219-212. A big f–king deal. Socialism. Call it what you like, but the events of this past week were momentous and a watershed moment in American politics. I have to admit that I’ve been quite down on the bill for the most part – it’s not nearly what I had hoped for, which was regulation with some public option at the very least. Unfortunately, considering the lack of backbone amongst the Democrats in Congress, we should probably take whatever we can get. On the bright side, it is a landmark bill and there is a certain mental inertia that goes along with policymaking – it tends to be harder to start a new initiative than continue one. We can only hope, then, that although it looks like we’ll get hammered in the midterm elections the beginnings of reform can eventually become the robust public option that most of us want.

The aftermath of the vote, however, has been quite worrying. There have been death threats sent to Congressmen and even some attempts to frighten – if not kill – legislators. Some commentators have suggested that recent events are similar to those of the mid-1990s militia movement that culminated in the Oklahoma City bombing. Taking a brief glance back at history, though, I can only think of one period when one side so clearly decided that violence was preferable to discourse, and that was the time before the Civil War.

While that parallel may seem shocking, and I do not make it lightly, I don’t think that it is unreasonable. The rhetoric on the other side has been over the top, and worse, the Republicans refuse to own the connotations and repercussions of their statements. I’m no one for martial law or extraconstitutional action but the fact that the NRA can organize a mass meeting in northern Virginia where members are encouraged to bring their guns as a show of force show that events are accelerating out of control. Not to harp on this for too long, but there is a significant difference between the way that we showed our opposition to, say, the war in Iraq, which was through peaceful protests, and the way that the other side is showing their opposition to the health care bill by waving guns around.

There isn’t a simple way to deal with this, of course. Any attempt to pacify the teabaggers with guns (somebody needs to come up with a creative name for them) seems likely to end in a shoot out. At the same time members of Congress – and us rank and file Democrats as well – are threatened by gun-toting conservatives and they should be disarmed. I don’t know of a solution now, and I certainly would not advocate bending over backwards to them by passing some bills to placate the angry mob. Perhaps some quiet in Washington will calm everyone’s nerves. I must say, though, that I am dubious about it and I fear that things could end badly. The nation is not divided in the same way as it was in 1860, and a civil war is a logistical impossibility, but the potential for violence exists and it appears that many of our compatriots have traded their placards for firearms. This, I feel, can be the defining moment of President Obama’s administration. May he continue have the wisdom and placidity that our nation needs.

I don’t know how anyone can say that we don’t need health care reform and that private insurance companies aren’t a huge, overwhelming part of the problem. Health care is a human right.

“In 2003, William Koehler of Pittsburgh, Pa. lost his job as an electronics technician. He lost his health insurance, too, but he’d been lucky enough to have the defibrillator battery in his heart changed just the previous year. No insurer would cover him except for one company which refused to cover anything related to his arrhythmia, says his sister.

“He survived as long as his battery did, dying on March 7, 2009 at 57. His sister, Georgeanne Koehler, has become an activist, telling the story about how her brother died to anyone who will listen.”

Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/22/without-insurance-mans-de_n_330635.html.

In a surprising and uncharacteristic move, former Republican Senator Bill Frist, R-Tenn, recently told Time magazine he would vote for health care reform – although he admits the bill is not perfect. In a Swamlamp blog post, Frist is quoted by the writer: “Or so the former Senate Republican Leader, a surgeon who has written a new book on health care, told me a few minutes ago in an interview. Were he still in the Senate, ‘I would end up voting for it,’ he said. ‘As a leader, I would take the heat for it…That’s what leadership is all about.’”

Of course Frist does not agree with every aspect of the bill. Of course, there are things he would change. But that does not stop him from putting his support behind the health care bill. That is what leadership is all about – political, religious, and corporate leaders taking a stand for the common good of the people.

Sadly, Republican leaders in Congress cannot seem to follow their former majority leader and grasp this concept of leadership. In honoring an age-old Republican philosophy, they simply do not seem to care for the good of the people. Health care is not something that can “trickle down.” Democrats struggling for health care reform need the support of the Republican Party as well, and honestly, it’s the least the Republicans can do. Honor the memory of one of the greatest leaders of our time – Ted Kennedy – by passing the bill he worked so hard to bring about. In a slightly clichéd, but appropriate directive, I tell the Republican Party “leaders,” “If you can’t take the heat [of decision-making], get out of Washington.”

At one time or another, every great leader deals with a difficult issue. The true test of their leadership potential is shown in their reaction in times of crisis. Many people wonder if one life can really make an impact on the world. Do the choices individuals make really matter? I believe they do. And I believe that one person can change many lives for better or worse. I believe a leader works to change lives for the better. Each one of us has the potential to lead, but sometimes it’s too hard. For this reason, we elect leaders who will guide us, help make our collective decisions, and work to improve our country. When these leaders fail to pass health care bills and fail to look out for the good of the people, they fail each one of us.

At this point in time, most Americans are in an anti-establishment mind frame. Failure to deliver health care reform will further erode an already crumbling public faith in Washington’s ability to get anything done. A middle ground must be reached – not only for the good of the public, but also for the good of both parties. As daunting as passing the health care bill seems to be – the most dangerous choice is to do nothing at all. Our leaders, both Republican and Democratic, must make a stand. They must put aside the pettiness of politics and work for the good of the people. Washington, a city of leaders, must finally learn the meaning of leadership.

Jessi Pachak is a blogger for the Cornell Democrats.

The previous post offers a lot of food for thought and my own follows closely on its heels. It’s time for Democrats to stand up, like Rep. Grayson, and call Republicans out for what their doing. Time after time, they are choosing to stand between the American people and guaranteeing quality, affordable universal health care to all Americans.

Rep. Grayson is not out of the mainstream. His ideas should not be controversial. His rhetoric may be construed as hyperbolic, but, honestly, is it anymore hyperbolic than the garbage that the right wing fringe has been spewing all summer? No, no it is not. It is the rhetoric of the frustrated and besieged, finally standing up for first principles. I submit to you that Rep. Grayson is evidence that the Democrats, at least some of them, might actually be willing to stand up and publicly offer full-throated defenses of the ideals that Democrats believe in. It is well past time.

Buried just under the surface of Rep. Grayson’s remarks is the deep-seated belief that government can be a force for good. Those that proclaim that the government is incompetent, get elected as a rebuke to government, and then perpetuate their anti-government beliefs are the problem. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ronald Reagan was fond of saying that “Government is not the solution, it is the problem” and “The nine most frightening words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” With values like that in government, it should come as no surprise that incompetence trickles down from the top.

Once upon a time, the American people believed and accepted that the government could work and serve their interests. They still do, but they’ve just forgotten. The protester who proclaimed “Keep your government hands off my Medicare” is one such example. Rep. Grayson went on CNN’s Situation Room, bluntly stated that he would not apologize for his remarks on the House floor, and followed it up by stating that “what we have to do is solve people’s problems.”

Simply creating a government program, whether it’s the public option or anything else, is not the whole answer, but it is a substantial portion. No one should have to choose between paying for the medication that they need and putting food on their family’s table. As I noted in my comment to Chris’ post, Senator Jim Bunning (R-TX) said that creating a public option would be a “major step toward universal health care coverage.” Good! It’s only been 50 years in the making. But Sen. Bunning meant that as criticism.

It’s high time that Democrats start defending our objectives and proclaiming our values. I’m tired of listening to Republicans define the terms, frame the debate, and chastise Democrats for being “liberal.” Especially when their view of the debate is built upon lies. There are no, and never were any, death panels in any of the bills in committee. That’s patently absurd – yet that is what engulfed the summer, fueled by many of the same Republicans that the congressional Democrats are expected to negotiate with.

With colleagues like these, who needs opponents? It’s time for the Democrats to stop giving away the store to garner Republican support. If we continue down this road, we will end up with a weak reform package at best, and still no Republican support. The Democrats are, in fact, only arguing with themselves.

Rep. Grayson, and Senate veterans like Senators Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, and Patrick Leahy, are forcing the issue. They are defending, not only the reforms of the moment, but the belief that government can be a force for good and can help to “solve people’s problems.”

I leave you with Rep. Grayson’s appearance on CNN’s Situation Room. We need more Democrats with spine.

Mike Schillawski is the President of the Cornell Democrats.

Lately, discussing the topic of health care reform with friends and fellow liberals, I can’t help but feel crestfallen. I was (am?) a serial optimist, but given the inability of the imbeciles on the Senate Finance Committee to pass anything that can justifiably bear the label of reform (read: a public option or single payer) and the willingness of Congress and the president to allow these special interest-group-beholden pansies to control the debate, I don’t know what to think anymore. True, 65% of the public support a public option. Yes, four out of five congressional committees have passed bills with a public option. And yes, Nancy Pelosi appears to want to talk the talk. But no one seems to want to expend the political capital to push this through, even though the eventual public option or single payer system will inevitably be wildly popular. How could it not if it will dramatically improve health care quality and lower costs? What is the most popular health care plan? Oh, is that Medicare you say? Socialized medicine you say? Not private insurance companies?

But I digress.

It was in this depressed state yesterday that I discovered Rep. Alan Grayson’s (D-FL) exposition of the Republican Health Care Plan ™. That is, there is no Republican Health Care Plan. Or rather, the Republican’s Health Care Plan calls for more exploitation of individuals by the health insurance industry and higher profit margins. Oh, and tort reform.

Finally, a representative with the balls to say what everyone else is thinking. (Clearly this is because he’s a freshman and doesn’t realize that calling the opposition out on obvious bullshit is strangely enough often not a winning strategy. I guess that’s what happens in a ‘fair and balanced’ world where fringe lunatics get equal time to debate fairly unequivocal facts.)

You should check out his video on YouTube and get excited about it…before he’s forced to apologize.

An addendum:

Mike reminded me of Rep. Barney Frank’s wonderful “trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table” comment a few months back. If you haven’t already seen that video, you should really check it out here:

Chris Frommann is the director of public relations for the Cornell Democrats.