Sunday, March 14, 2010

The Price Of Failure?

I volunteered to do some phone banking tomorrow (March 15th) in support of Obama's Health Insurance Reform Package. I have other things I could be doing, but see this as something I need to do.

I'm not really thrilled at what I see as a "starter kit" that has been watered down to make points with allies of the Insurance, Drug and likely even the low-wage service sector; McDonalds, Wal-Mart, etc. But as Rick Smith said on his program today, it's better than what we have and could be a base to build on.

But I also see what the price of failure could be. The main one is the boost this will give to the obstructionists of the GOP, their media allies and of course, their followers. Limbaugh, Beck and their loyal teabaggers would see this, rightly so, as a major victory. The letdown this would give to the Democrats, especially the young people who don't seem to get that politics isn't an every four-year event, would likely set the stage for more obstructionist Republicans running and likely winning.

But perhaps the group who stand the most to gain from the defeat are corporations and their CEO's. As defeat of reform would be a demonstration of the power that corps hold. Through their support of the Tea Partiers, the town hall mobs, and advertising on programs like Beck and Limbaugh, combined with their newly expanded political power, other corporate interests could easily follow suit. Energy policy would be derailed by campaigns from the oil, natural gas, and auto industries. The low-wage service sector would put efforts into killing the Employee Free Choice Act.

So, I urge all of you, please check out Organizing For America, sign up for a phone bank etc. Do we really want to see Beck, Limbaugh and their corporate handlers win?