Although the other Democratic senators appear to be angry with Joe Lieberman for preventing a medicare buy in for people aged 55-64, or a genuine public option that would compete with private insurers, I'm pretty sure its feigned anger, entirely contrived.
Why?
Well, if I were a senator, I would immediately announce my intention to join a Republican filibuster unless one of these two options was included in a final bill -and I'm pretty sure Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sherrod Brown of Ohio could be coaxed into joining me.
What then? Harry Reid has expressed strong support for the Public Option in the past - so he should be open to forcing the Senate to have an actual debate - a real filibuster - going on 24 hours a day, until somebody blinks.
Joe Lieberman is currently under a lot of pressure for opposing a measure that he has long endorsed, purely out of spite. There is no evidence whatsoever that he believes any of the factually false and ever changing arguments he's given for his opposition to lowering the age for Medicare eligibility, or creating a public option. There is lots of evidence to the contrary.
How long would it take for Lieberman to blink? Not long, I suspect, particularly if Harry Reid simply refused to allow the Senate to move on to new business until cloture was achieved (cloture is a vote to end debate and vote on the underlying bill). If Reid had any perspective, and he surely does, he'd see that a month of wasted Senate time now, could give him a legacy rivaling progressive giants of the past. If he really wanted it, he'd use his power to get it.
Paying homage to an idea is one thing - fighting for it with all the tools at your disposal is another. So I think this is all an act. We're getting the bill that the insurance companies wanted - mandates for individuals to buy insurance, government subsidies for poor people to buy insurance, but no limits on premiums (community pricing assures that high risk individuals will not be priced out of the market, but there is no control on the community price that everyone will pay, as there is no effective competition).
So, we have a Democratic Congress and Administration herding American citizens into the loving arms of private insurance companies. Who would have believed this was possible?
And to think - someone my age and with my education believed that "yes we can" bullshit.
Joe H.
Update: Nobody says it better than Olberman.
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4 comments:
Hey Joe, howzit?
Sorry about you feeling cynical or disillusioned about what's happening in DC, but I can understand it. I would like to think there are a handful of elected politicians who are attempting to do what is right and in the best interest of "the people." But your other post ("Dear Nobodies") probably paints a fairly accurate picture of how things are done at that level of politics. Maybe the best we can hope for is to exert some influence closer to home, in local politics. But who knows.
Anyways, hope all is well with you and the family. Mele Kalikimaka!
tom m
I didn't believe the BS and that's why I voted for McCain. Even though he's not as youthful and charismatic, I knew that he would at least be able to deliver on the things he was promising. It is kind of cool though to see a president who is so in touch with the popular culture- hosting celebrities at the White House, attending all the big sports and celebrity events, going to various town hall meetings and global conferences on climate change. On the surface it makes me think that this is one cool dude, but when I really think about it, I wonder "if he's always out and about, who's actually making all the tough decisions?"
I suppose all the in-between travel gives him ample time for deliberation with his "closed-door" counsel, that allows him to come to carefully drawn out decisions like sending more troops to Afghanistan. Wait, "closed-door" counsel, say it ain't so Joe :)
Hey Tom,
If you've followed the blog, you're aware that I am very frustrated with the Obama administration for numerous reasons. I'm pretty sure lots of people are frustrated. I guess that's what happens when you run a campaign based on specific stances and/or promises, and hope for change, and you then not only abandon these promises, but work to see that they are not fulfilled.
To be honest, I'm far more disappointed with the Obama administration's positions on civil liberties.
Ultimately, I think the answer is publicly funded campaigns.
Best wishes for the holidays - and for the rest of the days as well.
Joe H.
You were wiser than I Justin.
What worried me about McCain was what he was promising! Frankly, I have no idea what we're trying to accomplish in Afganistan.
Say to your wife from us - we miss you guys.
Joe
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