Great blog post oleeb. Like I have been saying all over the place here at TPM we need to apply the pressure. They have to know there can/will be consequences.

I am doing it by writing. Is that the only thing that can be done? Hell no. In fact miguelito suggested forming a PAC and Ripper McCord did a post along the same lines of how to pressure them on these issues. We need to use every tool at our disposal or nothing will get done.

O,
The excuse is going to be "Bipartisanship" or we must have Bipartisan support. That translates into I am so scared of having to do the right thing I'll just shit my pants if I actually have to take a stance on something, with out having the cover of a few Republicans to hide behind.
Mark my words the excuse is going to be "Bipartisanship". And about 10 Senators will hold us all hostage because they don't have the spine to stand up against their major campaign contributors.
As I have said in the past, I will pay the filing fee for the first person to take on an incumbent Democrat that refuses to support a public option in the health care reform bill.
And one other thing, IF THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY was a one shot, all on the same day kind of thing, and it was today, I would not be voting for Obama. He has not twisted any arms on ANYTHING. He needs to start telling DINOs like Max Baucus "vote this way or I will go out and find a REAL Democrat to take you on in the primary and spend the 10 days before the election in your state supporting the person running against you in the primary" He would only have to do this once and every other Democrat would get in line real quick.
There is no longer ANY excuse for not getting things done.... well other than there are a handful of Democratic senators that really don't give a shit about their constituents.

Excuses:

The sun got in my eyes.
My dog ate the bill before I had a chance to read it.
I had a flat tire on the way in.
My alarm failed to go off.
The shoestrings on my skate broke in the middle of my Triple Sowcow.
The military misplaced my records during that time period.
It is possible I said I supported it before voting against it but I don't recall.
I decided to stand up against the tyranny of the overwhelming majority.
I was hiking the Appalachian Trail.
A public option would lower the cost of health insurance.

I am a liberal democrat and I will hold them completely accountable for their action or inaction. They have been given a great opportunity to make things happen for the best of this nation. There will be some roadblocks and inevitable partisanship. But the task ahead is difficult and the mood somber. They need to take their opportunity and responsibility seriously.

This majority has been in place for only a few months, and anyone who has already written off the current majority as a failure is hoping for them to fail and scrambling to find examples of failure. Bush and Cheney really led this nation down an empty path. It will take some time to reverse their damage.

Consider the current focus on the dissatisfaction within the LGBT community. They will not be happy with the houses of congress and the president if they don't make good on the policies promised to their voters. And they're not shy about voicing their dissatisfaction.

We will hold their feet to the fire, unlike republicans who hide behind their mistakes and declare everyone else is to blame but themselves.

You're agreeing with somebody who stated they agree with you regarding something you wrote.

That's interesting.

This majority has been in place for only a few months

Actually, not really. The Dems have held the majority since 2007, so we're well into our third year of majority Dem rule. But the reason from 2007 - 2009 why they couldn't get anything done was because the majority was too thin. Now it's substantially larger, and yet, the prospects for the Senate to create meaningful legislation aren't any brighter.

It may not have been clear to you but I was agreeing with his concluding sentence which was:

"We need to use every tool at our disposal or nothing will get done."

Don't overlook the fact that many people vote for Democrats when they the Democrat was the moderate choice as opposed to a Republican who was moving too far to the right. Many (if not most) Democrats were elected explicitly as moderates. So please don't get so carried away with dramatics over the Dems 'not doing what they were elected to do'.

Well, there was one Dem who was elected to bring CHANGE. That was Barack Obama. If he has to strong-arm someone, I'm cool with that. If the few remaining knuckle-draggers have to be brought kicking and screaming to the idea that our country and its citizens need real health care reform, I'm cool with that. If the fear mongering wins, I am NOT cool with that.

What exactly, is a "moderate" position on health care reform?

Hint: It is not giving the insurance industry everything they want, and screwing the rest of us.

Answer: Moderate would be a public option; the CORRECT step would be single payer.

But they are NOT moderate. They are conservative corporatists. How can a Senator from Louisiana where healthcare is atrocious vote against universal healthcare? Who does she think she is - Marie Antoinette?

There isn't even one living Democratic Senator who didn't run on health care for all. Not one. Most of the "moderate" Democrats endorsed Obama's plans down the line. Now even Obama is unwilling to fight for those things, especially having to do with restoring civil liberty, the constitution and the rule of law.

There is something you can do aside from writing... in particular about health care reform: Sign up at MyBarackObama.com (MyBo)...create an account... assuming you don't already have one... and you'll have instant access to health reform events (among a host of other issue-related events and groups to choose from) in your area. People are getting involved in the effort all over the country.

Or Go to SEIU.org and sign the many petitions/send letters to reps and senators. Volunteer at any number of organizations. Just choose your issue and there's an organization out there that could use your help (again... MyBo is a good place to start). We can put the pressure on until they yell uncle. Blogging is great, but doesn't light a fire under the "reluctant" Dems in Congress.

As for the Repubs... they've dug in their heals en mass on every issue. I say we write them off... much as they have done to us over the past eight years. Besides, they're only using "bipartisanship" as a catch phrase. The best we can do is to convince our Republican friends that the system has left All of us behind... We can leave it to them to badger their elected officails into doing the right thing.

Keep a match lit under their butts is all I can say: Don't ask... tell!

As for excuses... blogger up top has hit the nail smack on the head... However, we don't have to let them get away with it. Because, you know, I think what's "changed" is us... patsies no more!

Uh....

If I vote against entrenched corporate interests, then who will hire me for my seven-figure lobbying/"consulting" job (to which I am, of course, entitled) once I leave the House/Senate?

Oh, wait... you said excuses.

How about: "America is still a center-right country"?

Uh.... hmm. Stay tuned. I'll get back to you.