On the Contrary

If we can’t reform Health Care, then we can’t do anything.  Here is this giant problem screaming for resolution and petty bickering paralyzes us.  No I am not talking about Republicans who live in another world than we do.  In their world, they have coverage and the rising costs really don’t exist.  We saw the heart of a real Republican when, in defending Jim Bunning’s one-man filibuster of extending unemployment benefits, John Kyle, Republican from Arizona, rationalized why unemployment insurance is bad saying, “”because people are being paid even though they’re not working.”  And there my friends, is a look into the soul of a Republican.  Bad things happen to bad people, period.  If you get unemployment aid, it is because you are lazy and don’t want to look for a job.  And the aid just encourages you to not look for one.  If you don’t have health care, it is for the same reason. Your lazy.  But they are a lost cause and I am am talking about the Democrats.

Okay, I will grant you that Republicans are protectors of the good old boys and a failed philosophy, but what about the party of progressives?  Surely they can muster the will to do the right thing for the American people.  Hardly.  There are two elements in the Democratic Party that may defeat real reform, or for that matter any reform.  That would be the Blue Dog Democrats, and the religious, ban abortion nuts.  Let’s start with the Blue Dogs.

These guys are extremely nervous about the deficit.  But when looking at the out year projections, this makes no sense unless you are a Republican.  By this I simply mean that the bill is actually a start to controlling our growing outlays for medical care.  The other side of this badly tarnished coin is that they pander to small government know-nothings so they are concerned about the reach of government into health care.  Again the only thing government is doing is what it does in Medicare, paying the bill with some reasonable limits on what is paid for.  Health care is still delivered through private care givers.  So these guys and gals (let’s not forget Blanche Lincoln) are basically your head in the sand group clearly in the Republican camp.  If we just look the other way it won’t be so bad.

Then there is the second group that I truly find distasteful.  That would be the ban the abortion group.  They want to make sure that women cannot get abortions.  Oh, I know, just not with Federal funds, but for the poor it is the same thing.  They will defeat  health reform based upon their religious conviction and religious totalitarianism.  I commented on this yesterday when Chris Mathews thought Congressman Stupak, the leader of the vote no on health care if it contains a right to an abortion group, was taking a principled stand by voting no on health care reform unless it contained severly restrictive language on abortions.  What a failure in logic.

There is a giant difference between allowing abortion, but not mandating them, and banning abortions for everyone.   The first is our democratic values in play.  We find abortion a necessary procedure and is part of women’s right to control her body, but anyone can choose not to have one.  The second is taking your religious view about a clearly legal procedure and forcing it on everyone else.  The principled stand would be to allow people the freedom to choose although you are morally against it.  Stupak and his brethren are nothing but religious bullies and are not really part of the Democratic Party.  Anybody read the Democratic Party’s platform about a right to choose?

So what get, and it may be nothing, is dependent on these fruit loops who no longer represent Progressives, or for that matter the Democratic Party.  If the Democratic Party is to survive they need to jettison these people, strip them of any chairmanships or power they have, and run them out of the caucus.  But instead what see is this false brotherhood of the mindless in the big tent concept.  It leaves the Democratic Party standing for nothing.  And if the country can’t get it’s shit together on this obvious fix, they are not going to address any other hard issue in any meaningful way as everyone’s selfish self interest will come into play.  And as we stew in our juices and go nowhere, the country falters.

I for one, would be happy to put the conservatives fully back in power.  Then as the nation crumbles, there would be no question about what doesn’t work and who the Republicans really represent.  But as long as the Democrats continue to include these conservatives (social and economic) in their ranks, they share the blame for the failure, and worse, continue the lie that these conservative ideas have merit.  Break out the life boats.

Note:  In President Obama’s speech about moving forward on Health Care, he never mentioned reconciliation.  He implied it, but he did not say it.  Why not?  Why not say, “We have incorporated the best ideas of the Republicans, but it is apparent they are not going to be for any reform so we are moving forward with reconciliation.  Additionally, I would like to see a public option because it is the best way to create competition and hold down costs.”  Instead he continues to think that his lack of leadership will play.  In the meantime real progressive have decided to try to throw the pretenders like Blanche Lincoln out and who does he support?  We hired him to take stand and his failed us over and over.  Maybe he is incapable of it.  Is this a case of form over substance?