Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), still facing the prospect of a tough re-election in 2010, has reversed her position on the public insurance option, saying Tuesday she will oppose the measure as a part of health care reform after previously expressing support for the policy, the Arkansas News reported.All right, Blanche. If you're not going to govern as a responsible Democrat, what's the use of having you in there. Lose.
Look at this poll from CNN. There's wide support for the public option in the health care reform legislation. But because of the execrable Republicans and some lily-livered Democrats, it looks like we're not going to get it.
The Republicans want to stick it to President Obama. That's their only agenda. They don't mean well for America, nor will they govern responsibly. I don't think they can, since they don't actually believe their job in government is for any positive difference. They're only concerned with sticking it to the American people. Go figure.
Then we have the Democrats, who if there was only one Republican left in Congress would be cowering in fear under their desks, afraid he might criticize them for something. So many of the Democrats are either gutless or in the back pocket of the lobbyists or health care industries, so they're not even representing us. It's criminal.
Whether President Obama even has the cajones to stick up for what he campaigned on and was touting back in March, we shall see. The signs out of the White House are not promising. I still like him, a lot, but he seems to be governing as a gutless wonder. I heard he would bring a gun to a knife fight. But I guess he didn't say he'd bring ammo. He pulls the trigger and you get a sign that says "Bang." Doesn't seem to scare very many.
We shall see what we shall get. If I had the power, though, I'm in the mood to run out the lot of them and start over. If that were only possible. Too many entrenched liars and crooks in there, like Chuck Grassley, Ben Nelson, Max Baucus, and on and on. Then we have the insane crowd, like Michelle Bachmann.
You think, this is Congress. Congress ought to have great people in there, patriots, our nation's best, working for us. And what do we get? Paid cronies of corporations, crooks, liars, crazy people without a lick of sense, halfwits, morons. And then there's the Democrats. And half of them seem like creeps too.
Healthcare reform is dragging on. It seems a long time ago that they were trying to get a bill before August. Now it's maybe before Christmas.
But it sounds like Harry Reid is still putting the threat of reconciliation out there:Discussing health care, Reid told the crowd of several hundred that he would prefer bipartisan legislation on health care reform rather than a bill with only Democratic support. Reid said he planned to "work for a couple of weeks" at giving bipartisan efforts a chance when Congress reconvenes in early September. If Democrats' olive branches fail with Republicans, though, then Senate Democrats will go ahead with a reconciliation process that requires just 51 votes rather than a filibuster-proof 60 votes, Reid said. The move would allow Democrats to pass a bill without any Republican votes.
I would guess about the middle of September, the Republicans will ask for "an extension," will propose a "back to the drawing board" kind of thing with "pledges of bipartisanship." Reid will accept this as a good faith gesture. The actual goal of getting anything done will be extended virtually indefinitely, till after the first of the year, then perhaps March, or July at the latest. By then Reid will finally notice the Republicans' scheme. Of course they will have been undermining the efforts continuously throughout this whole time, obvious to all but Harry.
Then when August of 2010 rolls around, we'll be in the full swing of the midterm election and it will be too late. Then the Republicans will suggest we wait till January when the new senators and representatives are seated. And you get the idea ...
Does the Senate ever get anything accomplished? I suppose I could look it up. But have they done anything in the last two months besides vote on Sonia Sotomayor?
Good, I guess. We put our hopes in President Obama to get this done. But if it's not going to be done right, with a public option, then I hope it is Dead On Arrival.
I'm trying to reserve judgment, not really knowing all the facts, but I'm seriously hoping President Obama knows what he's doing. So far I'm disappointed that he's allowing the Republicans to drag him around by his nose. It's his legacy, but we're the ones who suffer.
It's time for him to channel his inner piranha -- his inner George W. Bush, if you will -- and take charge. I don't remember five minutes during the entire Bush administration where they cared what the Democrats thought. Why do the Republicans even have a place at the table?
We desperately need a decent healthcare system in this country. What we have now is insane. But if President Obama can't get it done, we may as well wait for the next guy.
