The Health Care debate & moving forward

Firedoglake is one of my favorite blogs and there is a really great post by Lane Hudson about President Obama's speech on the health care reform debate and how to move forward.

One of the (many) notable graphs from this story is the following:

The bottom line is insurance companies don't care, Democrats have a real mandate, Republicans won't support anything, and it's time to flex some muscle. Before the discussion even began in earnest, insurance companies already won when a single payer plan was replaced with a goal of universal coverage. Let me say what no one is saying:

"- Health insurance companies are corporations with a fiduciary responsibility to earn a profit for its shareholders.

- They do not have a legal responsibility to provide medical care.

- Yet, health insurance companies are the primary means of access to medical care for Americans.

- All of the above points to a system that is badly broken."

The story makes many other good points and I urge you to read it. We need some meaningful reform and we need it NOW. The Dems have enough votes to pass a good bill without any help from the Republicans, who have proven since the day Obama took office, they are in this only to help themselves - no matter what.

day after super-duper Tuesday

I was incredibly bummed when John Edwards dropped out of the presidential race. I remember reading it on the interweb when I got to work and saying out loud, "OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

It had taken me quite a while to decide who I was going to support and I really felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. I was left again as undecided.

However as the days crept on, I started to do more research about my remaining options and finally decided that I could back Obama and not feel THAT bad about it.

I saw the will.i.am video on YouTube and was really impressed with it. In fact, it made me recall hearing that particular Obama speech the night he gave it after the New Hampshire primary. I remember laying in bed in the dark, listening very carefully to the radio and thinking how it was incredible, powerful and inspiring.

In case you hadn't seen/heard it, I'm sharing it with you here...



As of late yesterday I was still considering voting for Edwards in the primary. I wanted to vote with my conscience for the candidate I thought really most deserved it. However, after a terse/tense discussion with a friend I realized... I live in a "highly contested" state and my vote actually did matter. My conscience wouldn't have let me forgive myself if my one vote could have made the difference between Obama and HRC "winning". So I did end up voting with my conscience and voted for Obama. And even though he didn't "win" my state, I hope my vote made the difference in the amount of delegates he got out of the primary.

As an aside... I'm glad the "race" isn't over. If our presidential candidate can be decided this early on it almost seems pointless to have the rest of the primaries or the convention be as late in the year as it is. I'm pleased everyone else out there still has a say in what happens and I hope they're as excited as I am about how important that truly is.

be offensive by going on the offensive

There's a great read over at Fire Dog Lake (one of my favorite blogs, I might add) where a person with the moniker Ghostman wrote the following comment responding to a post by Christy Hardin Smith:

"What hangs in the balance is the fate of the nation — and it is time that we all started to tip the scales. And I’d like to talk about some ways that we can do just that…"

1. For many months now, I have advocated a hard, aggressive, indeed, a nasty approach. I've called it, from times of old, "getting down in the weeds". Finally, about a week ago, a fella...?Welsh?...wrote at fdl a lengthy article which essentially set forth in long, flowery language what I have advocated for quite some time. If you missed the article, I strongly encourage you to find it, and read it. If you did read the article, I strongly encourage you to go back and read it. The ONLY way to deal with these R teamers is to...get down in the weeds.

2. Let me educate all on another benefit of taking the offensive. It's called: Pressure. Whenever you attack, and carry the attack forward, you put the other side Under Pressure. (Indeed, there's even a R&R song, I'm terrible at song names and band names, but the refrain, the chorus goes "Under Pressure")

And when you put the enemy on their heels, they start to make mistakes. They REact, instead of taking the initiative. You put them, cue the music: Under Pressure. When you attack, and carry the attack forward, the enemy is confused. A mild but growing panic sets in. In the political context, the enemy now says and does things it otherwise wouldn't have. You've put the R team, cue the music: Under Pressure.

The R team will then say silly things which only further weakens their cause and their stance and their defenses. They are now: Under Pressure.

"Stunts" such as Harry closing the Senate months ago, or our recent Senate all-nighter, are NOT stunts at all. They are the purest form of surprise, deadly, and hard-hitting aggressive ATTACK. And "down in the weeds" as well. Each time, the R teamers gurgled in indignation, whined in a hissy fit, and did and said things they otherwise wouldn't have. The R teamers were: Under Pressure.

These are the tactics that must be used. Get used to being called names; get used to alot of whining, get used to MSM for a time, siding with the R teamers; get used to a roar of indignation. But pay them no attention.

Their volume of complaint only documents what they feel: Under Pressure. Keep up the attack. Do not let up, do not show mercy. Always keep these lizards where they deserve to be: Under Pressure. This is how you WIN."

Ghostman

Please click the links to take a look at the well-written, thoroughly linked piece. We DO need to go on the offense. The Repubs have, for far too long, commandeered a position of "superiority" when it comes to framing the arguments and making points and we've allowed this to happen. We need to remember that we too can frame the arguments and turn their tactics back on them, particularly by asking the right questions and using the facts and the truth. We're not playing "dirty" when honesty is our weapon. The truth hurts and we need to get these people where it hurts with THE TRUTH! We should remember this from our reading of Crashing the Gates, How Would A Patriot Act and 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Fight the Right.

dems, git off yer butts!

I am linking to a short yet great post by John Aravosis @ America Blog about why the country is so unhappy with our Democratically lead legislative branch. Click this sentence to go read it. And please do go read it, you won't be sorry.