By Matt Holdridge
From the Huffington Post:
Democratic lawmakers, from the leadership on down, are facing what many describe as an unprecedented amount of political pressure as the party scrambles to pass health care reform.
In recent days, the message has been conveyed throughout the caucus that the failure to pass legislation into law would be a cataclysmic misstep. It goes beyond the certainty that activists in the base would be demoralized, that the president would be weakened or that Congress would seem entirely ineffectual (if not so already). The damage to the party would be so far-reaching, lawmakers have been told, that even the big-time donors who have long supported Democratic causes would be less inclined to contribute.
“The party is on a precipice,” said one longtime Democratic donor who asked to speak on the condition of anonymity. “If they pass this [bill], people will be jubilant. If they don’t, there are going to be a lot of us who consider just staying home in 2010.”
Unfortunately, it’s not hard to believe that people would be “jubilant” to take away the liberty and property of others but it does leave a knot in your stomach.
Keep the calls and office visits going!