9/2: Sistah Souljah Returns?

The big topic in the blogosphere today is Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei's Politico article describing Pres. Obama's "new strategy" for health care reform. Liberal bloggers are upset about Allen and VandeHei's claim that Obama "has no plans to insist on" a public option and that some of his aides "welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers" over this issue. Adam Green complains: "[David] Axelrod -- do you know the surest way to ensure that Dems running in 2010 have a diminished base and lose independent voters? Force them to oppose the public option!" Meanwhile, John Aravosis warns: "If the President thinks trashing the very people who got him into office is going to save his presidency, it's going to be a very ugly next couple of months, and a rather ugly four years for the Democratic party." On the other side of the blogosphere, conservative blogger Moe Lane welcomes Obama's shift in strategy: "Letting the liberal Democratic leadership in Congress do it for the President was a serious error: it's about time that he puts his personal stamp on an actual, 'official' plan."

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• Liberal bloggers (Singer, Benen) are calling Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) a hypocrite for complaining about Dem senators' plans to pass health care reform using budget reconciliation, since Gregg "supported using reconciliation in the [George W.] Bush years for ANWR and tax cuts." Meanwhile, other lefty bloggers (Waldman, Bowers, digby, BooMan) are excited about speculation that the procedural requirements of the reconciliation process could result in a more liberal bill.
• Liberal bloggers (Benen, Serwer, Cole, Linkins) are blasting the new RNC ad, "Seniors' Bill of Rights". Conservative blogger Allahpundit thinks the ad is effective, although he predicts that it "will sting a few years from now when we have to have a chat with granny about Medicare's insolvency."
• Liberal bloggers (Morrill, Blue Texan, Cole, Willis, Benen) are criticizing Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) for telling conservative activists that the way to stop health care reform is to "make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers on this thing."
• Conservative bloggers (Hewitt, Jessup, Geraghty, Ace of Spades) are upset that Obama will deliver a webcast speech on "the importance of education" to public school students.
• Conservative bloggers (Bandes, Lewis, Geraghty) continue to criticize righty pundit George Will for writing an op-ed arguing that the U.S. should withdraw most of its troops from Afghanistan. On the other hand, several liberal bloggers (Klein, publius) find Will's arguments compelling.
• Liberal bloggers (Sudbay, Drum) are still buzzing about VA GOV candidate Bob McDonnell's (R) controversial master's thesis, although conservative blogger Paul Mirengoff doubts that the thesis will end up hurting McDonnell's campaign.

OBAMA: Picking A Fight With His Base?

Liberal bloggers are angry that Obama reportedly "has no plans to insist on" a public option and that some of his aides "welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers" over this issue:

• AMERICAblog's Aravosis: "Obama isn't going to push for the public option, top administration officials now tell Politico. So they're flip-flopping again. But worse yet, they're now saying they want to Sista Souljah Democratic lawmakers and the liberal base who are pushing Obama to keep his promises. [...] It's simply amazing that the strategy of trashing the base has now plunged Obama to 49% in the polls, reinvigorated a near-dead Republican party, split the once-unified Democratic party, and put the President's number one policy agenda in peril, and yet some in the White House think it's worked so well, they need to ramp it up some more [...] If the President thinks trashing the very people who got him into office is going to save his presidency, it's going to be a very ugly next couple of months, and a rather ugly four years for the Democratic party."
• Open Left's AdamGreen: "David Axelrod, whose political instincts I suppose I've respected from afar, may be on the verge of writing his own chapter in political history -- as a loser...the guy who helped lay the groundwork for massive Democratic defeats in 2010. [...] Axelrod -- do you know the surest way to ensure that Dems running in 2010 have a diminished base and lose independent voters? Force them to oppose the public option!"
• Firedoglake's Scarecrow: "The polls have been showing not simply an erosion in the President's approval numbers but a decline in support from the liberal base of his own party. Politico says 'some' in the White House are looking for an opportunity to make that worse. [...] Politico wants us to believe that there are 'some Administration officials,' all of them anonymous, who are actively seeking to destroy the President's credibility, turn off Democrats, weaken health reform, remove the one feature with extremely high public approval and do all this because...because John McCain taunted Obama last year that he can't stand up to his own Party? How about standing up to McCain, and [IA Sen. Chuck] Grassley, and Steele, and the rest of the crazies? [...] And does the President know that 'some' anonymous officials in his own White House are actively trying to undermine his agenda, his Party, and support for his Presidency? Because if that's really happening, 'some' people should be fired."

On the right side of the blogosphere, RedState's Moe Lane welcomes Obama's shift: "Letting the liberal Democratic leadership in Congress do it for the President was a serious error: it's about time that he puts his personal stamp on an actual, 'official' plan. In other words: it's nice that the administration is finally taking health care reform seriously, and we look forward to seeing its tentative plan. After we hack out all the bits of said plan that are just stupid, of course. And make sure that various concessions are made."

Interestingly, Hot Air's Allahpundit thinks Dems are making a political mistake by abandoning a public option: "Since the Democrats won't get any credit from the right or right-leaning independents for abandoning ObamaCare, they might as well slam through a public option and please their base. Assuming, that is, that they're willing to endure an endless series of procedural challenges in the Senate from Republicans if they try to use reconciliation. Which they may have no choice but to do, now that Teddy [Kennedy]'s gone."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The Gettable Republican

Think Progress' Matthew Yglesias:

"If you're going to get any Republican votes for health care reform the logical place to start would seem to be not orthodox conservative Chuck Grassley or far-right Senator Mike Enzi, but rather Maine's Olympia Snowe, who has a record of sometimes voting for progressive bills. If you can get Snowe you have a shot at her somewhat-more-conservative colleague Susan Collins, and if you can't get Snowe then you can't get anyone. So where does Snowe stand on health reform? Suzy Khimm has a useful rundown that basically puts Snowe to the right of most Democrats -- and certainly to the right of me -- but not necessarily to the right of the more conservative Democrats in the Senate.

That said, there is one crucially important difference. Democrats hand out committee chairmanships by a blind seniority rule. Republicans do not. Chairman need to rotate out of their positions after fixed terms, which then gives the caucus as a whole input over who takes over next. Consequently, the Senate leadership has some meaningful leverage over Republican Senators -- even Senators from liberal states. If they're really determined to make Snowe (and Collins) vote 'no,' they have tools at their disposal to make that happen. By contrast, the Democratic leadership heads into tough fights basically disarmed with no real tools of discipline and leverage at their disposal beyond the vague risk of a primary challenge. One day perhaps the Democratic caucus will decide that it wants to be an effective legislative party and it will adopt some principles that equalize the playing field. But until then, it's going to be extremely difficult to overcome truly determined Republican opposition even with a large majority."

LEST WE FORGET: My Line Of Children's Slogan T-Shirts Just Isn't Selling

McSweeney's contributor Andrew Fleming:

• "Homework is Time-Consuming but Ultimately Beneficial"
• "I Get Along Well With My Siblings"
• "Boys and Girls Are Equally Valuable"
• "My Dad is My Credit Card, In That I Have to Pay Him Back When He Buys Me Things or Else Face a Penalty"
• "I Am Well-Behaved"