Oh, to have been a fly on the wall during those four -- count 'em, four -- arm-twisting sessions President Obama had with Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.
Whatever transpired, it must have been galling today for Kucinich to stand before the microphones and surrender his demand for true health care reform, with Medicare for all or some other strong public option to mitigate the greed of the insurance companies.
Kucinich said Wednesday that the bill coming before the House represents the best chance to expand coverage to the uninsured, even if it does not include a public plan. "You do have to be very careful that the potential of President Obama's presidency not be destroyed by this debate," said Kucinich.
Destroyed by this debate? Obama's presidency was destroyed when he put the Wall Street foxes in charge of guarding the nation's crumbling financial hen-house. It was destroyed when he expanded rather than ended Bush's unjustifiable wars. It was destroyed when he turned his back on millions of jobless Americans. It was destroyed when he refused to investigate the war crimes, treason and high misdemeanors of the highest-ranking members of the administration he succeeded. It was destroyed when he continued the very spying on Americans, the very unconstitutional executive secrecy, and the very policies of torture he was elected to end. It was destroyed when he arbitrarily took single-payer off the health care bargaining table before bargaining had even begun. It was destroyed when he sold his soul and allowed the drug industry to write half of the health care legislation. It was destroyed before Dennis Kucinich had four meetings with him in and above Ohio earlier this week.
Today the Congressman said: "Even though I have many differences with (Obama) on policy, there's something much bigger at stake here for America."
What could be bigger than affordable health care for all Americans? What could be bigger than working for peace rather than extending war? What could be bigger than restoring the entire Bill of Rights for all Americans? What could be bigger than putting 12 million jobless Americans back to work? What could be bigger than ending the human practices that are destroying the entire biosphere of our planet? Why is it so important to let politics overrule conscience in a vain effort to save a failed presidency?
For his entire political life, Kucinich has bravely stood alone against political tides, powerful special interests and mass hysteria among the electorate. What arguments, even from a President, could have broken his will? What threats could have turned him?
He wasn't waterboarded. But then, there are other, more subtle forms of torture, aren't there?
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall.
"Don't tell Momma I'm a journalist; say I play the piano in a whorehouse."
Well written Thomas. Yes, where do we turn now when even Dennis turns away. It's sad to see the comments of all those so called progressives, who are actually applauding this cowardly act. My only comment: We need a 3rd party. Unfortunately this will not happen as long as the progressives still believe in Democrats good, Republicans bad fairy tale.
ReplyDeleteBarb Ahadi
I have been shouting to the desert cacti for years about the need for a new, Progressive Party. It must come aboaut immediately or it will be too late. Something frightening within the enormous corporatocracy that governs us broke Kucinich's will to resist, and each time that happens we are closer to the point of no return. As Chris Hedges put it: "We will have to continue to battle . . .if for no other reason than to preserve through small, even tiny acts, our common humanity . . .Hope endures in these often imperceptible acts of defiance. THIS DEFIANCE, THIS CAPACITY TO SAY NO, is what the psychopathic forces in control of our power systems seek to eradicate. As long as we are willing to DEFY these forces we have a chance, if not for ourselves, then at least for those who follow."
ReplyDeleteExcellent, excellent post, TW. It took the wind out of my blogger's sails!
ReplyDeleteI listened to Kucinich on "Democracy Now!" Thursday morning. Sounding whipped during his reemergence into the sunlight as a broken boy after a visit to the shady backside of the woodshed, his assurances to me that he was still the same man rang hollow.
The only thing I can take from this is further evidence there is balance in the Universe. That is, there must NEVER be more good for the whole of the nation than our little corner of the world can accommodate at one time.
For the lifting of my "liberal" friend's spirits who champion Kucinich as the left wing of their alter-ego's forbidden lustings, but who were trashing him for having gone too far this time, congratulations! As you celebrate by welcoming Kucinich back into your fold, just know the spirits of many of us hoping for some modicum of real health care we could truly embrace have sunk.
All sarcasm aside, I see the 'small steppers' willingness to accept Obama's HCR as as just another example (many of which you cited herein) of our New America's growing capacity to accept a stolen or questionable election here and there, loss of our rights to our fears, our endless wars for "eternal peace," our newly verified subservience as individuals to the supremacy of our corporate masters, etc. etc.
As you said of that Air Force One flight to Ohio with Obama, "Oh, to have been a fly on the wall." Indeed!
Or, as Cindy Sheehan said of it afterward, "I just want to know how much does a Kucinich cost?"