The irony was that Obama had used his speech to offer a significant concession to Republicans and to break with liberals in his own party. There was a cool silence in the chamber as the president told "my progressive friends" that the "public option" they treasure as part of health-care reform could be sacrificed in favor of other ideas.
And, in truth, there were provocations from the Democratic side. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), sitting on the Republican side, insisted on making a victory sign with his hand and waving it at Obama. Rep. Al Green (D-Tex.), also on the GOP side of the aisle, felt the need to pound his fist in the air and make what looked, awkwardly, like a fascist salute.
Scolding Republicans for scoring "short-term political points," Obama wasn't subtle in his effort to make his foes look cruel. The White House stocked the first lady's box at the speech with a virtual medical ward: a woman with sarcoidosis, a colon cancer patient, a recurrent cancer survivor, a double amputee, two women with breast tumors, a woman with eye problems, a man with high cholesterol, two brain tumor survivors, the son of a brain cancer victim and the fathers of children who have seizures and hemophilia.
But while the majority of both parties' lawmakers behaved as adults, the insolence by House Republicans stole the show. There was derisive laughter on that side of the chamber when Obama noted that "there remain some significant details to be ironed out." They applauded as he spoke of "all the misinformation that's been spread over the past few months." They laughed again when he said that "many Americans have grown nervous about reform."
When Obama addressed the charge that he plans "panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens," someone on the GOP side shouted out "shame!" The president went on: "Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical." "Read the bill!" someone shouted back. Obama mentioned those who accuse him of a government takeover of health care. "It's true," someone shouted back.
As far as screwing progressives go, I'll have to read the speech (I just woke up, sue me). It seems to me, however, that the Republicans, having embraced the insanity of the fringe of their party - really all they have left - have disqualified themselves to a person as equal partners in what is left of this debate. I realize that the speech is over, and I tend to dislike Monday-morning quarterbacking in both sports and politics, but Obama should have given the Republicans, as politely and surreptitiously as possible, the finger and told them he would enjoy watching them throw a tantrum while the Democrats crafted a bill to the public's taste - a bill that would include the public option front and center.
With Sarah Palin spouting off in the Wall Street Journal yesterday about "death panels" (yes, the reference to that bit of crazy is in there), the Republican Party has demonstrated it is quite simply unfit to govern. Let them whine and moan, carry on about death panels and rationing, and let the Democrats actually legislate and run the show.
