Yep, I'm going there. Regardless of your feelings about the Senate health care bill, the fact is it would expand coverage to 31 million Americans, including millions of poor Americans through an expansion of Medicaid. It would impose new regulations on insurance companies. It would provide subsidies for people who need help affording coverage. It is a sizable step forward in re-writing the social contract that exists between the government and the people. And if the house rejects it, I'm staying home in November.
The House doesn't want to pass the Senate bill as is. I get that it's not fun to be big leagued, to be told basically that all the hard work you spent on this issue has amounted to nothing. But this sudden attack of ego has led to delusion. There are now Reps. who are saying the bill should be broken up and passed in both the house and Senate as smaller bills. John Yarmouth said it. Bill Delahunt said it. Really? The fatal flaw in this plan, one I would think any of us could see, is that the legislation would still have to pass the Senate. What has anyone seen that makes them think the Senate would pass such a bill? They don't want to talk about health care anymore. No one in the GOP will cross over to vote for it. It is not going to happen.
Then there is the wet dream of all liberals, reconciliation. You only need 51 votes after all. Where are the votes? Don't point me to something Jon Tester said in October. Democratic Senators were saying they needed to slow down before the votes were counted last night. Why would they want to go through reconciliation to vote for something they don't want to begin with? They don't want a public option. They don't want medicare for all. The way they see it, they did their part on health care. They will not vote for it again.
Over at TPM they've posted an account by a reader who made a call to Barney Frank about his recent comments on HCR. Here is what was told to them by Frank himself, not a staffer:
I asked him about Democrats' prospects in the 2010 election if they don't get something done on health care. He told me it would be worse electorally for Democrats if they passed the bill versus dropping it and facing voters having done nothing.
Really? I didn't know we sent people to Washington to do nothing with dignity. I thought we sent people to Washington to get shit done. Maybe becasue people in congress don't have to worry about paying for health care or putting food on the table or making a mortgage payment, they think it's okay to not pass a bill because it's not perfect. But what about those of us who worry about those things? What's that saying, beggars can't be choosers? I'm a beggar. I'm begging for some kind of HCR.
And Barney Frank really thinks doing nothing will inspire voters? Not this voter. If the Democrats fail on this, I will be inspired to stay home. I'll vote for the President in 2012, and I'll vote for candidates in the future. But any incumbent in Congress who runs this year or in the future will never win my vote. Because they had the chance to answer the call history, and they let it go to voice mail.