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An A For Failure?

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 01:15:42 PM EST
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Blogometer quotes Nate Silver:

"Liberals have tended to underestimate what a significant political achievement it would be for Democrats to pass such a major bill that has become rather unpopular with the public."

Is Silver praising Democrats for making health care reform unpopular? Or praising them for doing the bidding of certain interests in the face of the unpopularity Dems have created regarding health care reform? Should I read Silver to find out? Maybe later.

Speaking for me only

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    An A For Failure? | 8 comments (8 topical)

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    Would have been easier if the Dems (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by MO Blue on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 01:36:17 PM EST
    had decided to pass a bill that was popular with the public rather than one that is written by and for the insurance industry and pharma.

    Perhaps the Bill (5.00 / 4) (#5)
    by The Maven on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 02:13:27 PM EST
    wouldn't be perceived as so unpopular if most Americans felt that it would actually benefit them somehow.  I have to believe that most people (correctly) feel that this mess will only serve to make our health care delivery system even more tangled and complicated, without helping to make it either more accessible or affordable.  Improving actual health care went out the window long ago, and indeed this is now little more than a great giveaway to those interests which least deserve it.

    All we need is a little more blush and eyeliner, and that pig will be ready to go . . .

    Parent

    Why is (CW) 'P!ssing Off Libs' a desirable metric? (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by Ellie on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 01:46:07 PM EST
    This is showing up more more frequently as a "desirable" attribute to whatever POS conservatives and mainstream Dems are shilling, even more so in the Obama administration than during the latter months of Bush/Cheney.

    In all honesty, as a sharp consumer and perpetual bargain hunter I have to ask: Muh?

    What's the quantifiable Value-Added here? The Quality Standard? The Good Housekeeping Seal Approval?

    Maybe it's triple Green Stamps (none / 0) (#7)
    by jeffinalabama on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 03:03:29 PM EST
    for p!ssing off liberals.

    What concerns me is the democratic party targetting liberals. There aren't enough of us liberals anyway. Too many 'progressives.'

    I still can't figure out what a progressive stands for. I know they tend so stand against New Deal, Fair Deal, Great Society, and Clintonian policies.

    Parent

    Silver backs into ... (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Robot Porter on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 02:02:37 PM EST
    one good point:

    6) The case that the White House failed to achieve a public option because it was inept is much stronger than the case that it failed to achieve one because it wasn't progressive enough.

    Though this, of course, ignores the possibility that they never wanted a public option in the first place.

    But still ...

    What Narte Silver should have said: (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Anne on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 02:15:19 PM EST
    "Liberals have tended to underestimate the capacity for, and desire of, the Congress, the media and the access bloggers to stomp to death anything that threatens to encroach on the health industry's fiefdom - and overestimate the possibility that the caucus gives a rat's patootie about anything but how much cash is in their own pockets.  The use of liberals as a cudgel to bash societally beneficial and populist ideas only goes to show how tone-deaf and oblivious Congressional Democrats are to what a real political achievement actually is, but this may be because they haven't got a clue how to accomplish it."

    In answer to your question, BTD, what Silver is actually saying in your quote is that the only bad idea is a liberal one, kudos to the Democratic caucus for flipping liberals the finger, how dare the liberals get in the way of an historic political achievement (I guess an epic FAIL would be historic), and gee, wouldn't life be ever so much more civil and bi-partisan and nice if the stupid liberals would just sit down and STFU?

    I gues (none / 0) (#1)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 01:29:21 PM EST
    he now officially goes into the category of Failbot?

    I think he considers it clever (none / 0) (#8)
    by Salo on Fri Dec 11, 2009 at 05:13:33 PM EST
    To have ruined the reputation of a public option.

    An A For Failure? | 8 comments (8 topical)

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