NEWS JUNKIE POST
Nov 13, 2009 at 12:04 pmBig Trouble Under the Big Blue Tent: Will Dems Kill Health Reform?
There will be hell to pay. But we already knew that, right? We didn’t need Bart Stupak to tell us. I mean any bill the size of two and half Harry Potter novels was bound to ruffle partisan feathers on both sides of the aisle.
But for now, the Republicans seem to be content to watch as a Blue Dog Democrat-Rep. Stupak of Michigan– attempts to hijack health reform with an amendment that would set back abortion rights. The Stupak Amendment–attached to the 1900 page tree-killer of a House reform bill –would prohibit women who purchase PRIVATE insurance via the so-called public option exchange from receiving coverage for abortions. This takes the Hyde Amendment–already in place since 1976 –which prohibits federal funding for abortions–to the next step in de facto abortion prohibition. No surprise, pro-choice advocates are incensed.
But so, too, is Rep. Stupak. Huh? Well, Stupak–who by the way lives at the C Street Fellowship House in Washington run by the powerful religious group known as “The Family” along with other pols like Republican Senators Ensign and Coburn–says if his amendment is not included in the final bill it will be a “double cross.” Pardon your threatening playground language, Mr. Stupak, but before you take your marbles and go home, how have you been double-crossed exactly? By all accounts, Speaker Pelosi’s political calculus allowed Stupak to propose his amendment (which passed, and by a greater margin than the House reform bill) to ensure Blue Dog support. There was never any guarantee made by Pelosi or Hoyer or anyone that Stupak’s language would make it to the final legislation. He says there was, so there. And if he doesn’t make the cut, Pelosi can kiss all those coveted Blue Dog votes goodbye.
We’ll see. First, the Senate has to come out to play. And they may not even bring their marbles. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid–who faces his own uphill re-election bid in Nevada–is scrambling to get 60 votes for any health reform bill. Blue Dog Dems like Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln and Mary Landrieu have all said they’d nix any bill with a public option ( though Landrieu has softened a bit in recent weeks and is now sending out mixed signals). Ben Nelson–a right-to-lifer from Nebraska said he will not support any bill that doesn’t include language akin to Stupak’s.
And Reid’s got problems with moderates, too. Evan Bayh, whose conscience may be funded, in part, by his wife’s $300,000 gig with Wellpoint, has said he might filibuster a bill with a public option. Bad press and pressure from constituents in Indiana, may have changed his mind. Bayh now says he’ll allow a debate. Connecticut’s Joe Lieberman isn’t quite so generous. The former Dem who is now officially an Independent usually votes with the Dems and still holds some pretty powerful leadership posts. Say No Joe plans to block a public option simply because he deems it “unnecessary.” Whether his assessment is nourished by the feeding tube the health insurance lobby attached to his political war chest, is for Connecticut voters to decide. But, come on, Senator, it may be time to pack it in when your arrogance is so grand it actually determines what can and can’t be debated.
Former President Bill Clinton got in the act, too, admonishing Democrats earlier this week, “Doing nothing will be political suicide.” The man knows something about this, after all, the consequences of his failed 1994 health care re-haul included landslide wins for Repubs in the mid-term elections and Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America.” Doing nothing is unacceptable. But so is pushing something–anything–through. Just so we can say we did it.
Still, as shaky as the Democratic plans may be, they all beat the “alternatives” offered by the Repubs. So far, the only good idea they’ve come up with is to permit shopping across state lines for insurance. And complicated state laws may put the kibosh on that. Beyond that, House Minority Grinch John Boehner issued a slap-dash bill that the CBO reported would only slow the rate at which people lose coverage. And would–in case you’re keeping score–limit malpractice clams but still maintain pre-existing conditions as barriers for coverage. I think that’s called going in the wrong direction, Mr. Scrooge.
So, okay, we know we have to compromise. It’s part of the political process. But beware of a watered down bill that does little but further line the already deep and greedy pockets of the health insurance companies. I guess it’s up to us. Progressive groups like Move On. org have already threatened to pull the plug on funding any Democrat that doesn’t support a comprehensive reform bill. Call, write, rally. Tell your reps and senators that without real, robust reform, there will be hell to pay. At the polls.
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Getting the Democrats to agree on anything with respect to meaningful health reform seems akin to herding cats. A number of the Democrat players are using the health reform process entirely for their own purposes and betraying their constituents outright. While this is not unexpected, it does much to promote the distrust of our political representatives who seem to forget who is paying their salaries.
I think our forefathers had the right idea – they only ‘served’ one term and went back to their farms, etc. I think that the House and the Senate should do the same. How many more pages will this reformed reform health bill take? Enough already and I bet when it is all said and done it will only grease the palms of the insurance companies. Let’s get it done, but done correctly -enough of this nonsense. We MUST STOP FOOLING AROUND.
Excellent article Ms. Arkawy – let’s keep the criticism going!!!!!!!!!