This is not breaking news, as some may think it is. When the Republicans did not stand with the stimulus bill, did anyone think they would stand for heath care reform? Not when many Republicans take huge money from health and insurance lobbyists.
Finally when you see bad polling numbers, misinformation, confusion, and actual congress members continuing the lies of health care reform, it is time to let these Republicans GO. Forget about catering to those that do not want reform or those DEMOCRATS who are tied to the bootstraps of the insurance lobbyists. The health care debate has become a political football, one the Republicans are using to drive the polling numbers of Barack Obama down.
The Democrats and White House need to explain what the public option is and what it will do for them. Until they can grasp the message, chaos and confusion will continue.
Top Democrats said Tuesday that their go-it-alone view was being shaped by what they saw as Republicans’ purposely strident tone against health care legislation during this month’s Congressional recess, as well as remarks by leading Republicans that current proposals were flawed beyond repair.
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have opposed.
“The Republican leadership,” Mr. Emanuel said, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day.”
The Democratic shift may not make producing a final bill much easier. The party must still reconcile the views of moderate and conservative Democrats worried about the cost and scope of the legislation with those of more liberal lawmakers determined to win a government-run insurance option to compete with private insurers.
On the other hand, such a change could alter the dynamic of talks surrounding health care legislation, and even change the substance of a final bill. With no need to negotiate with Republicans, Democrats might be better able to move more quickly, relying on their large majorities in both houses.
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