How did we let them get control of the healthcare debate? Or more accurately, how did our leaders in Congress and, yes, President Obama's team, let the right-wing freakshow become the story about health care reform? Let's leave the mind-numbing double standard of the media out of this (2002-3 anti-war protest news blackout, anyone) and focus on how we're seemingly being out-organized and out-publicized by those who support the current unsustainable system, and more importantly what we're going to do from here on out.
Listen, I know, you know, anyone with a modicum of commonsense knows that the wingers are nuttier than squirrel turds and that their disinformation on healthcare/anything is utterly shameless and dishonest. Unfortunately, it is working on a segment of the population. I know that Rasmussen is a consistent outlier that favors the right, but as of now their poll shows 42% in favor/53% against reform. How did we get to this point? And can it be rectified?
To begin with, we were badly - badly - out-organized before and during the recess. In light of the teabaggers we should've seen this coming and known that the townhalls would be a perfect situation for the crazies to make a spectacle, get the Congresspeople on the defensive, and spread their disinformation because the media eats shit like this up. Where were the Democratic leaders and their high-priced consultants? Why was there no effort to counteract these loudmouths and what looks on TV to be auditoriums stuffed with 95% anti-reform nuts? More importantly, once we knew what was coming (and after the first debacle we knew) why was there no intense effort at getting our people there to counteract this insanity?
I am on my local Democratic Rep.'s (Blue Dog Dennis Moore) email list, the Kansas Democratic Party's email list, President Obama's team's list, moveon.org's list and yet I have seen nothing about getting our team out there to support reform and be visible. I was more than willing, I was hoping to attend one of these meetings, bring a sign, hopefully ask a pro-reform question, but nothing. Moore canceled his town hall at the local community college (we've now found out why: he's received two death threats), and there was no cooperation between the KDP and the Missouri Dems as we heard nothing about KC Democratic Rep Emmanuell Cleaver's townhall the other day, which was overrun by wingnuts. Where is the cooperation on our side, the tool to list these meetings, the calls to action to get out of our living rooms and hit the bricks to get this damn thing done? This is where we need to be going, and fast.
Right now is the critical moment in this debate. I wouldn't have said this even two weeks ago, but now I can see this going either way. But it's going to take Campaign 08-like coordination and effort to get our supporters/activists to these events. We need the blast emails telling us where to be and when. Speaking for myself I'm more than willing I'm almost begging to go where I'm needed to change the perception that we're disinterested and the other side has cornered the market on passion.
I know that there was a tool on FDL to list these events (as I remember it, it was essentially monitoring the wingnuts plans and we were to plan accordingly). It's time to stop playing defense and go for the jugular. A tool here underneath the latest poll results at the top of the frontpage listing the meetings and where we need to be would be a good start. Our side needs to get coordinated and active, and in a hot damn hurry if we're going to win this. Time is of the essence. Our presence has to be shown. Our leaders need to engage their most fervent supporters. We're waiting. Lead us.