Charlie Barber: Sen. Conrad: Talking to the Man in the Mirror

Dear Senator Conrad,

As you know, I am a strong supporter of yours since arriving in Mandan from Chicago to chronicle the career of “Wild Bill” Langer.  I know, as a Democratic/NPLer, that you and your colleagues in North Dakota’s Congressional delegation are not “Blue Dogs,” since the NPL originated the two most successful public options in American history before Medicare, the Bank of North Dakota, and the Grain Mill and Elevator.

I especially have admired your principled and courageous stand in the Senate against the disastrous war and occupation in Iraq, brought about by the axis of evil known as Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld.

I am, however, greatly concerned that your usually commendable stances as a “budget hawk” and pained attempts at bi-partisanship on Senate Budget and Finance Committees might thwart the desire of all Americans to have viable health insurance. Since I believe that “friends don’t let friends vote Republican,” I will vote for you in 2012, even if public option is killed or severely wounded, but I also believe that a strong connection to Medicare is the only way to go that is not fraudulent.  Bringing a form of Medicare to the rest of the nation is now a safe thing for Democrats to do, by themselves if necessary, now that Congressman Weiner has exposed the Republicans on his Committee as supporting Medicare when the chips are down.  So will the Blue Dogs in the House, when the public option chips go down.

In the Senate, even Ben Nelson will find out in the August recess, despite the noise of FOX sponsored, phony, grass roots, bussed-in tea baggers, and bull feathers about abortion, that three quarters of Nebraskans belong, not to Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom,” but to those who need and want a public option. Since it is fair to say that most Americans aspire to the “middle class” in this country, it is also fair to say that “private-option only,”  for those under 62 is destroying our middle class.  Most historians know very well, that none of the historically fragile experiments in democracy have ever survived the destruction of their middle class.

I don’t care what you call it.  Coops, “multiple payer,”  “birthright, even for birthers,”..whatever.  Just so the low overhead, public option is made available to folks who don’t have health care insurance as generous as you and I have.

There are several reasons why you need not fear to offend our foreign creditors, balanced budget dogma, or private health insurance companies who may think they purchased some sort of “protection” from you with their $442,165. in campaign contributions over the years [according to opensecrets.com]. My liberal friends are all in a lather about the latter, and want you,  Max Baucus [D] MT, Chuck Grassley [R] IA, and Olympia Snowe [R] ME, to give it all back. 

Naaahh.  I figure you can just tell the Blues “thank you very much, and welcome to the real world of competition with public option, something you free enterprise guys have always said you wanted.”

China may want payment, but they have been patient people in matters of money for 5000 years.  Chinese genuinely like Americans.  Many ARE Americans.  China was, after all, our ally in World War II,—the Communists, as well as the Nationalists.  And as former Senator Bill Bradley has said, “China is a lot like the U.S.,—both nations think they occupy the center of the earth.”  Besides, billions in intellectual property China has stolen from the U.S. need to be reconciled before they get a penny.

The Saudis are both impressed and intimidated by mutual respect instantly achieved by President Obama with millions of Muslims in his Cairo speech.  They are not likely to claim their 6% ownership of America as the Iranian Islamic Republic threatens to morph into a secular, revolutionary one.  Saudi Arabia can do without windfall profits, as “cash for clunkers” and other Obama programs push us towards energy sanity, but they cannot do without our Navy protecting their undemocratic country from democratic armed forces in the area, whether from Israel, or Iran,—whatever governmental form that dynamic, and ancient, Persian civilization takes.

We both know the interest on the national debt is the real killer, but, it is also true the most infamous “budget balancer” in time of economic stress was Herbert Hoover.

Congress already has achieved budget hawkishness AND bi-partisanship in the axing of the F-22.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is also keen to slash other Cold War relics of the military-industrial complex that neither function nor are useful in fighting “Davids” of Al Quaida rather than the “Goliath” of the defunct Soviet Union. If you fail Democrats, President Obama, and millions of Americans who desperately need public option health insurance, I doubt you will have a problem facing North Dakota voters, if re-election is your sole concern.  Enough die-hard Democrats,  ideological Republicans and other fools here will think you “done good” to torpedo “gummint-run health care.”

If you do the right thing by public option, however, you also will not suffer at the polls.  A majority of North Dakotans are reasonable people; they are just not a loud bunch, as you know. The only real problem you have on this issue is with the man you see in your mirror…

Charlie Barber
Fargo