Fortress Mountain
By Joe Howard Crews / The Progressive Post / Originally published Nov 3, 2010
The deadly red TEA tide swept across America Tuesday, drowning many progressive leaders and fortresses – but New England on the East Coast, and California on the “Left Coast” survived.
As the largest, strongest and best positioned fortress for progress, California must rearm quickly to build for the future, to show the rest of the nation the wisdom of “Government of the people, by the people and for the people.” We are now America’s best hope. Let’s do it!
Jim Dean of Democracy for America said it well:
“While it was a tough night, we had a few important victories too. Our Progressive Hero Barbara Boxer won. Public Option Heroes Michael Bennet, Kristen Gillibrand, Jared Polis, and Chellie Pingree all won without running away from their votes for Healthcare. Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Raul Grijalva was in the fight of his life and won. In fact 94% of the rest of the Progressive Caucus also won (compared to only 47% of the Blue Dogs).
Florida amendments legally requiring fair redistricting of congressional districts — instead of Republican-controlled gerrymandering — won. The anti-environmental Proposition 23 in California, which could have rolled back some of the most important clean air laws in the country, was defeated. And bold progressive Peter Shumlin was elected the first Democratic Governor of Vermont since Howard Dean left office in 2002.
The fact is progressive heroes who lost last night like Russ Feingold and Alan Grayson became collateral damage in a toxic election environment created by weak leadership and corporate Democrats who refused to stand up and fight for real change. Progressives like Annie Kuster, Mary Jo Kilroy, and Tom Perriello ran some of the strongest grassroots campaigns in history, but were drowned out by unregulated corporate front groups that spent hundreds of millions to scare and lie to voters.
The biggest lesson from last night is actually pretty simple ~
For Democrats to win in the future, they need to fight for the people they represent and stop cutting deals to water down reform with the same corporate interests who will turn around and spend unlimited amounts of money to defeat Democrats year after year.
It was a tough election and it’s a tough fight ahead of us, but we have no regrets for fighting every day to move America forward — and we never will.”
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
So! KO made a contribution? Too bad he isn’t incorporated. Corporations can put their money on a candidate, but not an individual. Do I have that right?
Second-to-last paragraph. Health care reform ended up so watered down I’m afraid it’s going to hurt me more than the corporations…it’s stuff like that that’s disappointing. Hearing the Republicans talk about bringing the Dems into compromise the last few days has made me sick – they’ve already compromised away virtually everything and I haven’t seen the other side budge an inch.
START NOW!
As you all know. Had congress passed a government-run robust Public Option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one, our economy and jobs would have taken off like a rocket. And still will.
The message from these midterm elections is clear. The American people want real healthcare reform. They want that individual mandate requiring them to buy private health insurance abolished. And they want a government-run robust public option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one. And they want it now.
They want Drug re-importation, and abolishment or strong restrictions on patents for biologic and prescription drugs. And government controlled and negotiated drug and medical cost. They want back control of their healthcare system from the Medical Industrial Complex. And they want it NOW!
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL NOT AND MUST NOT ALLOW AN INDIVIDUAL MANDATE TO STAND WITHOUT A STRONG GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.
For profit healthcare is extremely unethical, and morally repugnant. It’s as morally repugnant as slavery was. And few if any decent Americans are going to allow them-self to be compelled to support such an unethical and immoral crime against humanity.
This is a matter of National and Global security. There can be NO MORE EXCUSES.
Further, we want that corrupt, undemocratic filibuster abolished. Whats the point of an election if one corrupt member of congress can block the will of the people, and any legislation the majority wants. And do it in secret. Give me a break people.
Also, unemployment healthcare benefits are critically needed. But they should be provided through the Medicare program at cost, less the 65% government premium subsidy provided now to private for profit health insurance.
Congress should stop wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on private for profit health insurance subsidies. Subsidies that cost the taxpayer 10x as much or more than Medicare does. Private for profit health insurance plans cost more. But provide dangerous and poorer quality patient care.
Republicans: GET RID OF THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE.
Democrats: ADD A ROBUST GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION TO HEALTHCARE REFORM.
This is what the American people are shouting at you. Both parties have just enough power now to do what the American people want. GET! IT! DONE! NOW!
If congress does not abolish the individual mandate. And establish a government-run public option CHOICE! before the end of 2011. EVERY! member of congress up for reelection in 2012 will face strong progressive pro public option, and anti-individual mandate replacement candidates.
Strong progressive pro “PUBLIC OPTION” CHOICE! and anti-individual mandate volunteer candidates should begin now. And start the process of replacing any and all members of congress that obstruct, or fail to add a government-run robust PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! before 2011.
We need two or three very strong progressive volunteer candidates for every member of congress that will be up for reelection in 2012. You should be fully prepared to politically EVISCERATE EVERY INCUMBENT that fails or obstructs “THE PUBLIC OPTION”. And you should be willing to step aside and support the strongest pro “PUBLIC OPTION” candidate if the need arises.
ASSUME CONGRESS WILL FAIL and SELLOUT again. So start preparing now to CUT THEIR POLITICAL THROATS. You can always step aside if they succeed. But only if they succeed. We didn’t have much time to prepare before these midterm elections. So the American people had to use a political shotgun approach. But by 2012 you will have a scalpel.
Congress you could pass a robust government-run public option now during your lame duck session. You know what the American people want. You already have several bills on record. And the house has already passed a public option. Departing members could leave with a truly great accomplishment. And the rest of you would solidify your job before the 2012 elections.
President Obama, you promised the American people a strong public option available to everyone. And the American people overwhelmingly supported you for it. Maybe it just wasn’t possible before. But it is now.
Knock heads. Threaten people. Or do whatever you have to. We will support you. But get us that robust public option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one before 2011. Or We The People Of The United States will make this midterm election look like a cake walk in 2012. And it will include you.
We still have a healthcare crisis in America. With hundreds of thousands dieing needlessly every year in America. And a for profit medical industrial complex that threatens the security and health of the entire world. They have already attacked the world with H1N1 killing thousands, and injuring millions. And more attacks are planned for profit, and to feed their greed.
Spread the word people.
Progressives, prepare the American peoples scalpels. It’s time to remove some politically diseased tissues.
God Bless You my fellow human beings. I’m proud to be one of you. You did good.
See you on the battle field.
Sincerely
jacksmith – WorkingClass :-)
The right has done an amazing job of spreading fear and that is what keeps them in power with the scared electorate. Fear about gays soldiers, fear about terrorists, probably the biggest, fear about creeping communism or socialism, most of them don’t even know what those isms are. Now we have fear of Sharia law, and general fear of Muslims. I almost forgot fear of Mexicans sneaking in to this country and stealing jobs. What other fears have I forgotten. Oh yea fear of health care, I don’t get this one at all.
I really have to admire the Republican machine. They do what they do well.
Quite accurate ss. Fear is a money generator for certain segments of the economy, and it guarantees political success. What happened to “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself?”
San Diego benefits greatly from the fear economy. General Atomic……et al. What happened to the progressive California of our imaginations? It confronted its conciliatory history of Democratic politics with the defense industry.
Just as the United States started as a great experiment in governance, the California results as compared to other states could be a second smaller experiment. The State’s Governor, Senate, Assembly, regulations, schools and tax laws can be compared to those other states who have gone in another direction. Who will produce better results?
Let’s all be social scientists and monitor the results over the next few years. Which states will have low unemployment and which will have the highest, which states will control and balance their budgets, which states will add businesses and which will lose employers, which states will have schools in the top tier and which will compete for the bottom in education.
… and which states pass MJ legalization laws …
Yes, California’s economy will be picking up soon as production of things that go bang gets going. Indians will now be sending California jobs back home. Is that irony?
Thank you, Mr. President. This is Not why we worked to get you elected. We saw you piss around with the Healthcare bill and two Wars the last two years, and so lose our support. Now the Republicans have the power to reject whatever progressives are left when you nominate someone to the Supreme Court.
I am weary of arguing with friends who know the names of people on The View and the names of football players on the Green Bay Packers, et al
Always keep in mind “Mr Smith Goes to Washington” was just a movie. That gang in Washington is the most useless group of humans ever over paid and under worked.
Yes, you are right about the filibuster of “Mr. Smith” who went to Washington. However, it is the only reference most Americans have when it comes to the process. Nowaday, we have a “virtual filibuster”. Just the threat of a filibuster to end debate on a subject is considered the filibuster. In my opinion, it ain’t as much fun as an actual filibuster.
If you are really old, dear Hermit Dave, you may recall that Robert Byrd filibustered the Civil Rights Act in 1968.
I am a young 77 and in 1968 I was so involved with the who killed JFK movement I had everything else on the back burner. Little did I know how many new conspiracy’s would come along to keep me busy. Byrd was an old KKK guy so no surprise he did that.
Ah, Dear Old Hermit Dave, will the younguns memorialize that terrible year the way you and I do? I doubt it. Tet Offensive in Vietnam, deaths of JFK and MLK, what else?
As the old Spiritual goes “Who Will Tell the Story?”
You and I will, and perhaps a few others. Unfortunately, we won’t be heard above the crap shown on TV, notably the so-called History Channel.
In any case, Robert Byrd, of unblessed memory, knew how to turn a phrase. He may be one of the last great orators. If there is a Hell, it will be an interesting population.
I am considering a lobotomy to feel more equal to the last few generations. Oh to blissfully accept the government & media versions of major events. OK so Clay did beat Liston twice with a secret punch. OK so a nut did shoot JFK and then another nut shot that nut. OK so it was smarter to send in tanks and set fire to some religious people in Waco than to just pick up their leader when he rode his bike to Circle K for coffee every morning. OK so Tim McVeigh did plan and carry out the Oklahoma City Federal Building bomb job and then forget to put the rear license plate on his get away car. OK so there was no real reason to investigate the 2000 election and those senators were correct not to sign the request by the black caucus. OK so steel buildings do fall down from fire and airliners crash into buildings and disappear. OK so George was actually president for 8 years.
Darn without the lobotomy I have VOID all those OK’s.
Giggle.
If a lobotomy is sorta like an abortion, I think you are SOL.