So, its been pointed out to me recently that less than a year ago 70% of Americans favored a public option for health care... my oh my, how a worthless media establishment, pissy obstructionist Republicans, corporate-beholden Blue Dog Democrats, pushy liberal-zealot Democrats, and a President that thought he could get these fools to compromise have shifted the debate so far from where it should be is just downright depressing. And the insurance companies and their shareholders are laughing all the way to the bank.
WAKE UP AMERICA!
If you do not favor health care reform I really want to know why. I can fathom people's arguments about not wanting a public option, I may not agree, but there are arguments against it that are based in logic (mentioning the establishment of death panels or a mysterious government bureaucrat getting between you and your doctor discounts any logic you think your argument might have). Death panels? Seriously? And anyone with private insurance who gets to spend good quality time with their doctor, I assure you, you are a rarity. Most people go through doctor's offices like they were in line at the deli. Health care reform is much bigger than a public option. Sure thats a big component of what some would like to see pass, but there's a lot more that will have a huge impact on the current system.
I'm looking forward to Obama's speech (in ~20 minutes) tonight because I hope that he'll be able to use his deft ability to orate to clear the air and put this debate back on track. Key word here being 'debate'. Senator Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) proposal to 'skinny this thing down' (referring to the large text of the legislation currently proposed) and Rep. John Boehner's (R-OH) assertion that “It appears that the president is going to double down tonight and try to put lipstick on this pig and call it something else," do nothing to contribute to debate... and these are the Senate and House minority leaders! If Republicans are so adamnt about killing this legislation, I'd like to see what they propose instead, because if they're ok with the status quo, there's something terribly wrong.
As many (including an article in the New York Times today) have argued, if Republicans shifted from being simply obstructionist (with the exception of a few, thanks Olympia Snowe!) to actually showing a willingness to compromise, they could actually get some of their proposals into legislation, and it would give Obama leverage against the more liberal members of the Democratic Party, who at this point, are Obama's only hope to get anything passed.
Seems like a no-brainer to me... deny liberal Dems their communist agenda AND have a say in what has the potential to be one of the most historic pieces of legislation of a generation? Come out and play Republicans!
Never thought I'd be saying that...
I was going to break down all the different elements of proposed legislation, but I think that will be better done tomorrow once the air clears and we see where things really stand in this debate.
Dang, Adam! You really ARE into this stuff! No doubt the links I sent you were old news to you. So, what did you think of the speech? I was very favorably impressed, myself. I thought he made his case, cleared away some BS, and finished with a really eloquent appeal to the moral dimension of the debate that I think has been somewhat underplayed in the midst of all the wonkery of the last few months.
ReplyDeleteI've been feeling cautiously optimistic that reform was actually going to pass for a while now, but I think the odds appreciably increased tonight. Now we'll have to see where all the devilish details like subsidy levels and public option vs trigger shake out in the coming weeks, but I really believe something will get done, and that something, while perhaps not perfect, will be a very important step forward.
Best,
Ray