Dave Lindorff: Massachusetts Mayhem, Democrats' Debacle and the Perfect Moment for Party Progressives
The media punditry, corn-fed on conventional wisdom, are all atwitter about the looming Democratic debacle in Massachusetts, saying that win or lose, the poor showing by the Democratic candidate for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat, state Attorney General Martha Coakley, means Democrats in Congress should abandon plans to push through a House-Senate compromise health bill, and instead just go with the Senate's version of health "reform" legislation, thus circumventing a certain Republican filibuster attempt.
The Senate bill, remember, is the dreadful health bill version that outlaws abortion coverage for anyone getting subsidized insurance, and that taxes the hell out of health insurance benefits that are the mainstay of many middle-income and working-class families, not to mention mandating that people with low incomes spend significant assets they don't have to buy lousy insurance they may not want or need. As bad as the House bill is, the Senate bill is even worse.
It is a crummy bill, cobbled together from bits and pieces of self-serving elements submitted by health industry lobbyists, who have spent the last year swarming over the Senate like ants and maggots over a fetid, unrecognizable lump of roadkill.
The call for the House to adopt the Senate plan, so as to avoid a filibuster, is advice that would doom the Democrats in 2010. While that might be a good thing, given the sorry excuse for an alternative to the Republicans that the Democrats have become, I would argue that the time is right for the small rump of Democrats who are still progressives to take a stand.
They have the power to drive a stake through the corporatists who run the Democratic Party, and who have been working assiduously for decades to neuter the party and especially its progressive caucus. If progressive members of the House simply refuse to vote for the Senate version of the health bill, it cannot go forward.
The reason President Barack Obama's health plan, the president's and the Democratic Party's support have all cratered even in that most emblematic Democratic state of Massachusetts is not that Republicans are resurgent. It is not even that unaffiliated voters have turned from Obama, though certainly some have. It's that Democrats have become disgusted with the man they turned out for so enthusiastically in November 2008, with his "plan" for health "reform," and with the party that they gave such a resounding victory to in Congress that same election and in 2006.
Democratic voters -- especially liberal Democrats -- are rightly feeling punked. Even if they are voting in Massachusetts, they are not doing it with any enthusiasm, and aren't hustling their friends and coworkers to vote along with them.
And the Obama/Democratic health care reform sellout is only one of their complaints. There is also the Obama cave-in to Wall Street, enormous escalation of the Afghanistan War, failure to restore Constitutional government, and wishy-washy efforts on climate change.
It's funny to recall that a year ago, it was common to hear pundits pronouncing the death of the Republican Party. Now, it appears that the Democratic Party is actually headed for history's Dumpster -- with President Obama and the party's hack leadership in Congress in the driver's seat of the careening truck.
Coakley was true to form as the party's standard-bearer in this collapse. Even as her candidacy was heading for the rocks, instead of campaigning hard for the state's liberal base, she headed off on January 12, just a week ahead of the special election, to pander to lobbyists from the health industry and to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bribes from them. No wonder her base is deserting her or just staying home!
Hell, if I were in Massachusetts, I'd vote for Coakley's GOP opponent, Scott Brown. The former Cosmopolitan centerfold model may be just a buffer version of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, but at least he has vowed, if elected, to kill the Senate health bill.
For that alone, he deserves progressive Democrats' support.
Democrats in Congress are headed for a historic and well-earned rout this November. Progressive Democrats in House and Senate should be cutting themselves loose as soon as possible from this sinking ship and following the lead of Vermont's independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. They have a historic opportunity to send the corporatist Democrats off to their well-deserved demise, while forging the Congressional core of something new: a true progressive opposition party representing America's working people.
DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-area journalist. His latest book is "The Case for Impeachment" (St. Martin's Press, 2006). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net.
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I honestly don't know which way they'll go
Dims promised Progressive. Dims were elected to govern Progressive. Obama himself promised Single Payer if we gave Dims control of the House and Senate and White House.
Did we get Single Payer? No, we got a trillion dollar robbery of America's working poor with the proceeds going to the health mafia. And we got abortion restrictions. And more war. And more signing statements and state secrets privileges and executive privileges and Wall Street bailouts and the largest military budget in the history of the universe just to chase a couple of dozen arabs who mysteriously resemble Spanish politicians.
People don't like being lied to. The Dims lost MA where they have a better than 3 to 1 registration advantage. If the November election were held today the Dims could not count on retaining any seats. The Dims' choice now is between cashing in for ten months and then all becoming Wall Street lobbyists, or doing what they promised. I honestly don't know which way they'll go.
Complete Break
It's about time for Congressman Kucinich and Senator Feingold to lead a progressive break from the Democratic Party. They could be the focus of a new progressive party that articulates common sense solutions to the problems that plague the American people. Yes it will take time, but in time the American people would realize that progressives have more answers as compared to the psychobabble of the Republicans and Democrats. It is only a matter of time before both of these sorry excuses for political parties destroy themselves from within. When this happens a strong progressive party could be the glue that keeps the country from falling further into anarchy, and puts this country back on to the path that the Founding Fathers intended.
Looks like the predicted massacre occurred
Now the "fun" begins. Let's see whether there are still any Democrats with courage, integrity and brains who manage to claw their way out of the sack before it gets dropped into the lake.
Well put
Amen
Like Hell, Barry!
The White House had better not spin the idea that they didn't see this train wreck coming. They only have themselves to blame.
Like all Federally-mandated grade crossings, the signals were working properly. The bells were ringing, the lights were flashing, and many of us were trying to get the gates down before Obama rushed around them and tried to cross before the train arrived. As happens all too often on the nation's real crossings, the train won.
Obama has been fatally crippled politically. He has no mandate now, no viable majority against Republican intransigence, no defense against the filibuster, and dropping public support. If we had a parliamentary system of governance in this country, the no confidence vote would show up very soon.
a 'Kodak' moment for HCR
"...lobbyists, who have spent the last year swarming over the Senate like ants and maggots over a fetid, unrecognizable lump of roadkill."
someone take a snapshot, QUICK. this is the last you'll see of likes of this mutant malformed piss fpoor excuse for HCR.
HCR we hardly knew ya...
perhaps, someone will listen to Kucinich & Weiner & Gove Dean (FINALLY) and jam thru some REAL single-payer HCR via reconciliation now
...perhaps not. IF not, it'll be 'bloody' come NOV
One PISSED OFF Viet Vet ('72-'73)
"Yes We Can't"
In some ways Obama's betrayal of his progressive base, and with it the nation, has been more difficult to experience than the outrageous behavior of the ignoramus that occupied the White House before him. In Bush's case, stupity was primarily to blame, and deep disbelief and anger were the result. With Obama, it is the big lie: of impending reformation. Disbelief and anger are still there, of course, but it is the overwhelming sense of loss and deep sorrow that will be the legacy.
Perfect moment - BS
The Progressives do not have the power to drive the stake through the corporatists - and you got your wish Lindorff - the Public Option is dead - I remember it was your biggest goal to make sure we didn't get the Public Option and we didn't.
I don't think there is any opportunity here for Progressives to supposedly capitalize on the Democrats choice of bi-partisanship over victory. The Democrats need to lose this one - the Democrats and Obama have tried to raise taxes on the Middle Class with a compromise Middle Class tax hike that is still a Middle Class tax hike. The Democrats have called the Middle Class a "Cadillac". CEOs get to decide if they feel like being exposed on CSPAN - even after Barack Obama made a promise - but if you're an American worker in the middle-class then you're nothing but a "Cadillac" to them.
Democrats, Bush used reconciliation to pass his tax cuts for the wealthy. Democrats, Bush used reconciliation to pass his tax cuts for the wealthy. Democrats, Bush used reconciliation to pass his tax cuts for the wealthy. You could have had victory, and you blew it - DOWN WITH DEMOCRATS.
Cadillac Health Plan
The only real Cadillac Health Plan is that which our Senators and US Reps receive because our taxes pay the bill. Bankers and Investment Bankers and Corporate big wigs have it, too. I think that we the People need to make sure they receive exactly the same benefits that almost 36 million of us receive and from the same providers. Stop the bonuses, stop the welfare support. Let them hear the hollow cruel echoes of "no treatment for you." and "please wait for the next doctor." Tax them into parity with the rest of us...for once, they'd have to pay taxes. Also, find those offshore kicker accounts that both domestic and foreign lobbyists feed.
That would do a lot to change their views. Kind of a "Sick Like Me" analog of "Black Like Me." Perhaps Michael Moore is up to it...also a million sicko march would be a great idea. We pay enormous sums to support the medical providers, pharmaceutical companies, insurance providers, collection agencies, and all the rest of the mafia and racketeers who have positioned themselves as a bottleneck in our healthcare system, and our elected parasites. WE need to chuck the whole thing, and start from scratch. Now Scott Brown gets this Cadillac, too. I think the Yellow Dog network and Move On know what to do about him...