Legal Commentary

The Base

By Big Tent Democrat

Joe Klein:

The denizens of the left blogosphere consider themselves the Democratic Party's base. But they are not. For Democrats, as opposed to Republicans, the wing is not the base; the legions of loyal African Americans, union members, Jews, women and Latinos are. In the end, the sillier left-village practitioners are stoking the same populist exaggeration—the idea that Washington is controlled by crooks and sellouts—that conservative strategists like Bill Kristol believe will bring the Republicans back to power. The perversity of this is beyond comprehension,"

(Emphasis supplied.) Setting aside the invective, as a defense of the health bill as responsive to the base, it seems pretty ludicrous. The health bill includes an excise tax - vigorously opposed by the unions, either the Stupak Amendment or the Nelson Amendment - attacks on a woman's right to choose, and excludes undocumented aliens from coverage -hardly a bone to Latinos. Oh BTW, it also excludes a public insurance option - favored overwhelmingly by all Democrats, base or not. The perversity in arguing that the health bill appeals to the Democratic base is beyond comprehension.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on December 30, 2009 (boomark / email).