I am glad that we have some folks on the left that are seeing this health care battle with eyes wide open, crystal clear. Slinkerwink, threw a diary up on Daily Kos about the DLC front, "Third Way."
I can not even start about the DLC and how their influence in Democratic politics have demised the party to nothingness, at one point. We all know that Bill and Hillary Clinton were influenced by the incremental thinking and constant give away to the other side from the DLC, which also did not help Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Democrats have seen this show and we got nothing from it. The DLC was rebuked during Barack Obama's run for the presidency and rightly so. But power is a bitch and when you want to be a player, again, you create these fronts or "think tanks."
As we move into the final make-or-break months of the health care debate, every progressive should, in the James Carville tradition, put a simple warning on the wall: Do not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. While many are fighting passionately for one particular policy proposal, such as a public plan, it would be tragic to allow the inclusion or exclusion of any single element to derail reform.
Boy, the Republicans are loving this article. What is completely a joke is that "Third Way" actually calls itself "progressive", and I ask WHERE. This health care fight was already compromised by the removal of single payer off the table. Many democrats, independents and republicans accepted that, but want and demand a public option.
Americans have every right to be skeptical of the insurance industry and congress. Why? Because the insurance industry and congress are working in tandem motion, they practically and literally OWE each other. I don't expect not one Republican vote for any health care reform, it is not coming, but I do expect Democrats in congress to do the right thing and vote the public option through.
It is organizations, or fronts, like "Third Way" that makes many on the left fight harder. Why should we compromise, reject, throw away the public option? It is a great idea, a plan already working for federal employees, the very plan that congress enjoys. I have YET, heard a reasonable explanation why the American public should not pool our resources together to get affordable, cost efficient and quality health care. Hell, this is not free, we are PAYING for it, but since it is the public versus the private insurance companies, this is where we see these weak as water politicians trying to explain to the public why we should continue with these private insurance companies and opt out of the public option.
The left is not going to have it, and many who voted across party lines for Barack Obama, who campaigned on this very isssue, is not going to have it. While we are witnessing the largest MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN against health care reform in history, we all know what is at stake.
President Obama will have to draw his line in the sand and he will have to stand on it. Many have concerns about where he stands because of all the bad communication coming from this White House and Democratic surrogates. Right now many are confused, uncertain and not sure which way this health care reform will go. One thing that is perfectly clear, the Republicans are not voting for squat. One thing that is perfectly clear, these negotiations are worthless with the Republicans. And one thing is perfectly clear, if we don't see a solid, robust public option coming out of this health care bill, the Democrats and Obama can kiss 2010 and on goodbye. In fact, it will be the rebirth of the Republican Party, a party that ran on nothing, but was able to wield its minor power into possible majority power again.
And that will be the Democrats fault.
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