That Bill Isn't Dead... It's Pinin' For The Fjords!

Washington Monthly's Steve Benen certainly has energy; one wishes it was matched by an equal amount of smarts:

Long-time observers of the health care reform debate may recall that about 16 years ago, Bill Kristol crafted a strategy memo for congressional Republicans, advising them on how best to deal with then-President Clinton's health care reform initiative. His memo offered a simple and clear direction: the GOP had to kill the Clinton reform plan at all costs. Republicans took the advice, and reaped the political rewards of the plan's demise.

It occurred to me that Democratic policymakers might benefit from a similar strategy memo -- offering the opposite advice -- while the party weighs its options. So I wrote one.

Boy did he ever. It's here, it's long, and it's largely vacuous. Evidently the strategy is to bore House Democrats until they are willing to vote for anything to get Benen (and his like-minded brethren) to shut up. If Benen turns out any more mind-numbers like this, he might just get a bill passed.

Comments

[David]

I love this bit from Benen:

"The Democratic drive to improve the party's standing in the polls is obviously common sense."

Ya think? Do you think that every congressional Dem isn't a little worried after the last three candidates Obama campaigned for lost? I usually have to go to TPM for that kind of insight.

[Dennis The Peasant]

What tickled me was the idea that Benen really thinks people on Capital Hill actually know who he is. I can hear the House Democrats now: "Oh my God, Benen's issued a manifesto. Now we have to pass the senate bill!"

[David]

Your use of the word manifesto reminded me of the Goldie Lookin' Chain's "The Manifesto."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRviidFHVbY

GLC is Welsh comedy rap. A triple oxymoron, if you will. If you get past The Manifesto, go for "Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do." You will be rewarded.

[Zimriel]

Personally I like how he mixes EVERYBODY-knows-THAT arrogance with a redundant and verbose prose style: "obviously common sense".

It's like a duck pate, except with too much overlapping fat, and without the pate.

[richard mcenroe]

Zimriel -- Gimme liverwurst. At least it doesn't put on airs.