McConnell On Health Reform: ‘It Would Be Good For The Country If It Failed’

[cal04]

This morning on Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) argued that the country would benefit from the failure to pass health reform:

HUME: Let’s assume that for the purpose of this question, which is in raw political terms is it better for the Democrats and worse for the Republicans if the bill passes or if it fails?

MCCONNELL: What’s important is it would be good for the country if it failed.

“I think the politics are toxic for the Democrats either way,” McConnell told host Brit Hume. “Whether it passes or whether it fails, it will be a huge issue not just in 2010 but in 2012,” he said. Watch it:

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/01/17/mcconnell-health-care-fail/

It’s telling that McConnell believes that a Senate health reform bill which would cover more than 30 million uninsured Americans while reducing the deficit is bad for America. McConnell appears to have made a political calculus that health care reform must be defeated in order to help Republicans’ electoral prospects.

Ironically, when Rush Limbaugh declared “I hope Obama fails” shortly before the President’s inauguration, McConnell strenuously disagreed. “No one wants Obama to fail,” McConnell said. But by the end of the year, McConnell’s aides were calling Limbaugh “to explain their tactics” to defeat Obama. “McConnell’s office did call here and say that they are opposing this,” Limbaugh informed his audience.

As President Obama has said, “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done.” But that is in fact what McConnell is doing.

[MercutioATC]

1. I'm all for health care reform...but not THIS health care reform.

McConnell is right.

[tridim]

2. .

:rofl:

Might as well go ahead and say Rush is right too since he agrees with you and McConnell.

[MercutioATC]

4. On the specific issue of whether to kill this bill, he is.

Pssst....he's also right if he says that the sun rises in the east. Not EVERYTHING conservatives (even the really repugnant ones) say is wrong.

[tridim]

5. Everything McConnell and Rush says is wrong.

Now I can add you to the list.

It's stunning that you don't understand that your new friends are working against the people and for the status quo. Just look at the Chamber of Commerce ads all over television.

[vilanye]

6. psst..

Obama and the dems in both houses are working against your interests as well.

It is amazing how well the 2 major parties have convinced so many that the are fundamentally different.

[tridim]

11. Thanks mods for the tombstone.

[MercutioATC]

8. The lack of critical thought is staggering.

...and I'm positively shattered that you've added me to "the list".


:boring:

[tridim]

12. I bet you are.

Your 5 post buddy just got tombstoned.

But I'm sure you'll just keep on fighting against democrats on DEMOCRATIC Underground. Typical.

[Leopolds Ghost]

20. "I've been called paranoid by entire nations of assholes..."

"But I know who they are... and they're on my list!!"

On Edit: but yeah, that other guy was probably trolling...

[SOS]

21. Check this out

According to the calculator below, a guy like me would be able to get insurance for $86 a month (Senate version).
If true, this would be the first time I could ever afford insurance.
McConnell isn't looking out for me.

http://healthreform.kff.org/SubsidyCalculator.aspx

[OHdem10]

3. It has been no secret that at the very beginning the Republicans

got their members together. Boehner, GOP Leader of the House:"It
will be in our best interest to oppose this Health Care Bill."
From day one, they have organized to oppose this at every
stage.

Watching Television on a regular basis, most Americans knew
this.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. McConnell is correct when he says the politics are toxic either way

I cannot believe the Dems and Obama have painted themselves into this corner.

If the bill does not pass, then the Democrats look feckless if they can't pass a bill with majorities in the House, Senate and Congress. Especially since HCR was one of the MAJOR issues in the 08 Presidential campaign and was supposed to be the signature legislation for "change we can believe in".

On the other hand, if it passes in anything close to the Senate version, there will be so much ammunition for the Republicans/Teabaggers and anyone else to take aim at, it will like shooting wolves from a helicopter - no real cost controls, no drug negotiation, no drug importation, mandates, excise taxes, and on and on and on.

The Dems had one choice when they took this on - write a good bill that helps people immediately and reduces costs and brings them in line with the rest of the world and that eliminates the fear of all American families that they will go bankrupt if they get ill. They did not pass a bill that meets this description. They failed. By choice. They preferred to craft a bill that left the profits of their two greatest contributing industries in place at the expense of the American citizen.

President Obama didn't need to make any deal with Pharma. He could have just done what he said he would do in the campaign - push for negotiated drug prices like the rest of the world and institute a real public option to act as a competitive wedge to drive down costs. He CHOSE not to advocate for those positions. The White House CHOSE to kill Dorgan's bill that would have saved more than the Pharma deal in order to preserve the Pharma deal. It's not just the President - seemingly most of the Dems helped to kill off meaningful reform. I wish the Democratic Progressive Caucus had stuck to its guns and said - Nope, no public option, count us out.

Anyway, the Dems and President Obama sowed a giant field for our opponents who are definitely going to make hay with it to our collective long term detriment.

I think the only thing the Dems could do is say - "Guess what? we've been listening to you, America. We see there is not enough real reform fast enough in the bil we have written. We are going to start all over until we get it right. Until that time, we are opening up Medicare to the uninsured because we have to do something to save lives."

[tsstranger]

9. Reform

I want REAL health care reform, not a bill that's nothing more than a handjob for the insurance and drug companies.

Insurance companies are not in the health care business for health care, they are in the business for profits, the more profits, the better.

[jpak]

10. Wow, McConnell sounds like a progressive - Vote Brown and Kill The Bill!!111

:sarcasm:

[jschurchin]

13. jpak, just a quick question

What insurance company do you work for?

[jpak]

15. None - but if you like the status quo and think everything is fucking hunky-dory

and don't have a preexisting condition, or don't have insurance for you kids or don't have any insurance at all...

by all means Kill The Bill

it's cool and hip and o' So Progressive 'er Repubulican or whatever...

[jschurchin]

16. This bill, as it stands now

is nothing more than a gift to the health insurance industry. Our representatives in the house and senate had an opportunity to truly reform the way health care is administered in the United States. Instead they bowed to the interests they truly represent.

If you think for a second that this legislation, as it stands right now, is any thing but a gift to the insurance industry in our country, then you are a idiot.

[jpak]

17. so you like the status quo

your talking points have been noted

and they are made-up and repeated by idiots

[jschurchin]

18. No. I do not.

What exactly is the status quo? Oh yeah, health insurance company's administering health care to the people of the United States.
And this bill does what? Continues the administration of health care benefits by Insurance company's.

Care to explain how this bill, REFORMS health care in America?

[jpak]

19. Why don't you go back and look it up yourself - there have been hundreds of threads on it

It is BETTER than we have now, and if it fails, all these so-called "progessives" will rue the day.

Just sayin'

[jschurchin]

22. Well, we disagree.

I really don't believe it is better. Just more of the status quo. I have been called a lot of thing's but never progressive. Usually socialist, which is actually fairly close to my position on social issues, although I am quite conservative economically.

So you see, I am a huge proponent of Single Payer. It has been proven, worldwide to work. Free market Insurance based, does not. If it did, more nations would use it. Instead only the United States does, and now we have a bill that wants to reinforce it, for all Americans, and somehow people believe this is reform.

[jpak]

23. I've lived in Canada and I know that single-payer works and well

Killing this bill just because it is not single-payer is just plain stupid

[spanone]

14. it would be good for the country if kentucky voted this partisan shit out of office