It appears that Sen Max Baucus (D-MT) is failing in the bid to manage progressive opposition in the health care debate. I don’t know how others perceive him, but I cannot imagine that people find him credible or look to him for leadership. I doubt he could inspire a Jehovah’s Witness to ring a doorbell.
So President Obama is taking over the debate, or so says New York Times. This is troublesome – Obama is far more likely to being liberals and progressives into the fold, but just as likely, as we have seen in so many other areas, to sell them out.
Here’s a rough quote from Obama, as relayed by Sen Charles Grassley (R-IA) after meeting with him:
If I get 85 percent of what I want with a bipartisan vote, or 100 percent with 51 votes, all Democrat, I’d rather have it be bipartisan.
What’s wrong with this? There’s no need to compromise, as Democrats already have public support and congressional numbers and the presidency. This is no different from Baucus, who when given the ability to pass his program with 51 votes, still insisted he wanted to compromise with Republicans. In addition, politicians are known to exaggerate, so that 0% or 10% might look like “85%” to them. Finally, how can we really know what Obama wants?
Why compromise when it’s your ball and you can take it home anytime you want? It’s popular in the crowd I run in to brand the Democratic leadership as spineless and essentially different in temperament than their Republican counterparts. But I doubt it – national political office only becomes those with skill and will. There’s something else going on here, and that is that Democrats, most of them anyway, have already bought into the opposition policies, and are so anxious to compromise because they is where they want to lead the followship.
So it’s a game – managing the opposition. Baucus dropped the ball. Now the big boys are playing. It’s dangerous for American health care. We are in great peril.
PS: Senator Bernie Sanders (IN-VT) met with Baucus and urged him to drop charges against the thirteen single-payer advocates he had arrested during his “hearings” on “reform”. Baucus did agree to “fight for leniency”. I doubt that will happen, however, as Baucus is a petulant dick.
Piece of Mindful 