you rush in to tell us it's not that bad.
You are the proverbial frog in the boiling pot. You are always willing to live with the ever-increasing crap being piled on your head. So long as it's not too much at once, you will sit contentedly while your own political party sells you out to the other side.
This will be a short diary, but I just wanted to maybe open some eyes.
It's not that bad! Sure, the stimulus bill was about half as big as it needed to be, and was 30% tax cuts, but the Democrats know what they're doing.
It's not that bad! Sure, we didn't even get single payer considered, but a public option is an acceptable alternative.
It's not that bad! Sure, the public option isn't even going to be run on the Medicare model, which has a proven track record of success, but negotiated rates are ok, I guess.
It's not that bad! Yes, there is regressive abortion language in the bill, but we had to put it in there or else they wouldn't have voted for it. And we need them to vote for it because that public option sure is nice.
It's not that bad! Ok, so the public option is out, but we can expand Medicare some.
It's not that bad! Sure, there is now no public option or Medicare expansion. And yes, there is still regressive abortion language on the table. And yeah, insurance companies can still charge people with pre-existing conditions a lot more for their plans. But we have to pass this bill!
It's not that bad! Yes, the President is ramping up the war in Afghanistan, still using military commissions, and still using indefinite detention against people not convicted of any crime. But he's keeping us safe, and you don't want the Republicans to make him look weak, do you?
It's not that bad! Sure, the President is suggesting a spending freeze while we still have double-digit unemployment and the economy is still teetering on the edge, but it's not Hooverism!
......
I used to be in the crowd wanting to give the President and the Democrats the benefit of the doubt. But at some point, you have to wake up. With every small step backwards, people rush in to tell us that we're crazy for being dissatisfied, that we'll hurt the Democrats chances if we raise a ruckus. But I ask... their chances for what? To at best fail to move forwards, to at worst succeed in moving backwards?
At some point, you have to put your foot down. I'm not here to tell you when that time is for you, but I want you to think, not just about the latest small step backwards, but the aggregate distance. We have a personal mandate for private insurance, no public option, no Medicare expansion, indefinite detention, expanding war in Afghanistan, still double-digit unemployment, banks run amok, backroom deals with PhRMA, and now we're being given a prototypical Republican policy position, a spending freeze?
When are you going to put your foot down?