“Democratic Party Surrenders – Minority Wins”

(noon. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

That should have been the headlines.

Just imagine if Democrats were in charge at various points in history…

Democratic Army of Thousands Attack 300 Spartan’s – Surrenders the Battle!

Democratic Army Surrenders to Napoleon at Waterloo!

That is exactly what has occurred.  Despite Obama winning 365 electoral votes to McCain’s 173, President Obama has caved to the Republican Party on health care reform.  Despite a clear majority of America wanting a public option, Sen. Reid has caved to the Republican Party on health care reform.

Despite having the option to force through the best part of health care reform using reconciliation, the Democratic Party, to include the President himself, has simply surrendered on the President’s key legislative agenda.

(posted at Daily Kos)

From ABC:

A Senate deal worked out behind closed doors that would nix the “public option” got the green light from President Obama and could gain broad support in the health care debate, although details remain murky.

From McClatchy:

   That left the government-run plan, pushed hard by Democratic leaders and designed as a competitor to private insurers, as the bill’s lone major flashpoint. A group of 10 senators has been meeting privately to try to reach an accord.

   Those senators have centered on expanding Medicare so that people near retirement age, from 55 to 64 years old, could qualify for coverage if their employers don’t offer coverage. Medicare now covers people over 65 and some with disabilities.

To his credit, Markos has had it:

   Obama spent all year enabling Max Baucus and Olympia Snowe, and he thinks we’re supposed to get excited about whatever end result we’re about to get, so much so that we’re going to fork over money? Well, it might work with some of you guys, but I’m certainly not biting. In fact, this is insulting, betraying a lack of understanding of just how pissed the base is at this so-called reform. The administration may be happy to declare victory with a mandate that enriches insurance companies, yet creates little incentive to control costs or change the very business practices that have screwed so many people. But I’ll pass.

   Democrats are demoralized, and have little incentive to turn out next year. The teabaggers will turn out. If this is how the Obama camp thinks we can energize the base — by promising them a health care pony for $5 to the same Democratic Party that is home to the likes of Baucus, Nelson, Lincoln, Lieberman, and the rest of the obstructionist gang — then we’re in for a world of hurt in 2010.

Yes, the Democrats are in for a world of hurt in 2010.  Worse, millions of Americans are in for a world of hurt with a national insurance mandate poised to pass Congress thanks to the Democratic Party.  Elections may not hold consequences, but, actions taken while in power do or did the Democratic Party not watch the 2008 elections?

More Markos:

It is broken and it’s completely bought and paid for by the insurance companies and I think it’s indicative that we just found out today that the insurance companies are claiming victory on this battle –supposedly not over — they’re already claiming victory because they’re going to have a mandate forcing people to buy their crappy products with few restrictions on their ability to do the sort of business practices, the unethical business practices that have created this problem in the first place.

In fact, the Senate is bought and paid for by any and every industry that wishes to get more profits, maintain their status quo, open new markets, or get immunity from their own lawlessness.

The American people are watching:

Members of Congress finished dead last of all professions surveyed, clearing “car salespeople” by 4 percentage points. Most startling of all is that the Gallup report notes that “The deterioration in Congress’ ethics rating over the past year has occurred about equally among all three party groups. The percentage rating members’ honesty and ethical standards as low or very low rose by 8 points among Republicans and independents, and by 10 points among Democrats.” That means that this isn’t just the American people hating a political party … this is Americans hating the entire political class. This is, in effect, Americans saying that they don’t like the government.

When Howard Dean finally stops fighting and backs the “compromise”, the battle is over:

Though Dean has been a vocal champion of the public option, he reaffirmed that progressive goals of lowering costs and covering more people can be achieved in different ways.

He’s got a rec’d diary now, “We Can Do Both”:

Both the current Senate proposal and the House bill will give us choices that Americans did not have before. The central problem will be that not enough Americans will have those choices.  So while we may be able to take big steps in the right direction – the fight for healthcare reform does not end here. We must continue to pressure Congress to pass real reform.

Wait, he was against health care reform if there was no public option till he was for it, then he gets to say how he think there could be more… should be more… but this compromise is ok… W..T..F?!  Let me put this into his own terms:

Ok, Men!  We have 180,000 troops to our enemies 100.  We don’t have to WIN this war… if we merely take this little piece of land over there, we can SAY we won!  No, it’s not “great”, and I am appalled you have the gall to say so!  It is more than we have NOW and THAT is something you should be grateful for!

The American people did their job — they voted the Democratic Party the largest majorities in Congress in modern times along with the White House.  It was the Democratic Party and President Obama that refused to use them.

People such as Robert Scheer are noticing:

In each of the three most important areas of policy with which he has dealt, Obama speaks in the voice of the little people’s champion, but his actions cater fully to the demands of the most powerful economic interests.

People like Matt Taibi are noticing:

What’s taken place in the year since Obama won the presidency has turned out to be one of the most dramatic political about-faces in our history. Elected in the midst of a crushing economic crisis brought on by a decade of orgiastic deregulation and unchecked greed, Obama had a clear mandate to rein in Wall Street and remake the entire structure of the American economy. What he did instead was ship even his most marginally progressive campaign advisers off to various bureaucratic Siberias, while packing the key economic positions in his White House with the very people who caused the crisis in the first place. This new team of bubble-fattened ex-bankers and laissez-faire intellectuals then proceeded to sell us all out, instituting a massive, trickle-up bailout and systematically gutting regulatory reform from the inside.

The 18-29 demographic are noticing:

   The IOP’s fall poll indicates 18-29 year-olds are now in line with the general population: a majority of young adults approve of [Obama] generally but disapprove of his handling of major issues asked about in the poll… A majority of 18-29 year-olds also disapprove of his handling of every major issue asked about:

   Afghanistan (55% disapprove, 41% approve)

   health care (52% disapprove, 44% approve)

   the economy (52% disapprove, 44% approve)

   Iran (53% disapprove, 42% approve)

   and the federal budget deficit (58% disapprove, 38% approve) (emphasis added).

Wait.  They approve of President Obama even though they disapprove of his actual policies?  ALL of his most prominent policies?  I think I saw a commentary on that…

Loyalty grounded in admiration for character will inspire support regardless of policy, and will produce and sustain the fantasy that this is not a mere politician, but a person of deep importance to one’s life who — like a loved one or close friend or religious leader — must be protected and defended at all costs.

You know, if the Democratic Party was in charge of the American Revolution, we’d have lost as they simply felt they had to “keep their powder dry”.  

Truly.  This is what Liberal’s, Progressive’s, Independent’s, and even some ex-GOP worked for?  So we could sit and watch the Democratic Party surrender on the President’s key legislative issue?

Then, not content with merely surrendering on health care, we get Dems working to shut down reform for Wall Street.

A Democratic leadership aide confirmed that centrist and conservative Democrats are threatening to vote no on the bill, leaving the caucus short of the needed votes.

Leadership starts with the President, or in Bush’s administration with Dick Cheney.  President Obama has not led, instead, turning over his administration to Wall Street.  Harry Reid has not led, instead, turning the Senate over to the health care industry and a few Senators.

There is no “multi-dimensional chess”.  There is no surprise when the bills are combined.  There is no silver-lining.  There has simply been capitulation to whatever industry whined the loudest, and paid the most, time and again.

At this point, you either use reconciliation, or, you surrender.  The Democrats have chosen and raised the white flag on every issue.

To some of us, this is not a shock.  We saw Senator Obama promise to filibuster the FISA bill if it had telecom immunity just to turn around and vote for it.  We were told then about how he was playing chess, being pragmatic, etc, etc.  

Our President has surrendered on his — HIS — key legislative issue.  

Rep. Boswell claimed that Obama told him that he was “willing to stake his Presidency on health care reform.”  It was a statement that the President ever disputed making.

And, it was President Obama, and Democrats, that have surrendered to the health insurance industry on the issue that he wanted to have define his Presidency.

John Neffinger gets it:

But the Harry Reid story might have ended differently if not for another culprit: no, not Crazy Joe Lieberman, but the Culprit in Chief. Yup, that guy, President Obama. He hath forsaken us, and the sooner we accept that, the better off we will be. How do we know? If he had thrown his support solidly behind a public option, we might have had one. Harry Reid certainly would have had a much lighter load to lift. And the public would have seen that the President they elected to show vision and leadership was doing that. Once upon a time, he said “Any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange…including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest.” But when he spoke to Senators recently, he didn’t mention the public option at all, sending the signal that he would not fight for it, and Lieberman was said to be tickled. Why dude? You asked for this job — so do it.

Tell us again about that “change we can believe in” because eyes are opening to the sham that was called “change”.