It’s not time, it’s long past time.
Mr. President, you’re certainly aware of the fallout from President Clinton’s failure to pass meaningful health care reform — he lost what momentum he had early on, and (despite some real accomplishments) his presidency was bogged down by Republican obstructionism. They continued obstructing after killing health care reform, simply because it worked.
I’m not just hang-wringing here, I have an idea. Follow me downstairs…
You have Matt Taibbi talking about reform in the past tense:
Can you imagine Bush and Karl Rove allowing themselves to be paraded through Washington on a leash by some dimwit Republican Senator of a state with six people in it the way the Obama White House this summer is allowing Max Baucus … to frog-march them to a one-term presidency?
Meanwhile Sen. Grassley has admitted that he wouldn’t support a bill that has everything he wants — well, he actually said he wouldn’t unless he gets broad support, and you know there won’t be.
It’s time to stop letting Republican obstructionists and their Blue Dog enablers push the debate around. It’s time, as some of my card-playing buddies like to say, “go up big or stay at home.”
It’s time to stop letting them do all the pushing. It’s time to push back. HARD.
If they continue to object to the public option, add the option to allow anyone to buy into Medicare. (Excellent idea, Rep. Weiner.)
If they continue obstructing, add single-payer.
If they don’t stop, add the nationalization of the entire system.
If they continue, fund it with an 80% income tax on the top 2% of the country.
And so forth.
If Republicans actually want to negotiate (ha!), they’re welcome to start. But it’s time to start smacking them down — and smacking HARD — when they start their usual tantrums. If it stops working for them, they’ll settle down and actually try pretending to be adults for a chance.
Tomorrow morning would be a good time to start.