[Cross-posted from The Left Coaster.
How are you? Is a question that has been lobbed my way with increasing frequency lately, finally spurring me to spit out some text, if only to assuage the guilt of muteness related to close friends sincerely wondering what’s going on.
Politically hurt, profoundly ashamed, and fundamentally bewildered how the Democratic Party could go so stupidly wrong, everything perfectly aligned for healthcare victory with it nowhere in sight and the base in vociferous revolt, that’s how I’ve depressingly been. There are three relevant points to pass on in this utter debacle, all of them written by the master blogger Digby at Hullaballoo1 and so profoundly true it simply is my duty to pass them on.
First is the blatant truth that the Republican Party is a total shambles, their brand smashed, popularity and federal position laughably weak, lead by total nobodies with no future. Yet we are losing, unable to pass a bill. If the Republicans are so bad what then does that make us, unable even to beat these horrible chumps? It’s one of the most depressing things I’ve ever politically witnessed.
The Party and Administration wants a base? They want activism and money? Get this, they want someone at their back? For Christ’s sake then go out and fight a win if it’s the most urgent thing the country faces, but chill with the unemployed from Martha’s Vineyard if y’all must. Way to go.
There are horrendous risks for Flipping Off the Liberal Base™, all of which are frighteningly easy to forget. Digby recently slammed home the point with the relentless empiricism of the 2000 race: Bill Clinton and the Party screwed and ignored the liberal base so many times it cost Al Gore the Presidency and pinned the country under the worst felon we’ve ever had.
The liberal base has nowhere else to go. Oh what bullshit. Enough will go Green or go home on election day to let the Republicans steal it or squeak it again.
Lastly, Digby links to Robert Reich, outlining one of the most absolutely surreal political environments I have ever seen, the manifestly sick US Senate Democratic Party dynamics. Why in the freak are six Senators writing the health care bill? Wtf?
Somehow, I just can’t believe this, the Senate still operates as if 60 votes are required for a health care bill. The Republicans could never, ever get away with trying a filibuster for health care and the Democratic Party has 60 votes.
Never mind! Amazingly—I can’t believe I type these characters, truly—doofus offensive Senators from nowhere drive the Democratic Party crown jewel accomplishment metric so they can compromise with loathed and hated Republicans. The White House is with it. From Martha’s Vineyard.
Needless to say I am sick with dismay at passing on What Digby Said, so disgusted and enraged on some levels mute silence can be my only response.
I like to help and consider it my duty to be positive for Democrats. I don’t enjoy these screeds of acid in any sense, but finally it’s simply necessary, the risks and objectives are manifestly huge for Obama and the Party yet all we get is a horror show while the White House kicks it. Then compromises (with itself!) and tells us nothing ever changed after the enraged feedback, why, of course not. Right. Way to go, we’re not stupid.
The food bank garden at St. Jude’s is doing very well, I’m in good shape physically and I’m still not smoking. I am still a loyal Democrat, of course, but if Obama fails on healthcare all bets are off. Duty and loyalty will likely prevail, as always, but there will be an incredibly ugly price if failure occurs, and I won’t take the abuse silently or without extracting a price. So will many, many others.
I sure hope the White House and Obama works their ass off next week to make sure their shamefully ludicrous Senate filibuster mentality takes a hike. Maybe they can handle that mouse hurdle, just maybe. Victory is so easy hear, yet they work so hard to fail. We shall see what happens.
[1] Congratulations to the impeccable Dday, colleague at Hullabaloo, for the Netroots Nation award of Best State Blogger. Thank you so much for everything, brother.