I’m pissed at “A senior White House advisor who spoke on the condition of anonymity.” According the the Washington Post, the “advisor” says “I don’t understand why the left of the left has decided that this is their Waterloo,” parroting the words if not the context of the cynical Sen. Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina, by way of ‘C’ Street.
Maybe he didn’t live through the same 8 years of the Bush administration as the rest of us patriotic, left-leaning Americans. Could he have just stepped in from the alternate universe where Al Gore just finished his 2nd term, ended our dependence on foreign oil, created new solar, wind, and biofuels industries, reversed global warming, and one where no banks crashed? You know, that universe where the car companies tanked anyway for their stupidity continuing to make SUVs, but have then been reconstituted making a variety of zero emissions vehicles? Could he have missed the killings, US government sponsored torture, the end of private communications, and the politicization of the Justice Department?
You don’t have to be too far to the left to be mad as Hell.
And, if it hadn’t been for the American Left, Hillary Clinton would be President, and Roland Burris would still be enjoying his retirement. Granted many of the folks serving in the White House including perhaps this “senior advisor” would likely still be there if Hillary was Commander-in-Chief, but it is the left that brought Obama to his current residence and title.
It’s arguable who’s policies, between Sec. Clinton and Pres. Obama, would be more favored by the left, but Obama represented idealism and a perhaps a measure of redress for America’s greatest and most visceral shame. It was the left of the left that embraced him first, even before mainstream African Americans, and the left of the left who is responsible for his election.
Part of the anger of the center-left mainstream, is that single-payer was foreclosed even before it was floated or explored. The administration and congressional leaders started negotiating from a position that should seem reasonable to the unreasonable Republicans, rather than take the traditional approach of asking for the ideal position and resisting and then giving in to compromise as you bring your opponents on-board. So far, none of the opponents of health care reform are on board, we’ve started negotiating from our most compromised position, and are now giving away the farm.
This inept negotiating tactic, after the country was simply steamrollered for 8 years of, “if you don’t like our policies, get out of the way or be crushed,” reasonably leaves democratic voters who gave the govt a real majority with good margins, rather unimpressed with the progress our newly elected leaders have made, given their power.
Clearly there would be a benefit to having a bipartisan bill for healthcare. It’s absolutely clear the the Republicans have no intention of participating. Even a rather clean and comprehensive bill will need some adjustments and additions over time. If in the future reasonable people are working only to keep healthcare from being overturned, who will have the energy to graft on the missing parts? Bipartisanship would help ensure future cooperation to perfect these reforms.
“A senior White House advisor” has invoked Jim DeMint to say that we, the nearly 60% whom Rasmussen tells us want a public option in the healthcare plan, are somehow the “left of the left.” The White House advisor said that we have chosen this as our Waterloo, that place where we make our stand. Did he also mean as DeMint did, that this is where we make our stand and lose?
Sphere: Related Content