Legal Commentary

The Pre-Mortem: Punch the Hippies

By Big Tent Democrat

Here it comes:

The real question Democrats have to ask themselves is: how come the greatest piece of social legislation since Medicare is something a progressive Democratic candidate for Ted Kennedy's seat has to speak so defensively about?

And we can look no further than Howard Dean, and MSNBC, and Arianna Huffington, and, yes, some columnists at the Times and bloggers here at TPM--you know, real progressives--who have lambasted Obama again and again since last March over arguable need-to-haves like the "public option," as if nobody else was listening. They've been thinking: "Oh, if only we ran things, how much more subtle would the legislation be," as if 41 senators add up to subtle. Meanwhile the undecideds are thinking: "Hell, if his own people think he's a sell-out and jerk, why should we support this?"

Now there is a winning political strategy . . . for Republicans. Talk about shooting youself in the foot. If the Dem Party reacts likes this guy, that will be blowing off a leg.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 19, 2010 (boomark / email).