Headline of the Week

Posted on 12/22/2009 at 7:44 pm by Bob Cesca

News of First Major Progressive Legislation in 30 Years Enrages Liberals

Courtesy of Gawker. And they’re right.

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  • J M Ashby

    Ya know… I hadn’t really thought about that before. I just found myself sitting here trying to think of other progressive legislation thats been passed after reading this headline, and nothing came to mind.We had Saint Ronny, Bush1, Clintonx2 (who obliterated welfare), Bush2x2Its been a long time.

  • roxsteady

    The message just got so muddled over the course of the year and exploding in August with the teabagger sit ins. By the time we got near the finish line we were bruised and beaten down with compromise after compromise and the public option and then the Medicare Buy In became the last straw. Now, many are jumping ship. I’m not going to be one of them. I’m pissed but, I take solace where I can get it and right now, the fact the the Republicans are screaming and crying as they go down in defeat yet, again I’m loving that!

  • J

    So true. Gawker’s coverage of this has been surprisingly spot-on. Props to Pareene.Also, I’ve found it very interesting that critics of the president are much more likely to compare the current fight over HCR to Bush’s “fight” to go to war, as opposed to Clinton’s fight for HCR (or…any other president’s fight for HCR).

  • roxsteady

    That’s a great point J! It’s like they don’t want to compare apples and apples but, apples to oranges. It’s kind of pathetic.

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

    Gee, Bob. Has it been so long that we don’t know what progress looks like? Maybe so.

  • Rampart66

    It’s like progressives just won the World Series 4 games to 3. Rather than celebrate the victory and the defeat of obstructionists Republicans, some people want to complain that we didn’t win the series 4-0 with 10-0 scores in every game.This is a foot in the door. Now we can open the door wider and make the bill better. ….Or,, we can let the door slam shut and not open it for another decade.Progressives want to heap all of this blame on Obama, when they should be praising him. Let’s face it, he pretty much did the impossible. He did something no other President in generations has been able to do. And he did it with without ANY Republican support. It’s a freakin’ miracle that Health Care Reform has gotten this far.Sure, we don’t have a system like Great Britain or France, but you realistically think that it would happen overnight? Did you really think the status quo would be changed so quickly?I can assure you that we are a witness to history. And while it may not seem like it now, in the years to come I hope all of us realize how important that this fight had become.

  • roxsteady

    Exactly Matt! We’ve been down so long we don’t recognize up.

  • roxsteady

    Well said Rampart66! So it wasn’t a sweep.

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

    Rampart, it’s like spiking the ball and quitting in the 4th quarter rather than take the field goal and go on top with a minute left to play.It’s like Patton turning around halfway to the Marne to start the invasion of Normandy all over again because he hasn’t personally killed Hitler yet.It’s like Republicans of 1865 giving up on the 13th Amendment because it didn’t go far enough.It’s like MLK getting angry at the Supreme Court because Brown v Board didn’t integrate the lunch counters.Quitting is what Sarah Palin does, not what progressives do. We fight, we win a little, then we fight some more and win a little more. Eventually, we win it all.

  • Rampart66

    It doesn’t help when your quarterback from Connecticut has to decide between winning the game or throwing the game to collect a huge payoff from the bookies.The bottom line is this. Although this may not feel like a win for Liberals, I know it’s a loss for Neocons. And that brings a small smile to my face.Plus, Bernie Sanders’ amendment kicks serious ass!!

  • ClayP

    Legislation that force-marches 30 million customers into the maw of a monopolistic private industry is “progressive” now? And I thought the Orwellian fetish had ended almost a year ago…

  • roxsteady

    Let’s see if those provisions survive the conference committee.

  • thruwithbuzz

    Personally I’m happy. Sure it’s not perfect, but what in this life is?

  • http://broadwaycarl.blogspot.com Broadway Carl

    Yes, ClayP, and they get absolutely nothing in return, do they…

  • idabamaho

    It is not a progressive bill.Milk toast liberals are like the guy who goes to prison, gets bunked up with an axe muderer, gets his ass pounded for 10 years and then says, “well, at least he didn’t make me swallow.”This capitulation is exactly why the progressives get shown the door every time. Because the majority of progressives roll over in the end.Congratulations everyone, you can kiss public health insurance goodbye forever.

  • eljefejeff

    Great article, unfortunately it will convince NO ONE. This sums it up but if you read the comments, none of the detractors even try to address it:”inventing a new reality in which this bill’s failure means we’ll totally get a better health care bill next year or something”As soon as Obama signs this into law, he’s gonna tack sharply to the left. I seriously believe this. He knows he has to and I think he wants to, but he also doesn’t want to do it RIGHT BEFORE the midterms either. He’s got a small window to get a few more progressive things done, in addition to his already lengthy list.I think he thought health care would be finished in the summer. I think that’s one reason he was putting off his Afghanistan decision, because he feared the fallout from that would affect health care debate. And whether anyone realizes it, I think the far left’s reaction to the war has a lot to do with their rejection of this bill. This is what I said all along and I think Obama knew it too. He’s a shrewd politician and his job is not easy. There will be slip-ups, but it’s really upsetting to see how quickly his supporters have abandoned him. Maybe they really were drinking Kool Aid. That’s what really sucks, the right is laughing their asses off at our dysfunction. We’re playing right into their hands.

  • Rampart66

    Yes, the current system sucks. It gets annoying when my insurance doesn’t cover certain prescriptions. But, overall, I’m lucky to have decent insurance. It’s enabled me to get preventative care and I’m healthier now than I was 5 years ago. I hope a lot more people get the chance to take control of their health.It comes down to people not wanting to give money to the “evil” government for health insurance (those against the public option).andIt comes down to people not wanting to give money to the “evil” health insurance companies (those against mandates).So, what’s the answer? We can’t have people going to emergency room without insurance. That’s a lose-lose for everyone. My rates go up and the patient is charged with a staggering hospital bill. Mandates suck, but with government help for those below the poverty line, it’s a little easier to swallow. If there’s a better idea (that would actually pass congress), I’d like to hear it.With the current makeup of the house and senate (and the blue dog conservadems, Republican obstuctionism and millions of lobbyists money thrown around), I’ll reiterate what a miracle it is that health care reform got this far.If Doug Hoffman doesn’t run in NY-23, Bill Owens doesn’t win.Until this year, CA-10 has been in Republican hands for a long time.If those two seats are held by Republicans, does this bill pass the House?If Norm Coleman squeaks out a win over Al Frankin and Pat Toomey’s run in PA doesn’t cause Arlen Spector to switch parties, does the senate bill get 60 votes. And if so, how much more watered down would it be?We won. But like any championship team, there’s room to make improvements. We have to keep fighting, because the Republicans won’t stop fighting.So, keep fighting, but be careful placing blame. If you want to place blame, then blame the Republicans that did nothing to advance the cause of reform. Blame the blue dogs that stood in the way and held the bill’s passage for ransom. They are the enemy of reform.

  • eljefejeff

    “Congratulations everyone, you can kiss public health insurance goodbye forever.”You just don’t understand history do you? As has been pointed out time and again, Social Security and Medicare have been amended over time. There’s no reason this can’t be either. And since when was public health insurance the holy grail anyway? It’s about being affordable and nobody getting dropped. My stepmother is a cancer survivor and now will be able to buy insurance again. She’s just one story out of millions.What do you think public health insurance is anyway? Free medical services? Taxes are high in other countries to pay for this. I don’t mind paying taxes, I’d rather pay the government than a corporation, but I’ve also worked for the government and a huge corporation, and honestly, the private sector is usually much more efficient. The big drawback is the assholes at the top who rake in 1000 times more than their employees. It’s totally fucked up but that’s not what this bill is about.

  • brutlyhonest

    You forgot the sub-head:Liberals rip themselves apart again, while republicans chuckle and wait to reap the rewards.

  • El Mystico

    @ idabamaho- dude. It’s milquetoast. Just sayin’.