We had a deal. A few Senators just lied to us.

http://www.openleft.com/diary/16552/we-had-a-deal-a-few-senators-just-lied-to-us


Open Left


We had a deal. A few Senators just lied to us.
by: Chris Bowers
Thu Dec 17, 2009 at 16:53


I've seen a few post-mortems of the public option campaign kicking around the Internets. Invariably, as more are written, some will blame the people leading the campaign for not adopting different tactics which, the authors of the post-mortems will claim, could have led to victory.

Before this line of writing becomes too widespread, we all need to remember that the only reason we didn't win the public option campaign was because a few Senators lied to us. Unless someone can think of ways to have prevented them from lying, then these post-mortems will be useless.

Back on May 21st, there were only 28 Senators in support of a triggerless public option. Through your tireless participation in a whip count effort, by October 8th we raised that number to 51 when Jon Tester came out in support. By October 30th, when Evan Bayh said he wouldn't filibuster, we were up to 56 Democrats for cloture on health care reform with a public option.

From that point, the only four Senators we still needed all lied to us in one form or another. Both Mary Landrieu and Blanche Lincoln signed a document stating that they supported a public option, only to reverse their positions. Blanche Lincoln's website still comically claimed she supported a public option even as she was declaring her opposition to one on the Senate floor.

Still, Landrieu, Lincoln and Ben Nelson were all part of the group of ten Senators who forged a deal on the public option that included a Medicare buy-in. Further, immediately after that deal was reached, Harry Reid contacted Joe Lieberman to see if he liked the deal. Lieberman told Harry Reid that he was liking what he was seeing, and just wanted to wait for the CBO report. Further, Lieberman had supported an even stronger Medicare buy-in (for Americans aged 50-64) as recently as September 2009.

Six days later, Lieberman and Nelson went on national television to engage in some more mendacity. Lieberman said he would filibuster the deal, even though he had told Reid he liked it, and even though he had recently advocated for it. Ben Nelson badmouthed the deal even though he helped forge it.

And then, when the lying was all done, Rahm Emanuel ordered the Democratic Senate caucus to do as Lieberman said. And the Democratic Senate caucus not only is ready to comply, but to do so without punishing Lieberman (or any of the other liars, for that matter).

To put it bluntly, we had won the campaign, but were lied to by a small number of Senators. In particular, we were lied to by Joe Lieberman. If you have a post-mortem that could have prevented the lying, I'd love to hear it. For, were it not for the lying, the public option campaign would have been won.

I was so hoping for that to be included. Hope has faded.

Just that little part where he said he'd insist on a public option.

Oh, and when he campaigned on having no mandates.

And when pretended to be working in good faith toward real reform.

And when he said HOPE, CHANGE and YES WE CAN.


Other than that, he's been perfectly honest. :eyes:

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man, unlike idiot son, worked his ass off, and you're criticizing him for that? You're sounding a bit shrill, my friend. But now I really know how you feel about the President. Useless and a liar? Stand by for me watching your ass. YOU are on the wrong board.

about people being shut out of the hearings? I say he blatantly LIED about "everybody getting a seat at the table." He knew damn well that single-payer advocates would have NO PLACE at any "table" other than a defendant's table in court.

He also let the teabaggers take over the argument. He really didn't care if the whole thing was distorted and misrepresented and shutting out the voices of sanity. He could have addressed the myths and "concerns" early on, but no, it was better to let everything get all "messy" and out of control, all the better to arm the republicans with obstructionism. He could have shut them down fast by presenting concrete ideas and explaining in DETAIL what exactly he "envisioned" and getting We The People solidly behind something they wouldn't have been able to resist, because it could have been innovative and imaginative and actually HELPFUL to people.

He's doing the exact same thing now, as the Democratic Party divides--hey, now that is quite an accomplishment after only one year, eh? All we hear is crickets from the WH, no speeches about what would be the minimum acceptable, no reassurance that our wallets won't be hijacked again for his insurance company buds--and don't forget his closed-door, secret meetings with Pharma!! Is that "useful"?? PLEASE DEFEND THOSE MEETINGS WITH PHARMA and axing drug reimportation so we can be really gouged--I really want to know why I shouldn't be pissed, so enlighten me, oh wise one.

so go ahead, "watch my ass"--me and countless others who have had it up to here with this bipartisan robbery and treachery.

the meme that our president is a POS. Good for you. Fight him as hard and long as you can, if you honestly feel that way.

But I'll be watching for honesty, too. Can you do that? I wonder.

yeah, I'm "bitter," and I'm clinging to my progressive ideals.
you're free to yes whatever screwing-over you get with a big smiley-face.

You sound seriously brainwashed.

Of course, they would.

Progressives didn't do a march, either. Or if they did, the M$M paid no attention.

And then, when the lying was all done, Rahm Emanuel ordered the Democratic Senate caucus to do as Lieberman said. And the Democratic Senate caucus not only is ready to comply, but to do so without punishing Lieberman (or any of the other liars, for that matter).

Obama chose not to fight, nor levy consequences for that lying. And that -- and the impression those lack-of-actions create -- sit squarely on his doorstep. And in his legacy.

To believe the President has been forthright with us, you'd expect them to admonish Joe, let alone push the Senate to comply with him.

long, it seems they just want to appease the hold-outs to get something accomplished. There are other issues, like the economy, unemployment, the climate, etc., etc,. etc., all big fights that need to be fought and possibly resolved or improved.
I'm not making excuses, but this health care conversation needs to be resolved one way or the other, and soon. Dare I say, people might just be getting angry or bored with it due to the months spent on the back and forth, depending on how much they're paying attention?

And I can't hilight everything, sorry.

PB

But they did their lying on the Senate floor.