It's as if the eight years of Bush/Cheney, with its lockstep Republican Congressional goons, its relentless intimidation and marginalization of anyone to the left of the John Birch Society, its proactive (and successful) effort to target Democrats for prosecution by hand-picked Attorneys-General - it's as if all of that - and so much more - never happened.I'd have to agree, back on Tuesday I said that :
Democratic leadership once again failed to perceive political reality as it is in 21st century America: The Republican Party is dominated by fascists who will do anything, anything at all, to undermine what's left of this country's democracy after the successful Bush/Cheney assault on it. After all, this is a party that used the Department of Homeland Security to hunt down Democrats when they bolted from Texas in order to avoid committing political suicide. After all, this is a party that aggressively opposes the regulation of computerized voting machines, voting machines manufactured by none other than prominent members of their own party.
Shutting down town hall meetings is precisely the kind of tactic these characters love, they spend night and day meticulously planning them, and get well-paid to boot. Shame on Democrats for not seeing these latest Republican riots coming.
The GOP on the other hand is treating this fight as what it is: an existential battle. They know that if robust health care reform passes, they are beyond toast. Democrats will run the show for a generation. They are pulling out all the stops on the attacks and the pressure. To use a crappy sports metaphor, they want the win more.Tristero however does bring up a much larger point: how could the Dems possibly have been caught flat-footed by this? The GOP has been telegraphing an August assault for weeks, if not months now, and even if somehow the Dems had overlooked that, Tristero's point about the preceding eight years certainly stands. I'll go even further...the Dems absolutely had to know that the 1993-1994 Hillarycare playbook was prima facie evidence that the GOP was willing to do whatever it takes to stop health care again this time around.Team Obama has gotten hamstrung here in the last three days. Multiple Democrats have been jumped at appearances. The GOP telegraphed the plan well in advance. So far it's looking like the Dems don't have much of a "boots on the ground" response. I am hoping this changes and fast.
The best organized grassroots political machine ever conceived rolled over the landscape last fall. Where is it now?
And still they stood there and watched the punch incoming, one telegraphed from 15 years ago. it's not like you couldn't have asked Hillary or Bill, clearly they're around. Hell, half the damn Obama administration is Clinton retreads from back then. Leon Panetta, Larry Summers, even Eric Holder...c'mon. Absolutely, without a doubt, you knew the plan was the GOP was going to try to delay this through the August recess and then spend that month sending in the crazies.
One almost has to question the magnitude of the effort of the Democrats behind the push for health care. Obama knew exactly how to campaign and win 12-18 months ago. But the same outfit seemingly has no clue what to do against the GOP here, other than "Hey, look at the crazies!" The Village is happy to report on the story that the GOP wants. They're in control of the news cycle and Team Obama looks downright silly after just a week or so.
If you want health care reform, we have to fight for it. Obama's not doing that.
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