Reply #8: Couldn't agree more about the Blue Dogs

[Proud Liberal Dem]

I do kind of take issue with the notion that if health care reform falls apart (presumably, because of them) that Obama and the other Democrats are going to take a hit in 2010 and maybe in 2012 as well. What happened in 1994, the so-called "Gingrich Revolution," never really had much to do IMHO with the failure of the Clinton Health Care Plan per se so much as a convergence or culmination of the Reagan revolution against government that started during his Presidency and seemed to reach its apex in 1994 resulting in the Republicans taking control of Congress for the first time in literally decades. Although many people were doubtless upset at the failure of the reform on our side, it was the Repuke's successful demonization of the Clinton Health Care Plan that helped pave the way for their upset victory.

If, the great maker forbid, health care reform efforts get derailed this year, it seems unlikely that people are going to vote the Repukes back into office so that no reform can take place because, as we have all been observing, the Repukes aren't even putting up any plans, ideas, etc. but are just carping and whining on the sidelines. I suppose it's because that's pretty much what they know best how to do but they're not even being particularly successful at demonizing health care reform this time around because too many people are hurting out there for them to be able to dupe enough people into believing that there isn't a problem this time- unlike last time. Hopefully, any failure of health care reform will, if people are educated well enough, will result in fewer "Blue Dogs" and Repukes in Congress after 2010 thus giving President Obama another (better) crack at health care reform.

I sense this time, however, the winds is more on our backs more so than our opponents and I'm cautiously optimistic that we will succeed in getting something substantive passed this year damn the torpedoes and I really appreciate President Obama's aggressiveness on this issue, particularly as of late.