Contribute To Standing Up For The Public Option

I tried to see if I could put up the ActBlue thermometer that shows the money being raised in just a couple of days to support the progressive wing in congress that is in revolt over Obama's capitulation to the disgusting six over health care reform. Maybe it was late and I can't read it right, but all I can do is link to the page.

I don't wish to be redundant, for I have already stated my opinions as to why Obama is failing as the president many blog posts ago, but it is apparent all over the blogosphere, and indeed, finally in mainstream press, that Americans are not happy with how the White House is handling things.

As usual, the astute Glenn Greenwald says it better than I ever can.

If one were to analyze matters from a purely utilitarian perspective, one could find ways to justify the White House's attempt to write a health care plan that accommodates the desires of the pharmaceutical and drug industries [mandates (i.e., 50 million forced new customers) plus government subsidies to pay their premiums plus no meaningful cost controls (i.e., no public option)]. All other things being equal, it's better -- from the White House's political perspective -- that those industries not spend vast sums of money trying to defeat Obama's health care proposal, that they not pour their resources into the GOP's 2010 midterm effort, that they not unleash their fully army of lobbyists and strategists to sabotage the Democratic Party. That's the same calculating mindset that leads the White House to loyally serve the interests of the banking industry that caused the financial crisis (we don't want to make enemies out of of Goldman Sachs or turn investment bankers into GOP funders). Indeed, that's the same mindset that leads the White House to avoid any fights with the Right -- and/or with the intelligence community and permanent military establishment -- over Terrorism policies (there's no political benefit to subjecting ourselves to accusations of being Soft on Terror and there's plenty of reasons to cling to those executive powers of secrecy, detention and war-making).

In essence, this is the mindset of Rahm Emanuel, and its precepts are as toxic as they are familiar: The only calculation that matters is maximizing political power. The only "change" that's meaningful is converting more Republican seats into Democratic ones. A legislative "win" is determined by whether Democrats can claim victory, not by whether anything constructive was achieved. The smart approach is to serve and thus curry favor with the most powerful corporate factions, not change the rules to make them less powerful. The primary tactic of Democrats should be to be more indispensable to corporate interests so as to deny the GOP that money and instead direct it to Democrats. The overriding strategy is to scorn progressives while keeping them in their place and then expand the party by making it more conservative and more reliant on Blue Dogs. Democrats should replicate Republican policies on Terrorism and national security -- not abandon them -- in order to remove that issue as a political weapon.

As Glenn further noted, the problem is that Obama pledged to do just the opposite of everything he is doing. He used the power of the netroots, which supported liberals and progressives financially, not to mention Obama, and ran roughshod over the right wing fanatics that ran the White House the last eight years by electing the largest Democratic majority control in years! And that includes State and local elections as well, where Democrats and progressives took control across the board. This country is not right wing nor is it center right in any fashion. It never really was, but because of he consolidation of power and control in corporate America leading to just a handful of outlets feeding the American public with "news," we have been spoon fed this crap that America doesn't want to lean left, and Americans hate liberals and progressives. For the umpteenth time, that is simply not true!

I bagged on Obama's appointment of Rahm Emanuel from day one. Once he put that man in a position of power in his cabinet, I knew we, as Americans, and us especially as bloggers, were no longer considered necessary to the Obama Administration. I knew from day one that we were sold out, and that nothing Obama would do would benefit the Americans that came out in droves to vote for him, and vote to elect more Democrats and progressives into the Senate and House.

That's why the numbers are tanking for Obama. And what is really sad, is how apparently clueless Obama is about this. He's become as insulated in his own bubble as Bush was in his.

Like Greenwald says:

On most fronts that matter -- civil liberties, national security, economic policy, servitude to corporate interests, even rising opposition to Obama's long-promised escalation of the war in Afghanistan -- that defines rather clearly what the Obama/Emanuel approach has been thus far. Stopping it somewhere -- anywhere -- is vital, and for many reasons, the health care fight provides an excellent opportunity (at least as good as any) for doing so.

Stopping it -- somewhere. Start by contributing to the ActBlue campaign, Standing Up For The Public Option.