By David Swanson
When someone you’ve always considered over-rated and unhelpful does something right, and when someone you’ve had disagreements with points it out, it’s worth noting. So here is a link to David Sirota on Howard Dean.
Sirota even gets right that Dean has progressed over the years. But what I think is worth preserving from recent memories is that Dean helped exclude single-payer from the debate. He limited the range of options to the point where very little room was left to negotiate before a bill became clearly more damaging than nothing at all.
To Dean’s credit, when the room to negotiate ran out, he said the only sensible thing there is to say, but what most members of congress and most astroturf groups will not say: Vote No! Even the groups that have pushed for single-payer have yet to say Vote No on the insurance corporation bailout bill.
Thank Dean for finding his spine. Thank Sirota for pointing it out.