Jane Hamsher - Will You Take The Challenge?

Over at Legal Insurrection, Professor Jacobson has an open letter to Jane Hamsher that is - in my opinion - brilliant. He opens:

Dear Jane,
You and I do not have many political agreements, but one thing we agree upon is that the Senate health care bill must be defeated.

He goes on to remind Hamsher of her own words:

"If the health care bill written by the Senate is passed, middle class Americans will be mandated to pay almost as much to private insurance companies as they do to the federal government in taxes, with the IRS acting as a collection agency for penalties of 2% of your annual income for refusing to comply.

This is just one of many recent measures that has brought liberal progressives and conservative libertarians together to join forces in opposition..."

And he ends right on point:

I want the Senate bill killed for my reasons, and you for yours. Now is your chance to kill the bill by helping elect Scott Brown.

Are you with us on this, or not?

Brilliant. Hamsher has been more willing than those in Congress to "reach across the aisle", even to the extreme of appearing on Fox News. She's written extensively lately about the right and left coming together to stand up to our government:

"It’s scary to think that people this obscenely stupid are running the country. All the while, the painfully obvious left/right transpartisan consensus that is coalescing against DC insiders of both parties appears to be taking everyone by surprise."

She'll take me by surprise if she backs Brown... She might, but I don't know if I subscribe to the old "the enemy of my enemy" deal. I think the challenge to her was brilliant - whether she'll rise to it I can't say. Unlike Professor Jacobson (in the comments on his post), I am still bothered by her attacks on Joe Lieberman's wife, Hadassah. (Specifically, that she would blog on HuffPo asking people to stop donating to or volunteering for the Susan Komen breast cancer foundation because of Lieberman's affiliation. Yes, tolerant liberal... Make your point by punishing sick women who need help.) For what it's worth, I have my own thoughts on Brown as well. I think he'd be better off dropping the "R" and running as an independent. But that's here nor there...

Regardless, I think Jacobson has thrown down the gauntlet, in a manner of speaking. And I hope it does work. Not only would it remove the magic 60th vote from Harry Reid, thereby making all of his evil schemes harder to accomplish, it would restore a little of my faith in people. If someone like Hamsher could vote for someone like Brown - and actually put country before party - I'd start to think maybe not all is lost.

I'll be watching for her response...