CorrenteCeci n'est pas une caption.
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Go give Susie some linky love -- She asks a very important question...in a very interesting way.
Come back and discuss: How do we communicate with elected politicians? How can they reach out to the "netroots"? How can such a diverse group make an impact? Pols can't read every prog/lefty/moderate blog--what can they do? What can we do?
... keep the heat on!
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Per capita health care spending (2007):
United States: $7290
Switzerland: $4417
France: $3601
United Kingdom: $2992
Average of OECD developed nations: $2964
Italy: $2686
Japan: $2581
-- Bob Somerby
The text of HR676 (Medicare For All) as PDF (30 pages). The FAQ. Compare HR3200 with HR676.
Medicare for All would save $350 billion a year (study in New England Journal of Medicine).
In 2003, a young Illinois state senator named Barack Obama told an AFL-CIO meeting, "I am a proponent of a single-payer universal healthcare program*." -- Bill Moyers.
* Medicare For All.
Contact lambert_strether [dot] corrente [at] yahoo [dot] com (lambert strether) for all your pony needs. Overt and covert displays of realism ("cynicism") available at customer option.
Versailles Projection Syndrome
(q.v.)
Front page
Comments
I am reminded of
Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
It's a systematic problem.
Politicians don't understand "retail" politics. They don't want to deal with individuals, they want to deal with groups. Bloggers are a classification, not a group. Progressive/liberal bloggers are a sub-class, again not a group with a clear hierarchy that can be used as the politician needs. They don't talk to union members, they deal with union officials. That's what the MoveOn Putsch was all about - creating a bloc that could be used.
The "netroots" is a democracy. Ideas aren't automatically accepted based on who pushes them. Your status on a high traffic blog means that more people read your ideas, but that doesn't mean they agree with them.
Face it, blogs are about ideas. Very few expect ideological purity, but most bloggers know when they are being conned by a politician, and politicians are uncomfortable around people who have no problem pointing out mistakes and deceptions.
I don't agree.
I think the bloggers' experience with politicians has shown our capacity to be far too literal and all too willing to accept words in place of actions.
Why buy the cow when the milk is free?
I think we have to pick a couple
of Blue Dogs for a primary. And everyone from Daily Kos to Joe Çannon join in to take them out. Once they have to risk facing down a serious primary, they'll start changing their ways. We've been satisfied to elect Democrats. Now we must create a dynamic where we elect liberals.
That's going to involve the netroots developing talking points - because the Democrats have never been willing to make sure the basic info on which the policy is based is addressed - and making sure that when our members get on tv, the talking points are put forth. We have to find ways to get our message out without relying on Dem pundits and pols.
I have this dream of Democratic TV. A one hour shoe hosted by a well-informed liberal where the only people we talk to are members of the Democratic party. The point being to get the information out - I think it would be an enormous success done well.
"Someone needs to point out that elephants produce infinitely more shit than donkeys." Brad Mays
i like this dream
I have this dream of Democratic TV. A one hour shoe hosted by a well-informed liberal where the only people we talk to are members of the Democratic party. The point being to get the information out - I think it would be an enormous success done well.
i think it sounds like a really good idea.
I remember an episode of Larry King
where he had the nine women senators on. It was a great show. A tremendous amount of information was imparted and you also got a real sense of the legislators. To have a show where the point was to talk to Democratic legislators, who are frequently incredibly interesting and passionate people, and to get to what it is they are thinking about rather than the goal being to trip them up would be a deeply worthwhile venture .
I think it would be great tv. Remove any notion of the host needing to be bipartisan and explore what it is the opposition is saying, unless the point is to respond to what the opposition is saying.
I think it would change our entire national discourse if done correctly.
"Someone needs to point out that elephants produce infinitely more shit than donkeys." Brad Mays
i'm sorry i missed that
I think it would change our entire national discourse if done correctly.
i think you're right. i'd go out and buy a tv to see a show like you're proposing.