The former chair of the DNC – apparently, they finally let him come back from American Samoa – very much wants there to be a public option in the health care rationing bill, and he’s willing to help launch revenge attacks against Democrats who might stop him from getting it:
Former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean fired one of the clearest warning shots at hesitant Democratic lawmakers on Thursday, insisting that if the party was unable to produce a health care bill with a public plan, there would be electoral consequences.
“I do think there will be primaries as the result of all this, if the bill doesn’t pass with a public option,” Dean said, in a phone interview with the Huffington Post.
…because, of course, the way to keep Democrats in Republican seats is to punish them for voting as per their constituents’ wishes. You can argue all you like about whether these numbers reflect the national mood on the public option, but I can tell you this: they definitely represent the mood of the Republican / conservative portion of it. I can also tell you this: darn few people in (say) IL-11 are going to base their voting strategies around what the people in either IL-10 or IL-12 think about a particular topic, so national mood doesn’t signify. All of which leads to the observation that voting for a public option will guarantee a strong challenge for a lot of Democratic interlopers.
In other words, these folks are going to face either a vicious primary or a grinding general election – but they’re not going to be able to avoid both. I’ve tentatively tagged this situation as being Specter’s Political Specter: but I think that might be a little too cutesy. Opinions?
Moe Lane
Crossposted to Moe Lane.
Steve Maley
KnightsofMalta
Dan Spencer
Moe Lane
Dan McLaughlin
I'm Glad To See That Those Like Dean Won't Rest...
IJB Friday, August 14th at 3:03PM EST (link)…Until the Democrats lose upwards of 100 seats in 2010.
It makes our jobs that much easier.
Don't Be a Pig!
tsquare (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 6:52PM EST (link)You’ll settle for 50 and control of the House and like it!
Nah - I'd Rather Shoot for the Moon...
IJB Saturday, August 15th at 2:21AM EST (link)…And settle for shooting Venus only if I have to.
Those terrible Blue Dogs
Scope (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:13PM EST (link)that Emmanuel got elected. The Rock and a Hard Place Democrats. They all might just as well retire now, before they are forced to retire in 2010. Did Dean screeeeeeam!
Those terrible Blue Dogs
Scope (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:13PM EST (link)that Emmanuel got elected. The Rock and a Hard Place Democrats. They all might just as well retire now, before they are forced to retire in 2010. Did Dean screeeeeeam!
"The Full Ben Nelson"
Swamp_Yankee (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:14PM EST (link)A half-nelson from the Right side and a half-Nelson from the Left side.
"The Blanched or Poached Lincoln"
Swamp_Yankee (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:16PM EST (link)Pick your pot of bioling water Senator Lincoln.
Maybe Patrick Murphy’s Law:
Swamp_Yankee (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:29PM EST (link)Patrick Murphy: Blue Dog Democrat
Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go bad will go bad
Patrick Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go bad for a Blue Dog, will go bad
Don't they realize
muffin Friday, August 14th at 3:19PM EST (link)If they vote “YES” for this monstrosity, the voters will retaliate in 2010?
Fortitudine vincimus – By endurance we conquer
So true
conservative_faction Friday, August 14th at 3:30PM EST (link)and this will be the true electoral challenge.
NRA Life Member
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” — Ronald Reagan
Dean said, in a phone interview with the Huffington Post.
USNJIMRET (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:30PM EST (link)Holy cow!!
Screamin Howey Dean and the HuffPo!
Ya can’t make this stuff up!!
Leftist Ideologues See Only Their Ideology
Ausonius (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:32PM EST (link)They really believe that they cannot be wrong. “Practical politicking” is as poisonous to them as adopting the principles of their opponents!
Dean’s warning is extremely clear: they know they are losing the public, have even lost public weeks if not months ago, but…
… THEY DON”T CARE! They are right, and the public is wrong! And any “practical” Congressman who is more worried about 2010 than pushing through the greatest “crisis opportunity” in recent history is expendable.
In fact, from the Dean-ideologue point of view, everyone is expendable, as long as the laws get passed and America is transformed along their socialist principles.
As I wrote this morning, repealing or rescinding any or even most of this agenda is almost impossible. You would have to postulate veto-proof majorities in 2010 for the Republicans, plus the election of specifically conservative Republicans who would take the MSM heat for repealing The One’s Vision for America.
The Dem ideologues are desperate and therefore dangerous and not to be dismissed!
Ausonius: 310-395 A.D. Teacher, Poet, Consul, General, Farmer.
Personal Tutor to the future St. Paulinus of Nola and to young Gratian, heir to the throne during the turbulent final years of the Western Roman Empire. When his former student Gratian was assassinated, Ausonius threw up his hands and retired to his farm in Gaul. Rome was captured by barbarians 14 years after his death.
Cato@rock.com
You Could Say Much Of That About Conservatives
Swamp_Yankee (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:35PM EST (link)“They really believe that they cannot be wrong. “Practical politicking” is as poisonous to them as adopting the principles of their opponents!”
There is a fine and contentious line being being a principled conservative and understanding practical retail poltics. Many activists tend only to see things in a broad simplistic ideological context.
Practical Conservatives and Practical Politics
Ausonius (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:45PM EST (link)I believe William F. Buckley once stated that conservatives had to learn the difference between theoretically (ideologically) talking about ending the Social Security program, and the reality of actually proposing such in the national arena.
Thanks for the reply!
Ausonius: 310-395 A.D. Teacher, Poet, Consul, General, Farmer.
Personal Tutor to the future St. Paulinus of Nola and to young Gratian, heir to the throne during the turbulent final years of the Western Roman Empire. When his former student Gratian was assassinated, Ausonius threw up his hands and retired to his farm in Gaul. Rome was captured by barbarians 14 years after his death.
Cato@rock.com
All I can say is
ehosterman (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:33PM EST (link)get out the popcorn!
Go ahead Howie!
larueladue (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:36PM EST (link)Try to primary someone who votes against this monstrosity (whichever one get to a vote)… You will see just how out-of-touch you are from most if the sane people in the U.S….
Very statesman! Very Commanding! Sounds like an (sniff) Alpha-male! Will he primary the One?
Rod_Patrick (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 3:45PM EST (link)Truly a Certified SNL Skit Material .
Paging Al Franken!!!!!
How about "Arlen's Specter?"
nutmegger (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 4:03PM EST (link)Buy popcorn…
Specter? .
Rod_Patrick (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 4:14PM EST (link)Look at his option.
A chance for eternal fame and glory. History will be written like this for Specter:
The Great Arlen Specter contributed heroically in Obama’s call for the tranformational change of American into a socialist country.
Hence, Specter will surely be Dean’s Iron-clad hand on this if offered a chance..
Back in Nebraska where I was raised the Sow would eat her piglets if you wasn't there to help save them many times.
bobojake (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 4:21PM EST (link)Well the democrats are just like the sow and are starting to eat their own. This will be more fun then watching the bull chase my kid brother.
Back in Nebraska where I was raised the Sow would eat her piglets if you wasn't there to help save them many times.
bobojake (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 4:21PM EST (link)Well the democrats are just like the sow and are starting to eat their own. This will be more fun then watching the bull chase my kid brother.
I believe Lieberman is the Senator from CT
jimmuy8 (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 4:33PM EST (link)despite the heroic efforts of the kos krowd/DNC.
So, I say to these “strong, independent” Blue Dogs: Go on as you please–there is a route to re-election, it lies within the will of your electorate, not your party.
Specter’s Political Sphincter - is more like it
izoneguy (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 4:46PM EST (link)n/t
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
Gee is this win-win or what?
Vegas_Rick (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 6:29PM EST (link)If the Dummies vote for the bill, they get creamed in the general election. If they vote against the bill, they get creamed in the primary.
And, since the primary winner will get it based on the “He voted against health care reform,” schtick, HE gets creamed in the general.
Cool
“God is great, beer is good and people are crazy.”- Billy Currington
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Calvin Coolidge.
Hmmm.
jdaman (Diary) Friday, August 14th at 9:44PM EST (link)There is a problem with all of this, that problem being that many Democrats will buckle under the pressure.
“Status quo,” as you know, is Latin for “the mess we’re in”.
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.
The "Blue Dogs" are dead dogs
wingnut43 Saturday, August 15th at 12:36AM EST (link)If the public turns against the Democrats over socialized medicine, how individual blue dogs vote won’t matter. The moderate voters will turn equally against all Democrats. So the best option for the Blue Dogs is actually to get with the program, and support Obama. At least if they support Obama they will stand a chance of reward if they pass Socialized Medicine, and lose their seats for it. Obama has the power to confer bountiful rewards like Federal Judgeships and high Administration Posts. Of course, Obama, the most meciful one, could just as easily throw them under the bus. You never know with Obama.
Keep an eye on that
izoneguy (Diary) Saturday, August 15th at 12:47AM EST (link)If Obama starts handing out the candy for committing political suicide then whoever takes that poison pill will be tainted for life…..
These wanks don’t understand that standing along with a Marxist will be more trouble than it is worth. Unless they want to move to Venezelua than I suggest they vote NO and then become independents…
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
He will.
jdaman (Diary) Saturday, August 15th at 1:01AM EST (link)Start handing out candy to people, on Human Events they reported that people who voted for the stimulus bill got several thousand each in donations and etc. Obama will do anything to get his stuff past, because he is honestly arrogant enough to think that all of his ideas are correct, and new and untried. Wingnut43, sowing dissent in the other side can do nothing but good for us, if we can get good leaders, and keep the Democrats divided in 2010, we can reap the rewards of Senatorial elections.
“Status quo,” as you know, is Latin for “the mess we’re in”.
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.
Really a matter of whether they get card check passed.
Achance (Diary) Saturday, August 15th at 6:40AM EST (link)If they do, then there will be no consequence for the people who voted with Obama/Pelosi/Reid, America’s troika. If they can’t pass “card check” we can defeat them and send them to the Outer Darkness by ’14. Conversely, if they do pass it, the only deterent to socialist hegemony is something pretty close to an actual revolution.
In Vino Veritas
Specter
wingnut43 Saturday, August 15th at 12:45AM EST (link)Specter has passed his sell-by-date. Republicans don’t want the opportunistic turncoat, and Democrats don’t need him when they can have a real Democrat. His best bet is to go out to pasture, and graze the green grass with Punxatowny Phil. Then we get to see him only once a year – on Feb 2.
Not only will we primary you in Iowa, Tom Harkin...
6eorge Jetson (Diary) Saturday, August 15th at 2:05AM EST (link)We’re going to primary in South Carolina and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we’re going to primary in California and Texas and New York. And we’re going to primary in South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan. And then we’re going to Washington, D.C. to primary Barack Obama out of the White House.
Byah!!!!