We are accustomed to bullying in America. It seems to be the tactic most favored in the political arena, too. School kids are being taught the nasty consequences of bullying – but adults seem to need a refresher course. Over recent years we have seen thuggery such as that evidenced in Town Hall meetings by the “Tea Party” that roughed up people the majority did not want to hear.

What has become even more disheartening is the adoption of those same “rules of the game” by so-called progressives. This is the story of how those tactics recently caused the death of a major piece of highly-valued legislation in California. The long-term consequences will not be known for months, maybe years.

In 2004 then-State Senator Sheila Kuehl introduced the most ambitious legislation in the history of California health care – a state single-payer plan. Long sought by a coalition calling itself Health Care for All, various groups had formed and occasionally cooperated to pursue the bill through several legislative sessions, passing both houses only to be vetoed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In 2008, with Kuehl termed out, the bill SB 810 was eagerly adopted by Sentor Mark Leno. However, he began his march through the legislature with a crop of new legislators who had no history with the bill or with Sen. Leno. It was a somewhat more conservative bunch who required significant fiscal evidence that the bill would save the state money and be affordable to individuals and families. Single payer supporters paid little attention to educating these new legislators since the bill had passed handily before. But these were different people, different times.

In late 2010 the main group pursuing passage of the bill, the State Strategy Group (SSG), agreed that to help move the bill, they would create and fund a panel of experts who would do a new fiscal analysis. The SSG knew it would cost about $250,000 to get this done well – and they agreed it was a top priority.

Without a new fiscal analysis, the bill began to bog down, not passing the Assembly in its first foray under Leno. In response to that loss, and to a perceived threat from federal health care reform, the SSG began to challenge Sen. Leno’s “dedication”, question Senate and Assembly supporters’ “commitment”, and became more and more angry that things were not materializing as they had projected.

At the behest of one member group in the SSG, the majority decided suddenly to by-pass SB 810 and take single payer to the ballot as a proposition. The member group’s policy director boasted they were ‘best buddies” with new Governor Jerry Brown and that as a result, “Jerry will get it on the ballot for us.” Another SSG member pointed out that such a move was illegal, that the Governor had no such power and that it would require a supermajority 2/3 vote of the Legislature to move it to voters because of the fiscal implications. Either that or they had to find $2-3 million for a signature campaign to put it on the ballot themselves. That wet- blanket assessment did not sit well with SSG.

After continuing for several months to insist “Jerry can do it” the SSG finally realized that Brown either couldn’t or wouldn’t get the proposition on the ballot. The SSG shifted focus to the very expensive signature campaign and full-tilt election battle towards which all fund raising efforts were directed.

By late summer 2011, the diversion of attention to the ballot meant that not one dime was allocated to the promised fiscal analysis. Despite having created an impressive panel of health economics experts, no study was ever produced. Ultimately the SSG raised no money for the ballot either, and the group angrily and grudgingly refocused again on passing the bill.

That anger at discovering there was no instant gratification spilled over into a corrosive and suspicious hostility toward Senator Leno. The SSG members suddenly developed amnesia about the fiscal study they had promised to fund, and relations between these now-grudging backers and the Senator’s office got increasingly tense. Supporters showed up unannounced demanding explanations of plans, abused the staff right down to the receptionist, and made clear they did not trust the Senator to keep the focus.

Despite the bombardment of hostility from supposed allies, Senator Leno continued to push the bill. When it predictably bogged down over lack of fiscal clarity, both the senator and Senate leadership used up political capital still getting it onto the Senate floor. However, at the floor vote, five members abstained, and the bill did not pass. Abstentions came from mostly newer senators who could not ascertain the fiscal implications of this massive health care realignment and were highly dubious the state or individuals could afford this extensive new program.

As a favor to the author and supporters, SB 810 remained “on call” for reconsideration of the floor vote to buy time for further negotiations. Senators and staff worked on getting a “courtesy vote” when a member with doubts still votes “yes” to keep it going. At least two courtesy votes were in the works – all that were needed to pass the bill – when the progressive bully machine cranked up, and the shit hit the fan.

Furious single payer supporters claimed that senate leadership had “sold out” and a massive wave of phone calls was unleashed on an unprepared senate – members, staff, and again, even receptionists.

They were inundated with screaming, threatening, angry demands that they vote for the bill. Staff were not spared. No calls were polite – they were angry and snide, shattering one young intern unprepared for personal assaults on her character and politics. Other, older staff were also unnerved by how incredibly rude the supporters of the bill were to the very people they wanted to have vote for it.

Net result? The courtesy votes quickly withered away, the bill had to be pulled to prevent its being killed. Worse, staffers said it was highly doubtful that anyone in the Capitol who knew this story would ever put themselves in a position to work with these single-payer groups again.

After almost a decade of work, single payer seems dead legislatively in California, not just as a bill but as an issue. It died not due to insurance industry or business opposition but due to the obnoxious and outrageously bullying actions of its supporters. Nice job, BullyProgs. Nice job.

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MurphTheSurf3
Editor

Just read your piece.

Impressive look at the Inside Game in the single payer bill. Compare its history to the one in related efforts in Vermont (and earlier in Massachusetts).

Doing your homework, writing a solid bill, understanding the process, taking the slow steps necessary to move legislation forward, identifying who your public friends and foes are, identifying who your stealth friends and foes are and not giving in to the temptation to grandstand….that is how you win.

And failing to do all of that…that is how you lose.

Nice reporting.

MurphTheSurf3
Editor

ChoiceLady…

From Vox Populi yesterday….the Paul folks are in place to control the actual delegate selection process after caucuses and primary close in a number of states (often under the rubric of Party Business Meetings). Further, only Paul and Romney are on the ballots in a number of states with a total of 500 delegate votes. What’s the strategy: send their people to the convention and have a floor fight over the platform.

from the Ron Paul Campaigns Senior Policy Advisor Ron Wead’s appearance on the Maddow Show Last night.
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message1779884/pg1

Same thing at the Ron Paul site (note the comments)
http://www.dailypaul.com/212952/alert-doug-wead-on-rachel-maddow-msnbc-9pm-et-tonight

Related: http://www.dailypaul.com/206919/500-delegates-to-be-split-between-paul-and-romney

http://www.dailypaul.com/212334/rp2012-official-campaign-release-ron-paul-winning-the-battle-for-delegates-what-really-counts

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/02/08/ron_paul_secretly_won_the_caucuses.html

SallyT
Member

CL, I’m sorry that something you were hoping to get done was stomped on and tossed aside because people don’t know how to negotate in their own best interest. From all the other comments already made on your article, I really can’t add anything more. I just wanted you to know I read your work and as usual am impressed with your thoughts. I hope the issue can be brought up again in Calif and people will have clearer heads and control themselves in getting the work done.

Deaniac83
Member
Deaniac83

To tell you the truth, I’m not surprised. I have seen some of these people at work, and they were never willing to consider input. They thought they’d get to dictate the matter, that anyone who asked a question was evil, and well, this is where they ended up for us.

Thanks a lot, Bullyprogs.

funksands
Member

CL, thanks so much for that look into an issue that quite frankly I didn’t know enough about. Admission: When I heard of the 4 holdouts on the bill my first reaction was indignation and outrage rather than trying understand what the hold-up was.

Of course this may have something to do with people being a little sensitive to legislative chicanery over the last couple years, i.e. Wisconsin, Michigan et al.

What a disappointment! More so because defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory by people that all wanted essentially the same thing.

Someone said that the art of political persuasion had everything to do with getting what you want without having to be “right”. Maybe next time these groups will remember that.

KQµårk 死神
Member

CL this is a huge tragedy and the worse part is I’m not surprised. It no longer is about the issues with many progressives, it’s about the meme.

GirlOutWest
Member
GirlOutWest

I agree. I sometimes think it’s more about “me” rather than what is in the best interest of all of us. It’s the Id over Ego perhaps?

SueInCa
Member

CL

Again and again the term “instant gratification” comes to mind when I think of the emo progs. I can understand deciding to change parties what I cannot understand is staying within a party you so decidedly hate. I am going to call them out whenever I see them though and twitter is a pretty good tool for that as long as you recognize they are definitely the Firebaggers et al.

It is so sad this bil came to such a nasty conclusion. How great it would have been to have CA come out with the first single payer coverage in the nation. I see Brown has introduced some great policy ideas to get CA back on top again.

AdLib
Admin

CL – Thank you for this invaluable though disappointing peek into how people become their own worst enemy and can harm many people in the process when they are filled with hubris.

We would like to think that just because people are enlightened enough to be Progressive that they are just as enlightened in other ways but it’s not a package deal.

People can be thoughtful about issues but just as angry, intolerant and bullies when it comes to getting the altruistic policies they support, into law.

To begin with, when you have a game plan that seems like a strong way to succeed, you don’t bail on it because someone’s selling a knockoff version of it cheaper on eBay. If the SSG had merely kept their promise and commitment to create financials as they promised, it is much more likely that this bill could have passed.

Instead, as you describe, they acted with a sense of entitlement, as if they didn’t need to do all the work required to pass this bill and that their connections or righteousness should be all that the legislature needed to vote their way.

The ignorance of people in this position to think the Governor can put something on the ballot is astounding. Many non-professionals in politics know the basic rule of US democracy that a legislature is the only branch that can legislate. That’s why they’re called legislators.

And this poorly thought out distraction of instead signature gathering for a ballot measure comes off as just plain dumb. “Let’s see, should I spend $250,000 on creating a financial analysis I’ve promised to deliver to get my bill passed or embark on a signature campaign to get on the ballot that could cost $1 million or more?”

Obviously, math was not their strongest subject.

And the vicious bullying that they whipped up when they didn’t get what they wanted is simply horrible and as unProgressive as you can get.

“Hey you Motherfucker! I’m calling you, asshole, so you’ll vote for my bill that is all about showing compassion and care for every human being, you sonofabitch!”

I don’t get the kamikaze nature of some people. It took years for ending slavery, women’s suffrage, civil rights, etc. and yet because these people have decided that they would do or die on single payer this year, it dies.

Can you imagine Martin Luther King responding to setbacks in the South on civil rights by going on a swearing and bullying rampage? How much would that have set back the whole movement if he had acted as petulant and vindictive as these people did?

And what if Obama reacted to the Repub racism and intransigence by angrily screaming at them or calling them offensive names?

Again, an astonishing amount of ignorance.

Personally, I refuse to let these people kill single payer for the rest of us but I recognize that there will need to be a cooling off period for a while, with newer legislators who haven’t been burned by them, until we can try again.

Once again, thank you so much for enlightening and sharing this cautionary tale about how being Progressive in one’s politics isn’t enough, one has to be Progressive in one’s humanity as well to ultimately be successful.

KQµårk 死神
Member

AdLib sadly that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned on progressive blogs and you could not have said it better. The pettiness and hypocrisy I’ve seen from some progressives matches that on the other side of the political spectrum.

escribacat
Member

CL — What a sorry sad tale! Grrr. I think one of your critical phrases was “instant gratification.” I do believe that personal characteristics come into play with these issues. Some people apparently got whatever they wanted as children and expect that as adults, even in politics. I never got what I wanted as a kid (no spare money in the household) and I am very rarely disappointed as an adult because I don’t have wild expectations about anything.

During the health care debate, which I followed very closely because I was hoping to get insurance despite my “pre-existing condition” (back problems), I encountered someone over at yonder yellow site who grew incredibly vicious when I argued in favor of ACA. I am still angry and insulted about it these 2-3 years later!! She is a “prominent” poster there (“pundit,” badges ad nauseum) who endlessly brags about being an old time democrat feminist and spends 95% of her posts bad mouthing Obama and the democrats. During our “discussion,” she told me that I would have been a collaborator in a concentration camp (a kapo) — this because I supported ACA. I am not easily insulted over there but this pissed me off. Severely. She pompously claimed that she would make sure the whole world had coverage before she took it for herself. (Gawd, gag me with a spoon).

I understand exactly how those interns and receptionists and legislators feel — I wouldn’t do anything to work with that pompous old hag no matter what. I’d just as soon spit on her. If I ever meet her in person, that’s exactly what I will do.

And by the way, after being uninsured for several years, I now have insurance because of ACA.

SueInCa
Member

Wow Cat
What a disturbing experience you had with that poster at the yellow site. I cannot imagine who it was but I have also tried to put HuffHo behind me thoroughly. I havehad some stalkers over there but no one outrightly calling me such foul names. I am glad you are here.