That was Bill Clinton's
advice to Senate Democrats yesterday. He told them, "The
worst thing to do is nothing. It's not important to be perfect
here. It's important to act." This mentality is a perfect
description of what is wrong with the political class -- the
appearance of action always takes precedence over ensuring that
the actions being undertaken are wise or just.
Fifteen years later, Clinton has never paused to consider that
the Democrats might not have lost control of Congress because
they failed to pass his health care reform bill. There is a case
to be made they lost in no small part because the bill in
question was such a federal power grab. Clinton is asking Senate
Democrats to risk their seats based his memories of 1994, but not
all of them will go along. Consider
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), for example.
