calling for civil discussion among progressives

by: los anjalis

Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM PST

This week has seen intense discussion among progressives over whether to support and fix the health insurance reform bill or whether to kill it. Such debate began after the Senate version of the health insurance reform bill was stripped of its hugely popular "public option" and then further stripped of a possible "Medicare buy-in" by Senators who essentially held the US Senate hostage.

This debate has been important, and it is healthy for progressives to have differing opinions on a piece of legislation, but recently there has been some disappointing yelling across the aisles and name-calling. On both sides.

[Of note, there are some folks who from the start have called everything "less" than single-payer (100% government-funded and privately/publicly delivered healthcare) a compromise and vowed not to support anything but single-payer. Those folks have a right to their opinion but I'm not referring to them, they haven't been fighting together with other progressives for improving this bill all along. I'm talking about progressives who have tried to make this process workable from what was put on the table.]

(more after the jump...)

Emotions are high, no doubt about that. The key message here is this -- at this crucial time, it's important to reflect on what we can build together, and healthy differences are ok. Those who support the bill are not sellouts and Obama-forgivers, as there are very real life-saving benefits to millions of Americans in this bill.  And those who are frustrated enough to want to start from scratch have very real and understandable concerns about the bill.  We must keep the communication open and consciously work to move the unproductive criticism and hate off the table.

With that said, please check out the video from GRITtv about this issue, featuring Miriam Yeung of Women of Color United for Health Care, the always wonderful Chris Hayes of The Nation, and Lizz Winstead, host and producer of Shoot the Messenger. It's a productive discussion about the bill, the future, and what progressives have done and can do.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this issue too, in the comments section on in a new post of your own.