The Healthcare House of Cards
Overview
The Senate has passed the cloture resolution with regard to debate on the healthcare reform bill. The vote was done at 1AM, after the citizenry had gone to bed on a Sunday night, in the middle of a snowstorm in DC. The phrase "under cover of night" comes to mind - that this solution was not one of heroic effort by our elected representatives, but one of expediency and horse-trading to get the bill passed before anyone had realized what was passed. The 60th vote, Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) was collected by tossing the senator a fig-leaf on his raised objection over federal funding of abortions, and picking up the tab in perpetuity for the increased Medicaid costs that the bill would cost the state of Nebraska. The key architects of this "solution" to secure Nelson's vote were Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who held onto the more liberal senators' support while dealing to gain Nelson's. The Senate, staffers, and regular workers at the Capitol are now being held hostage for a final up or down vote to be held on Christmas Eve. Harry Reid as Ebeneezer Scrooge delivering a mystery package for President Obama to play Santa Claus with. It is, in gentle terms, unseemly. In less generous terms, it is in violation of the very spirit of American government which was created by the Founders to be based on reasoned and open debate - in which elected officials represent the interests of their constituencies in common cause.
There is still almost no detail about what the healthcare bill contains. While secrecy and lack of transparency doomed Hillarycare, it has seemed to be an essential ingredient in the creation of Obamacare. Obamacare is a misleading term. The President has been absent from the crafting process, and has provided no leadership whatsoever except to put pressure on both the Senate and the House of Representatives to get him something to sign this year. It could just as well be fairies and pixie dust curing all ills, as whatever is contained in this 2000 page piece of legalese - and for all we know pixie dust may be a provision. There is no final draft yet, and so there has been nothing to read. Not that it matters - few are interested in reading it. Most of those who wish to have it read object to the plan, as do 61% of the American public according to the latest Rasmussen poll. As long as Obama has something to sign...
This same strategy was employed with the Stimulus plan, the automaker bailout, the Cap & Trade legislation, and the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen. As Rahm Emanuel, the President's Chief of Staff, is quoted as saying " a crisis should never go to waste". It is in this air of perpetual crisis that the "powers that be" take the opportunity to run roughshod over the American people, who are distracted with an economy in critical condition, an enormous loss of personal wealth in the form of devalued housing and retirement funds, increasing unemployment, and increasing prices of necessities. All of this rushing around and doing things does not mean that what is being done is productive. In many cases, the rushing to action is causing more harm than good in unintended consequences. One only needs to look at the second stimulus plan being tossed around (a "job creation" package), to realize that the first one did not do what was promised. "Just do it" is a wonderful slogan for Nike, and a poor way to craft policies that will have a profound effect on American lives for many years. It is akin to driving a car by closing your eyes and stepping on the gas.
Thankfully, the Founders have made it difficult to make major changes in the structure of American society. This battle in the Senate is essentially over, but the Senate bill will need to be reconciled with the House Bill. There are stark disagreements between the bills on Public Option (still very much alive in the House bill), structure, qualification for benefits, costs and funding which will need to be overcome to present the President with a single bill to sign. There has been so much horse trading to get the individual bills passed that we can look upon it as a stack of favors loosely holding together the final package - a house of cards, if you will. Assuming a full reconciliation conference, in which Speaker Pelosi doesn't just ram the Senate bill through the House unamended, the competing individual interests would cause the cards to tumble down, and the agreements would vanish. Should Pelosi elect to ram it through, on strictly partisan lines, and over the objections of a majority of Americans, she will be handing the Republicans their best shot at becoming relevant again.
Common Sense Dictates
The American people have long realized that something needs to be done to address the rising costs of healthcare, and that addressing the issue of the uninsured will contribute to a solution. This has been the situation since it was first proposed under the administration of Harry Truman. The American people are willing to do what it takes to tackle this, as well as any other challenge that faces the nation. The American people are not willing to be hoodwinked into accepting on faith that Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi, or even President Obama know best. Secret deals to pass legislation that no one aside from the Majority Leader has seen it it's final form is the opposite of what the Founders designed our government to be. America is a representative republic. We elect representatives to act in our interest, not to define those interests for us.We elect them to bring the ideas in DC back to our hometowns for discussion and debate. In the cases where the representative, in good conscience, disagrees with his constituency, it is his responsibility to attempt to persuade, educate, explain and build support for his position. This has not happened in any form with regard to this issue.
We call on the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the President of the United States to stop this dishonest backroom bargaining, and to do the jobs that they were elected to do. There is no crisis here - no threat of war or imminent meltdown, just a problem that it would be best to solve sooner rather than later. There is time to think here - which seemed very important with regard to Afghanistan, and is more so on an issue that will affect every American. Do not on vote or sign into law any bill until it has been fully read and understood by every member of Congress, so that they can return to their districts and states to explain to their constituents what the plan entails. Come with facts and figures and an honest assessment of how this plan will affect the everyday lives of those who will be impacted by it. Once that is done, go back to DC and vote as you will - you have done your job. If your constituents agree with your vote, you will be returned to office. If not, you will have the satisfaction of having stuck to principle as you go on to your new career. The consent of the governed is the cornerstone of our system of government. Without receiving that consent, you have no legitimacy. Common Sense dictates for that consent to be sought.
RLB
Categories: Healthcare, political leadership, Partisan Politics
Tags: healthcare reform political leadership
This assumes that they are listening at all. I don't think that the Dems care what we think, or even care about healthcare so much. They just want to ram this dog down the throats of all Americans just because they think that they can. I can't think of any time or any issue in history where the fundamental fabric of the country is to be changed on a party line vote. For major changes like this, there needs to be consensus - there is none. It would be better if we could come to agreement rather than just get bent over in revenge for George Bush. I'm sure that's not what the founding fathers had in mind.
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It's not like we're out to get you. This needs to get fixed. Lots of people are hurting because they can't afford to go to the doctor, especially in this economy. This is a way to address that problem. We're not trying to take away anybody's freedom. We're trying to get some reasonableness back in to medical treatment. Is it so wrong to want to have affordable medical treatment in this country?
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Preach it brother. I have done my best to express my opposition to this monstrosity - it's like they turned off the fax machines and emails. No offense Randi - there is a problem and it does need fixing, but I'd like to be part of the discussion instead of marginalized as a kook. There are more ideas out there than scrapping the entire system - it would be nice to be heard. Seriously, a little honest debate is in order. There hasn't been much of it.
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I can't believe people aren't out in the streets screaming about this. WTH? Since when does the government in this country make policy in secret behind closed doors, and then make law by not telling anyone what is in the law? This is the USA, not the USSR. This cannot stand!
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I'm having trouble believing that any of this is real. This morning on CNN I got to hear Al Franken lecture the chamber on how good the bill is (he could have been in Stuart Smalley character for all I know. Then there was some guy who called into CNN who was praying for Robert Byrd to die. When did we become a nation of idiots? I can't help but think that Simon Cowell took over the government and this is his idea of some new reality show. All of this is fanning the flames and none of it is educating us on what is actually in this bill. I want to know and I want to know before it becomes law.
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Jeff Sessions, and Judd Gregg were on C-SPAN this morning talking about some accounting tricks going on with the cost estimates for this. It seems that some of the funding is being done through a one-time sale of Treasury bills. Those funds are listed as an annual funding source - which thay aren't - it's one time. It is also borrowing because when those bonds mature, they will need to be paid. So, we finance the first year by borrowing, and there is no listed funding after the first year, and we further run up the deficit. No wonder they don't want us to know what's in this dog.
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Well, it looks from this article that it's not so much the idea of the health reform that anyone is objecting to, but the secrecy it is being written in, and that no one knows for sure what's in it. That's all reasonable. It bothers me too. Maybe they can't be doing it publicly though because any progress on the issue is impossible with every tidbit coming out being blown all over CNN and YouTube. Maybe the only way to get anything done is in secret.
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That's not a bad point - Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson didn't have to worry about an off comment immediately being available to everyone with an internet connection or TV. This type of "horse-trading" has been going on since day one. It's how issues are progressed on. Someone once said that making laws is like making sausage - the end product might be good, but you wouldn't want to know how it was made. Well, now we know.
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George Washington said that an informed public is the best defense against tyranny. The point is not how the sausage is made, but what is in it. Reid, Pelosi and even Lieberman have no special knowledge beyond whatever a lawyer is educated in. This is an issue that has economic, social, and personal implications for everyone in the country. The author is right. In a debate like this, the ingredients of the package must be made available to all of us. The debate must be open and vigorous, and an overwhelming majority of all Americans need to consent to this. It is what the Declaration and Constitution are all about.
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I don't think that 61% of Americans oppose healthcare reform. I think that it is this secrecy that bothers everyone. As far as I can tell this package addresses whatr everyone agrees on - costs, pre-existing conditions, standardization of coverage, etc. Public Option was dumped in favor of the private pool. It's the rumors and the hype getting everyone bent out of shape that is causing the blowback. Much of that could be addressed by making the bill public and taking the rush out of getting it passed. The issue does need to be worked on, but it needs to be done right, not fast. You have to think that some of the conservative hosts are right. Trying to ram this through as fast as possible, and amid all of these questions, sounds like Obama and Reid have no faith in their ability to sell this package to the American people. They are responsible for the impression that there is a bunch of stuff in their bill that is harmful of bad for the average American. Obama preached transparency - it's time to practice the preaching.
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There is nothing reassuring about this just because "it's the way it's always been". What are we - some tinpot dictatorship where all it takes to screw over the public is a bribe here and a favor there? Ben Nelson is no hero, and no principled compromiser. He is a whore who negotiated his fee for selling his vote to Harry Reid. At least Lieberman didn't take money to change his vote. He can at least pretend that he stood on principle.
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I think that I share everyone's frustration with not knowing what is in the legislation - it should be out there for discussion prior to a vote. I support the idea of health care reform, but I am deeply disturbed that this the details of this package are being hidden from us. What is the leadership afraid of? That we won't support it? Well then maybe it shouldn't pass.
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I don't think Lieberman was doing anything more than making Reid's job as hard as possible. I sort of admire him for that. I wish we all could do that. But in the end, he is Joe Lieberman and he doesn't have a conservative bone in his body. He was going to back this anyway. Nelson and Landrieu are both pure sellouts though. They were bought and paid for in full with my money and yours. On the issue - I agree - no vote until we get to find out what's in it.
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I'm furious for a whole list of reasons, first of them being that Harry Reid pulled the plug on any sort of public option. Then he managed to cut every meaniongful provision out of the bill. Then he gave away the farm to anyone with his hand out to get his 60 votes. If you have to work that hard to kill meaningful healthcare reform, you might as well just not do anything. No matter what is in the bill it will be an embarrassment after what we were promised.
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That says something when you have both sides pissed off at you. This apparently isn't over even after the vote. The South Carolina Attorney General is filing suit with several other states over the "sweetheart" deals cut to Nelson, Landrieu and any we may not know about yet. Loos like Lindsey Graham may be good for something after all.
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They passed this steaming pile - absolute party line. Amazing how low these creeps can sink - buying votes and cramming through a package the majority of Americans don't want. We can hope that it self-destructs on reconciliation, but in any case I'm sending a check to the Republican party for Christmas. Suddenly they are looking pretty good to me.
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Looks like the Dems are starting to feed on themselves. Every Congressman has come back with a laundry list to appease their constituents, the labor unions are balking at taxing premium insurance packages, and Brown is gaining on Coakley for Teddy's seat in Mass. Looks like there may be some hope.
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This is when the genius of the Founding Fathers shines. It's near impossible to make major change on a party line vote. We need to keep up the pressure.
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Ben Franklin again "Democracy is two wolves and a small lamb voting on a dinner choice. A constitutional republic has a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
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It is sort of funny that even though the Republicans really couldn't do anything but stand in the way, the Democrats have a talent for splintering without any prompting. If this dog goes down it will be in the same way that Obama got elected - those good old grassroots. At least this time, in spite of Washington, those grassroots are informed. Now if we can just push Brown over the top in Mass, we can get on with fixing the really broken stuff.
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Nice call - no one would have thought at Christmas that this health care debacle would unravel on it's own over two weeks. All it took was 1 man getting elected and choosing to represent the people rather than the Party.
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What John said gets underlined in this situation. This is why the founders created the system that they did. Individual liberty is to be held more dear than groupthink.
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