You know, I know, we all know that even though the Republican Party is less popular than gastric lavage—although they often produce the same result—the establishment forums still have to honor their arguments as the “other side”. . . because, you know, all arguments have one.
Mussolini did make those darn trains run on time, after all. . . .
But what are we to do when the problem isn’t the other side? What do we do when the problem is on our side?
That’s right, how do solve a problem like uh, Blanche. . . or Kay. . . or Kent?
Now hold on, I know what yer thinkin’—those guys aren’t on our side! They’re conservadems, or blue dogs, or DINOs! Well, I got news for you: to so many out there, to the “two sides to every argument” crowd, they have a “D” next to their name, so that makes them part of our side. They is us.
So what are we supposed to do when Sen. Blanche Lincoln ten-huts to her corporate drill sergeants, or Sen. Kay Hagan decides to impress her perceived conservative base by carving out a space separate from the sinister (and I use that word with a nod to its origins) Sen. Kennedy, or Sen. Kent Conrad goes on national television and purposefully muddies the waters by blurring the distinction between insurance “co-operatives” and what has come to be called “the public option?”
Yes, we can explain that allowing groups of people to come together to purchase private insurance has pretty much nothing to do with the public alternative for which President Obama still seems to argue, but I kind of don’t want to go there. That almost sounds like I am debating the relative merits of two equivalent proposals. . . and they are not.
The debate I’d like to be having? That would be more like, OK, after we pass this open access public option, how do we move to next year’s true universal healthcare legislation?
Yeah, sometimes I dream.
But, here in my waking life, I need a better strategy for the Kent Conrads of this “debate.” The fight for a real change in the way this country delivers healthcare has just begun (I know some of you thought that fight was last year—now you, too, get to wake up), and so we are going to need all hands on deck for the coming weeks and months. Hands that will help us slap down the weak arguments, and hands that will dial the phones and whip the bejesus out of our Congressional delegations. Hands that will write letters to the editor for all our local papers, and hands that will, if need be, knock on doors to help raise awareness and funds for those who will challenge the Blanches, Kays, and Kents if they just can’t seem to understand what you and I understand about the goals of this debate.
Those goals, by the way, are to provide quality healthcare to each and every American, regardless of whether or not he or she has employer-based coverage, or works for the government, or is on public assistance, or can afford private insurance.
As Ed introduces Sen. Conrad in the clip above, he says the Kent is “wearing two hats here.” My first question is, which one of them is an asshat? My second question is, if you fail to help get us universal healthcare, how am I going to help hand you both of them?
Your ideas?
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Kwatz!
You can add my senior senator, Mad Max Bauchus, to that list. I have totally lost all patience with the corporatist tool. Unfortunately he just won re-election so we are stuck with him for at least 6 more years. *grinds teeth*
My only idea is to move to Europe. Unfortunately I don’t have a job lined up.
I am thinking Somalia is looking better and better all the time. Much more functional than here.
i’m thinking canada
I know this is just crazy talk, but Hagan, Himes, Carney and other DINOs were all FDL favorites.
Perhaps the vetting process needs to be a bit better.
You certainly don’t have to worry about affording quality health care if you’ve been killed instantly.
Sadly, the Blue America folks are no more in possession of a detect liar spell than you are.
I don’t know anybody in Canada, though. I have friends in Holland.
They aren’t Blue Dog Democrats — they are Blue Cross Democrats.
hiya Gregg, great post!
Conrad won’t be up for reelection until 2012, but we have to start picking of these conservative dems. We can make campaign ads against them aimed at democratic voters.
Some people say a conservative Democrat is better than a Puke, but I don’t agree. As long as we have enough dems to keep the majority in the Senate we can afford to pick off a few of these, and it will put the fear of god in the rest of the Conservorats. There is nothing– nothing– that these worthless bastards fear more than losing an election and having to get a job.
ROTFL!!!!
More like double cross.
Well, I know they make me blue and cross.
It looks like we will get a camel.
We have our ways.
We could add a line to the questionnaire at the end: “Are you telling the truth? Under what circumstances could you foresee breaking the promises you’ve made herein for our support? Has any family member ever called you a liar? Please provide their contact information for followup.”
Otherwise, I don’t know what we can do. Carney was an early betrayer who enabled Blue America to tighten up the process, as I recall. Jim Himes said all the right things, but isn’t any more. I’m not sure we got aboard the Kay Hagan train except as an alternative to the odious Liddy Dole, who would certainly be worse.
As the Democratic caucus in both houses grows, the outsized influence of its most conservative members becomes more pernicious, since we have already elected Democrats in Democratic-leaning districts and are now capturing more and more reddish districts.
I don’t expect the Senator from North Carolina, if she’s a Democrat, to be a raging progressive on all my issues. But I do expect her to represent her constituents, who I thought were North Carolinians. I’m afraid she sees Chuck Schumer as her primary constituent. Which was to be expected too, I suppose.
No, I think we’re just gonna get humped.
I should probably credit Digby’s commenter el Gato Negro for that; the imprecation was to spread it far and wide, so I am.
And no reacharound.
Same here in Montana, but the public option has strong support here and Max seems to be doing his damnedest to kill it, despite getting an earful every time he holds a townhall here.
Hell, they put sand in the vaseline.
Me gusto el Gato Negro.
Conrad’s insurance co-operatives is a different name for already in existence insurance pools; not new, not reform.
I think we’ll get the public option in the House–the doubt lies in the Senate. Am I right on this read?
I think it points toward not flaws in the vetting process of Blue America, but the insidious nature of the Villagers to coopt those who come to DC.
Vetting candidates is a necessary condition for progressives, but hardly a sufficient one. Gotta keep in contact with them once they are elected, and keep them grounded in the reality-based world.
A remedy that I’ve heard works well is to drop the name “Al Wynn” into DC conversations on a regular basis.
That is my read as well.
Fortunately, the extremist, unAmerican single-payer system was
off the table from the start, helping the Dems’ negotiating position.
Or something.
I don’t often post this early in the evening. But I wanted to thank you, Gregg, for helping me figure out how to ask this question…
If I were to call my Senator Shaheen (I refuse to call Judd) What should I tell the person on the other end? In other words, what are the phrases that I need to use to get across my disappointment in this process? What words should I use that will be clear to someone in Washington? Is there a script that could be used when I call my Congressman Paul Hodes?
Thank you again. (For example, Medicare, while not perfect, is pretty darned good, why can’t it be available to everyone? Is there something I can use to strengthen that argument?)
As in:
“Them progressives will knock ‘Al Wynn’d’ out of your re-election campaign?”
You know how it is…the reform has to be rooted in American traditions. In other words, the solution has to duplicate the problem. QED.
Joe Bageant:
Apologies to punaise.
No, no, no! Didn’t they teach you anything there in Iowa? to be the true American way it has the compound the problem. Sort of like the current Senate draft plan, which is to healthcare reform as demolition derbies are to car repair.
Recipe for meaningful healthcare reform:
Pitchforks, torches, tumbrels, and guillotines.
I’m just more optimistic in my cynicism than you are.
What I want to know is, will the health care reform bill that eventually passes include an earmark to increase subsidies to tobacco growers?
*gentle reminder* lets avoid the slippery slope of violence please
“If government-run health care is such an evil, when will [insert legislator’s name] introduce a bill to repeal Medicare and Medicaid, and privatize the VA and military medical systems?”
Yes’m.
Better yet, will they introduce a bill to revoke Congress’s government healthcare?
Don’t give them ideas.
That’s hideously irrational and self-contradictory. Count on it.
Clearly big pharma and the health insurance bigwigs are pining away on these measley 30 percent administration margins. Now, they are forced to spend vast amounts of money on legalized bribes to purchase new legislation called “reform.”
Peterr, thank you, that would actually be good for a letter/call to Judd Gregg (*turns around and spits to ward off evil and stupid*) But I’m thinking more along the lines of encouragement. Something that might help reinforce any Dems in the Senate that are developing spines (one of the new advances thanks to stem-cell research). Actually, that’s exactly what I should send to Gregg, except I don’t know that he’d recognize
ironysarcasm if it bit him on the ankles.(edited to fix word choice)
Think I will call it an early night. Take care all.
’Night, Dr D.
Health insurance companies are doing quite well, yet our health care system is anemic. I have very little confidence in removing splinters. A strong, public option, a new player that won’t collude and cahoot, and actually deals from a perspective of delivery instead of denying health care.
Night, Dr D.
OFG, thank you. That’s marvelous. That’s exactly what I’m after, and it’s non-confrontational enough that I can get into more depth with the staffer, if they ask.
I’ve been seriously considering a move to either Vancouver or Italy. We have family in the beautiful town of Gubbio. Could always teach English, I suppose. My parents are ready today. They say this is not America.
Glad to help. More of a template, as you could tell, cut to fit and season to taste.
Vancouver was pretty pricey when I was there last year. I see the appeal, but it sure doesn’t come cheap.
I had no trouble calling my Rep. Paul Hodes, regarding the supplemental, I had the pdf of the bill, and the arguments for a timeline and against the IMF to use from here. But I had nothing so concrete for Healthcare. (It feels more amorphous)
True Doc, but after SF prices, nothing seems too high. Keep thinking of Umbria though…
You want a strategy fine WE WERE RIGHT ABOUT THE WAR THE ECONOMY EVERYTHING!
Now we are stuck cleaning George Bush’s mess the GOP does not get to tell us how to clean up the mess they created we are cleaning and that we are paying for.
We need to shut them up we need to state threats, carry them out and make examples of them.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan Provinces have some cheap properties and great Provincial Healthcare. If you live in a relatively underpopulated area with a nearby medical facility, you really do get excellent healthcare with absolutely no waiting whatsover.
And many of these are good for nothing more than the “D” next to their name, to count the votes as to who’s the majority.
As to voting on real matters, not so much.
Somehow I am still on mailing lists for DCCC, DSCC, DNC and several individuals [a McInerney plea came today]. I will NOT donate to DCCC, DSCC or DNC, since they’re all to happy to send my $$$ to the Kent Conrads, Evan Bayhs, Blanche Lincolns, Mary Landrieus et al. of the party.
Nope, not my dime. And I enjoy writing nasty responses re why I’m not giving. [Of course I’d like it more if I didn’t have to write such responses . . .]
What did Hodes’ office say re the supplemental?
I contributed to him via ActBlue, but of course when I went to communicate with him via his web site, I was “not welcome” since I didn’t have a NH zip code.
I picked one up via the Google, sent an e-mail, never [of course] heard anything, but was disappointed to see he voted yea.
I’d appreciate some info from your end of the country.
Rachel provided a small bit of optimism in her Rose interview. She said she is not happy with the 2009 Obama, but might really like the 2010 Obama. If there is no pressure on him, we’re done. I think we’re seeing much more of that lately; eg-GGs rant yesterday.
We need to win the moral ground. Just as Peterr posted earlier. Would there be any way to defuse the “socialism” meme? I mean I am not an expert in media sound bite language. Somehow we need to make a convincing moral case that health care must be available to everyone just as traffic signals are in place to prevent injury to the public. Moreover,I just think dancing around this private for profit disaster we call our health care system is a lame approach and we should be demanding it be dismantled. Maybe this is a bad analogy, but we all accepted the moment the Federal government stepped in and broke up the ATT Bell Telephone system. We didn’t make it a public system, but from this we can acknowledge that sometimes government must step in to create a national low cost service for the public good. In the case of health care I just think that we can make the case that a public system is essential to assure all Americans get adequate care regardless of their income. Health care is an inalienable right and I don’t think we should cringe at being labeled socialists. We should embrace standing up for the public good.
The response on the phone was far more polite than it was when Bass was in office.(or the calls to sununununu-son-of-sununununu’s senate office) And I followed up with an email, that brought up points from the actual bill with page numbers and stuff. I got back a polite email, that said that the Representative was considering all the opinions from his constituents. And I was thanked for the time I took to actually read the bill. Honestly it was one of the best responses from a politician since Warren Rudman (who wrote *great* letters back, even though I disagreed with him, fairly often)I’m not completely unhappy with Rep Hodes. I do wish I could be more happy with him. (For one example, should Sen Leahy of VT ever want an affair that’ll scare the horses, he just needs to call)(that might have been TMI)
I agree with you.
I’m not sure what analogy to use, and maybe it doesn’t matter.
People are not even aware of how much of a weight that would be lifted off them if they didn’t have to worry about going to the doctor.
Imagine if you didn’t have to worry about skimping on the BP check-ups, blood sugar strips, etc.
I trust that if you walked a mile in my shoes (and don’t forget to tie your laces) you would not be lucky to strike it rich by blogging about Elephants on Parade and Blue Cross DINOs while convincing the world that 2 humps are indeed better than one.
Only blind men could look at the making of the bill for this gem and find that it’s a bit like a barrel of monkeys and a pig in a poke and snakes on a plane with a crazy maccaw screaming somewhere in the back room.
Single-payers say simplicity and elegance are worth the transition. They say, what is this new system by comparison. What is the idea and why is it ‘the good’? What’s the shape of this new animal and does it have teeth?
The current crocodile takes a big bite and it takes a lot of people to wrestle it to ground. No Dundees here. I think the key is a process by which we turn a near-monolithic pack into competitors and eventually domesticated guard dogs.
Somehow their price-fixing must turn into a race to the bottom while we turn their services into a competitive race to the top. Structure and incentives!
Have you ever seen a dog trainer? He doesn’t pay the dog with a treat after he’s got it trained. It becomes accustomed to performing it’s best and requires fewer treats. Yeah, like that.
Details yet to come.
Rooted in American IDEALS, not just traditions.
Interesting idea. Perhaps the Federal Employee’s system and Medicaid should be merged with the new system.
Medicare I don’t know well enough to say.
The VA is a bit different than ordinary health centers, so it’s not so easy to do away with.
Certainly having a simpler less fragmented system would be appealing.
I don’t know when the best time would be for arguing for a significantly different concept and role for government. But, for now we live in a free society with a capitalistic economic system. So, I suggest we make that work so that everyone has the wherewithall to pay for their health care and to have that ease of mind you suggest.
If this system can’t be fixed, then all of us will have to reconsider other sectors of our economy and the role of government vis a via the economy.
THAT would be a big debate making our current health reform debate seem rather small and quiet.
Blue Cross Democrats!!! That is frekin’ great!
We gotta find a way to use that.
And full time employment with great health care benefits awaits the loser at any number of HMOs and Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and other nationwide insurance companies. You can bet your ass on that.
Well shoudn’t they all be forced by law to enroll in Comrade Kent’s health insurance co-operatives? If not, why not? It certainly can’t be that our legislative body is good enough to deserve America’s best health care coverage and ordinary Americans are not. One enjoys the benefit of socially funded health care coverage unparalleled in America and ordinary Americans get to suck on the lemon of insurance coo-operatives paid for out of their own after-tax dollars pocket.
Hi – This is rather late. But the Federal Employees’ Health System is not a model for the nation. I’ve been on it for years. For one thing, there is a fairly restricted number of medical insurance programs from which each federal employee and retiree can choose. This contrasts with the 1,300 or so for-profit medical insurance companies out there.
The federal government foots the annual bill to inform each employee and retiree of what plans are available in the coming year in what geographic areas & what each costs. Employees study the offerings annually &, if they think that they’ll get better coverage for the same or a lower cost, they can switch insurance companies during a several-week Open Season.
Now imagine that for the whole nation. It would not work.
Constituting the entire nation as a single risk pool; pooling our insurance premiums; and having the federal government handle the payments as it now does for Medicare (well, OK, it seems to outsource this step) == that is, single-payer or Medicare for All – - is the one financially feasible way to go.
I hate to break the news, but with majorities in both houses of Congress since 2006, and now with larger majorities and a democratic president, the problem is 100% democrats. There is no reason to give republicans the time of day. And yet republicans continue to command the agenda – why? Because:
1) most democrats are plutocrats invested in the status quo, just like republicans. This includes pretty much all of the democratis “leadership” and Obama. They’re corrupt and easily bought.
2) democrats are generally spineless, except maybe Barney Frank
3) democrats sit by and do nothing while 5 mega media corporations, with a total of less than 100 people in their corporate boardrooms – all republicans, control 95% of the information Americans receive about everything.