When Max Baucus unveiled an early version of the Senate bill in September, an ex-WellPoint VP named Liz Fowler was listed as the author. Only a few weeks earlier, the Huffington Post exposed the sweetheart deal negotiated between the White House and PhRMA in exchange for $150 million in political advertising. And Harry Reid kept Byron Dorgan's popular drug reimportation amendment off the floor of the Senate until PhRMA could whip enough votes to defeat it because it violated that deal.
Dorgan accused the White House of tanking the amendment and retired shortly thereafter. And last night, Martha Coakley paid the price for those deals too. The only real question this morning is, how more Democrats will lose their seats before they decide to stand up to the corporations?
Reports on the Death of Health Care Are Premature
In the wake of Martha Coakley's defeat, both Representative Barney Frank and Senator Jim Webb have said that jamming a health care bill through before Scott Brown can be seated is not the right thing to do. And they're right. Any attempt to do so will look like an effort to bypass the will of the public to facilitate a giant corporate giveaway.
But many on the Hill are also saying that the Massachusetts defeat means that health care reform is dead, fearful that what happened to Martha Coakley will happen to them, too, in 2010.
That's about as feasible as Wile E. Coyote trying to turn around and run back across the bridge that is crumbling behind him. There's only one way to go.
As Jerome Armstrong says, "The Democrats have less than 10 months to start governing as a people-powered party, or they will lose both the House and the Senate." The damage is done. Unless the Democrats move aggressively to right the perception that they are the party of backroom deals and massive corporate bailouts, 2010 will be more of the same.
Step One: Stop Letting Joe Lieberman Run the Party
There will certainly be no shortage of those ready to extract the wrong lessons from the Coakley loss. Joe Lieberman, Mr. 31%, says it's a sign that people "don't like all the partisanship and deal-making here in Washington" and that "they're really skeptical about this health care bill." He doesn't mention that it's his health care bill they don't like, or that making the bill was made unpopular as the price of his vote.
Step Two: Independent Approval in Swing Districts Soars With Addition of a Public Option
A new FDL/SurveyUSA poll of NY-01 shows how Lieberman's bill is affecting the race in that district, one of many that the Democrats are at risk of losing in the next election. Incumbent Tim Bishop would have a narrow lead over GOP challenger Randy Altschuler if the race were held today in a contest that was rated "lean Democratic" by Cook's Political Report.
People were pretty evenly split when asked if they supported a bill with a mandate to buy private insurance, with 50% saying it's a good idea and 44% saying it's a bad idea. Support fell dramatically when they were told that they would be fined up to 2% of their income for failure to comply, with 40% saying it's a good idea and 57% saying it's a bad idea. But when the option to buy into a government-run Medicare program was added, 63% of likely voters (66% of independents) supported it and 33% opposed even with the fine. Even support among Republicans shot up 23%.
Polling done for HCAN last September found similar results nationally, indicating that likely 2010 voters "oppose a mandate to purchase private insurance by 64% to 34% but support a mandate with a choice of private or public insurance by 60% to 37%."
Joe Lieberman was personally responsible for killing the public option/Medicare expansion in the Senate bill.
Step Three: Be Bold, Take On the Corporations With "Sidecar Reconciliation"
The good news? Nobody needs Lieberman's vote to pass either one any more. The non-budgetary "fixes" like banning the exclusion of those with pre-existing conditions have already passed the Senate. A public option -- or an expansion of Medicare -- can be added through reconciliation, which takes 51 votes. The Republicans certainly had no fear of using reconciliation when George Bush was in office. And the Democrats are going to need to do so in order to make good on their promise to fix the excise tax to benefit of the middle class, which will cost roughly $60 billion. But their options for doing that are limited by the process itself: they can pay for it by the savings from a government program like a public option or an expansion of Medicare. Or, they can piss everyone off and raise taxes.
That looks to be where Gerald Nadler and Anthony Weiner are headed. They indicate that "the only way they could sign on to the Senate bill is if it was accompanied immediately, or even preceded by, a separate bill, making a number of major preemptive changes to what they regard as an inferior package," per Brian Beutler.
It's called sidecar reconciliation. And the 65 members of the House who have pledged to vote against any bill that does not have a public option should be looking into it seriously tonight.
Ezra Klein says that "a Democratic Party that would abandon their central initiative this quickly isn't a Democratic Party that deserves to hold power." I would add that if they don't stick to the principles they profess to hold and stand up to the lobbyists they've kowtowed to from the start, "holding power" won't be anything they have to worry about.
Read more reactions from HuffPost bloggers to the Massachusetts special election
Follow Jane Hamsher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/janehamsher
After Tuesday's election, President Obama and some Democrats in Congress are now considering scaling back health care reform.
That would be a huge mistake--so MoveOn is launching an emergency campaign to save health care reform.
Step one is running a newspaper ad with thousands of names of folks calling on Democrats to step up and pass real reform with a public option.
I just added my name to the ad--will you join me at the link below?.
http://pol.moveon.org/bold/?r_by=18657-9098714-kMS8AVx&rc=confemail
Thanks!
The White House pays attention when they see a petition signed by millions of voters. Let's work to have 10 million signatures by Jan. 28th.
It's too bad the administration has to face becoming the minority party, but that's really their problem. Having been a Democrat all my adult life, I found it disheartening and disgusting that Republicans wouldn't do something to rein in George W. Bush. His administration was horrible, and the Republicans had a responsibility to do something, but they all sat back and let him nearly destroy the country for 2 terms. I am proud of Democrats for making it clear to Obama and his handlers that he isn't going to get that kind of indulgence. Shape up or ship out. We don't need a president who sees his greatest accomplishment as being voted "Mr. Popularity." This isn't Harvard now. This is a country desperately in need of relief, and if Obama can't take this very serious problem seriously, then let him try out for American Idol, and make room for someone with a solid grasp of what is needed. He's surprised to find that his constituents want him to carry through on his campaign promises? He didn't realize that his base would desert him if he became Republican-lite? I will not vote for him if he decides to run for a second term. So, he has a problem. He not only has to bring in more voters but he has to replace the ones who have left in disgust.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of FREEDOM -- and that government of the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, for the PEOPLE, shall not perish from the earth.
GIVE US OUR PUBLIC OPTION!!!
Interestingly, when he gave this speech at Gettysburg, Edward Everett (the leading orator of the day), told Lincoln that he said more in 2 minutes than he did in 2 hours. We sure could use this refreshing approach to brevity and substance in our current political environment.
I believe it appropriate to include the previous line in this speech:
"in a larger sense, we can not dedicate...we can not consecrate...we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."
The humble Abe appropriately gave credit to the fallen, little realizing his words would become immortal. The memory of those who have given the "last full measure of devotion," sadly, is diminished by the folly that corrupts our politics of the day.
Rather than SAVE LIVES, The PHONY "pro-life" REPUBLICAN Party's OBSTRUCTIVE OBJECTIVE is to back-stab and "break" our President. The SELLING OUT of 30,000 Americans to appease the REPUBLICAN Party and ENRICH insurance companies (whose PRIORITIES are PROFITS instead of the PEOPLE they PILLAGE) will bring the house down on the heads of DEMOCRATS (even though only a handful of BlueDog Dems insisted upon it).
WE THE PEOPLE want a PUBLIC OPTION to "keep them honest" and "keep costs down"!!!
beneath a canopy of dust. What can ye then achieve? How can ye atone for your past failure?”
（ Baha'u'llah ，Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah，p. 320）
This is how to contemplate our conditioned existence in this fleeting world:"
"Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream;
Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
Or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream."
"So is all conditioned existence to be seen."
Thus spoke Buddha.
From "The Diamond that Cuts through Illusion" Chapter 32
If you really are serious about the Democratic party getting re-elected than you must become stealth and fight back with the fact that you are the "Champions of the people and not beholden to the Corporations" like the Republicans are. Force them to vote yes/no by expanding Medicare. If and when they will vote NO (which we know they will have to) call their bluff and expose them as the charlatons that they truly are and the enemy of the common working man.
Do what is morally right, because if the Republicans get elected again you will be the cause of the downfall of America. Soon after taking a majority in office, do not for a minute think that they will not work to eliminate Medicare, Social Security, Banking and Corporate regulation, Unemployment Insurance, and any other kind of safety net for the average working man. Lord have mercy on us if that happens, is that what you want for your party's legacy? I don't get it!
At least you will restore the free-thinking people's faith in humanity if you act decisively and overide the Repulbican opposition by bypassing Corporate Healthcare inerests. At least you will go down in history as the party of "YES" and not as the party of "NO!"
Case in point: Max Baucus the senator who had single payer activists ejected from the Senate building and jailed last Spring, has received close to $4 million from the healthcare cartel!
Barack Obama received $20 million from the healthcare interests for his bid for the presidency in "08. Any wonder why the proposed healthcare legislation sucks?
I voted for Obama and despite his obvious flaws I respect him as a human being. However my eyes have seen the glory! We need a viable third party alternative to the corrupt electoral system we have now!! If this is not possible then an out and out revolution would be the only solution. Until either occurs, we are just engaging in wishful thinking.