Roy Blunt was bloviating from a podium in Congress yesterday and in doing so confused the battle for the war:
Mr. Speaker, if the Energy and Commerce Committee had continued to work today, I would have introduced an amendment to require all federal elected officials, including the President and Vice President, to set aside our health care benefits and enroll in their new idea of a government-run health care system. If the majority is really so confident that their plan will provide the very best health care for the people we represent, we ought to demonstrate that confidence by enrolling ourselves.
I, for one, don’t believe a government-run health care plan will be the best for the people we represent, but a government competitor will soon be all that is left.
A government competitor, Mr. Speaker, would be like an elephant in a room full of mice. The fast mice get out of the room as quick as they can, the slow mice get crushed, and only the elephant is left.
In fighting so hard to prevent reform of any kind and whining so incessantly and with such empty conviction about bipartisanship, Blunt has forgotten that the current plan is already a compromise. The President and Democrats, unencumbered by a neanderthal party, would enact the same plan for the American public that they themselves get.
In forgetting, he leaves himself open to a damaging counter punch. Imagine the President or soem other prominent advocate for reform saying something along these lines:
Congressman Blunt's criticism is absurd and disingenuous. But even taken at face value, I would much prefer making the plan both Rep. Blunt and I enjoy available to the American public. Sadly, political realities prevent this from being possible at present, mostly from people dedicated to blocking reform of any kind, like Congressman Blunt. But we will continue to bring the best possible plan to the American people, despite the strenuous efforts against reform of any kind by people like Mr. Blunt.
We have to remember that we're in a war and this is merely one battle (albeit, a significant one). When this bill is passed, the battle may be won, but the war will be far from over. Blunt and the Republicans have forgotten that already, having already hung Obama's entire presidency on this one thing. If we're to win the war, we can't allow ourselves the luxury of forgetting that.