If Democrats kill health care bill, Lieberman and Republicans win

[BirminghamExaminer]

Excerpt. I've thought about this for a long time and even though I'm very discouraged and disappointed by our wimpy Democratic House, I've finally decided that we need to pass the bill. Read the rest of the op-ed here.

Some progressives and liberals feel betrayed by President Obama and say that he will lose their vote in 2012. Some have said they will vote against their state Democratic leaders in 2010 if they vote for the watered down bill. Others say they will vote against their Democratic leaders if they don't vote for the health care reform bill.

There is a lot of anger among Progressives and rightly so. But it's time to take a moment, step back from the fray and above it. The bickering and anger is exactly what Joe Lieberman and Republicans want.

If no health care reform bill is passed at all because Dean and other Democrats are successful in killing the bill, 2010 and 2012 look bleak for Democrats. It's probable that Republicans will win back some seats in the House in 2010 if no health care reform bill is passed at all. Do we really want to comtemplate the thought of the Republicans' best candidate, Sarah Palin, in the White House? Do we really want to go back to a Republican majority in Congress or a Republican White House?

It's time to pass the bill. It's not a perfect bill, few are. I am disappointed with the watered down health care reform bill. But if we kill the bill as Dean and others suggest, who wins? Joe Lieberman, his health insurance industry patrons and Republicans win, that's who. Republicans would love nothing more than for the infighting among Democrats to result in a killing of the health care reform bill.

[DJ13]

1. They win EITHER WAY

Forcing people to buy insurance will be the greatest campaign gift the GOP could ask for.

[BirminghamExaminer]

3. I know, that's the very worst part of it IMO

But there is a hardship clause in the mandate so people with low incomes won't have to purchase insurance.

On the other hand, if we want the Republican health care reform, we'll just all have health care savings account and lower taxes for the rich even further.

[BP2]

7. Think of all that Insurance Company Lobbyist $ the Pukes get next year

Since October, the Insurance Company stocks are UP, not down.

Aetna
http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=AET#chart1:symbol... ;range=3m;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined

Wellpoint
http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=WLP#chart2:symbol=wl... ;range=3m;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined

ETC


They're laughing all the way to the banks they co-own with the bankers, who also got bailouts.

:banghead: The joke's on us. ha ha

[doc03]

9. No I think taxing our benefits is even better than that n/t

[GMA]

10. Don't know of a single Republican

who wanted people to be forced to buy insurance.

[BirminghamExaminer]

12. So now you're a Republican?

Actually I live in Alabama and went to a town hall meeting here in Birmingham. Our representative told us he wanted a health care mandate and the masses of supplicants cheered.

[swilton]

22. +1

Two peas in the same pod

[NJmaverick]

2. This is not an unreasonable position to take

if there was no GOP or one that couldn't possibly pose a threat, we could all act different. However they are there and they are still dangerous. They have built a first rate media propaganda network and as long as they have that they are a very serious threat.

[dkf]

4. They've lost me. Why do they think they would win the wishy washy when they

Can't win the people who have a clue?

[dbonds]

5. Republicans win bigger if it does get passed.

It has everything a republican could want, but might not be popular, and they don't have to put any skin on the line to get it. Just sit back, take the benefits, and let the dems take the blame.

[lapfog_1]

6. We can't be passing bad legislation because we are afraid of

what the "scorecard is" or what the Repukes will say. They are going to claim victory no matter what. There isn't a public option, so that means the Tea Baggers that went to those town hall meetings WON!!!! And they will proclaim THAT victory as Obama's Waterloo.

If we kill it, they will proclaim THAT as Obama's Waterloo.

See a pattern here???

Good grief.

[doc03]

8. If Democrats don't kill "this" health care bill

Lieberman and the Republicans still win.

[BP2]

11. You're absolutely right! This will only

embolden the very Insurance Companies we're trying to kill.

Now, they will only get more powerful and throw money even more $ to the Pukes in 2010.

Congrats - Obama won on HCR, but the Pukes will only tweak the bill in 2011 to benefit the Insurance Co's even more.

What's wrong with this picture?!

[Robbien]

13. Is "winning" in politics all you care about? Go ahead and screw the average Joe

just as long as it can be counted as a "win" then that is all that matters. Almost every single American is screwed because of this bill (except of course the rich elite) but hey who cares. Dems can count it as a "win". Partay!!!!

[BirminghamExaminer]

15. No, but preventing another 8 years of a Bush type government

scares the hell out of me. I am angry too, if you read the entire op-ed, you will see that. I think we have a bunch of wimps in the White House and in Congress. But to kill the bill is cutting off our own noses to spite our faces.

The practical side of this is that the liberal base which I consider myself part of, is against the bill as it stands now and if we succeed in killing the bill, that will make us and Republicans happy. The moderates and independents will be angry that the Democrats have failed to do anything as usual.

Do you really want to vote your conscience and end up with Mitt Romney or Sarah Palin as president? I quit being an idealist when the nation elected George W Bush a second term.

[Robbien]

17. Having a democrat in charge does not make anything better

Wars are declared and expanded on whims under our new Dem Pres, just the same as they were under the GOP.

Dems exceed GOP in passing bills which benefit the elite. The GOP just gives the money to them in tax cuts while Dems cut them a check straight from our treasury.

The only real difference so far is that we have not had to put up with Cowboy talk while the WH is screwing us.

[BirminghamExaminer]

18. I'm as mad at Obama and Democrats in the House as you are but

I would still rather have them in charge than Republicans.

We did get the Lily Ledbetter fair pay act enacted.

We got ARRA enacted.

We got credit care reform.

Obama hasn't declared an axis of evil. I could go on.

[Robbien]

19. No, Obama hasn't declared an axis of evil. He doesn't bother with that cowboy talk

He just goes ahead and drops bombs on countries he doesn't like. I expect Yemen is none to happy that a Democrat is in charge right now.

That credit card reform bill is a joke. It is the reason why everyone got letters in the mail recently from their banksters informing us that our rates have doubled, tripled or quadrupled. The "reform" in the bill has so many loopholes it is a license to steal for banksters.

So there were two little okay bills which passed this year, both of which stopped the public from losing what it already had. There have been hundreds of bills also passing this years which gave more and more and more to the elite.

We are worse off today than we were in January. Dems are real good at scorning lefties and catering to the rich and powerful. Even better at it than the GOP.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

14. The Repukes are still running WA.

Both parties are playing good cop/bad cop.

Also, I don't want to be threatened with the Palin in 2012 rant. The people that would vote for her will do so regardless of how this
plays out. Frankly, I don't see that much difference between a either party in control. The wars are escalating, the corps are
fat and sassy, Wall Street is seeing record profits, the GLBT community is still discriminated against and unemployment is unchanged.

I'm no longer willing to accept the crumbs they throw my way.

[BirminghamExaminer]

16. okay

[bertman]

20. Yes indeedy, EmeraldCityGirl. You are right, right, right.

[tomm2thumbs]

21. Lieberman is just like a sniper - proving one man can terrorize a hundred

or a thousand, as is noted about the power of snipers in war

[yurbud]

23. the problem is, Dem leaders in Congress make no attempt to take out sniper

or even make his targets harder to hit.

They stick to their stupid rules so they can use Blue Dogs as an excuse to betray us.