Krugman: "Centrists" Should Admit It If They Want To Kill Reform

New York Times:

I won't try to psychoanalyze the "naysayers," as Mr. Orszag describes them. I'd just urge them to take a good hard look in the mirror. If they really want to align themselves with the hard-line conservatives, if they just want to kill health reform, so be it. But they shouldn't hide behind claims that they really, truly would support health care reform if only it were better designed.

For this is the moment of truth. The political environment is as favorable for reform as it's likely to get. The legislation on the table isn't perfect, but it's as good as anyone could reasonably have expected. History is about to be made -- and everyone has to decide which side they're on.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[middleoftheroad]

I love how the leftists of progressives tell me what's in my head. so in order to back reform of the health care industry, we have to want Nancy pelosi's bill? gimme a break. this won't pay for itself, yes the deficit matters, and I don't trust what's going to be in the final bill... why push this on the public with three days to read and debate it?

[PhilipTaylor]

THIS APPLIES TO ALL THESE CENTRIST BSers!

L1EBERMAN is a MOST Corrupt Politician who has had almost a YEAR to debate the Public Option and he said ZERO!

He is the worst EXAMPLE of a "TURN-COAT" in EXISTENCE TODAY!

He has taken over $10 Million from Wall Street and Health Care Providers!

His wife gets money from the Health Care Industry!

What CREDIBILITY DOES HE HAVE? NOT ZERO but NEGATIVE 100%!

WELL Over 60% of CT V0TERS want a PUBLIC OPTION!

He is doing this for L00T and against the VAST Majority of PEOPLE in his state and in AMERICA!

Start Singing YOUR FINAL "SWAN SONG" LY1NG L1EBERMAN!

[fourex]

"Centrists" Should Admit It If They Want To Kill Reform"

Of course they're not Centrists. The center voted for Obama and supported his health reform proposals. That means they're to the right of Obama and the majority who voted for him, They are of course, Right Wingers.

[Billy Hell]

Corruption in government is in your face with corporate America deciding who wins office and drafting and approving legislation. How can anyone possibly expect congress or the white house to act in the best interests of the people?

[TRex86]

The Blue Dogs need to get their heads screwed back on. The only thing the Republicans have left is their uber-rich backers. The party itself is in free fall. It has nothing to offer, and is no threat outside the gerrymandered districts that are assured to any cadaver with Republican party membership. Even if it's only opportunism the Dogs need to rejoin the Democratic Party, lest they be left by the roadside. Anything the Dogs do that helps promote the Beck-Limbaugh agenda is treason to everything the Democratic Party represents.
For the Holiday season they need a Democratic remake of A Christmas Carol. The spirit of the past (Ted Kennedy) will remind them of the progressive social programs that are the party's proudest achievements. The spirit of the present (Alan Grayson) will show them the opportunities that are at their fingertips (peace, economic recovery, universal health care) if they regrow their gonads. The spirit of the future (Move-on, Greenpeace, etc.) will show them a ravaged, empty planet if they don't get their act together.

[curanipedoug]

Blanche Lincoln is a centrist only in a country with a very confused center. Ms Lincoln's intellectual deficits
become obvious, when she votes or speaks/writes-but if she is replaced it will be someone worse.
The process doesn't work if these characters are the result.

[Coinyer101]

Senator Lincoln is my Senator. I will be asking her to vote no, because this p.o. is way too weak, to allow individual mandates. Its failures will be ammo fer repubs against future public options.


Kucinich / Single-payer, 2012

[H321]

LOL. Good luck with that.

[Nonamnesiac]

I don't know why we continue to deal with this issue as if any substance is involved. This is all about legalized bribery and corruption and the drug pushers (big Pharma) and the health insurers have made it so lucrative that people like Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, all of the Republicans, Kent Conrad,Joe Lierberman and Barack ("I'll sign without a public option") Obama really don't care if their opposition to single-payer and a strong public opotion causes them to lose their elections. First Big Pharma and the health insurers will contribute millions to their campaigns. Big Pharma and the health insurers will also guarantee lucrative work to these thieves for the rest of their lives if they lose their elections or choose to retire.

It's obvious that but for legalized corruption and bribery we'd go to single-payer, universal, quality health care paid for by ending the Bush tax cuts and employer mandates, like everywhere else in the industrialized world. The politicians opposing single-payer and the one who's stated publicly over-and-over again that he would sign a Bill without a public option are simply crooked lowlifes.

[Tom Payned]

They actually fare better once they vacate their seats be it by a loss or decision not to run. They collect their quid pro quo in the form of nice fat lobbying jobs, board of directorships on affiliated corporations, or their family members get lucrative jobs like Baye's wife, or LIEberman's.

Or they write books (via ghost writers) that become best sellers, even though you've probably never met anyone whose purchased a copy.

There is just so many ways for the bribe money to be delivered. Like LIEbarman's wife owning shares of stock in insurance companies, the price of the stock dropping, (short selling is most likely involved) than LIEberman says he'll filibuster & the shares rise 10% that day.

If only Martha Stewart had been a politician or spouse of one, she'd never have served a day.

[Tom Payned]

She always relied upon the kindness of bribers, er.. strangers.

[bobm0001]

Krugman's exactly right. These folks are in the health industry's pocket. Always have been. Always will be. We need to throw them out.

[Okieborn]

123 and your out Blanche !!

[Ventura Co California]

I love how with some people it's all or nothing.

[H321]

Selfishness runs on both sides of the political spectrum.
Some want no reform at all because they are happy with their own coverage (for now)
Others want a single-payer system and force people into government run health care even thought the vast majority do not want that at all.

[TonyOnly]

Republicans and their blue dog imitators keep giving us all these nightmare scenarios about what will happen if America adopts a public option. But they don't mention that none of these nightmares have occurred in the countries that have had a public option in place for decades. So how do you explain their paranoia? There's only a few possibilities. Either Republicans are saying Americans are dumber than the rest of the world. Or for some reason, Republicans are protecting insurance company profits ahead of American lives. Or Republicans are trying to gain political advantage by trashing Democrat policy. Don't forget, Republicans lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. You can always count on people who lied in the past to lie again.

[Tom Payned]

The PO that's on the table is a joke. It's not a real option. You only qualify for it if you have no coverage. If you already have coverage, you have NO OPTION AT ALL other than to stick with your extortion/mafia style protection racket.

I want choice for everyone, like Obama & McCain said they'd make certain we'd have just like congress & fed employees.

I'm happy to pay, I don't want a free ride, just competition, free market style competition.

What happened to that plan?

[the964kid]

I know I'll be making a donation to any Dem primary challenger in 2010 and 2012 against any so-called Dem Senator who votes against the public option and healthcare reform. These faux-Dems should get primary'd - because now we'll know they support the big companies in their states and not the citizens. The majority of their constituents all support the public option, so it's painfully obvious that the Ben Nelsons of the senate do not actually represent their own voters.

[meko]

I haven't waited. I'm already on ActBlue.com and Firedoglake.com

I've also been calling the sellouts to let them know I'll be campaigning and fundraising for their primary challengers. I can't wait to get to work on behalf of anyone who runs against Blanche Lincoln in 2010.

[Tom Payned]

me too.

[wagadog]

Excellent writing, and every word true.

When are these so-called "centrists" going to realize that *progressive* is the new "middle of the road"?

Their "middle" is between the lobbyists who shower them with money, and their constituents -- but at the end of the day, it is the constituents, not the lobbyists and their lies -- that may or may not re-elect them.

And who painted these lines in the road marking where "left", "right" and "center" are supposed to be? Why the lobbyists, their lies and the liars who repeat the lies: Fox, CNN and even NPR all buy into where these lines are, and all dutifully go to their little boxes, Fox on the right, CNN in the so-called middle and NPR ....well, they're called "left" but that's a joke.

It's a good question: "Which Side Are You On?" Woody Guthrie asked that. Pete Seeger asks that. But as important it is to ask where the line is, and how it got pushed so far to the right in the first place.

Progressive Populism is the new Middle of the Road. Some so-called representatives seem to want to find that out the hard way. Wonder how these so-called representatives will feel when it's their spouses, their kids -- who have to go without a college education and proper health care.