I am not posting this to attack Tom P, but in genuine bewilderment and anger at the content of this post b/c it's the same thing I'm seeing throughout the progressive blogosphere. Because, I think the anger comes at the idea the administration isn't following THEIR lead and THEIR demands.
50 senators could pass the fixes needed and then the House could pass the fixes and the senate bill. Instead, we get circuses televised.
On a deeper level, if we keep reaching for a bipartisanship that can not exist with the regionally dominated Republican Party (The South), we continue to send the message that the Democratic Party cannot govern and that it is weak. Why should people fight for ideas when we are constantly told that Republicans have good ideas also. Really? Which ones? Screwing working people? Women? Minorities? The Environment?
I am sick of "bipartisanship."
This meeting isn't about bipartisanship. It's about allowing the viewers at home, without filter, to watch a debate btwn Republican and Democratic ideas. It's why the Republicans are freaked out about this!
The same criticism happened when it was announced the White House would go to the Republican retreat. What happened? The President stood for his principals, debated the Republicans, and came out looking great.
Health care reform has suffered because of the mendacity of the minority party and the poor reporting from the MSM that has followed politics rather than policy.
A clear example: the Shelby Shakedown. This was huge, did ANY of the political talk shows mention this? Nope. Why? It wasn't deemed important enough I guess that Republicans are obstructing the government and this lack of interest in reporting the policy and process issues has lead to ignorance among the public and blame to the democrats.
Rather than recognize the main impediment to progress for this administration has been a do nothing faction of the democratic caucus (conserva/corporate dems what have you); people attack the White House. The main problem the WH has IMO is that they have not gotten control of the Senate Dems caucus. That's a big issue.
This CSPAN thing is a way to work through the issues by shedding light and it brings pressure on ALL parties to justify themselves.
Health care may go down b/c just as there weren't 50 votes for the public option in the senate as we'd been told (and that letter to Reid that only had 30 signatories should have been the first clue); we don't have 50 votes for reconciliation yet. But this meeting is a way of forcing the democrats to get to yes.
I think a lot of folks have lost faith in this administration. I don't know why, governing is hard. Maybe b/c of the instant feedback amplifies the losses in a way it didn't during Clinton's first year. But this has been a good administration that has worked through it's setbacks IMO.
Let's stand behind the administration as much as possible and do fewer "this is what you need to do to win" posts and more policy oriented and action oriented items. We have three more years of team Obama and god willing it'll be seven more. So, let's just start rolling the rock up the hill and not assuming bad faith on the part of the administration.
Because Tom's post boiled down (IMO) to a simple thing: when will the President start standing for Democratic policies. Well, he did at the Republican retreat. And he's going to stand for health reform at this Blair House meeting. And the good: the nation can see the Republican response and evaluate both in the light of day.
That way, if health care dies it won't be in the dark and voters can respond. That seems to be the president's thinking, hell he said it straight up a few days ago.
To get back to my original reason for posting this: I feel Tom P did what a lot of democrats are doing now. "Oh, Barack's trying to be bipartisan again!" That's become code for: Barack's selling us out.
Yeah. Not what I see.
This president managed to get the greatest amount of money for progressive ideas since the Great Society and no one will triumph that fact and the Democrats allowed the stimulus to be painted as a failure WHILE the Republicans took credit for the good that came to their districts. Progressives didn't get exactly what they wanted and deemed the legislation, greatest since the Great Society, a failure. And that feed the narrative the Republicans were trying to write.
The same thing happened on health care. All reform was a waste if there was no public option, despite how watered down and ineffectual it had become. Rather than trumpet the good things reform would bring, the progressive fight became an echo of "dems are selling out, the president's not doing enough" which the MSM used to bolster the Republican narrative of no reform should happen now.
Success breeds success and reforms breed more reform: social security was a pale image of what it is today when enacted. And it took two years to happen. But it was built upon. The president is trying to do that with health care. Maybe this time, we could stand behind him and declare everyday reform is necessary. Set aside what you want to see in reform and get something passed; because that's the only way to get the reforms you want.
Want a public option? Fight for a national exchange now.
Want drug importation from Canada? Get a bill now and come back to this later.
It seems to me in a variety of ways folks aren't standing with the white house on any issue and amplifying the message; rather they're saying i want this my way. Progressives can't be in the room; but they can make some noise and they aren't making noise to lift up this administration or policies. They're making noise tearing down democrats and the administration IMO. That is not helpful and that won't lead to anything but a Republican resurgence.
This got long and rambling but my basic point is this: if Democrats are echoing Republican talking points then basically the White House if fighting a message war on all fronts.