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Finally Understanding The Madman Theory Of Political Bargaining

By Big Tent Democrat

A little late, but Matt Yglesias finally gets it (by contrast, Ezra Klein continues to shill for capitulation):

I think what you’ll see is that while the movement on behalf of the public option certainly wants a public option and believes the public option is important, the larger goal is to “to try and make the federal government more responsive to progressives in the long-term” by engaging in a form of inside-outside organizing and legislative brinksmanship that’s aimed at enhancing the level of clout small-p progressives in general and the big-p Progressive Caucus in particular enjoy on Capitol Hill.

That requires, arguably, some tactical extremism. If you become known as the guys who are always willing to be reasonable and fold while the Blue Dogs are the guys who are happy to let the world burn unless someone kisses your ring, then in the short-term your reasonableness will let some things get done but over the long-term you’ll get squeezed out. And it also requires you to pick winnable fights, which may mean blowing the specific stakes in the fight a bit out of proportion in the service of the larger goal.

(Emphasis supplied.) I am quite unconvinced that Beltway Progressives like Yglesias and Ezra Klein have it right on the policy of health care reform. The health care reform likely to emerge from President Olympia Snowe will mean next to nothing imo. But at least Yglesias is finally absorbing the lesson on political bargaining.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 03, 2009 (boomark / email).