Alex is dead on (btw, Steph and I had this same conversation yesterday morning…)
Via Steve Benen, here’s something from Paul Begala written last August that should be kept in mind as the debate over the Stupak Amendment unfolds over the next few weeks:
No self-respecting liberal today would support Franklin Roosevelt’s original Social Security Act. It excluded agricultural workers — a huge part of the economy in 1935, and one in which Latinos have traditionally worked. It excluded domestic workers, which included countless African Americans and immigrants. It did not cover the self-employed, or state and local government employees, or railroad employees, or federal employees or employees of nonprofits. It didn’t even cover the clergy. FDR’s Social Security Act did not have benefits for dependents or survivors. It did not have a cost-of-living increase. If you became disabled and couldn’t work, you got nothing from Social Security.If that version of Social Security were introduced today, progressives like me would call it cramped, parsimonious, mean-spirited and even racist. Perhaps it was all those things. But it was also a start. And for 74 years we have built on that start. We added more people to the winner’s circle: farmworkers and domestic workers and government workers. We extended benefits to the children of working men and women who died. We granted benefits to the disabled. We mandated annual cost-of-living adjustments. And today Social Security is the bedrock of our progressive vision of the common good.
Politics is the art of the possible, not the perfect. I understand this specific issue is a very, verybig deal to some people. But big enough to sink a once in a generation chance at meaningful heath care reform?
As with all legislation, these reforms can always be altered and improved later on, particularly because the major provisions don’t take effect for as many as 3 or 4 years. If it cannot be corrected now, it can always be corrected later. But if this bill fails to pass, we lose everything in it. There is no a la carte option here.
Lieberman is willing to let the whole thing die because of the public option, exhibiting a level of self-interested short-sightedness that drives his opponents on the left nuts. But now, some of his fiercest critics want to draw a similar line over abortion funding. And so I have to ask: would the women that so many are fighting to defend be better off with a reformed system that doesn’t provide insurance coverage for abortions, or with no reform at all? Because if this fight is pushed too far, those will be the choices.
I’m not saying that this isn’t a fight worth having. If you believe it is, then fight! But as you do, keep the biggest possible picture in mind.
Val’s coverage of Congressman Larson’s town hall yesterday in my hometown. Taking down the critics, one by one:
Yesterday, I attended the town hall health care forum with Congressman John Larson and an excellent panel of speakers. I happen to come across a blog post by Rick Green on his Courant.com blog, CTConfidential, entitled, “Paranoia runs deep: Read memo from CT Tea Party Central!.” Green’s commentary focuses on a memo that was sent to “Liberty Supporters” about yesterday’s event. The memo states that:
“[T]here were many of our people who showed up at the West Hartford town hall and although we were not allowed to go inside – because the room was packed with Obamacare supporters…we had plenty of people outside protesting and shouting down the other side.
Larson’s folks bused people in – I hear that some came from Massachusetts. There were a bunch of kids – like 12 year olds … also SEIU people and Planned Parenthood people and union employees … plus some high school and college kids – who clearly did not know what they were asking for or what this issue is really about.” Full article.
I am a proud resident of West Hartford, Connecticut. I say proud because residents in my town, like many others, have a longtime reputation for being actively involved in our community. We regularly come out to town hall gatherings to hear from our elected officials and others on any given issue that is important to us. In fact, this is one of the reasons why we have one of the best K-12 public school systems in the country, and enjoy one of the highest voter turnout rates in our state. Moreover, when there is a town hall gathering on a critical issue close to us all, we all know to arrive early, or at the very least on time, to ensure that we get not just a seat, but a good seat.
There were no buses at yesterday’s event. There was a large representation from the community (and the first CD), i.e., elderly/retired citizens, small business owners, families, clergy, students, community activists, elected officials, as well as groups and organizations that are, in fact, a part of every community. In other words, do some of us belong to unions, to organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, AARP? Are some of us community activists, members of the Faith community, and more? Are some of us students? Do we come out as a family? Yes to all of these and more.
As for those who oppose some of the proposals of health insurance reform, I found that the majority of these individuals stayed clear of a relatively small group of loud hecklers. Once inside, one man who stated that he opposed health care reform called out for hecklers in the rear of the room to stop heckling so that we could hear what the speaker was saying. It was clear that the majority of participants, regardless of their personal viewpoint, wanted to hear from Congressman Larson and the excellent panel that was there.
Rallies are all about a call to action for a cause through signs, slogans, buttons, stickers, handouts etc. Prior to the forum, both sides rallied outside on the green in front of town hall.
Just prior to the forum, supporters of health insurance reform hosted a press conference outside on the front steps of town hall. Clergy and speakers did their best to be heard over those who shouted at them in opposition. The most heart-wrenching scene was the shouting at a person who shared their story of health insurance denial, sickness, loss and despair by those in opposition stating that they did not care about that person’s problems. This is heartless and shows a complete lack of humanity in every way.
To disagree on an issue or policy proposal on how we will accomplish health insurance reform provides for a healthy debate and allows for a diverse pool of thoughts and ideas, when done constructively. To deliberately stop the flow of dialog at all costs, to disparage those who, of no consequence of their own doing, become victims of our broken health insurance system, is despicable and unconscionable behavior that creates no value for anyone.
We must all call on our sense of humanity and engage in meaningful dialog. It matters not what our personal viewpoint on health insurance reform is. We are all in this boat together and there is a hole in the floor of the boat called health insurance costs. If we do not act constructively to close that hole, we will all sink.
We saw what Obama’s online game did in 2008.
We saw the start of a netroots-based challenge in the Lieberman – Lamont race of 2006.
And we saw the emergence of the blogs and online campaigning with Dean in 2004.
So what does 201o hold for the world of online politics, campaigning, and organizing. Who will the liberal netroots target?
The answer – right-leaning and weak Democrats.
MoveOn is already attacking Arlen Specter the newest member of the Democratic Party along with six other Democrats on bankruptcy reform legislation that was changed.
60.
The big news today on the Hill for Democrats, Arlen Spector the Republican senator from PA is switching to the Democratic Party.
He cites the Republican party moving too far to the right and 200,000 Pennsylvanian voters switching to the Democratic Party the last election, although recent poll suggested that Spector, if he ran re-election as a Republican, probably would have lost – only having 39% support leading up to today’s announcement.
With Al Franken and Spector on the Democrats side in the Senate, that brings the Blue total up to 60 voters- a filibuster proof majority.
Oh the things that may be accomplished… to dream, to wish, to receive.
Today is a good day for the Democratic Party!
Is this what you want your party to stand for?
The list of things wrong with these posters is just too long to write out.
But seriously, Republican Party – do you think “Tea Parties” = anti-war protests? Seriously? Think again.
Oh and on that note, this is nothing compared to European protests – nice try though.
Via WaPo, President Obama:
Now is the time to save billions by making 2 million homes and 75 percent of federal buildings more energy-efficient, and to double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy within three years.
Now is the time to give our children every advantage they need to compete by upgrading 10,000 schools with state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries and labs; by training our teachers in math and science; and by bringing the dream of a college education within reach for millions of Americans.
And now is the time to create the jobs that remake America for the 21st century by rebuilding aging roads, bridges and levees; designing a smart electrical grid; and connecting every corner of the country to the information superhighway.
These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. They’re patient enough to know that our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide.
So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington’s bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn’t written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.
Via Change.org’s Citizen’s Briefing Book:
A system of automatic voter registration should contain five components:
Affirmative registration - States automatically or affirmatively add people to registration rolls. Similar to the selective service, upon reaching the age of registration, the state will automatically add any eligible citizen to the voter rolls and notify him or her. (He or she can opt out if so chosen)
Permanence - Once a voter is on the rolls, s/he will remain permanently on the rolls even if s/he moves. (Currently, a voter must re-register every time s/he moves, even if it’s just across town.)
Failsafe – The system should include an Election Day registration component so that eligible voters mistakenly left off the rolls can register and vote on that same day.
Funding – Sufficient money must be appropriated and allocated to states taking steps to implement this system.
Pre-Registration - Include a system whereby eligible 16-17-year-olds may be “pre-registered” to vote. This would bring young people into the voter registration system before they leave public school to begin work or college and are more difficult to track down. Upon turning 18, they would receive a notice they had been added to the voter registration rolls.
This is what Rock the Vote thinks needs to be done to get more Americans registered to vote and to make the whole voter registration process simpler. I agree. Vote for this issue on Change.org.
H/T: FM
