The notion I will not vote for the Democratic Party is unthinkable whatever the case may be because I remember the last 8 years of ruined America.
I am a loyal Democrats and if there is something I am certain about is, even a Blue Dog Democrat is better than any fucking Republican't that screams NO to everything even if the worst kind of Democratic agenda is pushed.
I don't like the watered down HCR Bill. In fact, I prefer a Single Payer system but even while our country is ready for it, our elected officials are still owned by Corporations slowing our progress to getting a Single Payer system. I understand how politics is played in Washington as much as I despise it.
I would like to see a Public Option as I have made several calls pushing for it early in this debate. However, I also see how corrupt our politicians are and face the reality of our politicking but never would I think of staying home or voting Republican. I will always continue to organize, build a coalition and support to get the right public servants (other Democrats --and there are a lot of them out there) elected so that I can build a more progressive voices. In the cases of the HCR Bill, I will continue to push to get it FIXED after it passes very soon.
More below the fold...
The argument is very simple: No Hope For Public Option At This Time is exactly what the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi said.
FACT: We don't have 50 votes to pass the Public Option. So what are we fighting for? The biggest thing as you know is Public Option and we are not getting it so long as we have the Landrieu, Conrad, Bayh's types of Senators. NO PUBLIC OPTION! Sorry, but that is reality we all must face now.
So again what are we fighting and splitting congress for? Is the stalling tactics to kill the most progressive health care reform bill in 60 years taking cover under fixing the Senator Nelson's deal, the excise tax, increasing subsidies and some minor things worth the kneecapping going on?
Mind you, we will not have the Public Option as I stated above.
Calling ourselves activist insinuating we would stay home or leave the Democrats party while the option is going back to the last 8 years of hell, handing victory to Rush and company is unacceptable and is mind boggling. I question the motive and integrity of people who exemplify such rhetoric as none other than egotistic advocates hang up with satisfying their ego than helping shape the future of this country.
So again, why are we so divided on HCR? It is all tactical move but the difference brings the bad, the good and the ugly in some here.
In all honesty and I am certain if the current Senate bill goes to the floor, we will have a HCR Bill that will be signed into Law by the POTUS in not time.
However, the Democratic caucus is under a lot of pressure from the Left (some including in this community) who have been pushing to included the PO and other elements to the Senate bill via reconciliation knowing the following senators (Baucus, Bayh, Nelson, Lincoln, Webb, Lieberman, Landrieu, Conrad, McCaskill and other possible no's: Pryor, Feingold and Byrd) will not give us the 50 votes needed to pass it. The longer we wait to get this done the potential for all hell to break loss as we know politics today can turn around 180 degrees because of a simple poll and misinformation. Here is a great humorous example to what I am talking about:
The effort some of our Comrades’ are pushing to force the House not to vote for the Senate Bill, targeting some of them in the house, the demonizing tactics used threatening them to primary them if they vote yes for the Senate Bill and split this Congress to paralyze them from doing much of anything in unity, is the issue we don't seem to get --not to mention the misinformation of some poisonous dairies that feeds to causing fracture within the party.
I once have thought the Left had Awakened after the SOTU Address. How wrong have I been?
I think we need to read deaniac83 great analysis in The Democratic Platform and the Senate Health Bill diary to learn the truth about what we are accomplishing by fighting this non-sense the Fix it now crowd is pushing knowing that we don't got any chance of getting the PUBLIC OPTION.
And then, we have folks who think they are
more demoralized and angry today than during the eight years of George Bush
I say to you, you should be ashamed of yourselves for being dishonest.
Fine, you want to compare the progress of the Bush years with the current Administration -- I invite you to watch what Rachel Maddow sums up in this video:
As I had said it in one of my comments, there are many purist activist who don't know how to demand more while publicly praising, recognizing and amplifying what we do achieve which should be like a simple political walking and chewing gum at the same time. But, some resort to screaming to get their agenda moved. Change in our politicking is difficult to come by over night.
I think we need to lower our expectation for incremental change rather than push for purist ideology(I am down with) that this country/Congress is not totally ready to move quickly on. Don't get me wrong, I like Single payer if we can get it but the reality is we have limitations and until that limitation is defeated, we have to go incrementally.
So, we must organize and build a winning coalition and I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round as Deoliver47 said it in the rec list diary.
Now go and read the diary The Democratic Platform and the Senate Health Bill to understand in depth why we must pass the Senate Bill NOW.
Call your House Representativeand your Senators to tell them to pass the Senate Bill and to follow it with reconciliation to fix it. Tell them to finish the job on health reform!
UPDATE: Thanks for rec listing this diary! I also want to post a comment by deaniac83 that speaks volume while there have been great comments in the comment section. deaniac83- thank you for this comment.
This is seriously one of the top 5 diaries (2+ / 0-)
this week for me. You have done an excellent job, TIMT. I cannot believe progressive activists are even thinking about punishing the Democrats as a party in November is mind-boggling. A lot of the people being threatened are actually our friends and have worked hard for a public option - but like a lot of us, have come to realize that it simply is not possible this go-round.
Here's the simple truth: refusing to work hard to keep Democrats in power will hurt us a lot more than it will hurt the party's Washington establishment. The thing we need to realize is what President Obama keeps telling us: This is NOT about him or people in Washington, this is about us. If we stomp our feet and stay home in November, Rahm Emmanuel is still going to be fine. We won't. Do we really want a repeat of Contract on America?
I am a proud Democrat. I know Democrats don't always do everything right. But without Democrats, this country does not have:
+ Social Security
+ Medicare
+ Children's health insurance
+ Medicaid
+ Family medical leave
+ Civil Rights Act
+ Voting Rights Act
+ Public education
+ Americans with Disabilities Act
+ Hate crimes protections
+ Legal force behind equal pay for women
It took a couple of Democratic presidents to win World War II. If a Republican were president during the Cuban missile crisis, we would all be fighting the 4th world war right now with sticks and stones. If John McCain was president right now, we would be fighting a third war in Iran.
No. That's not acceptable - not for the sake of my country. The Democratic party might be a big, loud, at-times infighting, cat-herding family. But it's my family. I am not going to abandon my family.
Read The People's View. Follow @thepeoplesview.
by deaniac83 on Sat Feb 06, 2010 at 03:58:42 PM EST