Thursday, August 20, 2009

Practice Safe Rhetoric

I was talking with a friend the other day. He is generally supportive of Obama and his plans for health care. But he didn't understand why Obama decided to call them "Death Panels".

Yes, he actually thought it was Obama who came up with that terminology.

Be warned folks, when you use the other side's rhetoric you are acting as a carrier. This is true even if you are doing so only in order to refute it.

(And yes, I corrected him on his misunderstanding.)

Monday, August 17, 2009

Politics Should Be Uncomfortable

Good advice from DougJ:
We live in a culturally pre-Enlightenment country (hence the teabaggers) that is mostly ruled by corporations (hence the fact that a good portion of the Senate has been bought off). That’s reality. Politics is the art of the possible and a health care plan that brings insurance to 40 million Americans has to be counted as a big success for Obama.

Still, I think liberals should yell and scream as much as possible about this, because it just makes it a bigger bargaining chip. Anyway, the angrier we hippies are at Obama, the better coverage he’ll receive. Just remember in 2010 and 2012 (EDIT: in the general elections): you’re with Obama or you’re with the teabaggers.
I've been seriously frustrated by the tendency of progressives to run around with their hair on fire every time they see a hint that something won't go the way they want. But Doug's point is a valid one: as annoying as this can be, it is an important component of reform. Because, if they didn't yell about it then the status quo would feel even more comfortable being the status quo.

So, if Obama and the Dems drop the public option, it won't be a disaster. But they shouldn't feel good about it.



What Ezra Said

At times like this I like to consult Ezra Klein. He makes the point that the latest kerfluffle is the umpteenth time we've heard reports that the public option was going to be abandoned. He also makes the point that Obama has never (with one unclear exception) said that the public option was essential.

As much as I get annoyed at right-wing talking points, that annoyance is small compared to the ingrained cynicism I see on the left. Many really want to believe that they will be sold out. It's almost makes them feel better to believe it.

Note that this does not mean that the final plan may not have a public option. But (1) that does not mean the bill will be an utter failure and (2) what the fuck is the "public option" anyway? Does anyone have a precise definition of what form it will take?

Making a Severe Mistake

And I don't just mean Obama.

Yes, I think Obama would be making a mistake if he backs off on the public option. But I also think a lot of liberal/progressive activists would be making a severe mistake if they take any such backing as confirmation of their cynicism about a broken system.

The goal here has always been and will always be health care that is affordable, effective and universal. Obama and many others believe that a strong public option is necessary to achieve that. But a strong public option is NOT and never has been the goal of this process.

The goal has always been and will always be health care that is affordable, effective and universal. If we can advance towards that goal, even without a public option, than it would be foolish to consider that a defeat.

Progressives have a nasty habit of letting their dreams define their optimism. If they don't achieve their dreams, they start to look around for someone to blame and often the ones they blame the most are those who fought the hardest for those goals but came up short. It creates a nasty cycle: activists who accuse politicians of being sellouts when they "fail" and politicians who won't push for anything, because they will always get blamed when they don't make it to 100%.

Really, with this kind of attitude, why bother?

I want single payer. I want a strong public option. But, more than that, I want advancement towards the goal of health care that is affordable, effective and universal. ANY movement made in that direction will be a victory.