3.28:10 The Aftermath

The subtitle for today's program was "Healthcare, The Aftermath." Ugh. As a barometer on what is to happen next and how we move forward, Mr. Gregory moderated between Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Keeping within the context of a focus poll, which indicated that 50% of the people disapprove of the passage of the healthcare legislation. The answers from both Senators addressed this number but they also provided a clarifying philosophical difference between the parties. Mr. Schumer stated that the bill will become more popular as the provisions take effect and ordinary Americans start seeing the benefits of the reform. Meanwhile, Mr. Graham essentially called the bill a ponzi scheme that in reality would not save taxpayers' money, and that the process was sleazy - back room deals containing 'tricks and gimmicks.' - will become more and more popular as they are see the benefits of the bill. And though Mr. Graham did not explicitly discuss what Republicans intended on doing to repeal many of the measures, he did emphatically state that legal action would taken up by state attorney's offices in a vast majority of the country, with the inclination of repeal.

The major difference here is not whether one man or the other is right, but really in the direction they're respectively looking. Mr. Schumer explained that as time move along (in the near future), people will see the benefits, while Mr. Graham speaks and eludes to repeal, as do his Republican colleagues, which is reverting back to the how things were in the past. This illustrates a distinct matter of perspective - looking forward vs. looking back. Now that seems to be unfair to characterize one party as living in the past. So to provide another tact, one party sees how things are and move forward accordingly, and the other moves forward according to how things should be (as seen in the mind's eye) accordingly to a narrower part of the population.
Not to mention that Mr. Schumer was referring to the substance of the bill, while Mr. Graham was still focusing on the process. This is hypocritical at the least because (and we won't get into all the specific example, but the Bush tax cuts would be one) Republicans have employed the same tactics and will do so again - it's part of politics.

[As an aside: Senator McCain said this week that Democrats and the Obama Administration can expect no more cooperation from the Republican party this year before the midterm elections. Pretty fun considering that they never cooperated with Democrats in the first place.]

We would like to coin the phrase that 'Fear is so 20th century,' but we can't because in actuality 'Fear is so 21st century,' at least for 50% of the population. Republicans, with an assist from the Tea Party 'Movement' (the legitimacy here is still at question as far as we're concerned) effectively sold fear better than the Obama Administration sold the benefits of what they were doing. Political cudos to them, but good politics is not always good policy. And it bears repeating, repeating as many times as it takes for this to sink in. When the Republicans controlled the congress and executive branch for six years, the only thing they did in regard to healthcare was Medicare part D, which essentially took money from ordinary Americans and enriched the pharmaceutical companies... doughnut holes and no-competition clauses.

It's the cosmic 'wait and see' at this point as to how it all shakes out. However, if Mr. Obama can get unemployment down to around 7%, frankly, no one will give a shit about healthcare... they'll just love it.

But Republican strategist, Mike Murphy, said that it is a bad bill because of the cost, not the access that it provides. To counter, Democratic strategist, Bob Shrum (not one of our favorites), explained the benefits and the recorded conclusions of the Congressional Budget Office that says the bill will actually cut the deficit over time. Understandably, we received another healthy dose of talking points from each side, but that's what they're paid to do.

What was very telling were the reactions and comments from Presidential Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham.

Ms. Goodwin: "The Battle has only begun and Republicans won it with falsehoods."
This isn't some one who writes about history, but has eye-witnessed it during Lyndon Johnson's Presidency when he enacted Medicare and then Civil Rights legislation.

Mr. Meacham: "The opposition is disproportionate to the legislation." This is the most concise and accurate description to the opposition to the bill. And from the Tea Party people, hyperbole can and should be expected. We would expect the same from people representing a far left cause. However, inflammatory language and hyperbole coming from members of Congress... "baby killer, armageddon, sleazy, etc," disqualifies that individual speaker from being taken seriously.

And that's what the Republican politicians just don't get. Vindictive tactics and bitter statements do not contribute to the greater positive health and growth of the country. That's not to say that the Democrats always get it right, hardly, but are they more constructive, by all appearances, in their collective discourse to try something to solve the country's problems, most certainly.

3.7.10: Katy Bar the Door

President Obama said this week, "Every idea has been put on the table, every argument has been made, everything there is to say about Healthcare has been said, and just about everybody has said it." ifty-eight percent of the people don't want the bill: The Democrats are not following the will of the people, and the Republicans warn of a dangerous, 'nuclear,' option of reconciliation in the Senate to get the bill through. The only pertinent question now is when will it come to a vote. And here we are this week speaking with Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

We consider Ms. Sebelius to be a weak HHS Secretary, and therefore to avoid her talking points and anecdotes, we take on the aforementioned points. For example, she and Mr. Gregory had a telling exchange with regard to costs. Ms. Sebelius said that one of the top priorities of the bill is to contain costs, to which the moderator cited examples that it didn't.

First, it is unrealistic to say that costs will not increase in the short term, they will. In passing the bill, implementation costs money. However, over time, it is going to save money and if the Senate is miraculously successful in pushing through a public option, then you'll see some real change in the insurance cost structures. Mr. Gregory said that the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics respectively said that there is only the potential for savings. Do businesses hire an individual because they have no potential, it's exactly the opposite. So why not go with the plan with potential instead of none at all?

Fear is a cheap, easy, and expedient sell and the Republicans consistently capitalize on this emotion, and with the assistance from the media scrutinizing the minutia, 58% doesn't seem too outrageous. Nevermind that the Republicans do not have a legitimate counter argument on a way forward to healthcare reform so they attack the process - reconciliation. It is in the Republicans' best political interest to delay the vote as long as possible - if it doesn't get passed by the mid-term, which would be obscene, the GOP will get some great seat pick-ups in November. It would be a political success for sure, but ultimately (in the longer term) a disaster for the American people, but Republicans, frankly, just want to maintain the current trajectory of the country.

So to answer Mr. Gregory's question, which Secretary Sebelius did not, Healthcare will not be passed before the Easter break - March 18th. (We hope we're wrong.)

And Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) during the panel discussion (a lively one!) said that if Democrats pass Healthcare with reconciliation, it's 'Katy bar the door,' they'll be no stopping Democrats on other pieces of legislation. And this is where the slight change in the roundtable format is beneficial because points can be challenged on the spot by an individual who isn't dependent on the ways and means of winning an election, in this week's case it was E.J. Dionne, Columnist for The Washington Post.

Mr. Dionne pointed out many instances, in which the Republicans used reconciliation, namely for the Bush tax cuts (twice) and that it added $1.7 trillion to the debt. He also rightly pointed out that insurance companies are raising rates because they can get away with it, because there is no competition in states. Senator Hatch framed it as the Democrats vs. the American people because of the aforementioned poll. That's psychologically disingenuous. Americans are frustrated with the debate and the Republicans, and stupid Democrats - yes, we called them simply 'stupid' like Mr. Ben Nelson of Nebraska - watering down the bill enough that the American people are disgusted. If the public option is reinstalled, then that poll number would be the exact reverse.

If worth noting the other panel members - Fmr. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN) and the National Review's Rich Lowry - in as much as that they were both useless for this discussion. Mr. Ford tried to be the voice of reason and came up short. For Mr. Lowry of the National Review, he contributed this statement, "Speaker Pelosi is saying I 'don't order you to attack, I order you to die,'" meaning that Democrats should risk their seats to pass Healthcare reform. So don't stand up for your principals? Sounds like a Republican notion to us. Conservative writers like to intellectualize Republican positions, but as evidenced, it always rings hollow.

So yeah, Katy bar the door, from the outside, and don't let them out until they get something real done.