Let’s review the health care debate of 2009
Democratic base: We demand X.
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: That’s dead on arrival.
Democratic base: There’s strong support for X.
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: I don’t support it and there aren’t enough votes anyway. Maybe I’ll consider a Jiggered X.
Democratic base: We can’t accept a Jiggered X. How about an opti-X?
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: We need to slow down and get this right. I think maybe I can support an opti-X.
Democratic base: Yay! We no longer demand X. Opti-X it is!
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: I cannot support Opti-X.
Democratic base: Wait, you said…
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: I said I’d think about it which I did. And I’m against it.
Democratic base: Jiggered X?
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: I’d strongly consider it.
Democratic base: (grumble) Fine, okay.
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: I cannot support Jiggered X. How about Expandicare?
Democratic base: (grrrr) Fine, that has some merit. We no longer demand X or opti-X or Jiggered opti-X. Instead, we demand Expandicare!
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: Sorry, I can’t support Expandicare.
Democratic base: What! Why?
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: You accepted it, there must be something wrong with it. Besides, I never said I’d vote for it.
Democratic base: But you suggested it.
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: I suggest a lot of things. Like this: drop Expandicare and I’ll strongly consider not filibustering.
Democratic base: Yay! Let’s do it.
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: Suckers.
The Dems should have just rammed through the best plan possible. Filibustering is just a battle of wills; read a book until the filibusterers go hoarse and you win. They could have passed something good. Repubs would have whined about not being bipartisan (like they have a leg to stand on), but SOMETHING GOOD WOULD HAVE GOTTEN DONE. And in the long term that would be way more important than whatever fallout would have occurred in the near term.
