Going Back To Arkansas

by digby

As we move our attention back to the Senate on health care, Howie Klein discusses the difficulty of putting pressure on the insulated, privileged House of Lords — and then explains once again why Blue America targeted Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas over all the corporate lackeys in the House:

[A]s we’ve been telling you all year, there’s only one weak link worth trying to beat into submission: Arkansas’ corrupt and reactionary– don’t those two terms always seem to find a way of cuddling up with each other?– senior senator, Blanche Lincoln. Blue America has run TV spots against Lincoln all summer and fall and she’s watched her re-elect numbers dwindle down to a place where if a serious opponent– i.e., one with big bucks to buy advertising– jumped into the race, she would lose. She may lose anyway, even though her current opponents would probably do better if they toured together as a carnival show. Yesterday the RNC started their own campaign against her, trying to push her to vote with Republicans– as she so often does– and against health care reform.

This week Blue America and our friends at Donkey On The Edge Productions have a brand new ad for Arkansas voters to look at– the fourth in our series– and the message is very different from the Republicans’. By all means, be the first to view it– and please consider making a contribution of our Campaign for Health Care Choice page so we can run it deep and wide.

Since it has become obvious that the Democrats actually need a super majority of 70 votes or more to be filibuster proof (and even then will probably always be at the mercy of perfidious Senators who love their own image — and trust funds — more than they love their country) it’s hard to see why progressives should worry too much about that 60 vote majority. Sure, keeping 50 is important in order to keep the chamber out of the hands of the teabagging freakshow. But 60? What good is it?

Senators who are not just superfluous but actively working to undermine the Democratic agenda should not expect to be treated with kid gloves if they can’t even commit to allowing the signature Democratic initiative to have an up or down vote. Lincoln can vote against the final bill if she wants to. I think it’s stupid and won’t buy her a single teabag in 2010, but we have enough extra Blue Dogs that they can take their chances. Joining the filibuster of the health care bill, however, would be a total betrayal. If she does that, I see no reason why anyone should shed a tear or even have a second thought if she loses her election next year. The Democrats could do no worse with only 58 votes.

If you’d like to help us run this new ad, you can donate here.

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