I don't know how many of you are old enough to have watched the incomparable Gilda Radner from the original Saturday Night Live do her commentary on the SNL News segment. She would generally start off with: "What's all this guff about ..." and then she would offer a topic like "Eagle Rights Amendment" or "Endangered Feces" and once she had gotten all worked up about how silly these ideas were she would be gently corrected by Chevy Chase or Bill Murray. When she realized her mistake she would exclaim: "Oh, that's entirely different. NEVER MIND."
That's where we are at right now in our Congress. An entire year of seemingly endless (to the general public anyway) haggling over each of the million nuances of health insurance reform, and with Republicans playing their stall, obstruct and obfuscate strategy masterfully, the Democrats one vote away from historic legislation, have said: "Never Mind".
That's the most frustrating part of this to me. I have been a strong supporter of President Obama for about 2 years now and strongly believed he would help transform this country much more quickly and effectively than a re-run of the Clinton administration would have. The idea of giving Hillary and Bill another chance to screw up health insurance reform was just not acceptable to me. Obama was the guy who could do it and do it right.
Here we are now a year later and with a mandate squandered through inept attempts at bipartisanship, and what do we got - nothing. "Never mind" says the Barack Obama. "Never mind" says Nancy Pelosi. "Never mind" says Harry Reid.
It's time to duck and cover and go into the fetal position, that they can all agree on. Leadership, shmeadership.
Some in the Democratic Congress say: "Let's start over" (sounding just like our favorite Senator Olympia Snowe). "We just can't vote for the Senate Bill". Then aided by their FDL enablers say: "It's a terrible bill and a huge corporate giveaway anyway, so NEVER MIND."
Never you mind. That's the message form our glorious Democratic Leaders in Congress. All that talk about this being the single most important piece of legislation in our lifetimes was just talk. We were kidding. It isn't. In fact that status quo or some truly watered down version like the NYT is talking about today are preferable to the Senate Bill.
Because it taxes some union health plans. Because it doesn't have a public option. Because it doesn't allow at a minimum an early buy in to Medicare for 50 year olds. All of which could, of course, be fixed through reconciliation. All we needed was a little leadership.
Oh that's right, Democrats don't do leadership. That's too elitist and UNdemocratic. How dare the President of the United States come out forcefully with a plan. How dare he take a stand. How arrogant of him if he does. Doesn't he know that American Public does not want this bill to pass, despite the fact the virtually everything in the bill enjoys great support when actually and calmly explained to the average voter? Why should common sense trump fear and ignorance? Forget it. Drop the whole thing. We are wasting our time.
45 million uninsured; you are on your own. Subsidies to buy insurance; who needs it. Medicaid expansion; sounds like governement takeover to me. "Pre-existing" and "rescission" you magnificent twins of profit; you're here to stay. We love you.
And most of all to any of you who actually thought a Democratically controlled Congress and White House would pass something good for the American People: Never Mind.
Who will be the first late night comedian to exclaim: "You know if Barack Obama were still alive, this would never have happened".