Politics and the Public Option (O…No.)
John on September 3, 2009
David Axelrod is no fool. He’s paying close attention to the President’s sagging poll numbers. At this point it’s probably enough to make him lose continence.
Obama’s numbers have dropped faster than any President in modern history and they haven’t stopped yet. The nexus of this increasing public rejection of the man as well as his performance on the job is the public plan, i.e. Jacob Hacker’s trojan horse for single-payer.
So today we had this article in Politico where Axelrod is quoted saying:
It’s time to synthesize and harmonize these strands and get this done. We’re confident that we can do that. But obviously it is a different phase. We’re going to approach it in a different way. The president is going to be very active.
And as Axe knows, getting it done means dropping the public option. The Senate six have already agreed they won’t pass a bill that contains it.
This is going to anger the progressives and that means things are about to get real ugly real fast. In fact, Jacob Hacker (author of Obama’s plan) has already called Axelrod stupid:
The White House…has to be told in no uncertain terms that dropping the public plan is stupid and premature.
But nobody hired Hacker for his skill reading polls. Axe knows it’s a lost cause. His best bet now is to tack his leaky dingy to the center, cool the fires on the right and angle to bring back the moderates that have jumped ship in the last three months.
Obama’s got three more years of this minimum, more like two before the next campaign begins. Passing a moderate plan without the public option will allow him to claim victory by year’s end and bring those numbers back up.
Meanwhile, if the left still want’s the public option, then they’ll have to secure it themselves. They’re up for reelection next year. If they feel strongly about it, let them go to the mat by trying to force it through in reconciliation. And after they do so, let them face the voters and explain what they’ve done. That’s what Obama’s 9/9 speech is going to say. It’s up to you, progressives. Because from now on, I’m here in the middle with America.
Man is the left ever going to be pissed about this. And, boy, do they ever get ugly when they get angry. As good as he is, I don’t think Axelrod knows what it’s like to get the Bush treatment from the left. How could he know. He’s never been on their bad side. He’s about to be.
Nothing left to do but make some jiffy-pop, sit back and watch the blood-letting begin.
verumserum.com
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