Surely there must be some Kossacks who are old enough to remember how to play political hardball. Stop saying Obama needs to talk to Harry Reid or have a private meeting with Bachus or Nelson or any of the rest of the obstructionists.
Look, the Republicans are irrelevant. The only enemies are within the Democratic Party. Embarass them just once in a way that will demonstrate just how much popular support POTUS has, and they'll need to think twice about what their corporate masters are asking them to do.
I'm not sure there's anyone in the White House who wants to pick a fight with Congress, but if there was ever a topic on which the American public has already made up its mind, it's an effective public option. Now, all the corrupted officials will do everything to confuse the issue, redefine the need, point to anything other than the focus of what must be done. The insurance industry with its current freedom must be removed from the healthcare system either by very strict regulation (German and Dutch model) or healthy competition from a public entity.
I prefer a single-payer system, but believe there must be interim phases before we achieve it. But that's only a distraction. The issue at hand is how to prevent Congress from succeeding in creating some half-assed joke of a "reform" bill which will probably cost us more than the current abomination. I just don't see that happening in the next two months.
The one tactic which can move us toward our objective is the threat of an Obama veto. Now vetoing a bill written by your own party is rather unusual, but it's not unheard of. If this current bastardization of healthcare reform comes out of the Senate Finance Committee, before it reaches the Senate floor, Pres. Obama must make a clear statement that he will veto it. Further, he should indicate that the House version, while clearly superior, also contains serious flaws and needs improvement. The statement must indicate that while the President was hoping toget reform passed this summer, he's got to sign a good bill, not just any bill.
We must make it clear that if Pres Obama vetoes the reform bill, we will mobilize public support for him. Loud, very visible public support for his courage in every Democratic Congressional District in the country.
What happens then? The polls would skyrocket in support of the President. He becomes a "Profile in Courage" for fighting for the people. And Congress looks very much like the corrupt gang of fools they really are. The progressives in Congress scream "We told you so!". The Blue Dogs/DLC begin to plot revenge. And the leadership regretfully announces that Health Reform may need to wait until after the mid-term elections. Thus it becomes the major campaign issue as it should be. Specifics are debated out in the open by activists forcing their ideas into the media. A lot of Americans wake up to just how important this issue is for our future.
And we can share a slice of pie.