Comment by lapcat

2 days ago

> I'd bet on the Democratic leadership to come around well before the Republicans.

Jeffries was already around. He supported single payer but now rejects it, so he's moving backward.

> Without a 60-strong majority in the Senate, which must necessarily include some Republicans, it'll never happen.

Democrats had 60 during Obama's first term. They'll always find a rotating villain to oppose it, Joe Lieberman, Joe mansion, etc. Anyway, the filibuster can be eliminated. In 2013 Democrats eliminated the filibuster for most nominations, and in 2017 Republicans eliminated the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations.

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lapcat

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triceratops  2 days ago

> Democrats had 60 during Obama's first term. They'll always find a rotating villain to oppose it, Joe Lieberman, Joe mansion, etc.

So what do you propose? Is there a 3rd party that has a reasonable chance of doing it?

Maybe if you flip a few Republicans (to supporting UHC) it might go easier. It'll give their leadership something to think about at least.

  • lapcat  2 days ago

    > So what do you propose? Is there a 3rd party that has a reasonable chance of doing it?

    No, I propose calling out Democratic leaders for corruption, removing corrupt leaders from their leadership positions, and running primary challenges against them.

    As you said, Republican leaders are calling single payer "Communist". When the Democratic response is, "I no longer support single payer", they're essentially allowing Republicans to win the argument. That's political malpractice.

    I would note that the Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost a primary challenge in 2012, yet as you noted, this hasn't stopped Republicans from taking control of the House and the entire government. "Vote blue no matter who" is not necessarily a winning strategy.