The Public Option is dead. After nearly a year of Republicans trying to kill it by any means necessary it was members of the Democratic caucus who finally did it. The culprits are namely Senators Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark, Mary Landrieu D-La., and Joe Lieberman I –Conn. There is still a chance to save this part of the bill when the House and Senate go to reconciliation, but it’s very unlikely.
The three aforementioned legislators had a real dilemma during this debate. They had pressure from both the right and the left that could ultimately lead to a politician’s greatest fear, losing an election. They each decided to fight the public very vocally because the threat from the right was real and the one from the left was not.
Each of the three Senators has received great numbers of votes and campaign contributions from the progressive wing of their party. In past years they have relied on this group to run their campaigns and win their seats. If progressives now refuse to help Lincoln, Landrieu, and Lieberman and actively work against them future threats from the left will be legitimized.
I came very close to being personally responsible for the death of the Public Option. In the summer of 2008 I was offered a job on Mary Landrieu re-election campaign for an above average salary, by campaign standards. Although I decided to work on another race that year, others decided to help her. Her election was extremely close and required a large staff willing to work upwards of 100 hours a week for months.
I cannot speak for every individual who chose to work on Sen. Landrieu’s campaign, butI can be sure that there are many who were hopeful that in the final hour she and others would push forward with the progressive movement. Those staffers can do a great service by choosing not to work for these members in the future.
On the eve of Presidents Bill Clinton’s first election James Carville said: “Aside from their love the most sacred thing a person can give is their labor. People tend to forget how precious a thing labor is. Anytime you can combine labor with love you’ve made a merger”. Progressive activists have lived this motto for almost 20 years now and would benefit greatly by being much more selective when deciding whom to give their labor and their love to.
Watch Carville's speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suAFYXTIh2k
The three aforementioned legislators had a real dilemma during this debate. They had pressure from both the right and the left that could ultimately lead to a politician’s greatest fear, losing an election. They each decided to fight the public very vocally because the threat from the right was real and the one from the left was not.
Each of the three Senators has received great numbers of votes and campaign contributions from the progressive wing of their party. In past years they have relied on this group to run their campaigns and win their seats. If progressives now refuse to help Lincoln, Landrieu, and Lieberman and actively work against them future threats from the left will be legitimized.
I came very close to being personally responsible for the death of the Public Option. In the summer of 2008 I was offered a job on Mary Landrieu re-election campaign for an above average salary, by campaign standards. Although I decided to work on another race that year, others decided to help her. Her election was extremely close and required a large staff willing to work upwards of 100 hours a week for months.
I cannot speak for every individual who chose to work on Sen. Landrieu’s campaign, butI can be sure that there are many who were hopeful that in the final hour she and others would push forward with the progressive movement. Those staffers can do a great service by choosing not to work for these members in the future.
On the eve of Presidents Bill Clinton’s first election James Carville said: “Aside from their love the most sacred thing a person can give is their labor. People tend to forget how precious a thing labor is. Anytime you can combine labor with love you’ve made a merger”. Progressive activists have lived this motto for almost 20 years now and would benefit greatly by being much more selective when deciding whom to give their labor and their love to.
Watch Carville's speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suAFYXTIh2k
No comments:
Post a Comment