I don't want to pronounce judgment on the health care bill because a removal of Lieberman's support for an expansion of Medicare is a pretty big deal. I do have a really good example of the above quote though, not from the world of politics but rather from TV. I wrote about it here when it happened but I'll sum it up in this post as well.
It has to do with Terminator.
Remember Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles? I loved that show, as did many others. It wasn't perfect though, and there were admittedly a few slow episodes during Season 2 which really brought down the ratings. Near the end of Season 2 it began to pick up again but for many it was already too late, and many online were saying that the show didn't deserve another season, they didn't support it because John Connor wasn't becoming manly enough quick enough or they didn't like how much attention was being paid to Sarah Connor's mental condition, or John's girlfriend was an annoying character or what have you. Blah blah blah.
And then the show was cancelled. No more Terminator, and there's certainly not enough momentum to create a new one at the moment. For the time being (5 years, 10 years, maybe more) we won't be treated to any more, imperfect or not.
Here's a scene from the show for context.
Now fast forward to this fall. Terminator's gone. Let's see what took its spot. If you don't know what show replaced it you may want to sit down for this, or get a glass of water or something. It's that bad. Okay, here we go:
That's right, instead of Terminator we now have an inane comedy that deserves a spot in the dictionary next to the term bromidic. No offense to the people that created the show because they didn't cause Terminator to disappear, but it really is no comparison.
So when discussing the bill, do think about next year and the year after that. When the Senate is working on a boring bill next year that compares to the health bill in the same way this new show compares to Terminator: TSCC, think about whether you'll be happier then with the bill passed the year before, or not. I say pass it, but then again I'm a Canadian living in Korea so I have no stake in this besides a wish to see the US and its people prosper.