Thursday, January 21, 2010

What More Can You Say?
I've never been so ashamed of and angry at congressional Democrats. For a group that's made such a living out of compromise and capitulation to be so unwilling now on health care reform to do the highly imperfect thing that nonetheless needs to be done is... shockingly tone deaf and incompetent. It's a weird mix of cowardice and sudden stubbornness.

When you put that together with all the chest-thumping delays we suffered - from the public option demanders and abortion complainers and budget hawks, to the triggers and opt-outs, the Liebermess and all the rest - and realize we were on the freaking goal line (both houses passed a bill for God's sake!), only to abandon the win because - to continue the analogy - our team can't agree on whether to run it in or pass it in... it's disgusting, really.

Politically it's just embarrassing, I guess, but the stakes are so high, that's too soft a word. How many people won't have insurance now, or will lose it, or go bankrupt because they're sick that may have been saved under this legislation, flawed as it may have been. And we are in this situation all because in the year 2009 Democrats couldn't come together on a deal quickly enough for Teddy to see it; and in the year 2010 - faced with that failure - the House simply decided (on the backs of the sick and the poor) that the bill we got 60 Senators to support just wasn't good enough for them?

Every House member who is a "no" right now should have to face a camera and say with a straight face that the status quo in health care is better than the Senate bill. Those are our 2 realistic choices so far as I can see. Jeebus... When do these numbnuts even think they will be in the majority again if they back down now?

No comments: