Tue, 04/21/2009 - 7:23pm — vastleft
There's a right time and a wrong time to sacrifice core principles:
"It's way too early" to abandon what it considers a central plank in health reform, said Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union. He said the organization pulled out of the bipartisan Health Reform Dialogue because it feared its friends in the coalition were sacrificing core principles too soon. "You don't make compromises with your allies."
Last week, two top administration officials suggested that Obama is open to compromise on the public plan, comments that set off alarm bells in some corners of his party.
Is it too much to ask for President Obama to give us a little more kabuki before Big Money does what it does best?
(h/t jawbone in comments)
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Stern is foolish
Endorsing Obama after the Harry and Louise ads was caving. If they withheld their endorsement because of the ads, they would have had much more clout. Now, it seems like just a face saving gesture.
This is caving, too:
http://www.correntewire.com/neil_conan_i...
This is the Obama Way, isn't it?
Before there is any negotiating, any talking, any anything - make sure everyone on the other side knows that you're willing to compromise.
And what, pray tell, is the reason one might take that approach to everything? Is he so afraid of confrontation, so afraid someone will not "like" him, think him not the brilliant problem-solver he clearly wants to be known as, that he has to give in from the get-go?
As much of a mess as I think he and all his conciliating, and Republicans-have-good-ideas schtick and his insistence keeping the private insurance companies happy, even if it kills the idea of truly universal coverage, is going to make of the health care issue, I am "this" close to thinking I would rather he just not get involved. "This" close.
its the obama way....
but its not about a "willingness to compromise", its about Obama giving away the contents of the store before discussions of compromise even begins in order to demonstrate how "willing" you are to compromise, then allowing the "compromise" process to turn the store itself into a whorehouse.
Something like this
our hope is in the states
at this point our goal should be that no federal plan passes that prohibits the states from doing the right thing.