Maine's Republican Senator Olympia Snowe brought gasps to the Beltway when she uttered the deep yet obtuse phrase, "When history calls, history calls..." and voted for the Senate Finance Committee's health insurance reform bill. She voted for it because it didn't have the dreaded public option. We wouldn't want to save taxpayers money and give them more choices, would we?
TPM talked to Snowe today and she said "it would be difficult" to allow a health care bill to come to a vote in the Senate if it had the dreaded public option. Difficult? DIFFICULT? You want difficult, Senator Snowe? Try getting turned down for insurance because of pregnancy, past C-section, or being a victim of domestic violence? How about going bankrupt from health care expenses, even if you have insurance? What about the 45,000 people per year who die because they don't have health insurance? Do you think maybe it is difficult for them and their families?
Spare us your concern, Senator Snowe. We have government administered Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans' Administration, and federal employee health care systems providing quality care for a reasonable price and the country has not imploded. History IS calling, Senator Snowe. We have the best opportunity in 50 years to save taxpayers money, make small and large businesses more competitive, and greatly improve medical care for tens of millions of Americans. If you can't vote for that, Senator Snowe, go ahead and vote no. But if you aren't willing to answer the call of history, at least have the decency to vote for cloture and stand out of the way of the people who are.
Cross-posted at The Left Coaster