The JournOList Campaign Against Howard Dean and The Public Option

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 09:43:23 AM EST
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Scarecrow writes about the JournOList campaign against Howard Dean and the public option:

Beltway reporter Ron Brownstein [. . .] tweet[ed] a gratuitous insult about Howard Dean. [. . . ]But Brownstein isn't the only guy who got the memo to denigrate Dean because he has the temerity to keep fighting for the public option when the White House would rather Democrats stop demanding something the White House is willing to give up. The New Republic's Jonathan Chait piles on his own criticism of Dean's advocacy, but gets his history wrong. In an article with the lead in, How Liberal Despair is Hurting Health Care Reform, TNR's Jonathan Chait lectures us on the need to take what we've been offered now and build on it later [. . .] Chait's own gratuitous slam at Dean is targeted at the "liberal fixation" on the public plan [. . .]

[More...]

I was curious to know why Dean didn't see the need for a government-sponsored insurance scheme in 2004, and sure enough, I found a possible source, a "health care wonk," for the notion Dean didn't have a public plan back then.

The "possible source" Scarecrow is talking about is, Ezra Klein, of JournOList fame. This will not come as a surprise to regular readers of Talk Left.

Speaking for me only

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The JournOList Campaign Against Howard Dean and The Public Option | 21 comments (21 topical)

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Amusingly (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by Steve M on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 09:45:54 AM EST

I had a dispute with someone at MyDD (one of the smarter commentors) who said that Dean didn't have a public option in 2004, he only proposed to expand eligibility for Medicare and S-CHIP. Sigh.

That is the goal of the JList Campaign (none / 0) (#2)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 09:50:51 AM EST

Discredit the public option.


why (none / 0) (#6)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:04:10 AM EST

???


So Dems cave (none / 0) (#7)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:08:19 AM EST

on it.


feel like Im 6 years old (none / 0) (#8)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:09:42 AM EST

but why?? seriously.

I dont doubt it I just dont understand it.


Well (none / 0) (#10)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:15:05 AM EST

I've written about it a lot - see my Madman Political Bargaining series.


: I have been reading them (none / 0) (#18)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:41:08 AM EST

but still their larger plan escapes me.
and yes you have been writing about it. thank you.

If Ezra (5.00 / 3) (#4)
by lilburro on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 09:57:57 AM EST

actually knew anything about the last big push for health care reform, he would know that the media played a big part in destroying real reform. For someone who constantly claims he wishes to help "real people,"* his lack of awareness of the role he is playing in pushing the debate to the right is stunning. And I am being charitable by calling it a "lack of awareness."

*his guilt trip directed at the lefties to get them to accept what he will, in other words, anything.

Isn't Ezra's claim to fame on this issue (none / 0) (#19)
by oculus on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:44:10 AM EST

that he read everything possible about the Clinton admin. efforts re HCR?


: I don't know (none / 0) (#20)
by lilburro on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 11:12:42 AM EST

he has written a lot on the subject. See this long piece. Note, no mention of the media tanking health care reform.

Misdirection (5.00 / 2) (#9)
by mmc9431 on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:10:22 AM EST

Rather than concentrating on what they think Dean didn't campaigned for in 2004, progressive pundit's would do better to focus on what Obama and the Democratic Party actually did campaign for in 2008.

You misunderstand their goal (none / 0) (#11)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:16:36 AM EST

Since Obama DID campaign on a public option, and since they do not want the Dems to fight for the public option, pointing to the fact Obama campaigned on it would be very counterproductive to their goals.


Not their goal, they're ethics (5.00 / 1) (#15)
by mmc9431 on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:33:41 AM EST

I don't misunderstand their goal. But trying to rewrite the facts of the 2008 campaign, before the ink is even dry on it's history, is an insult to their readers intelligence.


: Beltway ethics (none / 0) (#17)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:34:37 AM EST

It is funny (5.00 / 0) (#14)
by lilburro on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:32:04 AM EST

that Jon Chait thinks of himself as the referee of public opinion. Whether people see healthcare reform as actual helpful reform is not going to be due to newsweeklies promoting it as such.

And I also don't understand why these pundits don't see the political problem in not having a public option but still mandating insurance.

: the JListers supported the Iraq Debacle (none / 0) (#16)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:34:07 AM EST

The Public Option (5.00 / 1) (#21)
by joze46 on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 01:11:55 PM EST

Isn't it interesting how in the wild "Derivative Market" To Big to Fail Banks and Insurance Companies have wild options to make deals on the fly?

But when John Doe would like to have a Public Option in Health Care, can't do it.

Sheesh, shouldn't we think that it would be a good thing to keep the public healthy for a good tax revenue base to keep the bail outs rolling....

Hee hee. Scarecrow (none / 0) (#3)
by vicndabx on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 09:51:10 AM EST

that's fowl.

(pun intended)

: Oops. Thought Scarecrow was a reference to (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by vicndabx on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 09:59:17 AM EST

Jonathan, not the name of the actual blogger. Excuse me as I extract my foot/keyboard from my mouth.

We have always been at war (none / 0) (#12)
by andgarden on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:19:41 AM EST

with the delivery system!

Off topic (can we get an open thread?) (none / 0) (#13)
by andgarden on Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 10:23:48 AM EST

New York Cout of Appeals rules 4:3 in favor of allowing Paterson to appoint at Lt. Gov.