When I wrote last Friday about California's single payer effort, the hurdles, and the need for better strategy, I didn't expect it to get much attention. I'd already made these points a week earlier on Twitter - I was out of the country so I couldn't publish anything - and other writers had gotten there as well. But I guess I hit a nerve.
I begin from the premise that not all efforts to fight corporate power are created equal. Some are smart and some aren't. Some understand how to get from point A to point B and some don't. We can either cheerlead any time anyone puts up a middle finger at the ruling class or we can be a little more discerning, and ensure that when (not if) democratic socialism takes power, competent people are at the controls. We do not honor the work of individuals in the grassroots, the ones that make the calls and get in the streets, by having their efforts go toward disingenuous, ill-considered, or purely political pursuits.
The bottom line is that California single payer legislation has gotten steadily worse as its prospects for becoming law have brightened. Its leaders have become less transparent about the steps necessary for passage as more people have become open to that reality. A leadership that should be building a coalition to do the long-haul work needed to beat a corporate onslaught is instead freelancing and windmill-tilting. This can't help but damage future success and the continued backing of grassroots supporters.
I'm only doing a couple media appearances about this matter, though I may return to the issue afterwards. In discussions after the fact I'm convinced that this was an important conversation to start. If we want to really change policy in America, passion and strategy must go hand in hand.
