Across the nation many Progressives have been disillusioned with the leadership shown by President Obama on Healthcare. As a former single-payer proponent himself we simply hoped that he would fight harder for a better bill. Instead, he allowed the Congress to mostly write the healthcare bill and far from gave a ringing endorsement to a more Progressive direction. Many of us also feel this timidness also lost the momentum in a critical time for the debate.
Those frustrations have spilled over into those elected to office. Today, John Conyers echoed the way many of us feel on the Bill Press Show and blamed Obama for "bowing down to the right":
Rep. John Conyers blasted President Barack Obama today on the Bill Press Show, accusing him of "bowing down" to the right and relying on Congressional progressives to "save his can."
The result of the White House's strategy has been far from perfect bills in both chambers of Congress because the White House would draw no lines in the sand. Well, except for a mandate for hardworking Americans which is about the only thing that has never been off the table. Indeed, Progressives should be tired of "saving the can" for Obama and when asked if the President has shown leadership Conyers spoke for many of us:
"Of course not," the 22nd-term Michigan Democrat replied. "You know, holding hands out and beer on Friday nights in the White House and bowing down to every nutty right-wing proposal about health care, and saying on occasion that public options aren't that important is doing a disservice to the Barack Obama I first met who was an ardent single-payer enthusiast himself."
"I'm getting tired of saving Obama's can in the White House," Conyers said. "I mean, he only won by five votes in the House, and this bill wasn't anything to write home about."
The sad part is that this late in the game the window of opportunity has probably passed for Obama to show the leadership we needed on this issue. Maybe he miscalculated what he needed to do, or maybe this was in the works all along but it appears as if we will not get a truly Progressive bill and that to have a "victory" Obama and his advisors still will not fight for one and will sign a far from perfect bill to avoid humiliation.
We are all left to hope that on other important issues that will be addressed after healthcare reform that the President will show much more leadership and a much more Progressive streak.
