If the GOP kills any health care bill, they can kiss any hopes of gaining seats in Congress, my take on it. DItto for the "blue dog" Republicans.
Within the past couple of days, some heavy weight labor unions have unequivocally stated they will not support anything like the Baucus bill now on the table. We need a public option if ever universal health care is to be available in this country and health care costs brought within reason. Several physicians organizations are stumping the country for a public option in any health care bill for they know it is the only way to assure that everyone is covered and costs brought down.
It should be no secret that the current favored health care bill was written by and for the fat cat insurance industry and all the scare messages of 'socialism' and other patently outrageous fear messages is coming from them.
It remains to be seen just how many more of our population will wake up and see the true picture of what has been going on in DC -- against our best interests and wishes -- which of our representatives are representing their constituents -- and which are owned lock, stock and barrel by corporate interests instead.
It may get down to 'screw the ideologues' and 'pass a bill that makes sense.' Let us hope so.
haha I was trying to post ...**WEG** and EONS wouldn't let me...I have a feeling of paranoia now!
posted by suea46
about 1 month ago
The sands are shifting. Exit polling showed that the peoples number one concern is the economy with health care coming in second or third. Two states, Virginia and New Jersey, just elected Republican Govenors. President Obama made 5 seperate appearances in NJ with seemingly little effect. So with these results Gotham do you still think the Democrats have as strong a chance to ram a 2,000 plus page health care bill down our throats?
Whether you want to admit it or not there is a growing grass roots movement to stop the runaway spending, and if the economy (jobs, housing, banks loans) doesn't improve by the 2010 elections, it will be tough for the Democrats to hold on to their majority. The President has to deal in substance now, not rhetoric and oratory.
Just my opinion.
Both parties haven't learned the primary lesson - the independent voters are the ones who win elections these days - and they are not loyal to either party. People are sick of the blatant partisanship. I'm sick of the refusal of both parties to work with each other. Their goals are the parties power, not the American people. This is very evident when either party is in power and shuts the other out of the process or the minority party is only interested in the failure of the majority party, by any means necessary.
The New Jersey governor had pissed off a good portion of the state as long as a year and a half ago. I was living in the area then and people were so dissatisfied with his handling of the tax and budget problems, plus corruption scandals there was a move to ask him to step down. The only way the Dems could have won NJ is if he stepped aside and they fielded a fresh candidate. His loss had nothing to do with national politics, but with the way he has run New Jersey. Virginia is heavily GOP, all but the extreme Northern County, Fairax which is home to many who work across the river in DC, a better educated more affluent population than the rest of the state. They tend to vote Democratic. Virginia has always been a swing state, at best.
The health care bill is still being shaped, portions cut and amendments added. I agree that spending priorities are a big issue with every American. The money being spent in the Middle East on wars we cannot win, the money given to banks that now sit on those dollars instead of lending out to fuel our economy, and turn around and raise credit card interest to Mafia rates -- either one of these financial boondoggles are sufficient to fund health care so 40,000 Americans don't die a year. That's far more casualties than the soldiers we are sacrificing in the Middle East. Since Teddy Roosevelt, every American president has wanted universal health care for our people. It is a fundamental human need. Rather than piss the money away on wars in the Middle East that are unwinable, at best or give it to financial institutions to use to become even more huge.
