GOP Bullshit: Amending the bill

Anyone who has read my previous posts about the health insurance reform knows that while I support the passage at this point, I am no fan of the bill in its current form. The absence of a single payer system, or the dropping of the public option are two big failings for anything trying to be "health care reform." That being said, the bill has come this far and needs to get through the Senate with, or without GOP votes.

Making sure that they earn their status as the party of "No!" Republican senators have been introducing a slew of, frankly, common sense amendments to the current legislation. Is it because they realize that this is happening and they should not try to offer some constructive measures to improve it? Is it because they truly care about Americans' access to quality, affordable health care? If only that were the case. These insurance company backed weasels are offering these amendments because they know that if ANY of their amendments should pass, the whole bill will need to go back to the House for yet another vote, further threatening the likelihood of the reconciliation fixes taking place, which will allow them to keep tossing around terms like "corn-husker kickback", "gator aid", and "the Louisiana purchase."

Ultimately, even if their amendments are added to the bill they still aren't going to vote for the reconciliation. We can see the evidence for that in the original Senate bill HR. 3590 which did contain some Republican amendments but in the end, not a single Republican senator voted for it. So, if they aren't going to vote for it, no matter what amendments are allowed into the bill, because they are determined to say "No" to the American people and "Yes" to the insurance company lobbyists, then why should any of their amendments be considered? The GOP has no political interest in seeing this reform have a positive impact on the American people. In fact, the worse it is in the end, the better their political futures, so one must recognize that any action taken at this point is to delay, weaken, or kill the bill. It would be tantamount to allowing Toyota executives select the brake pedal manufacturers for GM.

Spineless Dems Listen Up!

Wake up Spineless Senate Democrats! At this moment the Republicans are right where you want them to be. For the next week (please don't make it more than a week) you will have the opportunity to discuss and debate (though really you'll just be clearing the procedural hurdles thrown in front of you by the Republicans) the reconciliation "fix" that the House has just sent your way. You should be able to get more than the 51 votes required, and if you can't do it easily, SHAME them.

Explain clearly to the American people that a vote against the fix is a vote FOR the original Senate bill with the Gator Aid, the Louisiana Purchase and the Cornhusker Kickback. Get out there on CNN, on MSNBC, and yes, even FoxNews and tell the American people that if the Senate fails to act now, the original Senate bill remains the law of the land with all of that wasteful corrupt money. That a vote against the reconciliation fix, or attempts to filibuster are really votes for special deals and siphoned money. If you explain this to the American people, and remember to speak slowly and pronounce each syllable clearly, you might get more than 51 votes. You might even get more than 60 votes. Hell, if you really get the message out, you might get some real bi-partisan action on the "fix".