Reply #51: You are under the delusion that we have a dictator ...

[Cosmocat]

I don't know if you were paying attention to the HCR legislation, but it took a year to get passed, and the Rs had it DEAD in the senate. It took a previous 60-40 vote to allow for the reconcilliation that allowed for the legislation that passed ... ONE lost vote in the senate, and it never would have gotten passed. And, Max Baucus was NOT going to support even a public option, much less single payer ...

It was NEVER going to happen ...

NEVER, and all BO "fighting" for it would have done would have potentially skunked what got done. Again, I don't know where you were during that year period, but we had Rs screaming like lunatics about death panels and SOCIALISM, and the MSM carrying water for them ... BO taking a stand for single payer would have given them potentially enough fuel to actually kill it ...

They got done what could get done - and I am STRONG single payer advocate.

You are also under the delusion that there is a larger democratic majority to be had in this lifetime, and there isn't ... This is the largest democratic margin in both chambers will see see in at generations ...

Finally, you don't grasp the current political alignments ...

There is no "center" politically between the parties ... The Rs are ALL, to a man and woman, batsnot crazy hard righties who pander mercilessly to the extreme right ... The "middle" is the right side of the democratic party ...

Obviously, you have given up on the practical aspects of that, but there are Ds who REPRESENT more republican leaning and toss up districts ... The great liberals have the benefit of living in strong liberal precincts and can act liberal ... The other democrats don't have that luxery, and again, you obviously have given up on it, but it is better to have them in the D fold than to turn those seats over an R who WILL be hard right and oppose ANYTHING liberal ...

Sorry, the country is no more left leaning than the lie that is conservative ... There isn't the "mandate" to go full bore left, or BO and congress would go that direction ...

I am with you in supporting and developing more progressive candidates ... But, if it is a choice between even a milk toast dem and an R, I will battle to death for the D over the R, cause a milk toast D is 1000 times better than an R in this age ...