David Frum: GOP won't deal, health care law won't change

[babylonsister]

Occasionally, a conservative makes sense; this is one of those times. In fact, he sounds rather disgusted.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/08/frum.gop.health.care/index.html

GOP won't deal, health care law won't change
By David Frum, CNN Contributor
November 8, 2010 12:15 p.m. EST


Editor's note: David Frum writes a weekly column for CNN.com. A special assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002, he is the author of six books, including "Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again," and is the editor of FrumForum.



(CNN) -- I'm going to get personal here. On the day that health care reform passed its final vote in the House, I posted on my blog a comment titled "Waterloo."

I said that the intransigence of Republican leaders had thrown away opportunities to negotiate improvements in the health bill -- and that Republicans now needed to hold accountable those leaders who led conservatism to this utter defeat.

snip//

That column cost me my job at a Washington think tank. And now, as Republicans celebrate their biggest congressional victory since 1946, I am getting a lot of e-mail that taunts me: "See how wrong you were?"

To which I say: Enjoy the moment, fellas. You are only at the beginning of the pain of discovering how right I was.

snip//

But all those things I don't like -- they are all the law of the land. To correct them will require action by the House, Senate, and president.

That's tough at any time, tougher when Republicans announce that they have no intention to compromise on anything. No compromise means no deals.

snip//

But if there is no compromise, there can be no negotiations. And if there are no negotiations, there can be no fixes -- because every important fix requires the concurrence of the Senate and the president.

snip//

As is, we're getting a bad trade: Republicans may gain political benefit, but Democrats get the policy. In this exchange, it is the Democrats who gain the better end of the deal. Congressional majorities come and go. Entitlement programs last forever.

That was my warning in March 2010. This election does not discredit that warning. It confirms the warning.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. The Republicans think that they won some kind "mandate" to repeal "Obamacare"

last week, so they probably believe that they'll be able to get some Democrats in the Senate and maybe even President Obama cowed into supporting some changes that will help "neuter" the law piece-by-piece or, worst case scenario, use it to run on in 2012- as a reason for putting the Republicans back in charge of all three branches.
:scared:

Of course, the reality is that they didn't get a "mandate" for anything from the majority of the American public, just the majority of the 40% whom showed up to vote.

[zipplewrath]

2. The flip side

When HCR passed, we all heard about "fixes" to come. Everyone from the president on down acknowledged that it was far from perfect and would need future "tweaks". None of that is going to happen. At best it will be static, most likely it will see some underfunding. The CHC may be in trouble. Strangely, the IRS may not get funding to enforce the mandate. Maybe that's a stealth fix? But what we got is what we got and that's the most we're gonna get for a long time.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. At least until after 2012, you're probably right

What we need to do starting NOW and continuing on through 2012 IMHO is mobilize and keep the pressure on for maintaining the necessary funding and integrity of the health care law in the face of Republican attacks on it, as well as continuing to advocate for improving the existing law and make sure that we have like-minded people in there in 2013 whom can and will move forward with some additional improvements in the law.

[zipplewrath]

5. I'd bet ya

I would bet ya that we couldn't agree on what "additional improvements" the law needs.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. Well fine.

What exactly do you suggest we do then? Just sit around and bemoan about how it's an imperfect law, that it will never get "fixed", and just sit around and wait for the Republicans to neuter it piece-by-piece? :shrug:

I think that nearly everybody can agree on the need for a public option at least, right? What about expanding Medicare?

[zipplewrath]

7. I dubious that "everybody" does

Furthermore, as we have seen, at what cost? Do you want drug importation or a weak PO?
Do you want negotiated medicare drug prices, or higher madate penalties? I was shocked the last go around the trade offs that people around here were willing to make. And considering how alot of people feel about the "bait and switch" that happened with the PO versus single payer, there's been a fair amount of "trust" lost at this point.

[Arkana]

8. Obama ran a gauntlet that made the Nine Circles of Hell

look like a peaceful morning jog for that goddamn bill.

He's not going to let them neuter the health care law.

[ProSense]

4. This can't be good

for Republicans.

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