Seventy-six percent of the country wants a public plan, Landrieu doesn't. Center of what -- her own ego?First of all it's going to take 60 voting Senators, and there are two Democrats who aren't firing on all cylinders.
Democrats control the House, the White House, and the Senate -- with a 60 vote majority. Yet they can't find a way to do what 76% of the country wants in the midst of a health care crisis because they're focused on making three rich Republicans happy.
What the hell is it going to take?
Secondly, surely you can find at least 76% of Americans who want a lot of things. 76% of Americans want to pay fewer taxes. 76% of Americans want better government services. 76% of Americans want to be rich and famous. 76% of Americans want to win the lottery. 76% of Americans want to have their cake, eat one every day, and not gain an inch of waistline. 76% of Americans are self-centered human beings..
Searching for the center means trying to balance all the things people want with what's actually possible.
I think we can be confident most of this 76% is even less versed than I am in the projected tradeoffs of offering a new publicly-run health insurance plan. So pardon me for waxing in my elitist, undemocratic conceit that my opinion counts more than the mean respondent of a six-week old poll. Landrieu and her staff are presumably doing their homework and know an order of magnitude more.
The same poll that produced this 76% figure showed that only 33% specifically approved of Obama's health-care reform plan, so does Firedoglake think only 33 Senators should vote for it?
Direct democracy is no way to run a country. Kathy Kattenburg, who supports the public option, explains away the 33% figure with: "This may be at least partly because they did not know much about [Obama's plan]". Well, duh, she goes on to quote that 30% has no opinion.
We elect representatives because we're trusting them to educate themselves (or have an educated enough staff) to make the right calls about things we don't have enough working knowledge of. That's why the United States is a republic and does not hold direct public referendums on nationalizing sectors of its insurance industry.
As imperfect as governments are--catering to special interests, favored constituencies, influential parties, etc--Sen. Landrieu is doing her job. Firedoglake needs to work on its appreciation of that job and quit advocating mob rule.
As imperfect as governments are--catering to special interests, favored constituencies, influential parties, etc--Sen. Landrieu is doing her job. Firedoglake needs to work on its appreciation of that job and quit advocating mob rule.
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