Call me SKEPTICAL. Why? Rahm Emanuel is a Blue Dog Democrat, nothing wrong with that and warranted in some cases, but health care INSURANCE reform is not a Blue Dog negotiation issue. Why? The Blue Dogs in the House and Senate has STOOD WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANIES.
Now, there are many moving parts in negotiating and I will keep a skeptical open mind, but some things are not negotiating points, as follows:
1) Getting rid of caps on insurance policies
2) Removal of pre-existing insurance clauses
3) The government run public option
The above is non-negotiable. Why? Because people are dying every day from lack of enough insurance or no insurance, insurance coverage has capped out (a dollar amount is on MOST policies), denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, and lack of affordability in the word of competition for these public insurance companies.
If the three items listed are not in the bill, for me it is welfare for insurance companies. If the Obama White House thinks that people are asleep at the wheel, think again, they are not. President Barack Obama campaign against all three items ABOVE and strongly, if he cannot get these Democrats in order to tow the line, what does that say about him? And PLEASE, George W. Bush practically got EVERY DAMN THING pushed through with LESS numbers than Obama from his party. It is time to wield the power and twist arms, if this cannot be done for a CORNER STONE PIECE OF LEGISLATION of the Obama Agenda, it is failure. If those three very important components are not in the final bill it will be used against the Democrats from 2010 going forward.
The Democratic Party is a big tent party, we accept all visions and arguments, but the Democratic Party has been fighting for health care reform since the days of Harry S. Truman when he wanted health care for all covered by the government. Barack Obama's election was a CHANGE ELECTION. Obama did not win by 1 or 2 points but almost 8 points carrying some states that the Democrats have not won in over 40 years, like Indiana and Virginia. If the Democrats cannot understand the continuous polling numbers on what the PEOPLE want and that is a public option and all the above, then whatever happens going forward starting with the 2010 mid-term elections is not good, then they shot themselves and have to work AGAIN to gain confidence.
And if the Obama White House, which they have not rescinded, but demands that people BUY insurance from these corrupt industries, but none of the above, the joke will be on them. How can you force people to PURCHASE insurance but don't have the main components listed above for some type of reform? This is criminal and insurance welfare to these disastrous companies and I am being NICE in writing this.
Don't be dumb, Democrats, this is too easy to win.
And Dr. Paul Hochfeld on Countdown with Keith Olbermann:
h/t MinistryOfTruth
And don't miss Keith Olbermann's HOUR LONG SPECIAL COMMENT on Health Care Reform, targeting the industry, the Congress and Obama White House, tonight on MSNBC, 7PM (CST)
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