We Lack Discipline

Posted on 09/01/2009 at 10:56 am by Bob Cesca

Robert Reich:

History is not destiny, and Democrats and progressives can yet enact meaningful health care reform — with a public option. But to do so, we’ll need to be far more disciplined about it. All of us, from Obama on down.

The whole column is superb, but the notes about liberal discipline are outstanding. I think the question of discipline is what’s bothering me most about this sudden attack against the public option by certain liberal groups. In short: we can’t win healthcare reform with a strong public option if we’re divided — half of us attacking the public option from the left flank. This is the best way to get nothing.

(Adding… Again, I support single-payer, but via a public option as a bridge.)

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  • Terri

    Bob,You don’t support Single Payer: if you did you would get behind it.Please stop saying you “support Single Payer” it sounds like appeasement and you sound like Obama with his excuses.If you support something: you put your time, energy, money and force behind it.It’s like me saying “I support the homeless” and then do absolutely nothing to demonstrate it.It’s an empty claim and I suggest you refrain from that.Unless you want to actually DO something with your time, energy, words, and money: that is support.Otherwise it’s empty words that mean nothing — like the guys you are railing against.Thanks!

  • Eric

    I certainly can’t speak for Bob, but I disagree with the arguments and statements put forth by Terri, above. To think that there is simply one way and one way only to achieve a goal is narrow-minded at least, and at it’s worst immature.These arguments remind me, almost against my will, of the movie Battle in Seattle, which I saw for the first time just last week. There were, portrayed in the film, two groups of protesters trying to achieve, seemingly, the same goals. One group strove for peaceful, incremental change. The other group said ‘fuck it’ and threw things through store windows.

  • http://www.osborneink.com Matt Osborne

    Terri, most of the “single-payer” systems in the world evolved into that. Even Britain and Canada have a history that led to single-payer.

  • http://www.bobcesca.com Bob_Cesca

    Terri wrote:

    You don’t support Single Payer: if you did you would get behind it.

    Sorry — I am behind single-payer. But achieved via pragmatism and realistic goals.

    Unless you want to actually DO something with your time, energy, words, and money: that is support.

    Now hold on! I’ve spent the better part of four months blogging about healthcare reform and contacting members of Congress about the public option. Don’t tell me about “doing” something. Just because I refuse to attack the public option from the left doesn’t mean I’m sitting on my hands.You want to support single-payer, then support it. No one’s stopping you. But the point of this post was to suggest that maybe we could use some discipline and pragmatism so we can get the job done. And the best path to single-payer is through the public option.

  • fork-in-it

    Terri, don’t you think Bob IS “doing something” in support of single payer, by tirelessly advocating for the public option–which would be a huge step in the right direction?
    Look at most any epic struggle in our history–civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, etc. These were not achieved in one step.

  • brutlyhonest

    Every time liberals destroy their chances of success by in-fighting, a republican get’s his pitchfork.