ATLANTA— Johnathan Cohn, writing in the The New Republic, gleefully informs us how Democrats can plausibly manage to pass the hugely unpopular, enormously costly and ultimately disastrous “health reform” bill. He says they can do it by the following means: the House of Representatives can pass the Senate bill by a narrow margin (probably 218 votes again) and then amendments to that bill can be passed through the Senate using the reconciliation process, to avoid a Republican filibuster. And presto! Once the bill is passed, Democrats can sit back and enjoy watching as tens of millions of Americans are robbed of their basic rights to choose healthcare plans and providers (as Barack Obama confessed to Republicans last week), enormous new taxes and mandates wreck our nascent economic recovery, and the federal budget is set up to run at a permanent, trillion dollar deficit into eternity.
Ugh! I find the fact that Democrats are still talking about this bill horrifying. (I watched the original Terminator over the weekend for the first time in years- and the bill reminds me of the Terminator, marching after us to destroy us, unable to be crushed and beaten).
But really, what are the odds that Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi will whip moderate Democrats into shape and pass their awful health reform?
I say the odds are next to none. I’m more confident about this than I have been at any point since last August. Sensible, moderate Democrats (hopefully) recognize they face overwhelming defeat in November if they touch this thing.
I think this thing ends with Nancy Pelosi saying once again in a few weeks that she doesn’t have the votes to pass it.
I think liberals like Johnathan Cohn are just dreaming…
TennesseePaul
Stephen VanNuys
Brooklyn Daniel
The Freedom Thinker
Several different news sources (including FOX) are reporting that Democrats are continuing closed door meetings (transparency at work!) in an attempt to put together piecemeal legislation supposedly dealing with peripheral health care reform issues, but actually designed to serve as “stalking horses” to enable votes that will open the door to the changes that they really want and then can attach as riders to the bills. All of this without Republican participation, of course.
This fanatical attachment to their rejected plans, above all else, clarifies the Democratic leadership’s unbending commitment to Far-Left ideology rather than actually making an effort to address the existing problems. This unwillingness to recognize the will of the majority has been building for years and is at the point where the Lefties have too much invested to back down.
America is indeed at a crossroads. Allowing Obama, Reid and Pelosi to have their way will result in an erosion of freedom that may well prove impossible to repair.
Now, more than ever, voters in the fall elections must begin to make their wishes known to their Congressional delegations. The only way to ensure our freedom is to reward those who demonstrate the willingness to listen to all of their constituents and vote in accordance with the majority opinion – and to remove from office those who insist upon traveling the road constructed by ideologues and special interests.
Until the current Democratic leadership changes, I foresee the extenuation of the health reform monstrosity as well as other components of the socialist agenda.
Rumors have it that Democrats (behind closed doors and without Republican participation) are working on legislation in the House that will serve the role of a “stalking horse” by purporting to solve an incremental issue associated with health care. Once this bill – or bills – passes, the Dem’s will then rework it with attached riders and revisions initiated by the Senate and manage to get most of what they want.
They are well aware that once something is signed into law it is nearly impossible to repeal it and they are also planning to step forward with necessary “improvements” to deal with purposefully-designed “problems”, thereby attaining the rest of their original goals.
I don’t want to underestimate the capacity for evil of the Obama, Reid and Pelosi triumvirate. They are committed ideologues and there is no more dangerous and tenacious enemy.
That’d be a terrible move. Terrible for everyone.