Democrats Getting It from All Sides on Health Care Reform
Obama and his party are in a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" conundrum.
While the American public remains, at best, deeply divided over the merits of the health care reform bills that have been bouncing around Congress for the past year, the Obama administration and the Democratic leadership remain committed to bringing health care reform to a final vote, even if it means engaging in procedural maneuvers that are constitutionally questionable.
As of this writing, even House Majority Whip James Clyburn admits that he does not have the 216 votes needed to pass the bill and that the final vote may be delayed past the Easter break.
Politically, the health care debate has been nothing short of a disaster for the Democratic Party. For several weeks now, Republicans have been widening their lead in the generic congressional ballot, and analysts like Larry Sabato are already projecting Republican gains in the Senate and the House. Moreover, one recent poll shows that even Democratic voters in swing states would be inclined to vote against a congressperson who votes in favor of the bill currently pending in the House of Representatives.
But it gets worse from there for the Democrats.
In addition to opposition from the right and the vast American middle, the Democrats are also fighting off an attack from their left flank. A group calling itself the Progressive Change Campaign Committee has been pressuring House Democrats to include a public option in the reconciliation package that will be sent to the Senate, and labor union leaders are threatening Democrats who vote against health care reform with third-party challenges from the left. Even Dennis Kucinich is under fire for not falling in line behind the Pelosi/Reid bill.
Given these twin attacks from both directions, it’s easy to see that Democrats will face a problem regardless of what happens with health care reform in the coming days and weeks.
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Americans are fairly unified in rejecting the health care bill! Americans are unified in wanting a good life for their families. Pro life Americans and pro abortion Americans completely agree on the need for good paying jobs for Americans; and on the need for a balanced budget! Black, white, rich and poor Americans agree on the need to improve education! et al
The Achilles’ heel of progressive thinkers, and their dumb-beyond-all-reason modern counterparts in the Democrat Party, has always been their impatience to make the world perfect NOW. Like a young boy with his first raging hard-on and no idea what to do with it, foolish and untested behavior seems better than no behavior at all.
I agree with the gist of the article that health care may be Obama’s straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back, but there is an important point to make here. He had a chance to pass his health-care “reform”, or maybe something else if he’d wanted to. But he didn’t really try to pass anything. Instead, he adopted what I’ve heard referred to elsewhere as the “Christmas Tree” strategy: he announced a major policy initiative (Health Care “reform”) and then let the Democrats in the House and Senate work out the details. That of course means that all sorts of “interesting” deals and compromises have been attached to the bill (e.g. the “Louisiana Purchase”, the Cornhusker thing, etc.). Also the compromise position resulted in various things being left out of the bill, or added into it, and this has led to liberal allies of the President being pissed at him and the legislation because it doesn’t address a particular aspect that they felt essential.
He’d have been better off writing the bill himself, presenting it to Congress, and letting it die or pass. That way at least this would be over, but the current death of a thousand cuts may cause the Democrats more pain. The longer this goes on without the passage of the bill, the worse things get. The author of the article says that the Dems aren’t in danger of losing both houses, but frankly if they keep this up for another month or two, and wind up failing to pass the bill anyway (a reasonable possibility) they might manage to make things bad enough that they could. Heck, no one thought Scott Brown had a chance, and then suddenly he was out in front and Coakley was scrambling and calling Curt Schilling a Yankees fan in desperation. It’s a long time til November and anything can happen, especially if your actions tend to push towards a particular result.
Unfortunately, this is one of maybe the three worst written articles I’ve ever seen on Pajamas Media. Mr. Mataconis, in my opinion, is either very uninformed or just brand new out of school, still awash in liberal think.
Here’s his major misstatements:
America is not deeply divided in their dislike for ObamaCare. We’re deeply divided over something like abortion. Second, ObamaCare doesn’t represent healthcare reform. It’s a health care overhaul. Third, his procedural way to get ObamaCare passed without the House voting on it is probably unconstitutional. The fact that the “deem it passed” procedure might have been used before is irrelevant. The law involving legal precedents doesn’t apply here. It is wrong because two wrongs don’t make a right. What’s more, this is about much much more than the ire of the country, Really it’s about the entire country’s disgust and white hot anger over Obama’s attempt to give much government control over American citizens, cause premium to rise and lower the availability of and quality of care. The opposition can’t be just attributed to the Tea Partiers. I could go on, but you get the point. Mataconis’ piece doesn’t reflect reality. He has a right to his opinion, but not to the facts.
The specific wrong the Democrats will have to pay for is not listening to the American people.
They promised not to turn a deaf ear to the American people. Now it’s time to call them on it.
202-225-5406. 202-225-2565. 202-225-6265.
Kathy Dahlkemper Jason Altmire Zack Space
Please note. Because so much pressure is being brought to bear on swing vote House Democrats, they’ve fallen into the habit of changing phone numbers, not answering their phones or whatever. The numbers I’m listing are the Washington numbers for these Blue Dogs. Taken from their websites or from the website of Dick Morris. However, you may be able to get a better number or may decide on another way to contact them. Regardless, if our voices are loud enough, they’ll eventually hear us. And vote “no” on ObamaCare. And “yes” to the will of the American people. As you know, the reasons to vote down ObamaCare number in the trillions. But this isn’t just about dollars and cents. It’s about government Obama wanting total control of your lives.
Both figuratively and literally, deciding to call Congress about their ObamaCare vote will be, for many of us, a life and death decision. Government bureaucrats can’t be given the power to override the treatment decisions that are the province of you and your doctor.
You know, most of you I don’t know. And you don’t know Rachel Peepers. I guess you could call me a girl on a mission. What I believe is that America is standing against tyranny from within. We’re united against it. If Washington, Franklin, Adams and the other founding fathers were alive today, I believe they’d say, stand up and be counted. This is our crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Eve. This is our Valley Forge. This is our battle of Saratoga. Nothing less than a turning point in the history of this great nation. Before government Obama does a number on our freedom and our healthcare, let’s make our numbers felt. America, I’m starting to think the progressives are shaking in their boots. They don’t have the votes to ram healthcare down our throats. And they’re the ones starting to blink. Obama is bluffing. Fact is, Obama is all smoke and mirrors; the one that’s being smoked out. The Slaughter Rule is laughable; simply a paper tiger. It’ll never be used. More and more, I’m thinking the whole progressive boat is taking in water from stem to stern. I believe they don’t have the nerve to stand up to us. Right now, they’re busying themselves arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, aka SS Nobama.
You may not realize the power of the people because the people aren’t often called on to wield it. But the creeps who would destroy our healthcare system and our country can feel it. I don’t know if these are the worst of times. But this is our time. And our country. And if some pipsqueak politician thinks he can dictate surrender terms to lil’ ol’ blond haired blue eyed Rachel, well, he’s got another think coming. Government Obama. Government controlled healthcare. I call on you, America, to pick the phone up and put this 2,800 page monstrosity of a Bill out of its misery. We’ve got it in our sights. Now it’s time to pull the trigger.
ObamaCare. Your number is up.
“He should have been able to DO WHAT HE WANTED”????????? Really??? What kind of an outrageously naive fascistic statement is that? The fact that he IS TRYING TO DO WHATEVER HE WANTS IS WHY HE IS IN THE FIX HE IS IN. He CANNOT do whatever he wants and that’s the message being sent the marxist moron. (Is that redundant?)
I’ve always called them the “Damned Democrats.”
“damned if you do and damned if you don’t” conundrum.
Are we caught between the devil and the deep blue sea? Are the socialist democrats caught between wasted effort-ego and concensus-common sense?
“He’d have been better off writing the bill himself, presenting it to Congress, and letting it die or pass.”
Well, yes: but then, this is a guy who has never run so much as a lemonade stand in his life. Experience and qualifications DO matter.
ObamaCare will crash & burn one way or another given the people have long rejected it. The Democrats can attempt to “demon pass” or try to execute the unconstitutional “Slaughter Rule,” but it will destroy the Democrats & President Obama. Obama needs to drop ObamaCare. Yet the Democrats are totally consumed for their simple lust for power with ObamaCare instead of listening to the people. Obama can keep talking about ObamaCare, but we are done with the conversation. ObamaCare is dead. Obama needs to realize this & move on.
I have always been for a government assistance program for the uninsured and those with catastrophic illnesses. However, this Health Care Bill is a travesty. (Since, when did a Student Loan Program become part of Health Care?) Any Democrat who votes yes on this monstrosity deserves to be removed from office.
rachel, rachel, rachel,I can only agree that this is one of the worst articles on PM in a while.Theres the facts and then there is RP facts.According to Al Franken you cant have your own facts RP. Fact: americans do want HCR, all you do is quote polls from CNN and Fox about all anti HCR people out there. Polls are only as good as the polster can spin the questions, polls are not accurate at all. Reform vs overhaul no difference.Procedures in the House are there for a reason, to get bills passed. (duh) Just because you read it on Pajamas Media that it is unconstitutional it must be fact.(not) ” two wrongs dont make a right” but a lot of wrongs make up the right wing party of NO. Rachel, majority rules and your not it. This bill will pass and down the road the public option will be added and futher down the road it will become a single payer system. If lil’ ol’ blond haired blue eyed Rachel dont like it she can move to Costa Rica with Rush. Oh yea they have socialized medicine too.
to the moderator wheres my post? I followed your rules, put my post back on here
nevermind
@11. “Firestopper”: – Fact: americans do want HCR…
… lack of any tangible evidence for this “fact” notwithstanding, eh? Heh.
Claiming it’s so doesn’t make it so, and you clearly don’t understand that this is no different from creating your own fact. Pretending you can refute the evidence clearly and objectively presented in polls using your own baseless assertions is no different from Pelosi thinking she can pass a bill without having to hold a vote for it.
- … majority rules …
Only in Obamalândia. Not in a Constitutional Republic.
I am on disability because of my fibomyalgia so I sit home and watch TV and I can’t wait for a healthcare plan that will hep me more. I need all the money I can get. I want one of those new big tv’s I seen at walmarks.
I wonder how much this has cost us taxpayers already? Wasted time, travel, security and expenses promoting this monster must have added up by now.
Richard #15, the bill don’t go into full effect until 2014; however, you do have 4 years worth of high tax increases on virtually everything–including medical devices. You will not get any help. In fact, if you’re above the age 50, you will not get any real medicine except be on endless waiting lists. You will be in more physical pain because your medicine will increase due to various taxes & private health insurance eventually goes out of business. Then you will have no other choice than to be on ObamaCare. But you will have all the time in the world with mediocrity & government medicine.
However, I don’t think it will get that far. ObamaCare is tainted beyond belief. It’s corrupt & unwanted. ObamaCare is not going to happen even if it is forced though. This will signal the end of ObamaCare & the Democratic Party as it shatters.
What do we expect from a President who has never had any inclination to do anything that requires making an effort and/or making a decision? What do we expect from a President who defers to a bunch of communists, on the left flank of the Democrat Party, to execute his policies? Obama missed his calling. He should have been a TV news anchor. He reads his teleprompter as well as anyone. Obama is a charlatan and the people pulling his strings are all hard core communists. He is our first Affirmative Action President. What did we expect? Get used to it. There will be more before this country completely suffocates.
I believe the time has come to truly invoke “representation” by our members of Congress and Senators…
It is time TO PUBLISH THEIR HOME ADDRESSES AND PERSONAL TELEPHONE NUMBERS. They really need to hear up close and personal from their constituents…
They should no longer be able to set themselves apart from those they represent and those they intend to punish… Where do we start??
RAISE THE ANTE!
It is time to increase the downside risk to Dems who vote for this monstrosity. Let’s make it clear that if they vote for it, we not only turn them out of office but we repeal other Dem programs already in place.
Which Dem programs?
My list is long, someone else take a shot at it, please.
Some Bluedogs are losing their jobs regardless. They will ALL lose their jobs if thing passes, as will some thought-to-be safe libs. There will be Constitutional challenges galore. Premiums will go up, people will lose their policies and unemployment will lurch upward. If the GOP takes the House, I fervently hope that they have the stones to defund this piece o’ poo. You can’t veto or filibuster nothing. And firestopper, my labor isn’t a “right” for to hand to your political supporters so that you get get votes. I will decline to cooperate. You want your test when?! Uh, maybe next month. Get in line.
#14 goy
It is a fact. Come out of your bubble.
@22. firestopper: – It is a fact…
… lack of any tangible evidence for this “fact” notwithstanding, eh? Heh.
Keep repeating your lie. It’ll still be lie.
#23 try again. the fact is that most people want this . Just because you live in this little world and you dont believe or understand is not an excuse. Try living in the real world for a change
@24. firestopper: – try again. the fact is that most people want this .
Try what again? Through multiple responses you have YET to provide the slightest shred of evidence that “most” people want government in control of their health care through the extra-constitutional imposition of socialized medicine. Meanwhile, you’ve repeated this lie again and – guess what – it’s still a lie.
- Try living in the real world for a change
Try finding a psychotherapist and asking for help with that nasty projection issue you clearly can’t control.