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Oh, get this:  On Morning Joe this morning Pat Buchanan, far-right-wing pundit and former Republican presidential candidate, actually said about Healthcare Reform — “A lot positive here.  Republicans, (in Congress) some of them said 60 % or 70% is really good.”  Now don’t get me wrong here, he’s still in favor of running against healthcare in the next election as a politically good move — he just thinks that the majority of the bill is “really good.”  Are we over being shocked by Republican hypocrisy?

UNITED FRONT

Nick Anderson / Houston Chronicle

Will the Republican Party have a political price to pay for their pattern of obstructionism and use of scary, fear-mongering predictions — that simply turn out to be wrong?  Like:  Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and mushroom clouds.  How about:  Clinton’s raising taxes on the rich (with not one Republican vote) will destroy the economy.  Then there’s:  Bush’s tax cuts on the rich will lead to a healthy, thriving economy.  How’d those prognostications work out for you, Republican Party?

Now we are hearing:  This Healthcare Reform will destroy the economy.  It’s Armageddon.  There are death panels in the legislation.  It’s a socialist, government take-over of our country.  Healthcare Reform will have tax-payer-funded “abortion on demand.”  It’s the end of freedom.  Or even the latest:  This new law is unconstitutional.

This is a law that moderate Republicans in years-gone-by would have loved — following the support of the American Medical Association, AARP, and the hospital industry.  But those moderates are gone, replaced with ideological right-wingers.  And now the Republican Party is a party of wing-nuts and naysayers.  While being the party of “no” may bring them an electoral win in the short-term, in the long run it defines Republicans as incapable of governing our nation, because…well, they don’t believe in government!

At some point, will the American people stop and evaluate the credibility of the Republican Party, and their spawn, the Tea Partiers?  

Already some of the Republicans are trying to pivot away from their previous lies and misinformation about Healthcare Reform.  A few Republican leaders and pundits have begun to say, “Well, we’ll reform the bill, not repeal it.”  How do you reform Armageddon?  And over the weekend I heard a righty pundit say, “You know, I don’t really mind the health exchanges.” 

Uh huh.  You’re sooo believable and trustworthy, Republicans.  The next time Republicans tell us that the sky is falling because the Democrats are actually doing something for our country, let’s all say together, “uh huh, yeah right — you’re sooo credible, Republicans!”

The heavy lift is over.  Having passed the House of Representatives, the Healthcare Reform legislation goes to the Senate where it will pass.  This bill is not all that we wanted and hoped for, but it is a momentous breakthrough in our move toward universal healthcare in America.  Ninety-five percent of Americans will now be covered by healthcare, secure that they cannot be thrown-off of their insurance  coverage.  This is a step toward finishing the promises of so many presidents, Democratic and Republican.

Historically, this accomplishment will likely be seen as among the boldest of American presidents:  Social Security;  Medicare;  Civil Rights;  and Healthcare Reform.  This is a transcendent and transformative healthcare law.  And, change is coming — but not overnight as when LBJ signed the Medicare bill and said, “Medicare begins tomorrow.”

This time change will come in steps.  It will take four years to change the existing system and cover 32 million people.  The change will be driven by subsidies, a mandate for most Americans to have insurance, employer obligations, and the establishment of health exchanges where Americans will buy insurance.  There will be new rules for insurance companies that will bar them from denying insurance to sick people — both by explicitly barring companies from refusing to insure people with pre-existing conditions, and barring them from kicking sick people to the side of the road once they need treatment.

America owes much to our elected officials who have had the courage to stand up to all the political scare tactics, distortions and outright lies.  Let’s not forget to say “thank you” to our representatives in Congress.  This was not an easy vote for many of them, and for many this was a courageous vote of conscience.

Wow.  From time to time — when I get deeply cynical, — this amazing country we live in can surprise me.  I’m kinda feeling like I did on the night that our citizens voted to elect Barack Hussein Obama as the 44^th President of the United States of America.  It feels really good, and can be so surprisingly delightful, when our country does the right thing in the face of angry opposition.  I’m so proud of our country tonight. 

We are a center left nation!

Called our representative in the House today, just to say, “Please thank Congresswoman Eshoo for her support for Healthcare Reform.  And let her know that we’re holding our breath.”  The young lady who answered the phone said, “We’re all holding our breath.”  

I think that’s the reality of the situation.  This thing’s not locked down yet — and we’re all hoping and waiting to exhale.

The nation is holding its breath.  We wait.  For more than sixty years we’ve waited.  We think the waiting is almost at an end.  The 2010 Healthcare Reform legislation will be the beginning of a new day in America.  We’re holding our breath — and waiting.

Well, here it is:  more proof that the Republican Party is not to be trusted to tell the truth.  While ranting at the top of their lungs that Obamacare is a socialist plot, this Republican admits the truth in the New York Times.  William F. Pewen, a former senior health policy adviser for Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, states the following at the end of his NY Times editorial today:

“Three in four Americans say the health care system needs to be overhauled, and many provisions in the pending legislation have strong support.  What’s more, the core of the Senate’s legislation closely resembles the very bill the Republicans offered in 1993 as an alternative to the Clinton plan.”

(We added bold to Mr. Pewen’s quote, and want it to be read as if we were raising our voices to a very high decibel!)

*****  Love this article.   It’s an amazing analysis by Les Leopold titled, Why Are We Afraid of Taxing the Super-Rich?   What a great take on the status of the American tax system and how it works in the “real world” economy (a favorite topic for us).  For the entire article, CHECK-IT-OUT.

*****  Here’s an update on the Senate Healthcare legislation as it applies to abortion insurance titled, Pro-life Group Urges Congress to Pass Senate Healthcare Bill, by Thomas C. Fox — an issue we tackled in an earlier post.              

           “Twenty-five pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders yesterday sent letters to members of Congress urging them not to let misleading information about abortion provisions in the Senate health care bill block passage of sorely-needed reform.” 

           “Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a Washington-based advocacy group, said that the Senate health bill upholds abortion funding restrictions and supports pregnant women.”  For the entire article, CHECK-IT-OUT.

*****  Here’s another great example of the infamous Republican hypocrisy.  According to the Republican Party (and their notorious troglodytes, the Tea Partiers) Obamacare is nothing less than a Democratic attempt to implement a socialist, government take-over of our health care system.  If this Democratic plan is a socialist big-government health care plan, then why — oh why, does it look so familiar? 

           Senator Lindsay Graham claimed, on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, that the Massachusetts health care reform plan — which was implemented under Republican Governor Mitt Romney — and voted for by newly elected Massachusetts Republican Senator, Scott Brown — is not similar at all to the Healthcare Reform being proposed for the nation by the Obama administration.  But, as stated at Think Progress:

           “In fact, the plan implemented by former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney in Massachusetts is very similar to the Democratic proposal.  Both plans require people to purchase coverage and both provide affordability credits to those who can’t afford insurance.  Both create insurance exchanges, both establish minimum creditable coverage standards for insurers, and both require employers to contribute towards reform. 

           “Even conservatives see the similarities between the two plans.  The public option has now vanished from the Obama plan.  Which means that the federal plan bears a closer family resemblance than ever to Romney’s idea,” according to former Bush speech writer, David Frum.

           “American Spectator’s Philip Klein said there “Ain’t” any substantial differences between the plans.  The key parts of the Democratic proposal are the same as those elements that formed the core of Romneycare, Klein adds.”  For the entire article, CHECK-IT-OUT.

We’ve taken a good hard look at the Ipsos/McClatchy Poll on healthcare reform, covering a six month period of time.  Polling started during the last week in August, followed by two polls in October (the first week and the last week), then again the last week in January and the last week in February.

The favorability vs. unfavorability of the current healthcare reform legislation is about the same at the end of February as it was in August of ’09 — with a 41% favorable to 47% unfavorable.  The unfavorability peaked in January with 51% unfavorable and favorable at 37%.  But the numbers seem to be returning to a more even level.  In other words, the winds appear to be shifting once again, this time in our favor.

The more interesting data is found after digging a little deeper into the numbers.  People who said they were opposed to the current healthcare plan were then asked the following question: 

“You said you are opposed to the healthcare reform overall.  Is that because:”

1. You favor healthcare reform overall, but think the current proposals don’t go far enough to reform healthcare — 37%
2. You oppose healthcare reform overall and think the current proposals go too far in reforming healthcare — 54%
3. Not sure — 10%

The interesting results here tell us that a whopping 37% of the peopled polled who said they are against this healthcare reform plan, oppose it because they feel it does not go far enough to reform the system.  This 37% (those who didn’t like the reform because it doesn’t go far enough) of the 47% (those generally against reform) adds over 17% to the number of people polled who want a strong healthcare reform bill passed.

The 41% of people who approve of this healthcare plan, plus 17% of people who actually want an even stronger reform plan brings the number to 58% of the American people who want our country to have universal healthcare and stronger regulations on the health insurance industry.

That doesn’t quite jibe with the current Republican talking point that the American people are against healthcare reform.  And, don’t forget this amazing number: 10% of those polled who are against healthcare reform, don’t know if they oppose it because it goes too far, or not far enough!

Okay, that last one is the Dem’s fault — our side has not explained what this plan for health reform is all about, and the Republicans are calling it socialism.  So that explains the 10% of the 47% that are just plain against this ‘rotten’ plan and they don’t have a clue as to why!

So, go-go-go White House.  And hello, Congress:  if you blow this one you surely do not deserve our support.  Get ‘er done, and we’ll have your backs.

Here’s an article that helps explain the differences between the Senate Healthcare Reform abortion language, and the language in the House’s legislation.  Basically both versions of the healthcare bill prohibit federal funds from being used to pay for abortion, except in the cases of incest, rape or to save the life of the mother.  And, neither of these bills restricts abortion. 

Both pieces of legislation provide a path to purchase abortion insurance.  Here are the differences.

• The House version prohibits insurance companies from offering abortion services if they accept federal subsidies.  And, basically, all insurance companies would accept federal subsidies because that’s how we as a country are going to give access to healthcare to 30 million more Americans — and insurance companies want access to these new customers.  The House language, written by Congressman Bart Stupak, says that if a woman wants abortion insurance coverage she must buy a separate insurance policy just for that service.
• The Senate legislation, written by Nebraska’s Ben Nelson, says that insurance companies can offer abortion services even if they accept federal subsidies. BUT if a woman and her family want that separate insurance she has to pay for it with a separate check sent directly to the company in order to not co-mingle federal funds with individual citizens’ funds.

Whew.  According to Washington and Lee University law prof, Timothy Jost, the only difference between the two bills is an administrative technicality.  If a family wants abortion insurance,  “What Stupak says is you have to buy a separate policy, and what Nelson says is you have to write two checks,” said Jost.

“There’s no public funding of abortion.  And people who don’t want to pay for other people’s abortions wouldn’t be forced to do so,” Jost added. They could simply pick a plan that doesn’t cover it.

How dumb would it be if Healthcare Reform failed to pass over such a tiny technicality?  Shame on you, Bart Stupak, if you cause this legislation to go down.  And, if you do, be sure to know that you will be held accountable at election time — keep looking over your shoulder and thinking, “Blanche Lincoln, Blanche Lincoln, Blanche Lincoln.”

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