I really wish that we had someone other than Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) as our Budget Committee chairman. I am certain that progressives are going to hate his budget plan.
One lawmaker who attended the meeting said Conrad did not endorse empowering the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices on behalf of all Medicare beneficiaries.
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who earlier this year introduced legislation to that effect, argued in the meeting that giving the federal government authority to negotiate drug prices was an essential strategy for reducing government health spending, according to the source…
…Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a leading liberal advocate of protecting Social Security and Medicare benefits, said he has a fundamental disagreement with most of his colleagues after leaving Conrad’s briefing.
But he said while Democrats in Washington may be persuaded to support cuts, they will find it tough to push that argument outside the Beltway.
“This isn’t going to be won inside the Beltway, it’s going to be won outside the Beltway,” he said.
Another liberal member who attended the meeting said Conrad’s plan is “not as bad” as the plan laid out by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
“It doesn’t voucherize Medicare,” the lawmaker said.
That doesn’t sound like high praise. I have no idea how Conrad expects to pass his budget. I can’t see a single Republican voting for anything that would be acceptable to the majority of the Democratic caucus. It’s going to be a rough year.
This is Conrad’s calling card for K street; he’s looking for a job come 2012 and he needs to please the money men even if his caucus hates his budget. I’m hopefully Reid will shut him down; but it reminds me of Dodd and how he was when he decided to retire.
There is nothing as dangerous as a retiring congressman or senator; there is no longer any pretense of searching for the public good. They’re looking for an interest group to fall back on when they leave Congress.
Time to register some third party Congressional candidates in Democratic strongholds with wavering Senators — who will announce a campaign to save Social Security and Medicare from the Republicans and Democrats.
Why third party? Why don’t progressives actually step up for once in their sorry existence and actually go to town on some of these fools in the primaries? It’s 2012, it’s a presidential election year. Turnout’s going to be back up again.
Why is there no primary to Diane Feinstein? Or Tom Carper? Or go the other way. Why not primary Claire McCaskill with her airplane troubles? Or blue dog saboteurs Ben Nelson or Joe Manchin?
It doesn’t even matter if they win. Winning is necessary eventually, but you got to learn to crawl before you learn to walk.
I’d leave McCaskill out there. You are not going to get anyone better in MO. I used to work there, and believe me, it’s Mississippi on the Mississippi in most of it.
Uh, because they always lose. Progressives can’t actually go to town on anyone. The entire rest of the party (including Obama) rises up against the progressives if they try.
Yes, of course, nothing can be done. Nothing can ever be done. Except for bitching online. There’s always room for more of that.
Explain to me why the progressive perspective SHOULD be listened to, if its acolytes are so feckless, powerless, and self-sabotaging?
Also if you want to listen to the progressive perspective, do it because it’s one that will make the world a better place.
Oh please. You guys kill me. I’ve watched Progressives call Obama and Democrats weak and spineless so many times. YET when you are called on to step up, you all cry that the big ole mean Democrats are gonna get ya.
The truth is you all want Obama to do the work for you. Just give a bunch of speeches and then somehow WHAM, the whole country will move left. It doesn’t work that way. What’s required is hard work, discipline, COMPROMISE, and consistency. Instead what I see are progressives moving from one savior to the next.
Indeed, the whole problem is that Obama and the Democrats mostly just stand up to the left and never the right. There’s nothing contradictory about that.
TBH I simply don’t understand this argument. All I’ve ever seen progressives do is work hard, be disciplined, compromise repeatedly, and consistently stick to over-arching principles (instead of following one leader slavishly).
Correction: Sen. Kent Conrad (D-SD)=> Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND).
Yes, it seems fairly obvious the Senator will not be returning to ND for employment after his term is up. And his landing on K street would be no great surprise either.
The liberal, progressive Democrats I know are mighty disappointed in Sen Conrad’s support of Republican causes over the length of his Senate career.
Fixed.
Sorry. Brainfart.
uhm, Se. Sanders could have bee on that committee and the budget would still suck. There are three Republicans on it and they have no intention of doing the right thing.
What an insanely corrupt idea, deeply dishonest, not to negotiate prices with the pharmaceutical companies for Medicare. No-bid contracts are anti-free market. Ha, Ha!, as if corporate USA and its chosen representatives in the Senate and House have anyone’s freedom at heart except their own.
“It doesn’t voucherize Medicare,” the lawmaker said.
The Overton window strikes again! How much further can the bar be lowered before we forget one exists entirely?
Maybe we can pick up Indiana, because we’re sure as hell going to lose Conrad’s seat:
Lugar becomes the underdog
I live in SD, but travel to ND once a month, and have some connections there. There is a Minnesota DFL-like thing, but it has gone very much down in recent years. The Blue Dog approach has totally blunted the Democratic message. There are no democrats who sound like Democrats in SD, ND, WY, NE or any northern plaines states.