And So This Is Health Care Reform
There are two more votes to go, but the first one, the big one, just passed. For better or for worse, President Obama has done the seemingly impossible and passed major reforms in healthcare; you'd think that instead of being bratty children about it the GOP would be elated, considering that they've essentially won. "How do you figure that" you ask me? Because this bill is essentially a collection of moderate Repubican reforms offered up by the GOP and the Heritage Foundation back in the early 1990s. Indeed, the reform we have tonight is essentially a national version of RomneyCare, health care reform passed by a Republican.
Far from being a "Government Takeover" of health care, this is a big love letter to the insurance markets...Obama has essentially said "Okay private insurance markets...you give up a few things, and we'll serve you up millions of new customers. We're going to trust you, even though we have little reason to, to not screw around on this." There's not even going to be a public option, which polling showed was quite popular across the board.
It's telling that the GOP is now so incredibly far to the right that they spit upon and disown their own ideas from the "Contract With America" era of GOP leadership. Even Romney has only sheepishly tried to run away from this, but he realizes that if he runs for President and complains about health care, his effort to bring RomneyCare to the Commonwealth will come up...ahh..good old Multiple Choice Mitt.
But the GOP's response to all of this has been so incredibly ugly, so incredibly disappointing. Instead of trying to work with Obama, they used it as a moment to "break him, to make this his Waterloo." They used their control of the media to whip up the worst passions in otherwise apolitical Americans, and surprise surprise, the news today is abuzz with Tea Party groups being called out for all the racist and homophobic comments they've made during their protests this weekend. Well, you sow the seeds of hatred and destruction, sometimes you end up having to eat your own bitter fruit unintentionally.
And now, the "This will destroy the DNC in November" meme has peaked too early. There is roughly seven months, which is an eternity, for the American public to stop being irrationally angry, and see whats been done. Seven months for the Obama administration to work on things like jobs bills, and for the economy to maybe improve (hah). Certainly, a bunch of GOPers will try to go "Alf Landon" on this and run on repeal...guys..didn't work for Alf either.
So in the end...some good things...some bad things. But ultimately, this was hardly a "revolutionary" reform or "takeover" of healthcare...it was essentially a moderate "reshuffling" at best.
-TS
Far from being a "Government Takeover" of health care, this is a big love letter to the insurance markets...Obama has essentially said "Okay private insurance markets...you give up a few things, and we'll serve you up millions of new customers. We're going to trust you, even though we have little reason to, to not screw around on this." There's not even going to be a public option, which polling showed was quite popular across the board.
It's telling that the GOP is now so incredibly far to the right that they spit upon and disown their own ideas from the "Contract With America" era of GOP leadership. Even Romney has only sheepishly tried to run away from this, but he realizes that if he runs for President and complains about health care, his effort to bring RomneyCare to the Commonwealth will come up...ahh..good old Multiple Choice Mitt.
But the GOP's response to all of this has been so incredibly ugly, so incredibly disappointing. Instead of trying to work with Obama, they used it as a moment to "break him, to make this his Waterloo." They used their control of the media to whip up the worst passions in otherwise apolitical Americans, and surprise surprise, the news today is abuzz with Tea Party groups being called out for all the racist and homophobic comments they've made during their protests this weekend. Well, you sow the seeds of hatred and destruction, sometimes you end up having to eat your own bitter fruit unintentionally.
And now, the "This will destroy the DNC in November" meme has peaked too early. There is roughly seven months, which is an eternity, for the American public to stop being irrationally angry, and see whats been done. Seven months for the Obama administration to work on things like jobs bills, and for the economy to maybe improve (hah). Certainly, a bunch of GOPers will try to go "Alf Landon" on this and run on repeal...guys..didn't work for Alf either.
So in the end...some good things...some bad things. But ultimately, this was hardly a "revolutionary" reform or "takeover" of healthcare...it was essentially a moderate "reshuffling" at best.
-TS