When will the Democrats ever learn to fight back?

Submitted by BuzzFlash on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 1:06pm.

Steven C. Day

By Steven C. Day

The chorus to Pete Seeger's famous protest song, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," ends with these haunting words:

When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Seeger was, of course, speaking to the deadly serious business of the futility of war, but his words apply almost as well to the current debate over healthcare reform - itself a deadly serious matter for millions of Americans. Because one has to wonder: when will Democrats ever learn that giving in to bullies never works - never - not in a million election cycles. As every schoolyard victim knows all too well, when you give in to a bully he or she will just keep coming back, continually upping the ante - until, finally, after much misery, the victim is left with no choice but to either accept the pain and humiliation indefinitely or to finally fight back.

Bullying, of course, has been the right wing's political weapon of choice for well over a decade, but rarely has it been more starkly on display than in the last few weeks. The town hall bullies, backed up by both corporate special interests and the right wing noise machine, have been making quite a splash. Recent polling suggests that their lies, as transparently foolish as they seem to those of us on the left, may actually be carrying the day.

The granddaddy of all these lies, of course, is the absurd claim that the healthcare reform bill passed out of the House would create "death panels," committees of federal bureaucrats tasked with deciding whose grandmother (or Down syndrome child) will live and whose will be required to die.

As you, no doubt, already know, the geneses of this nonsense is a provision in the bill which - quite reasonably - provides a mechanism for paying health care providers, under Medicare, to provide information and counseling to patients regarding end of life issues such as advance directives and living wills. So absurd (and hurtful given the importance of end of life planning) is this lie, it actually did something unthinkable for a time, fracturing (at least a little) the usually rock solid unity of the right wing attack machine, with some Republicans openly denouncing the fraud. Although, alas, the party leadership seems in the end to be coming down on the side of the nuts, as per the usual.

(The original proposal to include a Medicare benefit for counseling on living wills and advance directives was made by a Republican, Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia!)

Nevertheless, ever so predictably, the Democratic leadership in the Senate seems ready to cave and simply remove the living will/advance directives language from the bill. This is pathetic certainly, but also politically unwise.

I have no idea why the great gods of politics chose this precise moment to strip Barack Obama of his previously exceptional political gifts, but the Democratic response to this death panel silliness so far could not have been clumsier. So I'll let the Democratic leadership in on a little secret: in playing games with advance directives and living wills, GOP operatives and politicians are handing the Democrats a loaded gun pointed directly at their own heads (which is sort of appropriate, when you think about it, given that their supporters have been showing up at town hall meetings armed with handguns).

The truth is, when the issue is properly explained, most elderly - the very folks the GOP is trying to scare with this idiocy - will favor having the option for end of life planning. One of the great fears of old age is the possibility of one being left to linger on life support, stripped of all basic human dignity and a burden to one's family long after meaningful life has ended. Most older people want the power to decide for themselves when "extraordinary medical measures" will end, and when they'll be allowed to die in a peaceful and dignified fashion.

The phrase "death with dignity" isn't just a collection of words to older Americans: it's something many care passionately about.

And given this, surely the smart political response isn't for the Democrats to run and hide on this issue, but to tear into the Republicans with everything they've got. Democrats need to stop whining about how right wingers are trying to scare the elderly (although they are) and start, instead, screaming about how they're trying to deny them basic human dignity. How dare they try to score a cheap political point by working to deny middle class and poor senior citizens the same liberty of decision that they themselves and their parents have. "How in the name of God, can they do such a thing? Have they no shame, no sense of decency at all?"

But, no, instead, it appears that the Democrats are preparing to simply drop the provision from the bill - to cave in to the defrauders once more. As though doing so will achieve anything other than to embolden the liars for their next lie, and their next lie and their next lie and on and on until the end of time - or more pertinently, until the end of any meaningful reform.

What is wrong with the Democratic leadership?

When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

LAST CHANCE DEMOCRACY CAFE

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Democrats seem to act guilty for winning.

Submitted by felinetta on Thu, 08/20/2009 - 11:27am.

There is still an abusive relationship going on. Even when Republicans lose, they act like obnoxious winners and Democratic politicians allow this behavior to somehow appease the Republicans actual loss of power. Democrats seem to act sorry for them. They enable Republicans to continue being abusive to us and I'm am tired of their tirades, spoiled brat tantrums, and total contempt for our democracy. These people deserve no respect from us. Their brutish tactics must be called out. Bullies can actually be put in their place. Most of them are paper tigers. We must stop emboldening them. Spoiled children are repulsive and must be stopped. They need a huge naughty corner, perhaps in Alaska or Texas. Just get them out of faces.

protests

Submitted by Tom Tele on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 2:24pm.

Aside from the Right bias of the media the there is a clear reason thousands in the street against the Iraq War were ignored and a few hundred Rightist/birther types are a force to be reckoned with; the threat of violence. A demo is a show of force. If there is no threat of violence, it is safe to ignore protesters. That is why American Leftist/Liberal demonstrations do little. MLK used Malcolm X as the example of what White America will get if it didn't listen to his non-violent protests. Independent of the Democratic party our side does not understand violence as essential human communication with those who are unreasonable ( not pervious to convincing by reason.) The Right understands this very well.

Not bad

Submitted by oekoman on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 11:53pm.

I agree with you wholeheartedly with one minor exception. We can also use the boycott to hit the oligarchs in their pocketbook. That ALWAYS gets their attention. That is why the Patriot Act almost outlaws organize boycotts. Progressives in other nations have been much more successful with general strikes and boycotts. That is an alternate to violence. The only problem with violence is that it gives an excuse to the oligarchs to instruct the politicians to crack down with a police state. Barring that drawback, you are right. After all Malcolm was murdered. That did not help anything. So was MLK for that matter.

The problem with the Democrats

Submitted by Tom Tele on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 2:18pm.

The Democrats have long known that they get stereotyped as weak. The common response is to go to the Right, which to most Americans looks like crass opportunism. If Democrats actually stood for what the sometimes say they do, they would be more respected by those that disagree with them. Americans respect a fighter. I know that was Hillary's angle. Whether she would be doing better will never be answered. I was not an Obama freak, I just thought he did n't have a multi year smear industry aimed at him like Hillary did. It DID seem to take the Repugs until recently to really build a negative mythology in the public's mind. I did hope ( that word) that he didn't really believe that shit.

Wrong Question

Submitted by Ken duerksen on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 9:24am.

They are not failing to "fight back" - instead they are very active mercenaries in the fight AGAINST US. The Democratic Party, I'm afraid, has become a cheap and willing Trojan Horse for the corporatocracy in its monopolization of our democracy and our lives.

One should rather ask when WE are going to start fighting back.

Yes, yes and yes

Submitted by oekoman on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 11:55pm.

Its nice to see that SOMEONE gets it.

Sausage Being Made

Submitted by PacoC on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 7:44am.

Any time a bill winds its way through committees, various Congressmen will add their own ideas. Some ideas are good, some are bad and some are just complicated. This is fertile ground for powerful corporations to plunder when they want to shape or defeat the effort. They can lobby to introduce provisions that are terrible or which are easy to distort and malign. Then they can raise a ruckus in the media and among other sadly gullible people, even about a proposal that will never make it into law.

In 1992 we saw an effort to avoid these difficulties by writing a complete proposal in private and that effort failed spectacularly. This time the process is being held in public but there is again a determined effort to defeat the process. If we really want health care reform, clearly we have to fight our way through this nasty battle against progress that has again been launched from the right.

Particularly if your Senator is a blue-dog or a Republican you need to dog him or her relentlessly on this topic. And by the way, the important votes will be the ones for cloture, not on the bill itself.

when will the democrats ever learn to fight back?

Submitted by tigeredmond on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 7:33am.

The Question is not "when will they learn?" but WHY they don´t learn to fight back? I´m Psychotherapist and I work since 25 years with aggression. There is a well-known negativ side to aggression (violence, bullying, war...) but it is less known that there is also a positiv side (immune-system, civic courage, fighting for human rights,..). Now, follow that : 1. Aggression has a very bad reputation. 2. The "good guys" (democrats, liberals, ecologists, human-righters,people who want peace...) despise aggression. 3. They are like a boxer with his hands tied facing another boxer who has an iron bar in his box-gloves! To change that the "good guys" have to learn: a)that there is a positiv aggression b)that they have the right to use it, to fight for their values and stop showing again and again the left cheek. c)that they can learn how to fight in a way which is fair and compatible with their values and with all their strenghts. I have a text(4-5 pages) about what I wrote here. If you´re interested, I could translate it from German and send it to you. Tigeredmond

Never

Submitted by blackjack on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 1:53am.

The DEMS., are afrade of the CORPORATE CONTROLED MEDIA the CCM controles every thing that we See,Hear,or Read. Until we have the Guts to brake up the CCM we will never have a Goverment that looks out for the people who electe them that is why the DEMS., will never stand up to these people.

Minor correction

Submitted by oekoman on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 11:57pm.

The Democrats will never stand up to "those people" because they ARE THOSE PEOPLE. When WILL liberals get it????? Dems and Repugs are the SAME!!!!

100% right

Submitted by godblessfdr on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 8:48am.

blackjack is 100% right,the democrats stupidly turned control of the news media over to the corporations and now they are being blasted 24 hours a day by republican shills on all the media outlets except the internet.Lets face it ,most Americans haven't got the intelligence of the chimpanzee they evolved from and will believe what ever they see and hear without question.The first step in regaining control of the minds and i use this term loosely of the people is to regain control of the means of propaganda.It is for no small reason the Communist and Nazi's took control of the new media like the republicans have done in the United States.

Watch out for C-Street Democrats

Submitted by Freedem on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 10:28pm.

If there is one very powerful political lobby that has made its position totally clear it is the "C-Street" gang of secretive Pseudo-Christian Power brokers that have their subversives in every governmental institution including the Democratic Party. For Republicans it is easy as they are Corporate shills totally out of the closet, but in this issue, anti-democrat Democrats stand out in high relief.

Much of the "negotiations" are instead deliberate subversion of the process, while they attempt to throw up their hands in mock despair so their fingerprints are not on the knife in the back of meaningful reform, much less single payer.

If the Gang Of Pirates think that the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat, it is not any part of Bipartisan to accommodate them and roll over and play dead.

What's wrong with the Democratic leadership

Submitted by banjobailey on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 6:19pm.

Frankly, I am beginning to wonder whether the Democratic leadership is so self-involved, as a consequence of being on the "inside" (during their years of working their ways up the ranks) that they really do not have the pulse of the people anymore. Those who seem to have the pulse, according to my lights of course, are regularly marginalized, put down, or simply ignored. Think of Howard Dean. Here he was, leader during the election cycle, bringing about the 50 state strategy which WON, and suddenly, after the election, he is nobody. No appointment to a position of influence, like Sec. of HHS (well, why would he be qualified for THAT, given he's only a physician.)?? And, why would he be given a position of power when so many, inside the Democratic Party, were against him all the way along? Well, he wouldn't, would he. And, he didn't. Our "fighters" have been marginalized, with the exception of one: Hillary. Her clear-speaking diplomacy is a refreshing renewal: to the whole world, for the whole world NOW understands where they, and WE, actually stand. Would that Obama himself be able to make clear where he actually stands on the health care debacle he, himself, created by believing that the Republicans were actually going to go along with him. WHY, oh, WHY, oh WHY does he believe this? And, his assistants believe this!!! His advisors believe this! Harry Reid believes this! Well, what the elected officials in the Senate believe is that they need to get re-elected and why should they be concerned about anything other than THAT seeing as how THEY have the best health care insurance ever offered to any other living human being, and they don't want to lose it.

Again, liberals are self-defeating

Submitted by oekoman on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 11:46pm.

Your statement pre-supposes that Democrats the ever had the pulse of the people. They don't want anything different than Republicans. They are both paid by the same oligarchs. How come liberals are so confused by the oligarch propaganda? Can't you figure out that the Democrats are the same as the Republicans, only a slightly different flavor? Its like saying "Its too hot to wear a green sweater on a summer afternoon, I would rather wear a red one." Are you aware of the Blue Dogs and how they have hijacked the Democratic Party????? Wake up please and support true progressive causes or just go ahead and join the conservatives. But to act like you are offering something different with Democrats is plain ridiculous.

Are you aware the Hillary

Submitted by Atmost11 on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 6:36pm.

Are you aware the Hillary Clintons health-care proposal during the 2008 campaign, was an individual mandate all by itself - with nothing else? That isnt fighting is it?

Are you aware ...

Submitted by Yman on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 8:29am.

... that you're full of shit?

Obviously, you've never read her proposal if you think her entire plan was an individual mandate. Her plan included a public option, in the form of offering individuals two options: 1) choose one of the federal employee plans, or 2) an expanded form of Medicare. It did include an individual mandate, just as many states require people to purchase auto insurance, but provided for federal tax subsidies to help people pay for coverage. In fact, there was actually a a consensus among experts that, with the exception of the mandate, her plan was very similar to Obama's plan.

Frankly, I ( and most progressive health policy experts such as Frank Krugman) would argue that the individual mandate makes her plan more progressive, since without a mandate, healthy people could choose not to buy insurance — then sign up for it later if they got sick. In other words, people who did the right thing and bought insurance when they were healthy would end up paying for those who waited to sign up after they needed medical care. Plus Clinton's mandate means universal coverage for adults as well as children. Of course, Obama's objections to an individual mandate evaporated quicker than many of his other campaign promises once he took office. To be fair, there was also one other major difference ....

her plan also did not include any backroom deals with big pharma, like Obama's.

Any questions?

aware of Hillary

Submitted by banjobailey on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 6:57pm.

Yeah, I was aware that Hillary's proposal was an individual mandate and I didn't exactly go for it, but, I also understood that not ONE THING any candidate proposed during the election cycle was GOING TO BECOME reality. Including that. What I understood, was that she had dedicated much of her political career to getting better health care for as many people as she could. Had she gone into some other complicated formula which would have been defeated immediately, she would have lost even more than she did. That was politics. That was playing to the lowest common demoninator. I don't blame her for that. Nor do I blame any other politician for doing that. That is what they all do. My point is that those who are actually in charge of "LEADING" are not doing it. Hillary's life has been nothing other than leading against the status quo. Which, is why is she now Sec. of State. And, boy, are we lucky.

Totally wrong you are

Submitted by oekoman on Sun, 08/16/2009 - 12:01am.

Hillary fighting against the status quo? You must be sound asleep or drunk. If she fought against the status quo she would be doing something about the Honduran fascist military coup d'etat. She is just as much of a shill as any Blue Dog or Republican. You must be living in that "alternate universe."

Typical dreamer

Submitted by oekoman on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 6:03pm.

Who said the Democrats want to fight back? Who voted for the Democrats anyway? Liberals? When will voting Democrats and liberals wake up for goodness sake? The Dempubicans and Repocrats are paid by the same gallery of criminal oligarchs. The premise of this article is misguided from the outset. The more energy we put into the Democratic Party the more we fall for the game. We need to act and act boldly. Articles like this politely describe the road to hell without ever realizing they are paving it. Read some history and get with the program. Get off the Democrat bus and get on with real reform. Start by boycotting the oligarchs. Hit them where it counts. Vote for real change, not Obama change, phony change designed to trick you into another four years of oligarch rule. Soon there will be nothing left to vote for. By the time these whiny liberals wake up the store will be robbed blind...it is already! Wow you finally realized that something about the Dems is not right. Gee you are only 30 years behind the times. And you have some clever pit of logic you plan to us eagainst the welath and pwoer of the oligarchs? What a joke! No wonder we are in such trouble with the lieks of liberals like this. Go back to sleep or do something but stop with the "Only if the Democrats would grow a spine" thing.

who is a dreamer?

Submitted by Tom Tele on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 11:08am.

It is fine and well to say we all need to stop voting for members of the two parties but our system is designed that anyone who challenges the status quo only serves as a spoiler. There is little hope for America that doesn't require a left Democratic party.

Spoiler theory is self destructive

Submitted by oekoman on Sat, 08/15/2009 - 11:37pm.

This is the classic argument. Vote for anyone other than a Democrat and we hand the victory to Republicans. This is a stupid argument. If the Democrats act like Republicans then we may need to lose a few elections before we finally are victorious. But to use the spoiler logic is to simply admit defeat without a fight. It also qualifies for the definition of insanity, i.e. doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. Its time that we lift the veil of ignorance about the spoiler theory and risk something if we are to gain something. It matters not if we lose an election to the Republicans because the Democrats are supporting the same policies. So now we have a Democratic President and what good has it done? Please tell me. Please educate me. No one voted for the truly progressive candidates and the result is just another Bush, in Democratic clothes. Again, the stupidity of the spoiler theory is staggering. Follow the spoiler theory and we will forever have an oligopoly that supports tha large corpoations. Simple as that. This is why liberals are so self-defeating.

Not If Kent Conrad Has His Way

Submitted by lapdogs on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 5:47pm.

Conrad says he won’t support government-run health care program CARRINGTON, N.D. — Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. presented his cooperative health care proposal here Thursday and told an audience of 100 that he would not vote for a government-run health care program. Conrad stopped in Carrington as part of his a statewide tour touting the Senate Finance Committee’s cooperative health care proposal. The proposal has received bipartisan support for several reasons, he said. The cooperative would offer a non-profit insurance option to compete with private health care. It would not be government run, he said. Individuals, families and small business owners could stick with their current provider, or they could opt for the cooperative plan. http://www.jamestownsun.com/event/article/id/91608/

We are gonna get the Public

Submitted by Atmost11 on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 4:55pm.

We are gonna get the Public Option!! You may not like it, but we are gonna win this!! I dont care what you believe - be optimistic and we win - be pessimistic and we win - Conservatives lose. We are gonna win!!!!

I sincerely hope you're right, Atmost.

Submitted by mguttor on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 4:59pm.

But I'm pretty suspicious. With the news coming out about the backroom deals made with big pharma we're more likely to get the Public Auction.

Peace.

If someone has lost their smile, give them yours.

http://quadkite.com

Steven - Weren't you an Obama supporter?

Submitted by Yman on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 4:16pm.

Now you want a fighter???

Did you think all the "post partisan unity" promises were some kind of schtick?

Fight Back? Against whom? Their corporate benefactors?

Submitted by mguttor on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 4:06pm.

When will liberals and progressives ever learn THE DEMOCRATS AREN'T ON THEIR SIDE! They ARE fighting back! Against YOU!

If someone has lost their smile, give them yours.

http://quadkite.com

Thank you!

Submitted by oekoman on Sun, 08/16/2009 - 12:03am.

For telling us about the white elephant in the room. Any liberal who thinks Democrats are the answer might as well join the Republican Party.

The Only Way We Win...

Submitted by neoconned on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 2:30pm.

...is if Obama gets off his bipartisan ass and ACTS LIKE A LEADER!

This battle could have been won a while back if Obama hadn't wasted so much time letting the GOP Congressional delegation make a fool out of him repeatedly. They wouldn't have known what hit them, and the American people would have had real health care reform.

But as Greg Palast points out in his most recent column, Obama has already given away just about everything that would have helped us and got almost nothing in return. This is NOT leadership. This is surrender.

One can see that Obama may well be wise noting that he could accept being a one-term president, because that is about all he's going to be.

We are gonna win - we are

Submitted by Atmost11 on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 2:07pm.

We are gonna win - we are gonna get the public option!! This is okay, Americans can all thank Senator Grassley for saving them from the Death Panels. Maybe Michael Steele can brag about how his party saved Americans from the Death Panels. CNN can go ahead and talk all they want about how Death Panels were averted by Grassley say some, Death Panels werent proposed say others. We are gonna WIN!!!

Dream on...

Submitted by oekoman on Sun, 08/16/2009 - 12:05am.

You must be one of those liberals that still holds out hope that Democrats are actually different than Republicans. You must also be sound asleep. Please refrain from calling yourself progresive. You are just as confused as the white racists.

Who are you to criticize?

Submitted by imsloan on Mon, 08/17/2009 - 10:46am.

Do you know this person? Do you know what they believe or why? Or are you so high-holy and all-knowing that we should just do as you say? Why don't YOU do something other than piss on another person's optimism? What side are YOU on? And don't EVER tell someone what to call thamselves again, you jerkoff.

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