Yup, let's get us some more of that bipartisanship on health care reform because, well, because why, exactly? Because the country demands it? Not so much, if you can judge by Gallup's polling.
Greg points out the kicker:
Only 34% are confident that GOP leaders Congress will make the right decisions about health care reform — less than the insurance companies (35%) or the pharmaceutical companies (40%). By contrast, more have confidence in Dem leaders (42%), and even more trust Obama (58%).
Here's what that looks like in graphical form.
(Click on image to enlarge.)
Ok, so the American people might not really trust health insurance companies more than Republicans, but it's essentially a tie. They recognize that the Republicans are not approaching this in good faith, and that they are just as likely to get a raw deal from the Republicans as from the insurance companies.
So, for the 432nd time, why do the Democrats feel it is so critical for "bipartisanship" on this one? No one is demanding it except Republicans who keep showing, time, and time, and time again that they are not going to help?
This can be done with 51 votes, legally, ethically. Don't take my word for it. Listen to former Senate Republican leader Bill Frist:
BENNET: We just had Bill Kristol on. He said he’s got real doubts that [Obama] will be able to pull [health care reform] off. Bottom line, Do you think they can?
FRIST: Nah, I think Bill’s wrong. I think they’ll pull it off. ... You can drive things through a fifty vote threshold, instead of that sixty vote threshold. And you don’t do it maybe one out of a thousand bills do you do it on. But it’s legal, it’s ethical, you can do it. And it has been suggested and accepted by the administration, pretty directly that if it came down to it, they’re going to drive this thing through a fifty-vote door. And if they do that...they can pass whatever they want to. I hope that they don’t do that.