The Republicans, Insurance Companies, and Lieberman Won! Kill The Bill! Let 45,000 Die!

[TomCADem]

Forty-five thousand people die from lack of health insurance each year, and Republicans and Joe Lieberman, are doing their best to kill them. It is time to admit it. They won.

Bring on the new age of McCarthyism, as Republicans role Congress in 2010, impeach Barack Obama, and persecute minorities, gays and lesbians, and roll back abortion rights based on their mandate in the 2010 elections. Perhaps this needs to happen, so that Americans who blow off the manic screams of Glenn Beck, will finally realize that this type of right wing extremism represents a clear and present danger that is piped into the rooms of millions of households daily.

Perhaps, when the Republicans fuck up the nation even more than they did in the Bush years, it will be easy to pass progressive legislation. Because corporations will be enlightened by how much they fucked up the nation, and not devote millions of dollars to opposing a progressive agenda. If I wish hard enough, but do nothing, maybe it will all be better.

Yes, we just need a magical leader to descend from heaven, whose mystical spirits of leadership cause even Republicans and conservadems to vote with him, and the left not to abandom him at town halls filled with hate filled crazies. We need someone with some secret, mystical PR plan that causes Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and the rest of Fox News to see the light.

Lets blame President Obama, but lets all give the Republicans a free pass, because after all, they are Republicans. A solid 40 Republicans are voting against, and opposing every effort at reforming health care, but lets blame the entire Democratic party for the actions of someone who is not even a Democrat, Joe Lieberman.

Finally, lets not blame ourselves for our collective inaction, and refusal to put pressure on the Republicans. Instead, we shout out and attack Democrats, but give those who would openly celebrate the death of health care reform, a free pass.

:sarcasm:

[eleny]

1. How many more will die because they can't afford the mandatory insurance?

Who decides who will get the subsidies?
Who will decide the criteria for charging older people more for their insurance?

Yes, I blame the Democrats for not standing squarely behind what they know is good for ordinary working class Americans.
Yes, I blame the Democrats who value corporate dollars more than they value my life.

[Atticus]

7. WORD---but, I'm just too damn sad and disgusted to say more, right now. nt

[county worker]

2. Dems run this Congress. Repubs did not make this bill what it is.

Why do you rob banks? That's were the money is. Why pick on the Dems? That's where the bill is.

[TomCADem]

5. Its Wonderful Being A Republican! 40 Unaccountable Senators!

It is interesting how liberals AND the right wing give Republicans a free pass. They simply mail in their vote, and require the Democrats to all agree on the same bill, which allows an anti-choice senator like Ben Nelson and a non-democratic insurance kiss ass like Lieberman to call the shots, because they do not give a shit if the bill fails.

Of course, if a few Republicans actually bargained in good faith, then we might have a decent bill, rather than having to pander to the worst of the Democrats.

But, instead, the Republicans enjoy a free ride on the talk shows, the media, and even on DU.

[Atticus]

10. "---if a few Republicans actually bargained in good faith---"

And, if we could just get pigs to fly to market, we'd save the cost of transportation.

It has been obvious from the get-go that the Republican Party had no intentions of supporting ANY meaningful Health Care Reform sponsored by or supported by Democrats. Hell, they ANNOUNCED as much! So it's not so much that we are giving them a "free pass", it's that no one with their head not WAY up their ass considered them anything but irrelevant and obstructionist from day one.

Viewed from this perspective, attempts to involve and include these cretins only served to steadily erode the credibility of both the President and our Congressional "leadership". We would have been better served by a clean and honorable LOSS on a responsible Health Care Reform bill last September than we will be by a tawdry and cowardly "win" with this embarrassing insurance company cash cow.

It may feel better to criticize the GOP whores, but some of "our own" have been making their living on their backs for quite a while. They need to be called whores BY US and called to account for it, however painful that may be.

[laughingliberal]

3. We didn't need the Republicans to get Health Care Reform. We had the

votes to stop filibusters and everything else. We needed Democrats to be Democrats. There will still be 20 million left uncovered by this bill and many more who will have something called health insurance they can not use cause their out of pocket expenses are $10,000 per year. That's after they spend the equivalent of the payment on a second home on their premiums.

[freddie mertz]

4. Many, perhaps most, will not get the coverage.

It's going to be too expensive.

No real price controls.

What you are more likely to get if this passes is a popular uprising against the people imposing this murderous burden on an underpaid and over-stressed electorate.

And the end of the Democratic party as a viable political entity.

[rollingrock]

6. It's like being held at gunpoint by a mugger

while he is telling you 'your money or your life?'

you will survive if you give him all your money, but you end up bankrupt and destitute.

that's some choice. but that's the same kind of choice that this bill is giving you, and the mugger is the insurance industry.

[AndyA]

8. Keith Olbermann summed it up nicely tonight

"...the
President
of
the
United
States
has
not
provided
the
leadership
his
office
demands."

I agree. Obama has been vague on the subject and has not clearly stated what he wants.

[kelly1mm]

9. Do you blame the scorpion for being a scorpion? nt