Legal Commentary

Bad Chess Players

By Big Tent Democrat

This Steve Benen post is a wonderful example of how bad some Democrats are at the political game:

If it seemed as if the vast majority of Senate Democrats were acting with a stronger-than-expected commitment to getting health care done this year, it wasn't an accident. [. . .] Senate Republicans have been so irresponsible, so petty, and so exasperating, they turned Evan Bayh into a Democratic partisan? The same Evan Bayh who said, as recently as July, he wouldn't rule out supporting a Republican filibuster?

It's a reminder that the GOP caucus doesn't include especially good chess players. Jon Chait notes the larger context: "At the outset of this debate, moderate Democrats were desperate for a bipartisan bill. They were willing to do almost anything to get it, including negotiate fruitlessly for months on end. [. . .] A few GOP defectors could have lured a chunk of Democrats to sign something far more limited than what President Obama is going to sign. [. . .] But Republicans wouldn't make that deal. . . [. . .] It was an audacious gamble. They lost. In the end, they'll walk away with nothing.

This is a fanciful interpretation. The Senate essentially passed the Senate Finance bill, which was largely shaped by concessions to Olympia Snowe. For a party with only 40 members in their Senate caucus, what is remarkable is how much they GOP got without taking any heat for it.

Now for how badly Dems understand the political game, consider this from Benen:

[The Republicans] may, however, make significant gains in the midterm elections, especially if long-time proponents of health care reform decide that this health care reform fails to meet their expectations, and, instead of fighting for policy improvements, decide to just stay home.

(Emphasis supplied.) See what a big win it was for Dems? Republicans will win big in the next election because voters are stupid. Sheesh. Oh by the way, the promise is this is the first step towards reform. If the Republicans can stop reform in its tracks by frustrating FUTURE attempts at reform and making this bill the end of the game, how precisely did they lose the negotiations?

Here's a little secret for these foolish Village Dems - a big windfall for the insurance companies PLUS future insurance company support for fighting future reform efforts PLUS winning big in 2010 PLUS taking the health issue off the political table for the foreseeable future is a BIG WIN for Republicans, in terms of policy, but especially in terms of politics, which is what pols actually care about.Benen has written one of the most foolish and myopic posts I think I have ever read.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on December 20, 2009 (boomark / email).