Will the Democrats tear up their Golden Ticket?
Posted by Steve on Jun.06, 2009
In : Health Care Reform,
Since the health insurance industry stonewalled the Clinton Administration’s attempts to drastically overhaul our trainwreck of a health care system, Americans have been waiting.
We’ve been waiting for something nearly miraculous: a convergence of conditions that would include a frightening global 
economic climate; a national realization that our system is an ineffective, unfair mess; and the election of a Congress and President with enough votes to change that system.
Guess what. That miracle is here.
But recent news points to a completely baffling reality: that some members of the Democratic party – which effectively won the equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket in the 2008 elections – are now willing to watch that ticket flutter away in the wind. But why?
When the Democrats were swept into a majority in the House and Senate and Barack Obama took the Presidency, what did those elected officials think? That their constituents voted them in because we wanted Democrats to sit back and let Congress do business as usual?
When voters handed Democrats the rare and awesome ability to override the Congressional stall tactics that have hamstrung health care reform in the past, did those legislators believe voters were urging them to accept industry-driven counterproposals as though they had no choice?
Why, when 76 percent of the American public says they would at least consider the Democrat’s proposed public plan, would any Democrat begin backing away from that plan? After all, when we voted them into office, we gave Democrats the votes to do what they have always said they would do: to make life better for every American. And a public plan could do that.
So why would Democrats rip up their Golden Ticket? We strong suspect it’s about industry money, and these numbers support that notion.
We understand why the industry opposes a public plan; it threatens the pocketbooks of private insurance. But we don’t understand why any Democrat pulled into Washington with the Obama tide would allow industry contributions to affect their ability to really make historic change.
In a recent speech to the American Medical Association, President Obama assured the medical community that he trusted that they became doctors because they wanted to heal – and not because they were driven by a desire to become rich. It’s sad to think that the President would be forced to deliver the same speech to members of his own party.
Democrats: This is your moment. It is a moment for greatness, a David-and-Goliath moment – a moment to affect every single American living and generations of Americans to come.
Democrats: Americans are watching you. We have given you a Golden Ticket and our expectations are high. And you can trust that you will hear our voices this summer as we call your offices, sign petitions, and write letters to our newspapers.
Do not let us down.
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Jun.06.2009, 03:31:53
Steve I agree something needs to be done. But just like when HillaryCare went down, the Democrats overreached. Mostly people don’t mind their healthcare plans that much. What they detest is the fact that they are afraid to leave or lose a job with a healthcare plan. They need solid “bridge” plans. Many aspects of what Hillary advocated would have improved health services for Americans. Unfortunately she had these closed meetings and said it all has to be done.
You cite the 76% of Americans that wanted to try the Democrat plan. You give the American people too much credit. They know very little about the Democrat plan, and as they find out more and more the support has eroded. Frankly the opposition to the Democrat plan only has to publish public reports on the Canadian, British, French, etc. health care plans. It leaves Americans feeling very unsure about taking a step that big.
The other big issue is how to pay for it. Some of the estimates don’t sound too unreasonable if we were operating in a low deficit environment. This country and many states are running deficits that perilous to our economic recovery. Secondly be careful of the estimates. When it comes to a new government program it usually does well to double or triple it’s eventual cost.