Eversince Thomas Frank published his book "What's the Matter WithKansas?" Democrats have sought a political strategy to match the GOP's.The health care bill proves they've found one.
WhereasFrank highlighted Republicans' sleight-of-hand success portraying millionairetax cuts as gifts to the working class, Democrats are now preposterouslyselling giveaways to insurance and pharmaceutical executives as a middle-classagenda. Same formula, same fat cat beneficiaries, same bleating sheeple herdedto the slaughterhouse. The only difference is the Rube Goldberg contraptionthat Democrats are using to tend the flock.
First,their leaders campaign on pledges to create a government insurer (a"public option") that will compete with private health corporations.Once elected, though, Democrats propose simply subsidizing those corporations,which are (not coincidentally) filling Democratic coffers. Justifying thereversal, Democrats claim the subsidies will at least help some citizens try toafford the private insurance they'll be forced to buyall while insistingCongress suddenly lacks the votes for a public option.
Despitelawmakers' refusal to hold votes verifying that assertion, liberal groupsobediently follow orders to back the bill, their obsequious leaders fearingscorn from Democratic insiders and moneymen. Specifically, MoveOn, unions and"progressive" non-profits threaten retribution against lawmakers whoconsider voting against the bill because it doesn't include a public option.The threats fly even though these congresspeople would be respecting theirprevious public-option ultimatumsultimatums originally supported by many ofthe same groups now demanding retreat.
Soonit's on to false choices. Democrats tell their base that any bill is betterthan no bill, even one making things worse, and that if this particularlegislation doesn't pass, Republicans will win the upcoming electionas ifsigning a blank check to insurance and drug companies couldn't seal that fate.They tell everyone else that "realistically" this is the "lastchance" for reform, expecting We the Sheeple to forget that those spewingthe do-or-die warnings control the legislative calendar and could immediatelytry again.
Predictably,the fear-mongering prompts left-leaning Establishment pundits to bless thebill, giving Democratic activists concise-yet-mindless conversation-enders forwhy everyone should shut up and fall in line ("Krugman supportsit!"). Such bumper-sticker mottos are then demagogued by Democratic mediabobbleheads and their sycophants, who dishonestly imply that the bill'sprogressive opponents 1) secretly aim to aid the far right and/or 2) actuallyhope more Americans die for lack of health care. In the process, thelegislation's sellouts are lambasted as the exclusive fault of Republicans, notDemocrats and their congressional majorities.
Earthsufficiently scorched, President Obama then barnstorms the country, calling thebill a victory for "ordinary working folks" over the samecorporations he is privately promising to enrich. The insurance industry, ofcourse, airs token ads to buttress Obama's “victory” charadeat the same timeits lobbyists are, according to Politico, celebrating with chants of "we win!"
Bydesign, pro-public-option outfits like Firedoglake and the Progressive ChangeCampaign Committee end up depicted as voices of the minority, even as theychampion an initiative that polls show the majority of voters support.Meanwhile, telling questions hang: If this represents victory over specialinterests, why is Politico reporting that "drug industry lobbyists havehuddled with Democratic staffers" to help pass the bill? How is thelegislation a first step to reform, as proponents argue, if it financially andpolitically strengthens insurance and drug companies opposing true change? Andwhat prevents those companies from continuing to increase prices?
Thesequeries go unaddressedand often unasked. Why? Because their answers threatento expose the robbery in progress, circumvent the "What's the Matter withKansas?" contemplation and raise the most uncomfortable question of all:
What'sthe matter with Democrats?
DavidSirota is the author of the best-selling books "Hostile Takeover" and"The Uprising." He hosts the morning show on AM760 in Colorado andblogs at OpenLeft.com. E-mail him at ds@davidsirota.com orfollow him on Twitter @davidsirota.
COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
