By this time tomorrow, Senate Democratic majority and their caucus-mates will have successfully overcome the threat of filibuster by the GOP and Conservadem opposition and voted in favor of the health care reform bill. Granted, this bill is a disappointment to many, and a betrayal of the promises made during the 2008 campaign. But it is nevertheless a symbolic victory over Republicans who threw everything but the kitchen sink in its path.
As likely as it will snow in Vermont, Senate Republicans will return home with a false illusion of triumph, claiming that they had successfully stifled an attempt at progressive legislation, thus earning the gratitude of ardent Teabaggers across the nation. No matter what the outcome of conference proceedings aimed at reconciling the Senate and House versions of the bill, every GOoPer that will be running for office in 2010 will do so while making the claim that they spared America the nightmare of Socialism (which is almost as abominable as the heartbreak of psoriasis).
But the dirty little secret is that Republicans cannot, in all honestly, take credit for the gutting of healthcare reform legislation. All the heavy lifting was done by their kindred spirits; the Conservadems. Nelson, Landrieu, Lieberman, and Lincoln, to be exact.... The GOoPers needed only to sit back and watch much like spectators at a bar fight. Any notion that the Senate Republicans, guided by the sensitivities of our so-called "Center-Right" nation, should be rewarded for their role, is preposterous.
Furthermore, truly progressive health care reform legislation might have already been passed, given the likelihood that any GOP filibuster attempt would have failed, but for the help of duplicitous Conservadems. Real, meaningful reform would have included a robust public option, if not an actual single-payer plan, real competition to effectively lower health care costs, and most importantly, real reform of health care and insurance industries that would eliminate collusion and monopolies, as well as re-invigorating anti-trust measures. But instead, we can thank the Conservadems for the thin and flavorless soup that will be voted on tomorrow, not to mention the Democratic Senate leadership that appeared to lack the backbone to twist arms. Where is LBJ when we need him?
Not only did Senate Republicans do nothing tangible to affect the outcome of the HCR bill that we now have, for better of for worse, but they failed miserably to obstruct what came very close to being the most far-reaching piece of progressive legislation since the 1960s. We can let the DINOs take credit for that one, and may they pay a dear price for doing so. One more example to illustrate the notion that when you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.