CT Blue

Rob Simmons apparently thinks that the road to the Senate lies through the teabaggers. He has sent a fundraising appeal pledging to be the guy who assures that the Democrats never get that 60th vote to advance their big government agenda. Here’s a snippet from his appeal:

The fight in the Senate is just getting started. A tough road lies ahead for the Democrats, with members of their own party — including Senator Lieberman — voicing objections to key provisions of the Dodd plan.

But that’s no reason for complacency. If we know anything, it’s that Democrats led by Senator Dodd will do anything to get this trillion-dollar plan through. And the only reason they’ve gotten so far is that their party controls 60 votes and all the levers of power in Washington.

I am running for the Senate to take away that 60th vote and restore balance and sound fiscal management to Washington.

If we continue to show strength in our race against the architect of government health care in the Senate, the Democrats will begin to think twice about ramming through a plan in 2010 that Americans don’t want and can’t afford.

This is language designed to warm the hearts of the crazies. Simmons apparently intends to have them carry him to the nomination, after which he’ll have to figure out how to distances himself from them while retaining their votes. The question is whether they have gotten tired of being played for suckers, as they have been for so many years. I also understand he’s trying to get Jim Demint’s endorsement, another not so subtle message to the nutjobs.

But let us pause and give the Republicans credit. The Democrats have stood by and allowed the Republicans to frame the Health Care issue in such a way that it is not only politically acceptable, but in some cases politically advantageous to be a running dog for the insurance companies. Only the Democrats could have pulled that off. It’s what comes from compromising yourself into a corner, trying to appease your opponents. Let’s count all the votes that the Democrats gained in the Senate by neutering the health care bill and making it far more difficult to either explain or defend to the American people. Here’s the total: Exactly no votes.

Imagine if the Democrats had announced in advance that they intended to use reconciliation, and told the Republicans to pound sand when they complained. The Republicans would have been facing a completely different reality-a reality in which they could wrest concessions only by actually making constructive suggestions and by actually voting for the final product. They probably had more chance of getting 60 votes by going that route than by making a declaration of weakness at the start.

Still, it’s hard to see that opposition to health care reform is a winning strategy in Connecticut. We have our faults, but we still have a higher level of intellectual functioning than they do in Alabama or Arkansas. Simmons is counting on Dodd losing, rather than Simmons winning. Time will tell whether that’s a good strategy.