The most validating aspect of the current health-care debate, so called, is seeing how straightforwardly the Democratic party is dumping all the claims it made during the most recent election in exchange for campaign contributions from the scummiest parts of American society. Disturbing, but validating.

The late, great Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota) once said “If you don’t fight hard enough for the things you believe in, at some point you have to realize you don’t really believe in them.”

Can you name anything — anything — in this health care battle that Democrats have been willing to fight for? Like really go to the mat for?

Naturally the true believers will excuse any and every compromise The One deigns to grace us with. We are so lucky to have him to take care of us! We dare not criticize or obstruct whatever crumbs his generosity grants.

Of course Wellstone’s quote applies to the rest of us as well, and the only thing that might put some fight back in the Democrats is if we constantly harangue them. Some right-minded members of Congress have managed to force a vote on single payer in the House in September. Make it your mission this August to contact your Representative regularly and demand that they vote for single payer health care. Tell your Senators too. Go to their town hall meetings, and to their offices as well, now that they are on break.

And when you talk to them or their staff, don’t worry about their political calculations, or [tell] them you’re okay with a weak public option. Just demand single payer.

Or, alternatively, call ’em up and tell them how happy you are that Obama and the Democrats are giving away the store in an obviously futile attempt to bring feral Republicans (but I repeat myself) and immoral corporations (ditto) on board.