CV November 30th, 2009 11:00 am
Excuse me DF, but this is good insight as to how things like this work. To simply write it off as theatre leaves you without a clear understanding of the system and it's outcomes.
What you have is 56-57 Senators (with a D after their names) trying to pass a healthcare reform that, for the first time, extends National Health to the General Public, not just Seniors or the Poor.
And you have a minority, less than 40 Senators that want to prevent HCR because it would mean political success to their nemesis. Then there are a few Senators that are using their pivotal position for their own powergame.
Reid has to somehow get 60 votes and still deliver for the majority of Americans.
This is how controversial legislation goes. "Everybody gets something, nobody gets everything, nobody gets nothing".
And nobody gets exactly what they want.
Nothing is set in stone, either. Once this foot-in-the-door bill is installed, deficiencies will show up (as if we couldn't see them already). I'd be amazed if there aren't at least two sets of restructuring of the PO and the Exchanges within 15 years. But those adjustments can't happen if there's no Public element to restructure. And it certainly won't happen if the Republicans regain control.
If this goes down to defeat, it'll be another ten to fifteen years before it comes back around, meanwhile, the Insurance Companies will continue on the trajectory they are on, skyrocketing costs, punitive rules and massive profits.
It's really too bad that Progressives didn't get behind this and put pressure on their CongressCritters, particularly in states where they are saddled with Republicans. The Progressive Voice has been split by this purity fight over an unworkable, possibly unconstitutional bill that was never going anywhere, but unfortunately was adopted by the Liberal Elite as a litmus test of your Progressive cred.
Perfect is not going to make an appearance. Good is slipping away. While the Right and the Corpos speak with one clear, powerful voice to prevent any kind of Public Healthcare plan, the Left ranges from tepid support to outright hostility with plenty of onside sniping.
This same pattern is showing up in the AntiWar issue and so many others. Is it any wonder that the Administration doesn't respond to "the Left"? Which Left should he listen to? The Nadirites that have been against him from before the election? The Libertarians that aren't Liberal at all but they've hoodwinked a lot of Progressives to follow them? The Moderate Left?
Progressives can only influence legislation if they stay engaged. Making a stand for a bill that is not under discussion is an abdication, it's walking away from the table.
And if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.
UNITY-PROGRESS RESPONSE
Well, as for "walking away from the table," I'll strongly consider voting Republican for the first time in my life if:
--This health bill abomination is passed just so that the Democrats can pick up the votes of dumb people. No reasonable health care economist says these laws and taxes will reduce costs and prices by more than a trivial amount, so the purpose of the reform has NOT even slightly been met.
--The Republicans promise to dismantle at least the worst parts of the law AND it is clear to me that they will in fact dismantle.
--There continues to be no non-right wing party to vote for that has unified the non-right and that has basic political marketing attributes.
If all those three conditions apply, I'll be a left winger voting for the Republicans laugh out loud. But I'll be "at the table". That's good, right CV?
Oh, and I hate to break this to you, but the most likely final outcome is that there isn't going to be any public option at all but the bill is going to pass. So your precious "public option," which is already a joke, is going to be non-existant, but you will be a slave to the health insurance executives.
PS. No one should want to be at the table when nutritionally worthless garbage is being served.
No comments:
Post a Comment