Does Max need a lifeboat?

From Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont: What we need in health care reform:

1. A strong public option.

2. Progressive funding with no taxes on health care benefits.

3. Expansion of primary health care.

4. Focus on disease prevention

5. Universality.

Seems simple enough. Notice he didn’t say “single payer”, but I suspect his aspirations will have trouble getting by the majority of Democrats, much less the whole senate.

Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington is saying that she will not vote for any bill that allows competition with private health insurance companies. She’s a Democrat, by the way. Her logic is a bullet-proof circularity – she says it won’t pass the senate, therefore she won’t support it. That’s not unlike Max Baucus saying he doesn’t support single payer because it can’t pass.

What is it with these Democrats? Why don’t they take leadership on issues and make things happen? Why the perpetual fingers to the wind?

We all know the answer to that. They don’t support these things in principle, and are lying about why they don’t support them.

And there’s this: Max Baucus might not be chair of the Senate Finance Committee much longer. It’s just a delicious rumor at this point, but apparently liberal Democrats (there are a few of them) are upset with his handling of health care, or as Richard Cohen puts it,

Some people simply do not care for this Max Baucus, with his lobbyist-whoring and foot-dragging and complete disregard for fellow Democrats when it comes to drafting acceptable health care reform legislation in his committee. So “these people” ( = his colleagues) have come up with a Plan to drive the ancient demon from his lair forever.

The following is from a Media Matters interview with Thomas Frank, Wall Street Journal op-ed writer:

Q: My sense is that a significant percentage of wealthy and business interests have moved across the aisle over the past eight or ten years, so that the Democratic Party is a much more suitable party for business than the Republican Party.

Frank: That’s probably right. It’s partially opportunistic on their part … you’re asking me to go to the cynical side (and I will!). I found a funny description of the Democratic Party from some 19th century grouch – I forget who – but he said that the ruling class keeps and preserves the Democratic Party as a kind of lifeboat when they get in trouble with the other one.

Deep in my heart I know it has always been so. They probably had a strong business party and a weak me-too party back in the days of the Roman Empire too.

Finally, politicians lie. But when is a lie a necessary lie? For example, to maintain a coalition and stay in office, a politician necessarily has to lie to at least some, and probably all of his followers. I have no problem with that – it’s how I kept peace between my kids when they were growing up. I told them lies.

But what about deceiving the public (though not the Congress) about the need to invade Iraq? Was that kosher? What about Jon Tester saying that he would protect our roadless lands when running for office, and now working to give them away?

When is lying acceptable?

Leo Strauss put forth the idea of the “noble lie”, and I believe there is such a thing, as when I told my kids that I “loved them all the same.” They needed to hear that. Jack Nicholson put it better when he said “you can’t handle the truth!” Someone else said that if we like sausage, we should not ask how it’s made.

In the early 20th century, after implementation of the universal franchise, the idea of mass manipulation of public opinion through propaganda became the norm. Lying became accepted politics, as it was understood that there was simply nothing of value to gain by periodic consultations with voters.

Politicians lie. Tester lied during his campaign. Bush and the neocons lied about Iraq. LBJ lied about Tonkin, JFK about Cuba. Cantwell is lying about why she doesn’t support a public option. Baucus … well, Baucus lies too, but is just not very good at it.

Lies, lies and more lies. It’s all lies. But which of them are “noble” lies?

You tell me.