It’s come to a point now where the moment I hear the phrase “Democrats praise compromise”, I have a Pavlov’s dog style shudder go up my spine. The new health care plan is out, and as expected it’s a disaster. In no small part because… the public option is gone.
The idea of a full-blown government-run insurance option, heatedly debated for months, would be jettisoned under the tentative agreement reached by Senate Democratic liberals and moderates and announced Tuesday night. In its place would be the expansion of Medicare, as well as new nationwide private plans to be run by the same agency that oversees the system that lawmakers use for themselves and their families.
I almost feel like conducting a eulogy. Rest in Peace, Public Option.
What drives me up a wall is that the public option was the damn compromise to begin with. Using the phrase “full blown” in reference to it is just insane. The liberal quarters were clamoring for a full public health plan across the boards, to replace the currently privatized health insurance scheme. However, we all realized that it would never pass, so it was watered down to a public option, and now even that’s been whittled away.
Behold, the Democrats’ MO. They start with what they think the Republicans will accept. The GOP then says no, and forces the Dems to bend further to make the right happy. It doesn’t work, and then they compromise some more. All the compromising is on the left.
This is probably because the right is willing to stand firm and the left really isn’t. Lieberman’s “I will filibuster any bill with a public option” declaration struck fear in the hearts of Democrats. Anyone seen a frenzy about any Democrats who will filibuster a bill without one? I rest my case.
And everyone probably wonders why a lot of the opposition of health care reform is coming from the left. This “compromise” is pathetic. A slight expansion of Medicare and more privatizing. Fantabulous.
