Political Waves: Health Care Overview by Jude

Will we make history this weekend?

Perhaps. We’re anticipating a healthcare vote in the House on Sunday — although FOX News is reporting that challenges by the Pubs and another by Bart Stupak who wants specific anti-abortion language (and control over women’s body’s) could hold this up. I hope it doesn’t — the astrology looks fruitful for Sunday. But the press has scrapped the word “Sunday” and replaced it with “in the next few days.” Not a good sign.

It’s no surprise that Bart Stupak (D, Michigan) is still making trouble. He’s one of the infamous “C Street” insiders, a member of the movement that is part religion, part cult, a bit of politics. He was less than impressed by the letter from 59,000 nuns (the kind who make Catholic hospitals tick) who support reform.

He had this to say: “When I’m drafting right to life language, I don’t call up the nuns.” He listens, instead, to “leading bishops, Focus on the Family, and The National Right to Life Committee.” Since abortion has not been supported by government funds since the 70s, still isn’t and won’t be, this whole thing is a “pro-life” dog and pony show. We might want to consider, though, why a legal medical procedure is not covered. It’s almost like Brown vs Board of Education not applying to schools.

Meanwhile, conservative groups like the AMA and the AARP have endorsed today. So has the Catholic Health Association, speaking for 600 hospitals. The most important thing this year-long donnybrook — what Obama has called the equivelent of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots — has done is give us a very close look at the greed of the insurance conglomerate and how broken our system is. With big chunks of population losing coverage daily, this can’t be put off any longer. With the amount of money going out, this has to be curtailed now. One in every six US dollars is spent on healthcare.

Reconciliation is the new buzzword from coast to coast, providing us the most visible civics lesson in decades. The legislative procedure that everyone is fussing about is called the “self-executing rule.” The Pubs are selling this as a break with American principals and a sneaky underhanded tactic that is equivelent to bombing Lady Liberty. Oddly, there’s little mention that when the Pubs were last in control of Congress (2005/6) they used it more than 35 times to save time and bypass any Democratic participation. It’s hardly new and it’s less controversial, in my opinion, than the Republican filibuster of over 100 pieces of legislation in the last congressional season. BuzzFlash is framing it as “the Republican option.”

According to congressional scholar Norman Ornstein:

Any veteran observer of Congress is used to the rampant hypocrisy over the use of parliamentary procedures that shifts totally from one side to the other as a majority moves to minority status, and vice versa. But I can’t recall a level of feigned indignation nearly as great as what we are seeing now from congressional Republicans and their acolytes at the Wall Street Journal, and on blogs, talk radio, and cable news. It reached a ridiculous level of misinformation and disinformation over the use of reconciliation, and now threatens to top that level over the projected use of a self-executing rule by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In the last Congress that Republicans controlled, from 2005 to 2006, Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier used the self-executing rule more than 35 times, and was no stranger to the concept of “deem and pass.” That strategy, then decried by the House Democrats who are now using it, and now being called unconstitutional by WSJ editorialists, was defended by House Republicans in court (and upheld). Dreier used it for a $40 billion deficit reduction package so that his fellow GOPers could avoid an embarrassing vote on immigration. I don’t like self-executing rules by either party—I prefer the “regular order” — so I am not going to say this is a great idea by the Democrats. But even so — is there no shame anymore?

Both the Senate and the House have competing bills passed and waiting. Supposedly, next the House votes for the reconciliation bill, which triggers House approval of the Senate bill, which allows Obama to sign the Senate bill, which then allows the Senate to pass THEIR reconciliation bill. At the end of this tedious drill, Obama signs the finalized rule into law. The public is still supportive of healthcare reform but disapproves of the process — the above is why.

As arms are twisted to get the House votes, Obama has twice cancelled an overseas trip to be on hand. Pundits say if you’re going down in flames, overseas is the best place to be; they doubt he’d stick around if he didn’t feel a win in his bones. If nothing else, he’s shown he’s got his passion back.

The idea that this bill could pass has the Republicans close to apoplexy and they’re saying and doing anything they can to stop it. Lindsey Graham, the wee member of the Leiberman/McCain/Graham talking heads club from the Bush years, said Dem’s are “all liquored up on sake” and “making a suicide run.” Said the Senator from S.C., “My comments really reflect the fanaticism of the Democratic leadership.”

Fanatics? Really? This from the party that gave us “Dead Granny” Palin and weeping madman Glenn Beck?  [A bit off topic, but … DO open this link if you missed Stewart last night, this bit is being called the Best. Daily Show. Ever.]

Pelosi and Obama are really beating the drum to get their votes. Blue Dogs are returning to the kennel and even Dennis Kucinich will vote for the bill, in an effort not to be a deal breaker. Progressives are unhappy with the lack of public option — which Reid promises to revisit in a couple of months — along with mandate, and the new business for insurance companies. Dennis was a hold-out until this week. On the other hand, 32 million more will have access, denial on pre-existing conditions and caps on coverage will end and the bill eliminates an estimated $138 billion in federal deficits over the next decade. Once it’s done, it’s a game changer and the Dems are betting that, once in place, amendments will come easier — as have over 30 Medicare amendments over the years.

The Unions and MoveOn have been going after the hold-outs. The National Catholic Reporter and the Washington Post have signed on. FireDogLake’s Jane Hamsher is dead set against this bill, going to war with Kos over their differences. The tactical issues between the hard left and the pragmitists have created a split in the blue Party to the left, while the Blue Dogs wobble it on the right.

For myself, I consider this bill far FAR from what I wanted, resembling the landscape of a war zone complete with buried trip wires — but it’s the first honest grip we’ve gotten on this problem for more than a century. If we don’t take this initial step now things will be much worse and quickly. Without a public option the bill threatens to deliver us into the hands of the corporations down the line, so getting back to the option and doing some trust-busting has to be right behind if this is to work.

Is it a crap shoot, considering the division in the country?

Yes. But people are dying daily without what they need and/or going broke under the weight of medical bills. Is it better to crack the corporate wall, when it’s possible that it would take another decade or more before we would have the will to revisit this kind of change? I’d love to say no, that we should scrap this dog and fight to give the public what it actually wants — which is option, if not single payer — but I don’t see the people pulling for what they need, I don’t see the movement that will take to the streets and demand it. I see rage against government for not doing anything but nobody can decide what that something should look like, except for jobs; and job creation is the area in which the president has the least control.

Passing legislation of this magnitude would put healthcare designed for the public good into law, as a first step, and also put a little wind under the Dems wings … which they’ll need to keep House or Senate this year. If they don’t, prepare yourself for calls to reverse this legislation as well as demands for Obama’s impeachment. They just can’t. let. him. win.

As Rummy would say — you go to Congress with the bill you have. Even one decimated by a war zone. And that’s what it looks like today.

Jude