Health Care on the Floor
It was an interesting display of political theater. If there is such a thing as American values, its best and its worst have been on stage in the monumental grappling over health carer reform. With Saturday's close vote of the Democratic caucus to bring their health bill to the Senate floor for debate a lot was revealed about how the process of our government functions. That process will now move forward to what promises to be a raucous and lengthy argument between Democrats and Republicans and between Democrats and themselves. With so-called moderate Democrats such as Ben Nelson (D-Co.,) Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) announcing that they will likely not vote to pass legislation if it includes a public option, the die may be cast. The rejection of the idea that the American public should be given the right to choose their health care from a non-profit, government administered competitor to private insurance could still prove to be the death knell for meaningful reform.
Make no mistake. What the country is about to witness is nothing less than a battle royal over the soul of the nation. Now, as the debate hits the floor, there will be one key question: who will be left standing when its all over?
It was an interesting display of political theater. If there is such a thing as American values, its best and its worst have been on stage in the monumental grappling over health carer reform. With Saturday's close vote of the Democratic caucus to bring their health bill to the Senate floor for debate a lot was revealed about how the process of our government functions. That process will now move forward to what promises to be a raucous and lengthy argument between Democrats and Republicans and between Democrats and themselves. With so-called moderate Democrats such as Ben Nelson (D-Co.,) Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) announcing that they will likely not vote to pass legislation if it includes a public option, the die may be cast. The rejection of the idea that the American public should be given the right to choose their health care from a non-profit, government administered competitor to private insurance could still prove to be the death knell for meaningful reform.
Make no mistake. What the country is about to witness is nothing less than a battle royal over the soul of the nation. Now, as the debate hits the floor, there will be one key question: who will be left standing when its all over?
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