Greg Sargent has the most inane line of argument yet today from the Republicans in the SFC mark-up--gubmint medicine is bad, but the Medicare is wonderful tap dance, exploited beautifully by Chuck Schumer.
First Grassley praised Medicare as part of the country’s "social fabric," but then predicted all kinds of frightening consequences from the public option amendment that Schumer and Senator Rockefeller are proposing today.
In response, an incredulous Schumer asked Grassley how he could predict the "horrors of a government run plan" while being "supportive of Medicare."
"I just don’t understand the difference," Schumer said. "If Medicare is good and part of the social fabric, that’s a government run plan. The main knock you’ve made on [our amendment] is it’s government-run. Medicare is government-run, and most people like it very much."
Grassley responded that the government-run plan would deny people "choice" and would lead to a "single-payer system." He continued that "if you want competition you don’t want the government running everything," adding that government is a "predator."
"So you don’t wan’t Medicare," Schumer rejoined.
"I told you that Medicare is part of the social fabric of America," Grassley retorted.
Well played Senator Schumer.