Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Et Tu, Blue Dogs?


Everyone knows there's more than one way to eat a Reese's, but turns out there's also more than one option when it comes to a public option. For health care, of course!

So while our dear friends in the Senate Finance Committee have (shockingly?) voted down not one, but two amendments adding
a government-run health insurance plan to the reform legislation, there is still a chance the public option might live to see another day when the full Senate takes a look-see instead of just the grumpy, tight-wads running the Finance Committee.

Never mind the Republicans rationale for killing both very different but equally evil public options, since they denounce all proposals that don't boost their bottom lines, re-election chances, or the likelihood of a certain black U.S. president getting the ol' one-term heave ho out of the let's keep-it-that-way White House.

While Republicans naturally hate anything that helps anyone ever, most Democrats (who aren't from Montana or one of the Dakotas) support the public measure, and are locked in heated debate over the best ways to craft it.

But even the eager-beaver efforts of Democratic Senators Jay Rockefeller and Chuck Schumer to find budget-conscious solutions without hurting the precious insurance industry (patients eh, less so) by offering an affordable, fair, and viable public alternative for health care wasn't enough to convince some of a complete government takeover. Perhaps the worst to happen since the U.S Postal Service mercilessly crushed competitors Federal Express, UPS, Airborne Express, DHL, and other struggling corporate behemoths??

Good thing Senate Finance Committee chairman Montana 'Blue Dog' Democrat Max Baucus' sound reasoning for voting against both amendments: that a public option wouldn't pass the Senate--only makes sense if the Dems keep acting like a bunch of GOP-whipped pussies scared of straight-up filibusterin' their asses into submission. Just your typical twisted Democratic need to put manners ahead of progress. Call it winner's guilt. Sure, they might not get anything done about a health care system that leaves millions uninsured and bankrupts the economy, but at least no one can say they weren't polite.

Manners people!

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