D.D. 06/22/05

Merely weeks ago, liberals and conservatives alike were making blog fodder about how a coalition of strange bedfellows upset with Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen would be his undoing. Progressives were upset over Governor Bredesen's decisions to cut TennCare enrollees and conservatives were upset because well, the Governor's office was occupied by a Democrat (good riddance to good governance). Now the progressives in the coalition have let loose their atomic bomb- Michael Moore. Moore, who is producing a new documentary that purports to reach the rather invalid conclusion that health care should be a positive obligation guaranteed by government (never mind that our government is founded on negative obligations), has taken an interest in the protestors who have locked themselves in the State Capitol. This medley of the most pitiful stories one can find has been demanding meeting with the Governor while holding candles and singing kumbaya. Then the Governor obliged and meet with them- and then it became clear what they were after. It wasn't about hurting Governor Bredesen politically, like the conservatives had hoped for; it wasn't about giving a voice to the voiceless, as some liberals claimed. It was about advocating a policy that conservatives agree won't work. That's why the strange bedfellows in this case are bedfellows no more. Blogging for Bryant had a round-up today of some of the conservative back-stepping, at least in degree of association, that has happened concurrent with the protest. This is also exactly why it was wishful thinking to believe that these strange bedfellows could be the undoing of the Governor. Like it or not, cheers to another four more years.