The Progressive Opposition to the Democratic Party's Health Insurance Industry Bailout Plan

Last August, in a post relaying a progressive declaration of independence from the Democratic Party, I noted that progressives were drawing a line in the sand on health care reform. For many, that line now appears to have been crossed. Consider two recent posts at FireDogLake. Steelydan3 argues that progressives should support efforts to run third party challengers against corporatist Democrats, especially those [challengers who are] backed by organized labor, as the SEIU recently threatened to do in New York. Steelydan3 writes:

I totally and wholeheartedly support labor if it decides to make third party runs at the congressional level. The easiest and quickest way for third parties to make a splash is running at the congressional level. Labor should have its own party, period. Especially now.

Steely then goes on to debunk four popular misconceptions that bind liberals and progressives to the Democratic Party, despite the fact that the Democratic Party is actively opposed to their values, interests and agenda:

Misconception one: Third party runs are always losers . . . Misconception two: People just love the two party system . . . Misconception three: A third party has to win every single seat in every single race to be effective . . . Misconception 4: Progressives can only win within the Democratic Party.

In a similar vein, fflambeau argues that it is time to "make the Democrats pay for their sell-out to corporate interests." Some excerpts from an 11-point argument:

1) acceptance of reality is the first step in making any true change. The reality is that the Democratic Party is little more than another wing of the corporate party . . . 2) the Democratic party should not be supported in any form. No money for them, their candidates and their causes . . . 4) support existing third parties (like the Greens) in preference to the Democrats . . . 6) concentrate our actions on the state and local levels. Building alternative parties-structures begins there . . . 8) Blue Dogs and their ilk should face primary challenges from progressives. If the progressives lose those challenges, they should then run (as 3rd party candidates) against the Blue Dogs.