of course after 8 years of Bush anything would sound great
Here fixed it for ya.
http://www.thisinstead.info/images/Glenn-Beck...
same formula Clinton and Reagan used too.
Notice a pattern?
but if he bails on the "liberals" now I'm out and looking for a primary challenger with real balls.
Hillary?
...........more of the same. She is not a Democrate, she's a DINO and kneels to suck Rahm.
Has she borrowed Monica's knee-pads?
"No more checks, no more phone banking, no more letters or calls of support. You're on your own now, pal. Go ask your new "moderate" friends for help."
Sure, make certain Palin or Bachmann can get in the WH?
You're not progressive or liberal - you're being a stick in the mud and if you all sit on your hands - you're just GOP enablers.
Shame on all of you who think like that.
If Obama doesn't __________ is a hollow threat.
Man up and get right or the right will get more power and take the WH because of you and your lack of action.
Thank you.
Bologna. What's the difference (besides a small matter of degree) betwixt the Repubs and what we've got now? So now we get to have a "Democrat" sponsor a Repub wet dream "reform" bill, the "reforms" will fail, the Dems will get the blame (rightfully, for once), and the Repubs will re-take the WH.
It doesn't take any balls to go with the flow, it takes balls to stand up for what you believe is right. No offense, but you can cram that stick in the mud, GOP enabler sh*t. The only GOP enablers I see are the Democratic "leadership" and their loyal mouthpiecii.
What will that do? Go Green...the ONLY party to specifically call for single-payer health care. Exactly what do the Democrats have to do - or not do - for progressives to see that they're not really wanted in the corporate-bought party? I don't care how many primaries you vote in, Dennis Kucinich will never be the Democratic presidential candidate. He'd be the Green's in a heartbeat. John Conyers has shown time after time that he will sell you out when things come to a vote. It's like progressives in the Democratic party have Stockholm Syndrome.
Remember "there is no difference between Bush and Gore so vote Nader" and look what we got for 8 years... a unrecognizable country almost destroyed. Gore really would have done much better. There is a difference, just not enough as both parties are owned by the corporations and wealthy. The dems just throw a few more but important bones to the middle/working class. SCOTUS picks are probably the most important ones unless we want more Scalia and Thomas types. I would vote for Obama again but money, phone banks, and door knocking...sorry, not again. I would trip over my growing cynicism on my way to the rally. Looking at the insane Republican bench, I don't see anyone who could beat even a weak Democratic president.
All that said, if Obama somehow did get, or even really fight for a strong public option and lose, I might reconsider...just not holding breath...right now I fear I will be holding my nose when the fat lady sings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FhndWwWt8I
If they push through the garbage that the Gang of Six is pushing through the Senate Finance Committee then you might want to be holding your wallet instead!
forcing working Americans to buy useless 'health' insurance from garbage companies like Cigna, etc. that make billions of dollars in profit by denying people health CARE is "moderate" then he has clearly gone round the bend! Rahm is definitely behind all this far rightwing anti-working American shit!!! How frigging long before Obama wakes up to the fact that Rahm is destroying his Presidency???
I swear Rahm has to be as stupid as Douglas Feith!!! When you're sitting at right of center you'd have to move LEFT to get to center! What a frigging millstone that dumb SOB is!
FDRk YOU!!
Memo to President Obama: You keep listening to Rahm Emmanuel, and you're gonna be a one-term President. Got it??
The dems are going to need a new candidate for 2012. We can't take another four years of Bush Lite.
I think we have one: Howard Dean.
The Populist Progressive Party should represent the 'evolution-trail' that was being 'blazed' by the Progressives that were 'driving' the Progress of the United States the LAST time the 'corporate-pigs' tried to 'gut' our economy.
The FDR-ing of this Country was the BEGINNING of the 'vision' of the Progressives that FOUNDED this Country and the countries that syayed on the 'trail' poll as the worlds HAPPIEST countries well ahead of the United States who has been 'water-boarded' with 'voo-doo-politics' for over 30 years.
The repubican party has become the 'idio-cracy' with the 'clinton-dems' not far behind.
RahmObama seems to be saying that he would rather have one "moderate" Republican vote than 60 progressives ones.It's not 1994 anymore,
RahmObama.I have written several emails to the WH regarding Healthcare reform.If Obama at Rahms insistance sells us out he is toast in 2012, Threre are 17 activists in our family who worked their butts off for Obama and the Dems. If they do not live up to their promises , screw them all! We will never vote for a Right Wing Republican, but the dems can forget about the kind of support they had in 06 & 08.
A pox on all their houses! It appears we live under a single party system "the Corporatist Party"
They can all go straight the F... to Hell
I won't vote for a Republican, but I can sure as hell sit on my hands and stay home.
we can get Rahm fired. It's not like it wouldn't be justified.
It took all my self-control to not type that title in caps. I've been poked on this board before for .. wait for it .. being a moderate!
A blue dog is *not* a moderate. A conservative corporatist that got elected as a Democrat manly because of post-civil war/rights quirks of the party lines in their regions is not a moderate. Obama is not trying to appease moderates, he is trying to appease conservative Democrats.
Moderate, Independent, swing-voters like myself are why Obama won my state. (NC in a complete shock to most).
Say it with me:
They are not moderates.
Obama moves too far to the right.
Moderates do not support this move.
Blue dogs are conservatives.
Push whoever that unnamed aide is back. I've been making my demographic crystal clear to my representatives and in the fill-in-the-form comment on whitehouse.gov. I have (and did) vote for some Republicans on my state ticket. They were moderates. Most blue dogs were ***to the right of the moderate Republicans***!
Though, if the only way to pass any legislation, or to hold the country together is to appease the far right, God help us all.
I've been asking that question for 8 years and still haven't received a satisfactory answer. Back in the day, I heard Joe Lieberman referred to as a "moderate" Moderate what? What is he moderating?
I've also heard that people like "left-wing" Democrats need to be more "moderate." Now, again, how do you moderate being a Democrat? Does being "Democrat" mean you have a rigid ideological stance? How does one "moderate" their "Democratiness" or their being liberal, or progressive, or centrist. How does one "moderate" these things?
I will unsubscribe to every Obama-affiliated organization that flood my inbox with pleas for more money, more time or more effort. Fuck that!! I will not carry water for those who screw me over. I'm telling you right now, the administration and the Dem leadership is going to blame the failure of the healthcare reform on the liberals in the party. Not the Cons or the Blue Dogs. The liberals.
Green Party, here I come.
The Democrats have moved to the right and the Republicans have moved into the insane asylum. Olympia Snowe is NO moderate. Obama had better smarten up here, because the poeple who voted for him, like myself, will end ALL support and begin searching now for a candidate who will actually fulfill their campaign promises. He has compromised far too much already, and blown his mandate.
Is there anyone left out there still laboring under the delusion that we live in a democracy? What a cruel, ugly joke. We live in a corporatocracy. Period. Big business gets what it wants. Always. And the little guy gets screwed. The concept of "the common good" is dead. It's profit uber alles. I don't see how real, meaningful, progressive change is possible in this country. I'm very close to saying "fuck it", and getting the hell out of here. I have to admit, Obama had me fooled for a while with his talk of HOPE and CHANGE. I will not make that mistake again.
I'll start to entertain the possible hypothesis of a possible let go of a public option when the final bill:
Had enough Rahm-Bam-Thank-You-Mam?
I can go on if you wish.
Sounds like the NHS, and if it was a serious proposal and looked likely to pass, the streets would turn into rivers of blood. Even something as benign as a public option is portrayed as 'government takeover of one-sixth of the U.S. economy'. The fact that Britain's NHS has 100% coverage and better outcomes at less than half what we spend per capita is completely ignored.
This portrays the moderate Dems as far left. Which couldn't be further from the truth. Hell, I consider myself as a moderate Dem.
So, what does that make me?
And I've been seeing the levels of frustration. That's understandable.
I'm frustrated too .
But we have to remember what this man was handed to him.
The only Prez in history that had to deal with shit like this was FDR. Thems some huge shoes to fill.
Perhaps a little patience is in order. I'm not saying don't voice your opinions. We need that more than ever. All I'm saying is lets listen to the man on Wed.
My friends and I have spent a hot miserable summer supporting Wexler, Hastings and whoever else has been in on the campaign for health care reform; we are not kids, most of us are nearing the time when we will get Social Security and all of us have insurance already.
Believe me it would be much easier to stay uninvolved here in south florida in the summer. It would have been much easier not to campaign for Gore, Kerry and Obama too but we did it.
We don't think of ourselves as naive or cynical, just good citizens doing our part: but we have just about had enough of this and if we get disappointed, we are done.
Thank You for all of your efforts. Don't give up yet. This ain't over.
Ah... no public option is not an option... I can hear the crickets chirping and Democrats missing from the polls during the next 4 years and perhaps longer if health care reform does not include a public option.
No more checks, no more phone banking, no more letters or calls of support. You're on your own now, pal. Go ask your new "moderate" friends for help!
Rahm, at least Rove knew who his base was.
I too am going to stop short of considering an Obama administration a must have in 2012.
I too will not vote for Obama again if he doesnt' pass this with the public option and stop caving into the radical Right Wing-Nut terrorists.
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