Obama asks Democrats to take another dive. So far the House says no.

It wasn't him, Charley! It was you. You remember that night in the Garden, you came

down to my dressing room and said: 'Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on

Wilson.' You remember that? 'This ain't your night!' My night! I coulda taken Wilson

apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors in the ball park - and whadda I

get? A one-way ticket to Palookaville.
You was my brother, Charley. You shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda

taken care of me - just a little bit - so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-

end money.

Charley: I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.

Terry : You don't understand! I couldda had class. I couldda been a

contender. I couldda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.

From "On the Waterfront".

Whether it was a public option on healthcare, financial reform and now tax cuts for the wealthy Obama has always had the confidence that the Democrats in congress would take a dive when he told them to. And they always did. So when he told them to take another dive, this time for tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% in America he was stunned when Democrats played Terry Malloy, stood up to Obama's Johnny Friendly and told him no. Obama called them "sanctimonious purists".

For someone with no guts, no integrity, no values, no principles, a glass jaw, and will sell out anyone and anything at any time, anyone who stands up for anything or believes in anything must seem like "sanctimonious purists".

How caving in is a way of life for Obama was on display again when he said about the tax cuts, "this is the public option fight all over again.I pass a signature piece of legislation where we finally get health care for all Americans... but because there was a provision in there that they didn't get that would have affected maybe a couple million people, even though we got health insurance for 30 million people... that somehow that was a sign of weakness and compromise."

The number of lies Obama can get into one sentence is truly breathtaking. First, there was no public option "fight". There was only Obama capitulating, groveling for Republican votes, wasting a year when it all could be done using reconciliation, and then in the end taking a dive with a back room deal with lobbyists to drop the public option. When she was asked why there was no public option in the legislation when the votes were there to pass it, Nancy Pelosi said, "there is no public option because the president didnt fight for it". So much for Obama's idea of fighting, which, as everyone has seen, is taking a dive. Second, what makes Obama a little scary is that not only was every word a lie, the truth is so well known that it makes Obama close to being pathological to think he can lie so brazenly and no one would notice.

The piece of legislation Obama passed was not only garbage it was called as much by just about every Democrat who voted for it.No one called it "signature" anything. Howard Dean said it should have been junked. Democrats who reluctantly voted for it called it "better than nothing". And the "they" that Obama is referring to in terms of not getting what "they" wanted, was the Speaker of the House, the overwhelming number of Democrats in congress and the overwhelming number of people in this country ( at least 60% according to polls) including just about everyone who voted for him.

Obama's other blatant lie is "we got health insurance for 30 million people".

What Obama got was 30 million new customers for the insurance companies mandating that people who dont have health insurance buy it. He didn't "get health insurance" for anyone. And when he says the public option would have affected maybe 2 million people he is lying again. Because even an idiot can figure out that if 30 million uninsured were getting insurance the law now says they have to pay for, it would have been 32 million getting insurance through the public option. And that doesn't count the tens of millions of Americans who would have switched to a government run option simply because it was a better deal. What Obama did by dumping the public option wasn't just weakness, spinelessness and compromise. It was double dealing,dishonesty, caving in, selling his own party's values and doing what was right down the river and wasting the biggest congressional majority any president has had in 50 years.

This is how that scene from On the Waterfront really played out in congress:

Democrats:

It wasn't the Republicans, Barrack It was you! You remember that night in on the senate floor you came down to the cloak room and said: 'Kids, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on the insurance companies and bankers.' You remember that? 'This ain't your night!' Our night! We couldda passed a public option and real financial reform and taken the health insurance companies and bankers apart! So what happens? They get the billions and a ball park with their name on it - and whadda we get? A one-way ticket to Palookaville.

You was the president, Barrack. You shouldda looked out for the country a little bit. You shouldda taken care of people - just a little bit - and done the right thing, so we didn't have to take them dives for the short-end money.

Obama: You saw some good things in those bills.

Democrats : You don't understand! We couldda had class. We couldda been a contender. We had the biggest congressional majority in 50 years! We couldda done great things. We couldda been somebody, instead of a bunch of bums, which is what we are. For listening to you.

The Democrats and Obama could have been somebody. They could have been contenders for the most accomplished congress in history, passing landmark legislation on healthcare reform, financial reform and tax policy. But Obama took a dive on all those things and told congress to take a dive with him and they did.

Obama wants congress to take the dive again on tax cuts. He told them this was the best deal he could get. And he's right. It was the best deal Obama could get because Obama has a glass jaw, no spine, no skills, no courage and no convictions. He tells the Democrats , "the middle class'll see some money." But the upper 2% will see more. And they will get it on the backs of the middle class who will have shoulder the additional $700 billion it will add to the deficit.And unless taxes are raised on the top 2%, it will be the middle class that will have to pay off.

Now Obama is calling the Joe Dugan's in congress " sanctimonious purists" the same people Gibbs, his mouthpiece called "the professional left."

The Democrats did have a professional left. And they should have used it. If they would have thrown that professional left instead of pulling their punches it would have been the Republicans who were knocked into Palookaville not the Democrats. Instead they took the dive for Obama on healthcare reform, financial reform and the economy and then took the worst beating of any political party in 80 years.

But this time, like Terry Malloy, the Democrats are pulling themselves up off the canvas and are telling Obama, no, not anymore. No more dives for the short end money.

Obama is still puffing on his cigar and, along with Gibbs the mouthpiece, telling people his deal will pass, the Democrats will eventually cave in and they'll take the dive like they always do. Obama says they wont risk not doing it. But so far Democrats are standing up to Johnny Friendly.

There is a lot more at stake here then just the tax cuts. By standing firm the Democrats are sending a message to Obama that the game is over, that he cant count on them to cave in and sell their principles down the river anymore like he does. And it sends a message to Republicans, that like Dugan in the movie, they will have to deal with them from now on, the liberal and moderate Democrats,instead of cutting back room deals with Obama and then counting on them to take the dive when he tells them to.

So by standing up to Obama's Johnny Friendly and the Republicans, the liberal and moderate Democrats can pave the way for future negotiations, letting Obama know his game is up and there is going to be no more throwing in the towel or taking the dive.

The real end of this movie will come in two years where it remains to be seen whether a Democratic Terry Malloy will stand up to Obama's Johnny Friendly, take him on in the Democratic primaries, and beat him soundly for the Democratic nomination for president.If that happens,and they are elected ( which Obama has no chance to be) then just like in the movie, everyone will finally be able to go back to work.