Dean: “Republicans act like a majority because we act like a minority"

[madfloridian]

Howard Dean spoke to Democrats in Vermont recently.

Dean: Get control of health care overhaul

BRATTLEBORO — In a pep talk mixed with tough love, Howard Dean told his fellow Democrats to exercise their political power and get control of health care reform.

“Republicans act like a majority because we act like a minority sometimes,” Dean, the former Vermont governor, former presidential candidate and former head of the Democratic National Committee, said Wednesday evening in front of more than 60 Democrats at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Brattleboro.

And if Democrats don’t change, the balance of power could, he said.

“We need to get our act together,” Dean said. “Bill Clinton ... once said, ‘People will always vote for someone who is strong and wrong before they’ll vote for somebody who is right and weak.’ We have been right and weak. We need to get much tougher.”

Uh oh, he uses the word "jerks"...and actually it describes those 4 Democrats well.

But in attempting to get 60 votes, Democrats have allowed health care reform to become watered down, he said.

“The fight over the public option was not some fetish,” Dean said. “The fight over the public option was ‘Do we get to choose? Who makes the choice? Shall we continue with the system where our employers, our insurance companies and our government tell us what to do, or will we get the choice?’

“In the end, the answer was ‘No.’ ”

Dean laid the blame for that not just on Republicans, but on “four jerks in the Democratic caucus out of 60 that screwed up health care. Fifty-six (Democrats) were willing to vote for the public option.”

He points out the two major mistakes in the health care procedures:

“We didn’t think down the road far enough to realize we were gonna need reconciliation. If you need all 60 votes in your caucus, then somebody’s going to hold up the works and say, ‘Well, I’ll give you a 60th if ... ,’ and then the whole bill falls apart.”

And: “Who can possibly conceive a bill ... that you pass in 2009, it doesn’t go into effect until 2013,” he said of the lag time there would be until the bill took effect.

He had a very good point when he said that Democrats need to open up Medicare to survive the midterms

Video included.

"Former Gov. Howard Dean says that Democrats must enact some sort of healthcare reform to maintain their majorities in the House and Senate. Dean was one of the featured panelists at the Politics magazine Healthcare Roundtable at Charlie Palmer Steak on October 7, 2009. Visit politicsmagazine.com for more."

He says they must not wait until 2013 for people to see benefits. Says Medicare is in place, open it up to some other age groups to show real progress being made.

Says people need to experience it right away, probably by July of 2010 so the other side can't keep using all the "boogeymen" like death panels, rationing, can't see your doctor.

[Zenlitened]

1. Dean knows his stuff. But is anybody listening?

I think we'll have the answer very soon.

[tsuki]

3. No, they have their ears tuned to the toe sucker. nt

[w4rma]

5. Rahm has filtered Dean and his proposals from Obama. Fire Rahm, now. (nt)

[madfloridian]

19. Nope, not really. They ignore him.

That's a shame.

[whathehell]

45. Freakin A......If they don't listen to Howard, you would think

they'd at least have the brains to listen to Bill Clinton...His quote is absolutely Correct!....Americans hate weakness, especially in a leader.

[AsahinaKimi]

47. I worked for Dean's Campaign way back when...

I loved him, still do! He's always been "The Guy!"

[midnight]

52. He does, and I'm listening.....

[Horse with no Name]

60. They aren't listening because they are too busy marginalizing him. n/t

[justgamma]

2. How many jobs would open up if

they lowered the age to collect Medicare. I know mine would. I'm only working for the insurance and I feel trapped.

[madfloridian]

11. It might have an influence on job availibility.

I had not thought of that...but it might.

[scentopine]

55. Yes!!! Same here, people have no idea

how working culture has changed - its always been cut throat but now it is completely destructive. Innovation is being bottled up, people are taking low paying government jobs with zero opportunity for growth only for the insurance. Lay-offs happen every quarter and skilled colleagues going a year or more without work. My plans for independent business were shattered because of family health issue - people are only a quarter away from financial ruin and there will be no bailout for us.

We need to stop hemorrhage of jobs to unregulated, low wage labor markets in Asia (where if you get sick, you get fired) and force a standard of decency and civility by offering a public plan with uniform pricing AND increase the taxes on the rich who have had a great run since Reagan and must now do more to sustain a good quality of life for all Americans not just those in the millionaires club.

[xchrom]

4. Recommend

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. Of course, the delay to 2013 was intended to cover the fact that

the bill was a piece of shit which will HURT the public instead of help it. If the bill really helped it would take effect ASAP so that there would be public testimony to that effect in the next elections, making for a shoo-in for the Dems in '12.

[madfloridian]

9. Yes, I am afraid it will do more harm than good overall.

[Zenlitened]

7. P.S. Excellent (in a grimly humorous way) toon in today's SMW thread:

Hat Tip to Ozymandius, keen-eyed leader with his band of merry menschen at Stock Market Watch in LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4275265

[madfloridian]

8. Defintely "grimly humorous"

painful.

[NoFace]

10. Under Doggy Style...so used to representing the down trodden we've forgotten what it's like,,,nt

[upi402]

12. Honk honk, duck

Get ready to be thrown under the bus by team Obama Dr Dean. None of that truthy facty crap in these here parts!

[madfloridian]

18. It's already happened...

the under the bus stuff that is.

Too bad, he has a lot to offer.

[PassingFair]

20. He keeps plugging away. Tire-tracks and all.

He inspires me to keep going within the party as well.

[madfloridian]

24. "tire tracks and all"

Yep, he does just keep going.

[Mithreal]

13. Just that title deserves a k&grrr.

[emilyg]

14. k/r

[Vidar]

15. Howard nails it again!

[myrna minx]

16. K&R n/t

[LWolf]

17. K & R nt

[rhett o rick]

21. IMHO, there are a number of Dems that hid behind Bush for years

And now they have majority, they are hiding behind the filibuster. We must face it. Most Democrats are rich and belong to the ruling class that we are asking them to control. They pretend to be for us but for some reason just cant quite make it. Be interesting how many support HCR via reconciliation.

[madfloridian]

23. Very well said. They can't handle a majority well.

They don't want to take firm stands.

They just prefer we go away and leave them alone.

[defendandprotect]

27. It's really more about the undermining of the "Dem Party" to destroy it . . .

this is done purposefully --

And it's been going on for decades --

I watched as George Mitchell turned the Senate over to Bob Dole!!

Nothing new --

[rhett o rick]

57. I dont agree with the word destroy. They like the party just the way it is. It gives the appearanc

of providing the public with a two party choice. But when the public goes to the polls, they find an unbeatable DINO incumbent vs. a wacko.

[David Zephyr]

22. K&R.

!

[defendandprotect]

25. Dean should be president -- and we've acted like minority for decades . . .purposefully--!!!

Majority in the 80's . . . George Mitchell simply turned the Senate over to

Bob Dole. I watched that on C-span. Don't know if you could see anything like

that any longer cause I think most everything is moved to back room discussions now?

I had a spell of disconnect from C-span and I'm not quite back into it -- but from

what I see, the '94 coup by Gingrich took C-span with it --

GOP is still fighting any light coming from any liberal areas -- very dangerous for them.

[pansypoo53219]

26. president dean in

2016!

[howmad1]

64. Screw 2016!

We need Howard Dean in 2012.

[defendandprotect]

28. And, 56 Dems willing to vote for Public Option defeated by "four Dem jerks"--!!???

Dean laid the blame for that not just on Republicans, but on “four jerks in the Democratic caucus out of 60 that screwed up health care. Fifty-six (Democrats) were willing to vote for the public option.”

Good to know -- and outrageous!!

[defendandprotect]

29. Dean's also right... "OPEN up Medicare . . . immediately... win midterms....!!!

Republicans couldn't possibly filibuster Medicare -- !!!

Neither could Dems vote against it -- !!!

OPEN IT UP -- go to age 55 and 45 --

Put kids in it -- wouldn't take that much to do that!!

Thank you Howard Dean -- !!!

[Historic NY]

30. He has that right.

[troubledamerican]

31. Something BAD is gonna happen to Howard Dean.

Loose cannons speaking truth aren't let go.

Watch out.

[Sebastian Doyle]

32. God forbid that happens, but if it did

I would personally find whomever was responsible. And DLC headquarters would be my first stop.

[The Green Manalishi]

38. In a similar vein,

I got really nervous when I heard that Alan Grayson was nearly caught up in a coup in Niger. It would make it too convenient for the fascists should something bad happen

[troubledamerican]

71. You weren't the only one who thought that.

[The Green Manalishi]

39. In a similar vein,

I got really nervous when I heard that Alan Grayson was nearly caught up in a coup in Niger. It would make it too convenient for the fascists should something bad happen

[XemaSab]

33. In other words (and I know this is a vulgar analogy)

they screw us because we're bent over asking for it.

If they walked in the room and saw *us* being the daddy for a change, then we'd see some progress.

[defendandprotect]

34. Thanks Madfloridian ...a post we need to take very seriously . . .!!!

[elleng]

35. How correct he is!

Reminds me of the Dog Whisperer. Dems have to be TRAINED to 'own' the territory.

[DFW]

36. Republican-leaning Democrats beware: Howard has NOTHING to lose by speaking the truth

Howard has got to be THE most listened-to progressive not in government, and he is no Sarah Palin:
he is articulate, knows his stuff, is not out for money, and HE CARES ABOUT A CONSTITUENCY THAT
SHOULDN'T NEED TO BE HIS. The only reason we are Howard's constituency is that too many of the people
(not all, luckily) we counted on to represent us have done so, if at all, with less than enthusiasm.

Obviously, some do care. Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy (must be something in the Vermont air--Howard
and Sanders are both originally from New York) come to mind.

But the media, and a LOT of disillusioned Democrats, always seem to turn to Howard to articulate
the point of view of those multitudes who turned out by the hundreds of thousands just two years ago
to shout, in thundering unison, "Yes we can!" Howard is our voice reminding those who said it, "OK,
if you can, then DO IT ALREADY!"

I deeply regret that Howard is not in Washington somewhere, in a position of influence. I am, however,
just as glad that he kept his word when he said that if Obama shut him out of the administration, that
he would spend most of his time raising hell for causes he cared about. He has no big insurance companies
on his side, that's for sure. He does have us. With letters, posts, contributions to DFA, calls and
emails to media outlets where he appears, whatever we can do, we must not let them think Howard is losing
one bit of his relevance. If there is one figure who has consistently spoken for us without wavering,
even since before his rise to national prominence, it has been Howard. Maybe it's because he never had
the pressure of dirty Washington reality to temper his message, but whatever the reason, I'm glad for it.

[saracat]

37. But see Howard actually wants to get "Democrats" elected

unlike the current group who want more DINO's.

[Rhiannon12866]

40. K&R for Dr. Dean!!!

He's right on target, as usual. The rest of the Democrats need to start listening to him... x(

[santamargarita]

41. Republicans always pretend to be something they're not...

delusional:puke:

[Golden Raisin]

42. Yes, but sadly (tragically)

this falls under the category of the proverbial Voice Crying Out In The Wilderness. Rahm/Obama have banished Dean to Siberia.

[ck4829]

43. K&R

[DailyGrind51]

44. Obama got saddled with a weak Senate Majority Leader and brought

too many "free-marketeers" into his administration. He seemed to believe that he could "be presidential" without actually having to lead his Party.

[DisgustedInMN]

46. K & R

[The Wizard]

48. Howard Dean has been,

and continues to be, a powerful voice of reason for the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. The four jerks to whom he referred should be given their walking papers. If the Senate can't pass legislation with a filibuster proof majority then the Party has to bite the bullet and jettison the dead weight.
With corporations willing to sponsor the jerks with unlimited contributions, the DNC and DSCC should cut off all money sent to the turncoats. Some of these fuckers need a good kick in the ass. A strong leader would have given them the "Johnson Lean" and gotten the job done.
How many times can the Democratic leadership get hoodwinked by the shyster Joseph Lieberman? And what the hell was Gore thinking in 2000 to make Holy Joe his running mate? With the 60th vote off the table, putting Lieberman in a broom closet for his office should be a given considering the number of times he's back stabbed the Democrats.
The only thing the President should reach across the aisle for is to hand them Lieberman on a silver platter.
Let the Republicans deal with the smarmy little ____________(choose a pejorative).
Long live Howard Dean.

[pleah]

49. K&R

[SlingBlade]

50. Dean for President !

[politicalmajority]

51. Those Four Jerks in the Senate Are

Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu, and Blanche Lincoln.

Howard Dean can replace either Rahm Emanuel now or Barack Obama in 2012 if Democrats will continue to act like the minority.

[perdita9]

53. We should have elected Dean instead

That man knows how to fight. The Republicans wouldn't have liked him any better than Obama, but they would have respected him and not pulled all this crap.

[RetroLounge]

54. Dean is clearly the smartest one in the room

K&R

RL

[scentopine]

56. not just smart but leads with passion and principals...

too bad he is stuck in the narrow perimeters staked out by the democratic party. Mainstream politics is as intellectually corrupt as the mainstream media.

There needs to be a third party for real pressure and real change.

[democracy1st]

61. +1

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bvar22]

59. On No....not more TRUTH!

Worth repreating:

"Former Gov. Howard Dean says that Democrats must enact some sort of healthcare reform to maintain their majorities in the House and Senate. Dean was one of the featured panelists at the Politics magazine Healthcare Roundtable at Charlie Palmer Steak on October 7, 2009. Visit politicsmagazine.com for more."

He says they must not wait until 2013 for people to see benefits. Says Medicare is in place, open it up to some other age groups to show real progress being made.

Says people need to experience it right away, probably by July of 2010 so the other side can't keep using all the "boogeymen" like death panels, rationing, can't see your doctor."

Go BIG,
or Go Home.

"When given the choice between a Republican, and a Democrat who acts like a Republican, the voters will choose the Republican every time." ---Harry Truman

QED Massachusetts

Thanks again, madfloridian
K&R

[humbled_opinion]

62. What's wrong with Obama

Howard Dean should be Obama's right hand man. This guy impresses me everytime he speaks. He is the truth that needs to be told. Democrats have no right to deny us the public option no right at all.

[howmad1]

65. Obamas' right hand men.......

...work for Wall St.

[humbled_opinion]

67. Exactly why we are seeing Obama's Poll numbers drop but

Yeah don't let me be a voice a reason or a kill joy to the other so called Democrats that just bury their heads in the sand and say nah the country still LOVES Obama..

[KonaKane]

63. Dean's usually right. Which upsets the hell out of the Appeasement faction of the Dems

But, there, I said it.

[tonysam]

66. Actually it is a result of special interests controlling BOTH parties

I like this comment that is on an obscure discussion board:

Why are Congressional Democrats so spineless but Republicans always so forceful?

Answer: I have often written about the basic nature of the two-party system, in which one party (in our society the Republicans) represent the interests of those who derive their livelihood from the proceeds of property, and the other (our Democrats) represent the interests of those whose sustenance is earned by the product of their labors or who for whatever reason may require government assistance to obtain such sustenance. The odd thing is that, while Republican leaders recognize this clearly, Democrats, both Democratic leaders and rank-and-file voters, AND Republican rank-and-file voters, seem not to understand this and get all confused by such extraneous matters of policy as social issues, environmental policy, and other specific matters, some of which have relevance to government policy and some of which don't.

By and large, those whose interests are unabashedly championed by Republicans tend to be wealthy and those whose needs would, on a level playing field, be defended by Democrats tend to live hand-to-mouth. Our system of campaign finance requires both parties to obtain the bulk of their funding from those whose interests the Republicans represent -- the wealthy. Wealthy people and corporations chafe under the horribly oppressive burden of campaign finance limits, feeling that they prevent from purchasing the influence over our elected officials that their wealth has earned them, while such limits are totally irrelevant to Democrats because most of us have to scrape and do without something we would otherwise purchase if we want to donate even as much as $50 to a presidential candidate. Democrats therefore cannot frontally assault the privileges of the rich because they too must court the rich for contributions or their campaigns will be starved of funds. Under our current system of privately funding our elections they have no way around this. Therefore, no matter how badly we need to reform the harmful and dangerous practices of such heavily moneyed and politically involved entities as insurance companies, energy companies like Exxon/Mobil, and banks and other financial institutions, their interests will invariably prevail because politicians of both parties are utterly dependent on the goodwill of these special interests if they wish to mount effective and well-funded campaigns for election or reelection.

This effect is far worse in the Senate because of its absurd method of apportioning power. A company like Bank of America could buy and sell North Dakota or Wyoming, along with the two Senate votes that carry as much or more weight as the Senate votes of California or New York.

This problem (well, it is a problem if you are not a "natural" Republican and/or a corporation), of course, will now get much worse in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC.

So Democrats are spineless because they have got to mitigate the thrust of everything they do in order not to offend their natural adversaries on whom they depend for funding, while Republicans can behave forcefully because they have no need to court the good will of anyone other than those whose interests they naturally represent.

link

Until the Citizens United decision is overruled one way or another, this dire situation has no other chance of changing.

[tom_paine]

68. So many ways to look at it - this is yet another so well stated

I can add little to it except to say I think that, Citizens United or not, the situation has reached tipping point.

The next group of BushoTotalitarians who seize the throne are going to edge us into actual Classical Totalitarianism, rather than the "kinder and gentler" Inverted Totalitarianism we have been living under since the First Bush Imperium (1981-1992) started tearing out the foundations of our Constitutional Republic.

[Jefferson23]

69. They have time to un-jerk themselves, get to it, and you too Obama.

[BrklynLiberal]

70. Too late to rec..but I can still kick..

[lib2DaBone]

72. Dems need to be more like Bush...ram it thru... don't care if you are "liked"..

.. when Darth Cheney was told that a majority of Americans were against torture,... his response was... "SO?"

Mr. Obama was elected on a set of ideals... Democratic ideals.. not Republican, not center right or middle right or anything else.

Mr. Obama needs to govern by those ideals.

[barb162]

73. Republicans act like the majority all the damned time.

It's amazing watching them.