The Democratic Party Leadership has done the IMPOSSIBLE!

[bvar22]

The have revived a dead Republican Party and given them Credibility for OPPOSING Health Care Reform (in its current incarnation).

Most of America is going to be outraged when they open their new HealthCare Package and find a HUGE bill from the For Profit Health Insurance Cartel.
They WILL blame the Democrats...and rightly so.

This Health "Care" fiasco has given the Republican Party seats in the 2010 and 2012 elections,
and probably the White House in 2016 (if not 2012).

ALL the Democratic Party had to do to bury the Republican Party for a generation was to begin the incremental expansion of Medicare, and let the Republican Party campaign AGAINST Medicare.

But no.
WE had to have a "uniquely American solution" that is FAR inferior to what the rest of The Civilized World takes for granted.

Unfortunately, for the first time in 45 years of straight Democratic Party activism and voting, today I find myself joining the Republicans in calling for the defeat of this sham of a "Reform" bill.


If this bill passes, the Democratic Party will have transfered MORE Public Wealth to the Private For Profit Corporations than the Republicans could ever dream about.

Up is down.
Black is white.
WAR is Peace.


Do you remember THIS Democratic Party?

"In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens."--FDR, Economic Bill of Rights

Well, THAT Democratic Party is DEAD.


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[sui generis]

1. Shut up and vote! Your vote doesn't count anyway.

you and your fringe "special interest" issues.

:sarcasm:

:hi:

This hangover is going to hurt for a long long time - everyone but us designated drivers.

[kenny blankenship]

2. They really do have magical powers. It's like they miss the Republicans and want them back in power.

You're right, passing real health care reform would have buried the Republicans 10 feet & head down.

[daleanime]

3. And that is both of the reasons for this bill....

:puke: :hurts:

[still_one]

4. As someone on DU summarized what the HCR gives us yesterday:

1. No Single Payer

2. No public option

3. No expanded Medicare coverage

4. No drug re-importation

5. No cost controls

6. No renegotiation of drug prices

7. Capped annual coverage for care

8. Individual mandated coverage

9. Anti-trust exemption for insurance companies

10. A tax on middle class insurance plans

11. Taxes that start up in January, but benefits that don’t start until 2014

[OKNancy]

6. I guess I'll be double shafted

"Taxes that start up in January, but benefits that don’t start until 2014"

I'll have to buy insurance I can't afford, and pay taxes for five years...but I'll be 65 in 2014, so no benefit at all.

[chill_wind]

7. There's a winner for you. 11 Easy Pieces.

I can't decide which part's my favorite.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. I'm feeling quite prescient today

Phoebe Loosinhouse (1000+ posts) Tue Aug-25-09 06:30 PM
Original message

You know all those people who supposedly love their healthcare?
Whatever percentage they may be, they exist. They currently have what they consider to be decent affordable coverage through their employer.

Now imagine that the Dems pass some sort of insurance reform. Imagine that few if any Repubs vote for it. Imagine that the healthcare the Dems pass is seriously flawed with giveaways to the insurance and drug industries. I could cite numerous things I have read, but suppose just a few of them make it through to the final bill. ( Larger co-pays, no drug price negotiation, delayed effective dates for banning prior conditions, etc.)

The day AFTER the bill is signed, the Republicans run around proclaiming that the reason they didn't want the bill is because it is a BAD bill, filled with CORRUPTION and payoffs to the health industries pushed through by those very bad, very corrupt Democrats. Some of the facts of the bill might be quite difficult to put a different face on, particularly if they ARE the result of back-room, secretive dealings. Now imagine the resulting anger multiplied by about 10,000 when people open their very own healthcare packages that they had previously been satisfied with and DISCOVER the bigger co-pays, etc?

Who is going to bear the brunt of this anger? The Democrats will be sent to the woodshed and into oblivion for the next 20 years.
They will become painted as the party of corruption and pay-offs. Forget whatever good the bill might do, or however many previously uninsured it might cover. That will all be lost in the resulting Maelstrom. You think you have seen Dem hating and liberal bashing? My friends, we have seen nothing compared to what will be unleashed.

Of course there is one action the Democrats could take that could prevent all I have described.

They could reject poor leadership, bad judgment, expediency, over-compromising, however you want to describe what appears to be going on and PASS A GOOD BILL, one that puts the people before the insurance and drug industries.
********************************************************************************************************************************

sigh. It's not like the handwriting wasn't on the wall.

[freddie mertz]

8. Wow. I guess we should all have seen it coming.

This will kill the Democratic party for a generation, and since I'm 56, for the rest of my natural life.

[Mithreal]

9. K&R with great sadness

[LastNaturalist]

10. Passed the first healthcare reform bill since Lyndon Johnson? Yes I agree.

I think they're great too.

[western mass]

11. They accomplished what they set out to do