Bullhorns, Public Protests, Gail Collins, Healthcare, and David Brooks

Love Gail Collins, tepid toward David Brooks, got a bullhorn mentality, and I am really upset about the path the health care reform is going down right now and the blue streak up the Democratic Congress' spine.

But this all reminds me of a discussion I had a while back with a group of friends around the beginning of the Iraq debacle. We were talking about how the media covered modern public protests and how much of the public seemed unmoved or irritated by these protests. Irritated by the intrusion in their daily life of the reality of democratic governance. I wonder, now, a few years and a few debacles down the road, if the same thing would happen if those demanding a real public option took to the streets in every capital city across the nation in a mass peaceful quasi sit-in on capital grounds.

We want an option designed for 'us'--not the insurance executives, not for the wealthy elite, not for the comfort of the election campaign cycle in Congress.

Although in Denver the capital building is already falling down around the groundhogs ears so maybe there is an alternative choice. But I digress.

The poll numbers had it early on. The Republican and Blue-Dog press machines and operatives are rolling up their sleeves and gathering steam. The health and insurance lobbyists are rolling out their green muscles--why can't we all show our own numbers. Those Blue Dogs would be rolling over and howling forgiveness until their bacon got fried in the next election frying pan.

Personally I'd like to see that about now. The peaceful demonstrations that is--the bacon frying has a future too but less productive at the moment. No blocking traffic so the grumpy already well-insured and insulated people can still get to work. No implants to cause trouble to discredit the whole demonstration. Just human bodies all assembled in one place to show the politicos just where the real power of this nation lies. The voter. Collectively, assembled, and demanding accountability from their representatives in both Houses.

What’s Wrong With a Single-Payer System? - The Conversation Blog - NYTimes.com

But actually, they are. And so are we. The reason the country can’t solve the health care mess is because the people with the biggest bullhorns don’t speak honestly and clearly about it. Nobody understands the Democratic plan, and that scares the public. The irresponsible Republicans are just waiting to make whatever comes out sound terrible. The responsible Republicans are working to come up with a compromise that’s going to be even more incoherent than the Democratic version.