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.
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