Democrats In the House: Look Out For Yourself & Buck Obama If You Have To.

[David Zephyr]

"To maintain a strong Presidency, you need to pass this bill." -- President Barack Obama to the Progressive Caucus on March 5th, 2010.

That comment by Obama last month really struck me as self-serving, especially in light of the fact that every Democrat in the House is up for re-election a lttle over seven months. Maintain a strong Presidency? That was his concern as to why Progressives should throw their convictions to the wind?

"To maintain a strong control in the House and Senate, you need to vote against this bill." -- David Zephyr to Democrats in Congress facing the voters in November who oppose this bill.

Last Summer, the Democrats in the House of Representatives went way out on a limb for President Obama, foolishly taking him at his word. They delivered a Health Care Bill with a Public Option and more only to watch from the sidelines as Obama then compromised with Republicans and rightwing Blue Dogs kissing their butts. Susan Collins, Ben Nelson, Bart Stupak and Joe Lieberman are all still scrubbing their butts today with soap and water from that experience.

House Democrats watched as Obama and his staff went back on his promises to the American People as he embraced taxing insurance benefits, as he worked behind the scenes to keep it illegal to import meds from Canada and, worse, as he pretended that he'd never even wanted a Public Option in spite of the reams of videotape of him declaring his support for it.

Hey Democrats in Congress: Learn from Obama. He's set the example for you. Do what you need to in order to get re-elected. Obama can't help you in November. Remember Massachusetts! His "coat tails" may actually trip you up now. Obama's campaining for Coakely was the kiss of death.

Democrats in the House, now facing a hostile public in November, should start being more like Obama and think about themselves first. They already walked out on the plank last Summer for Obama only to have him pull it out from under their feet later, so my advice to them would be to vote against his Insurance Bill and not have that noose wrapped around their necks in November.

Obama certainly has no problem whatsoever compromising with the right wing, sucking up to bigots and conservatives, or going back on so many of his promises, so the Democrats in the House need to think about themselves the same way. Obama knows he's got three more years. They don't have that luxury.

I'd rather have control of the House and Senate than have the White House, especially with the "leadership" that we have there now.

I'd rather have control of the Committees in Congress and subpoena power that comes with that control than worry about Obama's personal poll numbers or how his bi-partisanship romance is coming along.

Democrats can take a page from Barack and Rahm: Triangulate the President. Give him a taste of his own medicine.

Save the House and Senate even if it means bucking Obama. Because I am a Democrat, I say this.

[Uzybone]

1. average loss is 28 seats in the House

no matter what they do, Democrats will lose many seats in the fall.

All this doom and gloom is rubbish.

[samrock]

2. Getting to November with NO Health Care bill passed..

is ( IMHO) the #1 way to guarantee you will lose the house and or senate..

[David Zephyr]

3. Nope. The safest thing for any Dem in the House now is to vote against this bill.

It will hurt Obama, but not Democrats facing the voters who hate this bill.

[Arkana]

5. No, it'll just hurt the millions with no health insurance.

I agree, it's a MUCH better option!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. And how will being forced to buy unaffordable insurance 4 years from now

help the uninsured?

[David Zephyr]

10. Exactly.

.

[notadmblnd]

24. ok chicken little, the sky is not falling

the bill will subsidize those that can't afford it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. Have you seen the definitions of "affordable" in the bill?

And the damn policies still have high deductibles.

[notadmblnd]

26. even if there is a public option, it isn't going to be free

I would love to see a public option. I believe it could force health care corporations to come down on their prices. As I said down thread, let's get this passed and work to fix it before midterms. then it won't matter if dems lose seats in congress. there'll be nothing repukes can do about it.

Starting over or to continue arguing back and forth isn't accomplishing anything, meanwhile people are still dying because they have no health insurance!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

31. Of course a public option wouldn't be free

Even Canada charges premiums.

But I wouldn't be paying for some suit's multimillion dollar bonus.

[Autumn]

29. I have insurance care, I just can't

afford to use it for health care. Damn high deductibles.

[Mari333]

11. exactly

any dem who votes for this watered down health insurance giveaway scam will lose their seat.

if they want to keep their seat, they need to buck the Rahm Emmanuel status quo.

[David Zephyr]

12. Thanks!

I wont' blame Democrat for doing what they need to do at this point. They were led down a prim rose path and then betrayed.

And I'm not so sure that Massa is as crazy as the media and Rahm won't people to believe anymore.

[Jennicut]

23. No, it will hurt both of them by giving the Rethugs the argument that that Dems cannot govern.

That includes ALL Dems. Rethugs will say crap no matter what the Dems do. But the HCR bill failing in 1994 did not help any of the Dems THAT time.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

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[LakeSamish706]

4. Yep, I'd say you are pretty much right on and that to me is very sad. n/t

[babylonsister]

6. Get over yourself. If Obama was thinking only about himself,

he would have dropped HCR a long time ago and avoided all the aggravation. Your whole premise is foolish.

[David Zephyr]

8. He appears he is "thinking only about himself".

His own words to the Progressive Caucus: You need to pass this bill in order to keep the presidency strong.

Think about that. They are the ones about to face the voters. What about keeping the Congress strong?

That's called thinking only about himself to me, but I welcome your interpretation of that callous act anyway you wish.

[babylonsister]

13. Like I said, your premise is foolish.

If HCR were not an issue, there would be other issues where he would say the same thing to try to keep our party strong, and that includes the Dems in Congress (yea, think about it). I think you take him too literally and personally.

And callous act? I think you're nuts if you think everything he does is to glorify himself. But have at it. You're just one of many who seem to enjoy tearing down this guy by any means necessary. I'm grateful for the fact that he seems to be standing up for us little guys vs. the last creep in this office.

[David Zephyr]

18. No premise at all, just considering what the President told Progressives in the House.

"To maintain a strong Presidency, you need to pass this bill." -- President Barack Obama to the Progressive Caucus on March 5th, 2010.

[joeybee12]

9. No, he's forcing a vote on healthcare that covers his butt and protects

his deals with the insyurance companies and pharma companies.

[babylonsister]

14. Guess what? It will hopefully cover my butt, too, and about 30M

other Americans. But yea, it's always all about him.

[joeybee12]

15. keep thinking that, and when/if it does get passed, come back

in a year when it sinks in what actually goes into effect and tell me how wonderful it is.

Oh, and Obama did such a bang-up job at the beginning explaining the need for HRC and pushing for
it. Ohh wait, it was secret meetings with Insurance and Pharma companies that took up so much of his time that he couldn't.

Tell me, do you only see Obama through those rose-colored glasses or all of life?

[babylonsister]

20. You have no clue at all what this will look like after it's passed, and

how the modifications will only strengthen it. So for you to spout off about how horrible this bill will be before it's even in effect is nonsense. But your glasses or crystal ball must be working well.

[notadmblnd]

21. I don't like the bill because of the mandate either.

However, I understand that the government will subsidize those who can't afford the premiums, so why these people are bitching about the mandate is beyond me:shrug:

Le's get it passed, then fix it while we still can. If we can get this accomplished by midterms, there's nothing pukes can do about it if they do gain the majority in the mid-terms.

[berni_mccoy]

16. Why does Congress have a Lower Approval Rating than Obama?

You really think Democrats would lose if they reference Obama? They'll certainly lose if they turn on him.

[Uncle Joe]

17. Perhaps because the Congress has two wings in the same Democratic Party, and neither wing

is happy with the other and thus vote against the other as a disapproval, so I believe that's an apple and oranges kind of comparison.

[Bluebear]

19. 'To maintain a strong Presidency'??? How about to actually HELP PEOPLE?

[David Zephyr]

27. Striking comment it was.

Some priority, huh?

[notadmblnd]

22. Those looking out for themselves and not the people they were elected to serve

need to go!

[laughingliberal]

28. It didn't seem the wisest thing to say. Obama has over 2 1/2 years before he faces the voters again

The House is up against it in less than 8 months-every single one of them.

[David Zephyr]

38. It wasn't wise for him to say it, but it sure is revealing.

The Dems in the House hung on the cross for his bill last summer and then after all of that, he compromised with the insurance cartel down to where this shitty bill is now.

[Ozymanithrax]

30. Letting Republicans win is an excelent winning strategy in November...Not!

If the bill passes, Republcians will run in order to repeal the bill and stop socialism in America
If the bill fails, they will run on their succesful ability to stop the bill and pledge to stop Socialism in America.

Millons of Americans need this health care bill.
Pass it for them.
Quit playing politics with human life.

[Skidmore]

32. Wow! So we want the raging corrupt corporatists incumbents

to stay put AND we want people to suffer and die because they have no access to health care or continue to lose coverage for it. You must really hate the President.

[David Zephyr]

36. I want the President to be the President he promised to be and to keep his word.

That's not hate. That's asking a man to honor his word. That's what true friends do.

[Skidmore]

39. The President isn't the sticking point now. The Congress has

been sitting on its collective fat ass for over a year now, quivering like jelly at the thought of taking meaningful steps to help the people out with healthcare, to reform the financial system, or to deal with energy. This bunch of yahoo's are thinking ONLY about their jobs. Political gaming and brinksmanship in the Congress has gotten us to a parliamentary mess. Let's distribute the blame fairly. I'd rather lose some of these idiots, for they have outlived their usefulness.

[ProSense]

33. Here:

"blocking health care reform is a crime."

[LaPera]

35. Sounds almost exactly like what the latest republican message is to Dem senators & congresspersons.

The republicans new message push is exactingly the same....as yours the republican oldest trick....Divide the Dems and then Conquer them....How disgusting!!

Telling Democrats "don't fight for health-care or the Public option....don't listen to the president or you WON'T get reelected"...this is the latest republican intimidation using fear tactics...to intimidate to stop Dems in the Houses from voting for health care reform....

Screw the people just look out for yourself....that's a "Reagan-ist" tool & republican selfish philosophy if I've ever heard one.

Dude...you have the same message only sneakier!

[David Zephyr]

37. Nope. I want to keep the Democrats in control of both houses.

They don't need to walk a plank for Obama that he himself won't walk.

This bill will end any chance of ever having single payer health care in America. It is a lousy bill that will hurt the American people for generations.

[flyarm]

40. No better advice could there be!! THank you !! eom

[RainDog]

41. The only reason to give money to democrats

is to support the INDIVIDUALS who represent the democratic platform and philosophy.

the only good use of your time is to work to elect democrats who refuse to be republican-lite.