August 17, 2009
Dear Honorable Sirs and Madams,
About this time two years ago, Democrats across the country started gearing up for the fight of our lives. Primary elections were just around the corner, and it would be only a year until we would have our candidates for President and Vice President confirmed at our National Convention. Although some said that Democrats could put up an asparagus and beat the Republicans, most of us in the Democratic party knew all too well, after the disastrous results of the 2004 election, that this was going to be a hard-fought battle right to the finish line.
But this was not just about President and Vice President. This was about restoring the Democratic Party to a position of power to enact the legislation we must have to help move this country in the right direction. Millions of us in every state, took to the phones and the streets and the web. We rallied, we phone banked, we pounded the pavement knocking on doors. We talked to our neighbors, friends and business associates. We raised hundreds of millions of dollars, much of it five dollars at a time. And we did this for candidates on the Democratic ticket all across this nation.
We broke our backs, lost our voices, and some of us lost friends or other relationships, so that we could have a majority in both Houses, as well as regaining the Presidency. We gave you a huge majority in Congress and a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate. We handed you the reins on a silver platter!
We did this because our party ran on what is perhaps the most important Domestic issue in many of our lifetimes; Health Insurance Reform. With people filing bankruptcy, losing their homes, and dying every single day from our broken and corrupt system, we don’t have the luxury of time to wait any longer.
You have a grave and serious responsibility before you. NOW is not the time to cave in to the Republican party! You don’t have to! You have an obligation to do the job we sent you to Washington to do – pass Health Insurance Reform, and to do it as you promised you would, with a strong PUBLIC OPTION.
To say that I am perplexed, to say that I am stunned, to say that I am angry would all be understatements. You have allowed Republicans to take over control of the message and hijack this legislation. Their constituents get to go to sleep at night knowing their representatives are fighting tooth and nail on their behalf, while we Democrats go to bed wondering why on earth we worked so hard to put you in the majority, when you’re letting us down when we need you to stand up for us the most!
Make no mistake, this legislation is going to be “make or break” for our party. If you can’t get it done when you have control of the Administration, the House of Representatives and the Senate, what’s the use of working to keep you there in the next election cycle(s)? You seem to have forgotten that you work for us – the people who put you in office, not the Republicans.
While I respect the concept of bi-partisanship, there comes a time when it simply must be abandoned. And in fact, I contend that if you show the Republicans that you will pass legislation with or without them, and they get a bill they don’t like, then next time they’ll be more likely to work with you so their voices are heard, won’t they?
It’s time.
Progressives, and even moderates in our party, you have to start putting the screws to the "Blue Dogs" who are looking more and more like the "Blue Cross Dogs" every day. And to those of you who are the "Blue Dogs", don't forget that you are Democrats. You ran as Democrats, you won as Democrats, and you have an obligation to legislate as Democrats, not moderate Republicans.
President Obama, you need to wrest back control of this message, and if necessary, write your own legislation and make sure it gets passed instead of passing the buck.
You have the power. Use it.
Or lose it.
Sincerely,
Jill K
Redondo Beach, CA
Comments are closed for this post.
