The Netroots: So, Who Are The Rubes, Again?

Rahm Emanuel insulted Nutroots types by calling them "retards," also claiming they could be taken for granted on Obama Care and mostly ignored. Of course, the Netroot bloggers were furious.

So, what did they do about it? Precisely what he said they would, nothing. It also points out how out of step the Netroots is with the country. They believe Obama went too far to the Right with Obama Care. But the country disapproves of it because it's still too far Left. For all the attention the networks showered upon them for a year, or two, at best, they're a marginal factor in American politics. But don't tell them. They're the rubes who haven't yet figured out what rubes they are!

Greg Sargent notes a new poll today indicating that liberal voters are totally unified behind passing the health care plan.

But if the bill passes with unified, if grumbly, support on the left, it would seem to vindicate the White House's fundamental approach, which was to take the left for granted as much as possible and focus on courting marginal members of the Senate. The strategy has turned Rahm Emanuel's name into a curse word among some on the left, raised a lot of money for groups like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and produced a real sense of resurgent, independent energy among organized progressives.

Comments

[Victor Erimita]

These "rubes" may have the last laugh if they push this thing through and then follow on with incremental socialized medicine, as the manifestly intend. The nutroots may have proved themselves childishly naive about timing, but they will have achieved their goal in a relatively short time from now.

[cc]

The left can try to socialize anything they want, but paying for it will be their undoing. When unemployment is at 10% for a few more years, and down the road a bit a six pack of beer costs $10,000 because we had to inflate our way out of our national debt, we'll all have Obama and the dem rubes to blame.

[Dftpub]

cc: The black market for beer (among many other things) will kick in long before $10,000. Just sayin. (BTW, agree with your premise.)

[smoothjim]

"So, what did they do about it? Precisely what he said they would, nothing. It also points out how out of step the Netroots is with the country. They believe Obama went too far to the Right with Obama Care. But the country disapproves of it because it's still too far Left. For all the attention the networks showered upon them for a year, or two, at best, they're a marginal factor in American politics. But don't tell them. They're the rubes who haven't yet figured out what rubes they are!"

Time to cue up the Bezmenov video again, and ff right to the part about the useful idiots. This includes a whole lot of you, 52%ers.

[Flakk]

Poor nutroots. Now they know how conservatives felt during Dubya's second term.

[Lightwave]

The nutroots folded and gave in.

The rightroots formed the Tea Party movement and changed America.

History will not be kind to liberalism in the 21st century. That's because it will be written by the victors, in this case, true conservatives.

[JayCee]

He may have been right in the short term, which is where they and any other institution would have the advantage. Especially with the bully pulpits of the presidency, speaker of the House and Senate Majority.

However in the long term the netroots can organize and have an effect, especially if this passes with them using all of the machinations they are using.

In short they may win the battle but lose the war. Remember all the left cares about is power and staying in power.

[Lightwave]

"In short they may win the battle but lose the war. Remember all the left cares about is power and staying in power."

This is true, but when will they be in power ever again?

They lose the House in 2010 regardless. If they pass this, they lose the Senate as well and the GOP will have a massive margin in the House. Virginia is immediately suing to stop this bill. Every other state needs to join them. That level of threat alone will cause the remaining Dems to fold.

Again, should this bill pass, the GOP controls the country for the forseeable future.

[Joshua]

Lightwave: "Again, should this bill pass, the GOP controls the country for the forseeable future."

Only for the near term. The very reason Obama is so hell-bent on getting this thing passed in the first place is to create, in the long term, a permanent Democratic majority by making millions more voters dependent upon the new national health care regime over time.

Vulnerable Dems in both houses of Congress know they'll be toast in November if this passes, which is why Obama has had such a job getting them to vote for it. But he's already made clear his willingness to sacrifice Congressional control in the short term to set the stage for a more permanent Democratic reconquista down the road.