The Health Care votes are dragging onward, and with them comes both awesome tweeting about Tom Harkin's tie (does anyone have a picture?) and the opportunity for every Senator to get his stupidity on. The lack of sleep seems to have hit John McCain particularly hard, as the Senator was heard to say this on "Good Morning America":
STEPHANOPOULOS: Vicki Kennedy is now saying this is exactly the kind of compromise that Ted Kennedy would support, the kind of compromise that you worked with him on the past?
McCAIN: I think Senator Kennedy would appreciate the outcome. I don’t think he would appreciate it on a party line vote. I worked with him on many issues across party lines. There has never been a major reform accomplished in the history of this country that wasn’t bipartisan.
This gets at the heart of every debate we've recently had over the division in the House and Senate. Is it the fault of the majority party when the minority party doesn't join in, or does the minority party share the blame in being unwilling to compromise?
Yet that's not the case here. To complain of this over and over again, when the facts show that the majority party has been willing -- perhaps over-willing -- to compromise seems not only sad, but like a denial of reality.
It's doubly sad to see John McCain invoking the memory of his friend Ted Kennedy to make this point. Ted Kennedy wanted bipartisan health care reform, sure -- because he wanted to make the other side understand the importance, the urgency, of providing affordable health care to every American. He wasn't looking for compromise just to add some names to the bill; he was looking for a change of heart. He was looking for at least the willingness to compromise or to rationally discuss the problem.
To say that he'd be disappointed at the partisan nature of this bill is no doubt accurate. I doubt, however, that he'd be disappointed that the bill's content could find no Republican support, however; I think he'd be disappointed in the unwillingness of Republicans to find something worth supporting in health care reform.
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Catherine Forsythe
Writer to the Stars
Emily Holleman
Iron Skillet
Leslie Harpole
old new lefty
Salon.com
Comments
My guess is that the record will show that the Republicans have generally voted lockstep against the interests of the common man.
I think it was Carrie Budoff Brown the Health Care reporter for The Politico made that statement, but I can't remember precisely. The piece is online for listening via RA or WM here: http://wamu.org/programs/dr/
What really creeps me out is Sen. Coburn asking folks to pray that someone doesn't make it, knowing that Sen. Byrd has been quite ill and its difficult to get around DC in all the snow even for the healthiest folks. Creepy, they've just gone to the dark side altogether and it really torques it when they pretend they are oppositional out of some kind of Christian charity. Sure they are.
This is a step...admittedly a very small step...in the right direction...and I am almost happy that none of the Republicans decided to help in this matter. Now more than ever, they are showing themselves to be obstructionists...valuable (perhaps, at times) as a loyal opposition, but not even close to being leaders.
New York Times, "Democrats Clinch Deal for Deciding Vote on Health Bill."
The New Republic's Johnathan Cohn, "Don't Kill the Bill," which has a handy graph.
Actual text of the bill.
But this person will make one of those Frank Capra speeches before the Senate or the House, basically saying Shame on You. And, to be effective, he or she would have to say Shame on Me while you're at it. They would point out the feet of clay, the beholdin' to Big Pharma, maybe throw in a few slag shots at the Banks while they're at it. And they would speak in a voice that all could hear, would hear, and want to listen, want to know.
We're all in this together, no matter what those paranoid whack Repugs believe, distribute, pollute or disseminate. We gotta figure out how to survive. Teddy KNEW this. He had a voice. And he bellowed to the rafters.
God save us.
Despite Obama's grand but foolish gesture of goodwill, the R's have proven themselves worse than ever as the party of NO -- as in we don't care what you propose, we're against it. This was typified by Jim Demented's crack about making sure healthcare reform was Obama's Waterloo. It may not be Obama's, but it sure as hell will be a disaster for the rest of us. Too bad that disaster won't be visited upon Demented and his ilk.
Whatever happened to the "loyal" opposition?
Jane, I do think this represents reform, though not the bold reform I would've hoped for.
Tom, Procopius -- Party of No, indeed. I think you've got a great point about who's been willing to compromise (for better or worse), Procopius.
All I care about is stopping this unconstitutional Marxist socialist agenda.
The Republican has become the party of No because the majority party keeps asking: socialism?
I hope that this is backfiring on them but I fear it isn't...at least not with their diehard base. hopefully it is at least with those ever-increasing and critical "independents". We won't know till the midterms, though.
Ther is no compromising with fascists as Neville Chamberlain would attest. So open Medicare to all and use the majority to pass it. That is how the ?Republicans? got us into a war in Iraq and almost destroyed the economy of the whole world. GROW A PAIR NOW !!
REFORM should be thrown into the toilet. We do not have a viable health care system to fix. We need to start from scratch and the insurance companies should start exploring other markets because making money on health care is over. They are done. OUT.
We REQUIRE and DESERVE no less than cradle to grave comprehensive health care for all citizens of the United States of America. Emergency services will never be denied to anyone, be they citizens or not.
HEALTH CARE will be defined by an emphasis on prevention to promote health and wellness. Proper exercise and nutrition will be a component of all children and promoted to parents and society at large.
REGULAR checkups and maintenance services will be provided, including PROPER DENTAL CARE. All citizens will be have dental cleaning every six months and requisite care as necessary.
MENTAL HEALTH care will be deemed as important as any other health care, and citizens will meet with a professional each year for head check ups unless they require treatment more often.
BIRTH CONTROL and ABORTION SERVICES will be fully covered and paid for.
WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE - yes well I have lots of plans about how this should go, prevention is a big part, but a wholistic approach to each woman's health profile is tantamount. Lets try analyzing the risk of cancers for women with wide open eyes, and if we put all women in the country into the same swimming pool we are going to connect the dots a fuck lot faster.
Lots of other stuff on my list. But that's a start. Seems so obvious that this is the right thing to do. But idiots abound.
Build a HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, don't try to reform one that doesn't really exist.
This post is not worthy of you. Have you thought for a moment of where this country would be had it elected someone with rudimentary qualifications for the job?
For McCain (or any other Republican) to act as if they didnt have their say is beyond comprehension to any sentient being, but the sentience of their voting constiuency has long been in question, with the caveat that I understand why the uber-rich support them.