"Purists," "Drama Queens," the "Delusional Left," Dennis, Jim, Stupak and the HC Vote

"The Purists" (Timothy Egan):

Until the last minute, it looked like even an executive sky ride would not move the pure heart of Dennis Kucinich. When you’ve seen a U.F.O., as Kucinich says he has, a mere lobbying session at 32,000 feet by the Leader of the Free World, urging you to join your party in a cause that has eluded Democratic presidents since Franklin Roosevelt, is a tough match.

But let’s give him credit — he swallowed his pride and switched. Obama may not yet have the defining legislation of his presidency on his desk, but he’s already pulled off a small miracle: getting the holier-than-thou purists of his party to realize that they have to govern every now and then.
(snip)
No one has been more passionate and consistent in favor of a single-payer universal health care system than Jim McDermott, the left-leaning congressman from Seattle.

But when the final health care tally is made, McDermott told me he plans to put aside his own concerns and vote for something less than perfect, rather than wait another 30 years.

“I always knew that we would need a fallback position,” he said, adding that he had “always considered myself a pragmatist to the core.”

"The 'Delusional Left' Wins" (Eric Alterman):

Journalists like Egan love to mock liberal “purists.” Rahm Emanuel thinks they’re “f---ing retarded.” But the fact is, just about every single one of them has bitten the proverbial bullet, swallowed their considerable objections to this infuriating health-care process overall, accepted their disappointment with the administration in this, as in so many areas, and are fighting like hell to try and pass this bill.

"The Drama Queen Caucus" (Jonathan Martin):

Call it the Drama Queen Caucus — members of Congress who labor mostly in obscurity, lucky to get a daytime cable hit, let alone a Sunday talk show invitation, until the big vote nears. And then they engage in an oh-so-public exercise deliberating over how they will vote or go to extraordinary ends demonstrating how strongly they feel about the way they have already decided to vote.

While Congressional Budget Office scores, whip counts and arcane procedural techniques may draw much of the attention in the countdown to the House health care vote, the venerable Washington tradition of showboating has inevitably focused attention on a group of heretofore little-known representatives suddenly cast as leading actors in the capital’s high drama.

"Democrats Push Toward Sunday Vote On Health Care" (Erica Werner-HuffPo):

And Rep. Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat who has led a dozen House Democrats in opposing the bill because of the abortion issue, reiterated Friday that his group may vote no when the final vote comes.

"My group of 12 here can make the difference on this vote," he said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Stupak said "there's a principle we're standing up for. ... Protect the sanctity of life. Keep current law. No public funding for abortion. Let's keep that principle intact and you can probably get our vote."

Howie P.S.: There is another school of thought that believes when liberals "cave" they lose their credibility as holdouts for specific "improvements" in the inevitable legislative battles to come. This group is mainly populated by pundits and talk show hosts, not practicing pols. For an example, take today's David Sirota: "What's the Matter with Democrats?" Another voice in this choir is Glenn Greenwald.