An open letter to the Democratic politicians holding up health care reform…
Why are you so afraid of everything?
I thought the election of Barack Obama meant the virtual end of the Democratic Leadership Council’s (DLC) dangerous and wrongheaded influence, but I guess I was wrong. This is a crucial time in the history of this country, and we have a smallish, but somewhat significant contingent of Democrats who seem to think the public will vote them out if they act boldly and with conviction.
How stupid are you people?
To you Democratic politicians who are constantly worried about being kicked out of office on your asses for acting boldly and with conviction; you deserve to be kicked out of office – don’t let the door hit you on the way out. You don’t have the political sense to even hold office, let alone keep it. And what is the point of continually winning elections and keeping your office if you don’t plan to do anything good with it? Do the American people need that? Is that why we elected you people in the first place? No. We elected you to represent us and stand up for our interests; no good is served by having spineless pussies represent our interests.
Let me make this clear as a bell. While about a quarter of a voting populace is nuts and will only vote for spineless twits who don't actually stand for anything but say they do, the truth is, about three-quarters of the electorate votes based on the passion they see in a candidate. They want a sense that you give a shit, that’s all. They are far less interested in your stands on individual issues than they are in the fact that you stand for something. Now, that doesn’t mean you can be an extremist about things, but as long as your agenda is largely acceptable, most voters will take you seriously and can be persuaded to vote for you.
Let’s take health insurance reform as an example. This country needs health insurance reform legislation, and if it’s going to work, we need to create a public insurance system to fill in the gaps, and to keep the private insurance companies honest. You all know this by now; this isn’t as controversial an idea as you’ve been led to believe. Everyone knows the system needs some major changes. More and more people are going without needed health care, businesses and individuals are being hit with huge increases in premiums every year, tens of thousands are dying every year and hundreds of thousands are being forced into bankruptcy because of medical bills.
Is that America? Really? Is that how we want our country to operate? Do we really want a system in which you can work hard all your life and be wiped out in an instant because you catch an illness or become injured? I thought we were “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Essentially, if you are allowing the success of this entire reform package to hinge on something like a "public option," which isn't even defined yet, then you are supporting the status quo, and that status quo is killing this country, almost literally.
How can anyone be against fixing health insurance? How in the hell can anyone be that dead set against creating a public health insurance system, especially in light of the fact that Medicare has proven itself to be an indispensible program? What's the worst that can happen? If it works, millions of people get health insurance who wouldn't get it otherwise, millions more people will get to keep their homes and savings, and tens of thousands of people will not die. If it doesn't work, then you take out the elements that don't work or kill it completely. Our system is already broken; it's not possible to break it more.
And if you're worried about reelection, consider this;
If you pass this bill the right way now, by the time you’re running for reelection later this year, everyone with insurance could be looking at the end of “conditions” being put on their insurance coverage – you know, like those “pre-existing conditions” everyone hates. By election time, tens of millions of people – including millions in red states – who have never been allowed to carry insurance in the past will be preparing for open enrollment and will begin heaving a sigh of relief. By the 2012 elections, the insurance exchange system will be kicking in, and hundreds of millions of people who have always been forced to take whatever insurance their employer negotiates for them will suddenly be able to choose a plan that fits their needs and their budget.
Come on, Democrats; do you honestly think the country’s going to vote against you in that environment? Really? You think they’re going to scream out in anger because you forced health insurance companies to do the right thing? Do you really think the vast majority of the American people are going to get pissed off and toss you out of office for any of this?
I really don’t understand this attitude. Yes, I get that some Democratic Representatives and Senators represent relatively conservative districts, but so what? The Republican Party has become a solid mass of obstructionism; they have no real ideas and present no actual alternative at this time. But it’s not enough for you to simply not be a Republican; you have to stand for something.
Don’t be afraid that the Republican Party will come after you with guns blazing; they’re going to do that anyway. If you’re so fearful that Republicans might use your bold actions against you that you don’t do anything, then guess what? You give them ammunition, anyway. Yeah, that’s right, Democrats; if you weasel out of supporting bold initiatives that help the American people, then you give them talking points, anyway. You can't avoid it, you can't get them to never say anything bad about you, and it's phenomenally stupid to even try.
Let me make this clear as a bell to you, ok? The reason the Republican Party gained power over the last 30 years is NOT because of their positions on issues. It was not because of their incredible intellect. It was not because they had bold ideas and the American people decided to give them power so they could implement them. No; they gained power because of an ABSENCE of principle on the part of Democrats. Yeah, that’s right; they won because voters were given the choice between one candidate who pretended to stand for “fiscal responsibility,” “small government” and “family values” and another candidate who didn’t want to stand for anything, for fear of pissing someone off.
And yes, we all know the Republicans are full of shit when they claim to be for those things, but given the choice between someone who stands for something – even something ridiculous -- and someone who is afraid to stand for anything – which do you think voters will choose? Why would they vote for a politician without principles? Aren’t there enough of those types of people in Washington as it is?
Look, Democrats; no matter what you do or don’t do, Republicans are going to come after you with all they’ve got, which means you have a choice; you can either stand on principle and take your chances, or you can abandon all principle and be seen as a failure by your constituents. It’s your choice.
The reason Michael Dukakis lost in 1988 was because he was deathly afraid of taking a stand that might piss someone off and he ended up looking like someone who didn’t believe in anything. Al Gore lost in 2000 for the same reason. (Yes, I know he probably technically won, but the fact is, it shouldn’t have even been close.) Likewise, John Kerry lost in 2004 because he stood for absolutely nothing. The sole reason the Swiftboating worked was because Kerry wasn’t seen by voters as a man of principle, and let’s face it; not being Bush just wasn’t enough to win election that close to 9/11.
Barack Obama won in a walk last year in part because he demonstrated himself to be a man of principle, and he continues to look that way to this day. The American people are frustrated because they want a government that works for them. They’re sick to death of having one party with no ideas and nothing but opposition to everything. But they’re also sick of having a majority party that seems perpetually afraid of taking a stand on anything.
Are you really against health insurance reform? Are you really against making sure every single person in this country is insured? Are you really against making sure premiums stabilize? Are you really against making sure our business community isn’t at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of the world because they all have national health care?
Democrats in Congress must stop being afraid to stand for something. And I mean something real.
"Fiscal responsibility" is a meaningless phrase, because it means different things to different people. Reforming health insurance will cost money on the short term, but in the long run, it will save countless lives and money. It's an investment. That's a much more useful word than "fiscally irresponsible." Based on the current bastardization of that term, the creation of Medicare was "fiscally irresponsible," Social Security is "fiscally irresponsible" and student financial aid is definitely "fiscally irresponsible." On the other hand, the party that's now crying about "fiscal responsibility" ran up $11 trillion in debt, conducted two wars "off the books," expanded the size of government tremendously and funneled hundreds of billions of dollars to their favorite contributors. The only party that has balanced the budget, cut government regulations and cut the size of government are Democrats, so why would anyone consider it an intelligent political strategy to align themselves with the Republican view of "fiscal responsibility."
It doesn’t matter if you represent a red state, a blue state or a
purple state; you will always win more when you act boldly and with conviction
than if you act out of fear and trepidation over the possibility that everything
you do might be scrutinized and you might lose. The greatest politicians in our
history didn’t become such by being careful; they became great because they did
what they thought was right, even if it cost them some support at home. That’s
what made them great.
