Signs were more than clear last August during Congressional recess that amidst the health care debate and seething town hall meetings, reform, as Democrats defined it, was being poorly received.
Town hall meetings and tea party demonstrations -- many in Massachusetts -- threw fuel on the fire.
It was not a hard message to read. The time to pass health care was then or never. Then rising unemployment, more terror --and no reform. Holiday recess -- no reform. Earthquake in Haiti -- no reform. Sen. Paul Kirk still a voting member -- no reform.
What will it take to put something up for a vote?
It took the Massachusetts Senate race, if that even does it. The balance of health care reform passage would not hang on Martha Coakley unless Washington had made it so. Tin political ears have led to this quagmire as much as the handful of weeks between Coakley's primary win and today.
According to the New York Times, "Plan B would be to try to persuade House Democrats to approve the health care bill that the Senate adopted on Christmas Eve, obviating the need for an additional Senate vote and sending the measure directly to President Obama for his signature." Then there is still the option of passing health care through the budget reconciliation process: not so germaine, but it only requires only 51 Senate votes.
The best shot they have is for the House to vote on and approve the bill exactly as approved by the senate already with no changes. If they can do that (not that easy for Pelosi) then they don't need to have another 60-vote threshold in the Senate. Barring that, it is not clear how they can get it done. Not for lack of trying, but perhaps for trying without accepting or hearing the public will.
Huff TV: Arianna On 'The Ed Show': Obama Must Offer More Than Words (VIDEO)
President Obama must move beyond rhetoric and acknowledge yesterday's Democratic loss in Massachusetts by making substantive policy and personnel changes, Arianna told Ed Schultz. During...
Bingo!!
Except I don't agree that the basic reason to pass Health Care Reform is to avoid political failure -
wouldn't it be better to pass the bill to provide - REFORM?
...and now the irony is that POS is the ONLY option?
"Loss of historically liberal Senate seat caused by weak and confusing health care bill with no public option"
Voters in MA are sending a message to the Democrats and I'm not sure I disagree with them. As abhorrent as the Republicans are, what other choice do we have but to threaten Democrats with our vote? It's not like we have 60 progressive votes in the Senate. This bill could be disastrous for the Democrats for many years to come if it passes. If they don't put together something that the vast majority approves of, the Republicans can make it their issue in every upcoming election year. Tapping into the anger on both the left and right.
I will judge the Democrats only if they give up, not if the bill fails. The media tells me that's not true. I think they're wrong.
Fait accompli..
Fanned
No one should have to be forced to buy for-profit insurance.
The Democrats have had time to go home at night, to sleep, to eat, to go on vacations. If they were really serious about getting this done, they would have put all that on hold and worked on the bill 24/7. But they haven't. They took the majority for granted and look where it led them.
And if she isn't elected, why not TRY a stripped down, smaller version with just the essentials? Take on the pre-existing conditions and setting up a smaller national exchange without a mandate? Obama campaigned saying there shouldn't be a mandate, yet the bill goes against what he said and is one of the major complaints about the bill by the right. Start there and expand to something bigger.
Brown has stated in all the debates that he wants to kill the existing bill, but wants to work on another bill. He did vote for our Universal Health Care bill here in the state. If he doesn't work on it, and turns into an extreme right winger, he will be gone in 2 years when the term is up.
Let anyone over 50 enroll in Medicare.
Cover all children with Medicaid.
Reimport drugs from Canada...
"The best shot they have is for the House to vote on and approve the bill exactly as approved by the senate already with no changes."
I think this is a very interesting blog. First, you point out that the people don't want this "reform" and then you tell us how *they* can best get it passed. Who is *they*? The insurance companies?