Only a Sucker Takes The First Offer

Simulposted at Daily Kos

We are in a Health Care Negotiation.

This negotiation has vast implications on two fronts. One obviously being obtaining decent health care.

The other being a negotiation of the new parameters and dynamics of political power in America.

Who rules America? Is it the Ruling Class and their Corporate arms in the Insurance, Financial and Energy industries, with their war chests and armies of lobbyists?

Or is it The People of America?

The battle/negotiation over health care is the first of many battles in this war for power in country. A war that will very much determine the future of our country…and the planet.

Here are The Players:

The InsCo’s and “Health” industries. (Representing The Ruling Class and status quo)

The House of Representatives: Dems, Progs, Dogs and Republicans.

Dems representing keeping their J.O.B. by giving their constituents what they want, a robust and inclusive Public Option. IF they have the political cover to do so.

Dogs representing being replaced by REAL Republicans for being mealy mouthed fence sitters….being elected by Democratic Voters, but representing the interests of the InsCos and Repubs. (The Dogs are in the process of being neutered by the Progs, see below.)

Republicans representing whoever will give them the most money…and tarnishing the name of HONEST whores )of all genders) everywhere. In this case their Vitters (Johns/patrons) are the InsCos.

Progs representing actually…Doing the Right Thing for The People. Apparently the Progressive Caucus have started eating their Wheaties and gotten over their Low Self Esteem problem. Quite simply, they are THE heroes of this negotiation. By (finally) banding together and (finally) sticking together they, along with the Black and Hispanic Caucuses, form a HUGELY powerful voting bloc. They outnumber, outthink, and outkickass the Blue Dogs. Without there incredible obstinacy in the service of The People by refusing to back down to Repubs, Dogs….and Rahm…the Public Option would be dead.

The Senate: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

In other words…The Dems, The Repubs, and the Corporate Servants willing to betray 300 million people for a few million dollars in campaign contributions and legions of Corporate Fluffers telling them their ass looks really good in that Corporate Pantsuit.

The People: YOU! The other heroes in this debate, Yelling Louder to make sure their voice are heard in the Halls of Power. In point of fact you/We The People are TAKING power back from the politicians and lobbyists by (finally) making them realize that WE are the ones in charge here….through the power of our votes.

And….The White House. They have very much left the door open to going whichever way the political winds blow. While constantly, in no certain terms sort of maybe supporting a Public Option kinda, if the wind is blowing. Iow, they would prefer a Public Option (because they want the plan to work) but are ready to throw it under the bus if necessary (because they want the Bill to pass)

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The Sides:

In the Blue Corner, the ProgCauc et al, The People, The Good Dems in the Senate, and the wishy washy Dems who will side with the good Dems…if it it is in their interest.

In the Red Corner, The Ruling Class, embodied by the Repubs, the Dogs, The Corporate Servants like Baucus and Conrad, and the InsCo’s.

After a summer long battle of screaming and lies from the Red Corner….and some definite attempts to tank the fight from the Blue corner, we can now come to a conclusion:

The Blue Corner is winning.

WE (The Blue Corner) have FORCED the inclusion of a Public Option. Through our sheer stubbornness in the polls, on the blogs and the heroic Stand of the Progressives, the politicians have (finally) determined that if they want to keep their jobs, they had better give us something We The People are overwhelmingly are demanding.

Thus we have won the FIRST ROUND of negotiations.

Now comes the second round, determine what the Public Option that we demanded…and got….looks like.

Forced into a corner, the next negotiating ploy is to give The People something that looks good, that may even be good. This next paret is key….

In hopes that The People, who are new to the game and VERY much not used to getting anything, will settle for the first offer.

The Opt out.

But…

We should not SETTLE for anything!

WE have the advantage.

WE have them against the ropes.

For once….THEY are running scared.

This is NOT the time to settle.

So…

We MUST reject the Opt out Public Option, and keep up our efforts to press for what we REALLY WANT.

Not what we are willing to settle for.

A Full, Inclusive, Non-triggered Public Option for every American.

Yes, it IS tempting to support this plan. But we simply cannot give in to temptation. We cannot give up pressuring and demanding and fighting for what we really want. We cannot be the suckers that are grateful for the relative crumbs of their first offer.

We must stand strong, intractable, adamant, inflexible and unmovable!

(Until at LEAST the second offer!)

To us, this is not a game, not sport, with a 122 OF US dying each day this is literally deadly serious to us.

But in oreder to get the beat deal we can from our government and the Corporations, we have tio realize that to THEM…it is indeed a game. A political game an negotiation game, a high stakes game, but a game none the less. Because to them, it is not about life and death, it is about money. Period.

122 Corporations a day will not die if they lose. If they lose all that happens is that their profits will go from being incredibly obscene to merely terrific. I can guarantee you no InsCo CEO will die if they lose…or even get their pay cut in half to only $28,000….an hour.

This IS a game to them.

And we have to realize that to get what we want, we HAVE TO play the game better than them.

And NOT be the suckers that take the first offer on the table.

In the classic poker movie Rounders, a proposition is put forth: If after twenty minutes sitting at the table, you can’t tell who the sucker is….it is you.

Don’t be that sucker!

Keep fighting and pressuring and Yelling for a A Full, Inclusive, Non-triggered Public Option for every American.

If we do that, we MIGHT just negotiate something that is NOT a disastrous Bill.