Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Dean: Don't Craft Healthcare for a Single GOP Vote.



As Obama prepares to sell his healthcare plans to Congress, I am still frankly amazed that the Republicans have managed to muddy the water as much as they have been able to on this issue.

I am with Howard Dean; "If you don't use your majority, you lose the majority". Obama has all the votes he needs to get this done, he should simply press on and bloody do it.

But, then up pops Sen. Lamar Alexander to argue that the Democrats passing this bill without Republican support would be "thumbing their nose at the American people" and somehow a bastardisation of the Democratic process.

Where do these people get off?

The Democrats achieved their majority through the democratic process. Barack Obama was democratically elected. They were elected whilst making it very clear that they wanted to introduce universal healthcare. It is the very expression of the democratic process for them to now do what they were elected to do.

If anything, it is Obama's wish to be bipartisan which has almost derailed this entire process, allowing the Republicans to spread their lies and innuendos about the terrors of universal healthcare and it's supposed "death panels".

Obama needs to utterly ignore the Republicans, as it is blatant that nothing will bring them on-board.

And I am with Howard Dean, triggers are a waste of bloody time.

"The problem is it won't work. It doesn't add anything. If you're going to do that, just do the insurance reform," said Dean. "There's no point in spending $600 billion and giving it to the insurance industry. We know what they'll do with it. I'm hopeful he'll stick to his guns and we'll have the reform we were promised in the campaign."

And it's notable that even the compromise of a trigger is unacceptable to Gingrich.

As I say, stop pretending that the Republicans are open to change here, because they are not. They are firmly on the side of the insurance companies. Obama needs to use his majority or, come the mid-terms, he will begin to lose it.

Hat Tip to Crooks and Liars.

3 comments:

nunya said...

Hey, how do you embed a crooks and liars video?

nunya said...

Umm, never mind, I figured it out, thanks :)

Kel said...

It took me a while to work it out too, Nunya.