December 15, 2009
Where the Difference Lies
NP: The Mars Volta, Octahedron
Obviously, there's a lot of, um, "debate" going on about the health care bill now that it seems the Senate has dropped both the public option and the Medicare buy-in in order to (hopefully) pick up the two more votes they (ostensibly) need to get the bill passed. As he is wont to do, Nate Silver has written a couple of thought-provoking pieces on the subject, in that there are counter-arguments for both that could generate a much more interesting conversation.
First, he asserts that 60 votes may never have been in the cards. This is a fairly reasonable argument if you reject the notion that the Democratic caucus in the Senate can and should vote as a bloc. Now, that's potentially a big "if," and it raises the obvious questions. Is it a realistic to expect the Democrats and the Independents caucusing with them to vote en masse? Is so, why? If not, why not? And if not, how -- other than the sort of horse-trading that's been going on -- do you convince them otherwise?
Silver goes on to claim that the bill is still worthwhile without either of those two features, and charts out the projected cost to consumers to prove his point. Here is where I think we start to see the progressive line in the sand, because while the consumer cost does go down according to Nate's projections, it's basically because the government is shoveling money to the insurance companies to make up the difference. I think the core progressives really, really have serious problems with that sort of corporate welfare, and are willing to go to the mat for it even if the consumers themselves are doing better. Silver is essentially saying -- and others are certainly on a similar page -- that if the cost of insurance goes down to the end user, how we do it is of less concern.
Steve Benen points out that this difference roughly corresponds to operatives/activists vs. policy wonks, and I see his point. It starts to get a bit deeper than "some people are just farther to the left than others," and looks at why they're farther to the left and what the important principles are once you get there. I think unity -- which is often the byproduct of a sort of envy of what the right wing is able to do -- and anti-corporatism are pretty high on that list.
As for the legislative process as it stands to day, I'm really, really curious if either President Obama's meeting with the Senate Democrats or MoveOn.org's Washington rally might have an effect pushing the final bill back to the left. There's a sense that the process has reached a sort of equilibrium and settled, but part of me thinks that a little nudge could get the ball rolling down another hill. If the White House, in particular, held off their involvement until that nudge could have maximum effect, it would be a pretty brilliant move, but that might be wishful thinking on my part.
Comments
MANDATES MUST GO! THE FILIBUSTER MUST GO! It's undemocratic. It was created to subvert democracy and the will of the people. The Constitution Of The United States only calls for a simple majority vote in the Senate (51 votes). The Senate should pass the strongest Public Option it can with 51 votes by Reconciliation.
The Senate bill is a Swisses cheese of loopholes for the insurance industry. Without a strong Public Option, insurance reforms in the bill are worthless and have no teeth.
CRITICAL!! From jacksmith - Working Class
My Fellow Americans and People Of The World
A strong Government-run MEDICARE like Public Option is CRITICAL!!
A Medicare Buy-in at 55 is a GOOD! idea. But!, not a substitute for a strong Medicare like public option CHOICE for everyone. Nor is the (FEHBP). Without a strong public option on day one the Senate health-care bill is a disaster for the American People and the World. Therefore you must KILL!! it. Without a strong public option the health-care reform bill is MUCH WORSE! than what we have now, and what we have now is a catastrophe. SO YOU MUST KILL!! IT.
What is proposed in the Senate is the worst case scenario for health-care reform. It would shift trillions of taxpayer, public and private dollars into the hands of the private insurance industry (The single most costly, deadly and dangerous product sold in America). And it would compel by law millions of Americans to financially support this oxymoronic criminal enterprise. You cant have a MANDATE WITHOUT A STRONG PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE!
You will have NO! realistic way of controlling cost and quality. Cost will continue soaring through the roof bleeding the American people dry, and KILLing our economy. And our quality of healthcare will continue to decline below our current ranking of "WORST! quality of healthcare delivery in the developed World".
H1N1 IS A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION!
I have to tell you now that the H1N1 virus is a man-made WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION! and TERROR! It is a WEAPONIZED version of a flu virus. It has swept the planet infecting millions. And causing a global pandemic that has killed tens of thousands, and injured millions.
The H1N1 virus is the product of the DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! It was released in the U.S. in Texas in early January of this year, but not recognized until around April in California. The reason I know this is because when it came to America, it came to see me FIRST! How sweet...
This was around the time the MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX! assaulted the Whitehouse with all their devils deals to cripple and weaken YOUR! healthcare reform. Especially your right to have a single payer system like HR676 (Medicare For All) which most of you wanted.
They don't even want you to have your HUGE!!! compromise position of a strong government-run MEDICARE like Public Option CHOICE. To compete with their DISGRACEFUL, GREED DRIVEN, MURDEROUS, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT PRODUCT (The single most costly, deadly and dangerous product sold in America).
They also wanted to take away your rights to have your government meet it's responsibility to use it's full power to regulate, negotiate, and control drug cost, healthcare cost and quality. Something every other civilized country in the developed World has done for it's people. Their Greed! moral degeneracy and lack of patriotism knows no bounds.
Many of you will remember that before we knew about H1N1. I posted a open message to the President and Congress warning them to be vigilant about their health, and cautious about any medical advice they received. As I said then "they will not hesitate to try and hurt you".
The U.S. and the World have been under a BIOLOGICAL TERROR ATTACK! for over a year now. It is CRITICAL that We The People Of The United States take away control of our healthcare system from the GREED DRIVEN MEDICAL INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX!
For our own National security, and the security of the world.
A Strong, government-run, MEDICARE like Public Option CHOICE. Available to everyone on day one, with the full unfettered power of the federal government to regulate, negotiate, and control cost and quality. Would be the most workable way to deal with this global crisis at this time. Including patent suspensions as needed for national security or the greater good.
As an American I invite the peoples of the World to help us fix our healthcare crisis. And bring pressure on our government to meet it's responsibility to protect global security by controlling, and removing the corrupting influence of GREED and the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT motivations from healthcare in the U.S. and around the World.
I call on the governments of the World and the global intelligence community to track down these MASS MURDERERS, and bring them to justice. CONNECT THE DOTS! And be vigilant that they don't slip in another viral strain on you under the cloak of H1N1 sequestration.
Further, the proposed patent protection on biologic's must be stripped from the US bill. And greatly shorten/restricted, or abolished completely. This is a grave danger to humanity and global security.
I think President Obama is doing the best he can at playing the disastrous deck of cards he inherited from the previous administration. And I think he is doing an excellent job. But the wolves and devils of the medical industrial complex! are trying to exploit, and take advantage of his good heart, and desperate desire to help suffering Americans. But we must be strong and insist that healthcare reform be done right for the American people. Or everyone loose's.
This is all I can say in a message post. I'll try to find a way to tell you more later.
God Bless You My Fellow Human Beings
jacksmith - Working Class
p.s. The so-called nominal H1N1 virus is designed in such a way as to make it more lethal to children and young adults. The medical community must be more vigilant of secondary bacterial infections in the young caused by H1N1. And remember, a viral infection is also a transfer of genetic code to you. Think about it, and be vigilant. :-(
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