Somebody investigate and tell me...how much does the medical industry advertise in Newsweek, or on MSNBC?
Columnist Jonathan Alter was interviewed on the Stephanie Miller show recently, deriding the progressives in Congress, especially those who signed a letter saying they would not vote for a health care bill that did not contain a public option. He said (and I am paraphrasing) that this painted them into a corner, and could kill any health care reform at all. He went further to champion the meme of not discriminating against sick people - a meme that I believe the dems should use, but as a cudgel, not a compromise.
I mean great, don't discriminate against me for being sick. Right now, nobody discriminates against me in the purchase of a Bently. I can go buy one tomorrow. But I can't fucking afford it!
And this is what health care reform is without a public option - something we can't afford.
The public option, done right, controls the costs and makes any new health care rights affordable. Without it, it is a preemptive bailout of the Health Care industry, with secret deals for big pharma, and millions in subsidies that will go to private insurers. Just like our economic bailout went to the Wall Street criminals who sank our economy, this health bailout will largely go to the HMOs, insurance companies and the pharma industry. My costs will continue to rise to cover profits, bonuses, dividends and large salaries, not Americans.
Progressives cannot compromise on this. Jonathan Alter says that something is better than nothing. I say bullshit. It is, in this case, better to go down fighting than to give in YET AGAIN to corporate interests who have corrupted the political process.
Yes, the letter they signed boxes in some progressives (as if a politician wouldn't go back on something they said in earnest). But it is also pressure on a president who has surrounded himself with corporatist Democrats. Health care needs to be the progressive firewall. This is the issue that will let us know if we even have a place in the Democratic Party at all.
As members of the Progressive Caucus have already said: we were for single payer, we have already compromised. Are we not to ever insist on anything? What about those Blue Dogs who have taken millions from the health care industry? Why shouldn't they give in? Or if they won't, be exposed for the money-grubbing bastards that they are - fronting for the industry that has the real death panels, and defending a system that hurts Americans. This includes Obama, if he doesn't give to the left a little on this one.
And let's be real about what is considered the left anymore - left of Richard Nixon. It's not like we are entertaining any extreme progressive ideas, just covering health care for all in an affordable way. Sometimes you compromise, and Progressives HAVE. Sometimes, you go down fighting the good fight.
Jonathan Alter, I hope progressives take a lesson from the Republicans on this one - double down. Tear up current bills and write one with national single-payer, 100% coverage for all Americans and full government negotiation with drug companies. Change the conversation, and the playing field with strength. Don't think it can be done?
How about George W. Bush after the 2006 elections? A painful election cycle for him with an unpopular war and a loss of both houses of Congress. The mandate was clear - end the war! Surely he was going to have to negotiate with, and compromise with Democrats. Right? Wrong! He doubles down. He says, so you don't like my war, see how you like my surge! That's right bitches, I'm not going to end the war, I'm going to increase the number of troops and expand the war. And guess what, the Democratic controlled congress obliged. Bush managed to change the question from whether the war should end to how many troops should he add.
Progressives need to change the question from whether government should be involved in health care to whether corporate profits make any sense at all as the arbiter of who gets health care and who doesn't. Then MAYBE we can settle on a strong public option. Obama obviously has no interest in this, so progressives have to do it. They just need to come strong with their message, and ignore the surrender monkeys like Jonathan Alter.
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