I’ll start out by saying that I never supported the House healthcare bill and I still don’t. It doesn’t do nearly enough to contain the soaring costs of health insurance in this country, it doesn’t come remotely close to achieving universal coverage, and it certainly doesn’t bring the insurance companies into line with tough and meaningful standards.

That having been said, a public alternative to our woefully inadequate private health insurance system, even a pathetic, crippled version like the one passed by the House, is better than compelling millions of Americans to buy the defective and dangerous products of the private health system.

In fact, for reasons Glenn Greenwald outlined months ago, passing the Senate’s version of healthcare moves us dangerously closer to a true merger of corporate and governmental power:

Even if one grants the arguments made by proponents of the health care bill about increased coverage, what the bill does is reinforces and bolsters a radically corrupt and flawed insurance model and an even more corrupt and destructive model of “governing.” It is a major step forward for the corporatist model, even a new innovation in propping it up.

I absolutely don’t grant those arguments, but as he said, it isn’t necessary to disagree about the expansion of coverage to oppose this bill. It’s merely necessary to oppose the government becoming an arm of the largest and most powerful corporations in the health sector. If you want your government to be of, by, and for Wellpoint, then by all means: support the Senate bill, support a bill without a public option. Construct your health insurance gulag (aka the Exchange) and cheer for your favorite company as they find ever newer and more exciting ways to deny claims.

Because, you know, that’s what they do. Insurance companies deny you health care to make money. That’s their model. They’re parasites, skimming dollars off the top that should go to necessary administrative costs or care. Arguments that they have a profit margin of ‘only’ 3% ignore both the realities of corporate accounting tricks and the moral imperative that, even if that 3% figure was accurate, it’s still WRONG to make money off of insurance premiums while denying and delaying the care that your customers need.

To make the argument that only skimming a little bit off the top is ok is akin to saying that because you only pushed Grandma down the stairs – you didn’t beat her prone body at the bottom of the steps with a tire iron – you’re a good person and exercise considerable restraint.

So here’s my pledge, the one mentioned in the title. If the Democratic party’s answer to our national health crisis is to send the IRS out as glorified bill collectors for Aetna and their friends, then they can forget about my vote.

I pledge, if the Senate version of HCR passes, that is to say, a health care bill that mandates that private individuals purchase a product they don’t want and can’t afford from private firms, then I won’t vote for any Democrat, in any election this year.

No matter what. I’m taking it out on ALL of them. I don’t care if you’re running for the Senate or for City Council, for the House of Representatives or for county dog catcher – no means no. Not one of you gets a vote from me.

Don’t misunderstand – I’m a registered voter (Wisconsin 2nd District). I absolutely intend to go to the polls. I’ll vote in every single contest.

But I will not vote for you.

And yes, I’ll even vote Republican if it comes to that.

It’s time to stop letting the Democratic party take our votes for granted. Returning again to the esteemed Mr. Greenwald:

Some of it has to do with broader questions of political power: if progressives always announce that they are willing to accept whatever miniscule benefits are tossed at them (on the ground that it’s better than nothing) and unfailingly support Democratic initiatives (on the ground that the GOP is worse), then they will (and should) always be ignored when it comes time to negotiate; nobody takes seriously the demands of those who announce they’ll go along with whatever the final outcome is.

I’m not bluffing, Democratic Party. I doubt very much if I’m alone, either.