Hoping For A Walk

In baseball, scoring occurs when the baserunner crosses home plate. Getting on base is only the first part of that, and many runners get left on base at the end of the inning and so never score; getting on base turns out to have been useless.

The health care debate has devolved to a process of “getting health care reform to first base” now, rather than actually achieving success. It has become such a lamed down process that supporters are now suggesting that Congress should not even try for more than first base, just leave the bat on the shoulder and hope for a walk.

How many home runs would Babe Ruth have hit if he always came to the plate and just looked at pitches, hoping to get on first base because the other side threw bad pitches? How many games would his team have won?

As Bill Moyers says, to paraphrase, “I would rather see Obama go down swinging with a principled program than see him win with some incremental program that is more of a victory for the insurance industry than for the American people.”

He goes on to say that such a defeat would set the stage for later victory; would invigorate supporters of real reform, while passage of the unprincipled bill would turn both supporter and foe against the entire argument and leave the insurance industry as the sole winner. You can listen to his discussion with Bill Maher in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, and I urge you to listen to the entire half hour. I think Bill Moyers encapsulates exactly what the Democratic Party and Barack Obama are all about.

I would add to his bafflement on Obama having lost control of the message on health care reform; Obama has lost the message of his candidacy. As a candidate he was soaring rhetoric about energizing the people who would follow him; he was about restoring the greatness of a nation. As a president he is, “if you like the insurance you have you won’t lose it,” “reform won’t take this away from you,” “reform will give you…” and “I will cut taxes for...”

He is standing at the plate with the bat on his shoulder, hoping to be able to look at bad pitches and get a walk to first base.

I voted for candidate Obama, I can’t see voting for this one.