As the White House continues to move toward dropping the public option, I wanted to dispel two important myths - the ones about the administration's legislative leverage and ideological outlook. Specifically, just in case you were under the illusion that the Obama White House has no ability to play political hardball and or/treats progressive and corporate Democrats equally, I wanted to just highlight this crystal clear contrast.
"Obama Won't Punish Blue Dogs, Jarrett Says"
Valerie Jarrett, the president's senior adviser, said that President Barack Obama will not punish Blue Dog Democrats for their role slowing the health-care debate.
"White House Browbeats Dem Freshmen On War Money: 'You'll Never Hear From Us Again'"The White House is playing hardball with Democrats who intend to vote against the supplemental war spending bill, threatening freshmen who oppose it that they won't get help with reelection and will be cut off from the White House, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) said Friday.
"We're not going to help you. You'll never hear from us again," Woolsey said the White House is telling freshmen.
The double standard doesn't get any more clear than that. And it is predictable. Indeed, this is what you get from a White House that is run by Rahm Emanuel and former Baucus staffer (and famous corporate bum-licker) Jim Messina: A White House that plays hardball, but only with progressives. It is a White House that ignores its president's own progressive campaign rhetoric, treats congressional progressives as second-class citizens, and treats corporate shills as the most important players of all.
Robert Kuttner: How to Abort the Recovery
As unemployment continues to rise, deficit hawks are upping their efforts to use the economic crisis as a pretext for gutting basic social programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
Phyllis Bennis: Reprise? Obama And Afghanistan
Obama stands to reprise not the courage of Harry Truman, but rather the failure of Lyndon Johnson, whose bold and ambitious 1964-65 Great Society anti-poverty and civil rights programs were buried in the quagmire of Vietnam.
Jo Comerford: Cashing in the War Dividend: The Joys of Perpetual War
The tired peace dividend tug boat left the harbor two decades ago, dragging with it laughable hopes for universal health care and decent public education. Now, the mighty USS War Dividend is preparing to set sail.
Senators are much more immune to this kind of pressure than House Members who must face re-election every two years. Freshmen are particularly succeptible.
In addition this kind of pressure is important in the days right before the vote. It is premature to come on that hard this early.
(Obama's "DOUBLE STANDARD") Dave...
for the simple reason that RAHM EMANUEL and Obama's ENTRIE "Goldmann Sachs 'economics team" (NOT!)
are LIKUDNIK WAR-MONGERING JOE LIEBERMAN PNAC Neo-Con "PRETEND TO BE A DEMOCRAT in Rethuglican in wolf's clothes" clones....
... and concerned with the OPINIONS and concerns of American voters a far, distant LAST.
NO MATTER HOW MUCH HuffingtonPost TRIES TO CENSOR the obvious....
Of course, it is completely true that the people who brought Obama to the table, the PROGRESSIVE wing of the party, is being told to shut up and sit down on issue after issue...Obama has alot of 'splainin' to do...
A sad day indeed, if this were a gentlemans sport I would congratulate the GOP on what could be seen as a pretty resolute "thumping"; but this is not a gentlemans sport. Nominated for the best comment of 09: "It's time to march!". Well if comments are any indication of where the progressive base is at right about now, it's not good. Clearly, if the administration hadn't lost it's base by monday morning they had damn sure gotten it's attention. That was some pretty high stake rhetorical gambling and I think they got the arousal they were looking for. As E.J. Dionne Jr. once wrote: "They Only Look Dead".
We are alive and well, and every time the administration tries to suggest passing a bill without the public option they will find out again and again and again not only where we stand on this issue but also just exactly who it is that is going to make (or break) their day on the floor and they will also find out just how quickly and effectively we can mobilize. This is one issue on which we will not tolerate another broken promise.
He is clearly no real reformer, or man of the people, far from it...
We will have wasted 4 to 8 crucial years for our nation to turn things around...it's a shame really...
You're calling this progressive Congress woman a liar. You're just gonna ignore reality and be in denial of the hard facts.
As for context, Lynn's story was covered in full, weeks ago, so we all have access to the background, in order to know the context.
http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/08/19/the-baucus-caucus-phrma-insurance-hospitals-and-rahm/
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/7417
While I didn't think the package he got through was what was needed, he DID get a package through...and, it might just get us to the other side of 2009. If not, he'll be scratching for more.
We don't have to question that he knows the consequences of not addressing health care. Whether we achieve opening Medicare this year or 3 years from now, logic REQUIRES that we get there.
Rather than screaming that he's caving, how 'bout we stand with the guy and let him play it the way he sees it. After all, our alternative is.......????
Andrew Mark
NYC
And your statement is very telling. They figure you'll vote for him again no matter what since you have no alternatives.
I won't . Either he delivers or I will just not vote for the Presidential part of the ballot .
He kicks progressives and makes nice with blue dogs. Rahm is running this show not Obama . Had I know Rahm would be chief of staff I would have not voted for Obama this time.
BTW: it DOES make me worried that he seems to capitulate to any fart in the wind.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26224.html#ixzz0OmS5SPlW
“Very few things happen in Washington that are in the public's interest when corporations have huge financial stakes in the game, as they obviously do with health care — unless the public is actively involved, engaged and organized,” Reich wrote. “We won't get a public option, or anything close to it, unless people who feel strongly about it make a racket.”
The “first step is to be very loud and very vocal: Write, phone, e-mail, your congressional delegation and the White House. Second step: Get others to do the same. Third step: Get voters in Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, and other states where Blue Dog Dems and wavering Senate Dems live, and have them make a hell of a fuss. Fourth step: March on Washington.”
He suggested the morning of Sept. 13 because “that's a Sunday, and it's also Grandparents Day. I've just become a grandparent, and I'm worried as hell about the kind of world my little granddaughter is inheriting. “
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Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26224.html#ixzz0OmRzYZdc
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26224.html#ixzz0OemL4KbB
So they're going for the money, just like they all do, the public be damned.
I write to the White House all the time and tell them very directly if they fail on this they are gone in 2012.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32453358#32496517
Love the line, "It is a White House that ignores its president's own progressive campaign rhetoric...."
We were sold progressiveness & change but ended up getting the same old corporate shaft.