the 2008 horse-race debate is counter-productive

[nashville_brook]

Like many DU'ers I'm sick and tired of the preemptive debate on who will run in 2008.

We have TWO YEARS to work with the new congress to get some goddamn work done and all you guys hissing and pissing about Obama/Hillary are unwittingly becoming tools of the corporate media who would MUCH RATHER take a celebrity-news approach to our political future, than debate shit that's really impacting Americans. Lord knows CNN has a lot more to lose talking about healthcare reform, and so they show us the happy Video Press Releases from the drug companies.
They can't afford a REAL DEBATE on the "immorality of the wealthiest country in human history having roughly one in seven uninsured citizens within its midst." Gee, what if Merck felt slighted! Holy shit, what if Dow Chemical got their panties in a wad!

And so we get a steady diet of meaningless chatter on the 2008 HORSERACE. Why the fuck are you guys helping them?

On the subject, David Sirota has this to say:

Barely any of our national media bothers to mention, for instance, that investment banks like Goldman Sachs are simultaneously pocketing billions in taxpayer handouts and reporting record profits, while workers' benefits are slashed. Barely any politicians bothered to raise questions about the fact that the recent Medicare bill allows companies to reap special tax subsidies even as they cut off retiree health benefits. No, no - we are instead fed a steady diet of cable scream fests about which party's presidential candidates are ahead in the horse race, pundits who use their "expertise" to liken the dress of one American politician to that of Iran's right-wing ruler, and political "insiders" who view our entire democracy as, at best, a sport, and more often as a tool to line their own pockets.

Read the rest of the Sirota article, Thinking big on health care - and everything else, and decide what's more important in terms of contributing to your carpel tunnel syndrome: working for REAL change in the new year, or pissing in the wind about how much you love Obama, Hillary or the next celebrity non-candidate of the week.

There's a lot more work in political life than campaigning. Isn't that what we piss and moan about with politicians? That they spend all THEIR TIME campaigning? Don't carry that water for them. Demand that they actually DO SOMETHING before you throw your weight behind them.

Patton Oswalt does a bit about people who support Bush who aren't billionaires and it's becoming an illustration of the irrational groupie-ism for 2008 candidates.

The thing that I don’t understand are people that support George Bush and they’re not billionaires. Like, that makes no fucking sense; they’re like, “I think George Bush is fucking awesome!”

And you’re like, “Wow! How much do you make? You must be like a billionaire!”

And they’re like, “I make like $30 grand a year.”

And you’re like, “Wow, because Bush fucking hates you, did you know that? He fucking cannot stand you. He wouldn’t be caught dead with you.”

Seeing someone like that is like meeting a girl and… like, Michael Damian is touring the State Fairs in the midwest, still doing his remix of Rock On and she fucking blows him by the Tilt-a-Whirl and then goes home to her mom and goes, “Fucking Michael Damian’s in love with me, mom. He’s gonna take me outta this town!”

And she’s like, “Mmm, sweetie… no. He… appreciated the blow job but he’s not gonna come back for you. He’s gonna move on to other State Fairs, but he won’t come back to rescue you. You will go to back to work at the Fashion Bug tomorrow like you will every day until you die.”

All I'm saying is get a commitment in the form of some reform in the next two years before you blow your candidate behind the Tilt-A-Whirl.

[annabanana]

1. Boy, Are WE ever on the same page!

Every time the 24/7's crank up the '08 wurlitzer it sets my teeth on edge. I wonder who they're talking to, because it sure isn't me.

I have underestimated Patton Oswalt. He is clearly not only funny as hell, he is also pretty damn sharp.

[nashville_brook]

3. he was great on the recent comedy central 2006 farewell special!

"failure piles in a sadness bowl..." talking about those nasty KFC bowls of carbs, grease, and gravy.

that's a bad example in terms of his political commentary, but KFC ran commercials during every break and so i was like, "blahahahahaha!" plus, i had the exact same reaction to the idea of the new bowl-shaped heart attack kits.

his bit on Cheney and Bush being like the Dukes of Hazaard had me rolling!

[RestoreGore]

4. Thank you n/t

[nashville_brook]

5. btw, the Tilt-a-Whirl bit is on the Feelin' Kinda Oswalt CD

but it's by far not his best political bit on the CD -- the Armageddon piece takes that award.

[nashville_brook]

13. eh, sorry -- it's Feelin' Kinda Patton (per the CD cover)

[Vincardog]

2. What nashville_brook said. WORD

[nashville_brook]

8. here's another WORD to hear before "blowing your candidate"...

impeachment

[nashville_brook]

6. here's some details on the healthcare proposal Sirota mentions

"...today in Congress, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden (D) is courageously stepping forward and presenting universal health care legislation. Joined by Stern, the advocacy group Families USA and the CEO of Safeway, Wyden is ignoring the inevitable taunts of "Hillarycare" that will come from the right, and the knee-jerk attacks of "liberal" that will come from the corporate-funded faux "centrists." He is, instead, aiming for the real center of American public opinion which has long supported government intervention to create a universal health care system.

from The Associated Press:

" is an outgrowth of work by the Citizens' Health Care Working Group, a 14-member panel that went to 50 communities around the country and heard from 28,000 people about how to overhaul the nation's health care system. The group, created in 2003 by legislation sponsored by Wyden and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, recommended that the government take steps to guarantee that all Americans have basic health insurance coverage by 2012. Wyden said his new plan would allow workers to carry their health insurance from job to job without penalty. More efficient administration and more promotion of competition for health care plans, he said, would allow greater coverage while costing no more than the government is paying today for health insurance coverage. Called the Healthy Americans Act, the plan would cover all Americans except those on Medicare or those who receive health care through the military. It would require that employers 'cash out' their existing health plans by terminating coverage and paying the amount saved directly to workers as increased wages. Workers then would be required to buy health insurance from a large pool of private plans. After two years, companies would no longer have to pay the higher wages. Instead, Wyden said, they would pay into an insurance pool, based on annual revenues and the number of full-time workers."

[nashville_brook]

7. more highlights of the Healthy Americans Act

* guarantees you private health care coverage that doesn't go away, even if you change jobs, lose your job, retire, go to school, or become too sick to work.

* provides a generous benefit equal to those of Members of Congress

* ensures that everyone has affordable health care coverage, including meaningful assistance to low-income Americans.

* puts you in charge of your health care choices, not your employer

* makes sure that everyone has the same affordable coverage options, no matter your age, gender, genetic information, or pre-existing health conditions

* saves $1.48 trillion over 10 years through tough cost containment

* provides incentives for individuals and insurers to focus on prevention, wellness and disease management

* creates meaningful and easy-to-understand wellness statistics so that Americans can compare health care plans

* is fully paid for by spending the $2.2 trillion currently spent on health care in America

[nashville_brook]

10. and what if this is a BAD PLAN -- more reason to shift debate to ISSUES rather than celebrity

going to the Wyden website and reading the detailed PDFs, i'm concerned about this:

Under the HAA, family health spending would be reduced by an average of $22 per family.
This reflects changes in premiums and out-of-pocket spending as well as the after tax changes
in wages due to the health benefits cash-out. In this analysis, we count after-tax changes in
family income under the proposal as changes in family spending for health care.

that seems kinda shabby.

then, this:

Family out-of-pocket spending for health services would increase by about $125 family.

whoa nelly!

then this!

Average out-of-pocket spending would generally decline among lower income-people as previously uninsured people become insured. Out-of-pocket spending would increase as income rises, reflecting the shift of people to less comprehensive lower-cost health plans due to the incentives created under the program.

hmmm -- LESS COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE and INCREASED COST... what's the dealio here, folks?

[PATRICK]

9. Keying on MSM horse race

I can't help but think of all the times- maybe every time- their judgment was extremely poor, puerile and a failure. List of media favorites include Powell, McCain, Bradley, and all stalwart "frontrunners" etc. Mavericks and blacks- sorry, no women- have usually filled up their drooling list of picks. Hillary is a reluctant or backhanded pick for some reasons that are underhanded. Not only poor choices blinded by some clubby sentiment or other, but wrong once the people get to decide. I suppose the media has sports handicappers as idiotic who also do not lose their jobs for shear muddleheaded incompetence but at least sportscasting is not a blind attempt to lead the popular will and judgment to electing our future government.

Underneath that there IS a story of moves and personalities that can't help being discussed but as usual the irritation of the media filter spoils natural speculation like the guy sitting in front of you in the bleachers with the rainbow fro and giant nerf hand screaming and spilling beer all over the place.

[nashville_brook]

11. "rainbow fro and giant nerf hand screaming and spilling beer all over the place"

that is so apt.

"build 'em to tear 'em down" is the stock and trade of sportscasting and celebrity "news." applying it to the poltical realm is "a no-brainer" in terms of least-common-denominator journalism.

the media merchants take notice of the blogosphere chatter -- if we're out here talking up nothing but our favorite candidate, then the MSM is going to provide nothing but coverage on that.

[longship]

12. Ra-Men!!

I could not have said it better.

Right now, screw the 2008 race. It's all pointless to discuss who's ahead now. Give it a year. In the meantime, let it all go.

In the meantime, we have the first majority in both houses of Congress in a dozen years and a hell hole of a President who needs to be contained, removed, or whatever we can do.

We have to convince the media that we are not listening to their mighty 24/7 campaign wurlitzer.

[orleans]

14. great post. "that's what i'm talking about!" (zoolander quote) k&r!

looks like you got a better response than i got on my thread (at least people posting here "got it". thanks for the message to make me aware of this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3012981

[chill_wind]

15. Can no longer rec, but I can still KICK

this excellent post.