Democrats negotiated against themselves...and yielded to...self-described 'moderates'

[BurtWorm]

The whole quote:

"Democrats negotiated against themselves at the outset and subsequently yielded to absurd demands from self-described 'moderates' to trim the package to a clearly inadequate level."

This is from the Talking Point Memo post kpete linked to from the disgruntled Senate staffer. He or she was referring to the stimulus package bill, but this is exactly what happened with the health care reform bill. Democrats can't get anything done because they're fighting with themselves. Way to use majority privilege, you stupid motherfuckers! It's not all the "moderates" fault. It's partly the fault of nice-guy progressives who are still afraid that their views are too far ahead of a public that needs to be gently convinced we're not aliens or bad guys. In other words, of progressives who are ashamed of being progressives.

I'm getting an ulcer!

[BurtWorm]

1. kick

[clear eye]

2. In our warped electoral system true progressives have a real-world concern

not w/ being thought of as aliens, but w/ having a challenger massively funded by corporate ass'ns, PACs and if SCOTUS does as expected, directly by corporations. It actually does take courage to stand up to such big money. It would be easier if FENA (voluntary public campaign financing) passed. Link to the coalition working to get it passed.

[BurtWorm]

3. Be sure to read the TPM post

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/01/relieved.php?ref=fpblg

[bigtree]

4. true

. . . we need folks who are willing to fight for the principles they espoused while they were trolling for our votes. To get there we have to work to convince voters to elect folks like that. Not an easy task.

Look at how the president's campaign was widely viewed as a populist one, even though his policies were chock full of campaign-friendly centrism.

The dynamic we have from the WH right now is a president who seems so self-conscious about his own liberal tendencies that he looks to be trying to moderate his own influences just to please the opposition into supporting him. He's not yet caught on to the fact that they aren't going to deal with him in good faith.