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TechnoratiHealth Care Tyranny by 13 Obstructionists
For those still clinging to quaint notions of the American ideal, these have been a faith-shaking 10 years. Just as evolutionary science once got in the way of creationists’ catechism, so has politics now undermined patriots’ naive belief that the United States is a functioning democracy.
The 21st century opened with a handful of Supreme Court puppets appointing George W. Bush president after he lost the popular vote—and we all know the costs in blood and treasure that insult wrought. Now, the decade closes with another cabal of stooges assaulting the “one person, one vote” principle—and potentially bringing about another disaster.
Here we have a major congressional push to fix a health care system that leaves one-sixth of the country without coverage. Here we have 535 House and Senate delegates elected to give all 300 million of us a voice in the solution. And here we have just 13 of those delegates holding the initiative hostage.
In the Senate, both parties have outsourced health care legislation to six Finance Committee lawmakers: Max Baucus, D-Mont.; Kent Conrad, D-N.D.; Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.; Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.; Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. The group recently announced it is rejecting essential provisions like a public insurance option that surveys show the public supports. Meanwhile, seven mostly Southern House Democrats have been threatening to use their Commerce Committee votes to gut any health care bill, regardless of what the American majority wants.
This, however, isn’t about the majority. These lawmakers, hailing mostly from small states and rural areas, together represent only 13 million people, meaning those speaking for just 4 percent of America are maneuvering to impose their health care will on the other 96 percent of us.
Census figures show that the poverty rates are far higher and per capita incomes far lower in the 13 legislators’ specific districts than in the nation as a whole. Put another way, these politicians represent exactly the kinds of districts whose constituents would most benefit from universal health care. So why are they leading the fight to stop—rather than pass—reform?
Because when tyranny mixes with legalized bribery, constituents’ economic concerns stop mattering.
Thanks to our undemocratic system and our corrupt campaign finance laws, the health care industry doesn’t have to fight a 50-state battle. It can simply buy a tiny group of congresspeople, which is what it’s done. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, health interests have given these 13 members of Congress $12 million in campaign contributions—a massive sum further enhanced by geography.
Remember, politicians trade favors for re-election support—and the best way to ensure re-election is to raise money for TV airtime (read: commercials). In rural America, that airtime is comparatively cheap because the audience is relatively small. Thus, campaign contributions to rural politicians like these 13 buy more commercials—and, consequently, more political loyalty.
The end result is an amplifier of tyranny: Precisely because the undemocratic system unduly empowers legislators from sparsely populated (and hence cheap) media markets, industry cash can more easily purchase tyrannical obstruction from those same legislators. In this case, that means congresspeople blocking health care reform that would most help their own voters.
Of course, there is talk of circumventing the 13 obstructionists and forcing a vote of the full Congress that cannot be filibustered. Inside the Washington palace, the media court jesters and political aides-de-camp have reacted to such plans by raising predictable charges of improper procedure, poor manners, bad etiquette and other Versailles transgressions.
But the real crime would be letting the tyrants block that vote, trample democracy and kill health care reform in the process.
35 Comments so far
Show AllGosh, Sirota.
After insisting that we don't hold the Democratic '06 Congress accountable for ending the war
you now are surprised that they don't listen to us.
Your article is right. You, on the other hand, are shameful.
Sirota is truly a leading voice of progressives
However, this piece is incomplete. Single Payer quest cannot be the ultimate "reform" bill. Sorry, there cannot be any lasting solution to the healthcare mess without addressing the key factors exploiting public safety and breeding healthcare inflation. There cannot be "reform" without Tort Reform (essentially clipping the wings of predatory lawyers who advance the aims of the giant healthplans & BigPharma on one hand while at the same time misleading the litiginous public). Further there must be an absolutely clear provision to allow doctors to take the lead without reprisals in advocating the best patient care, medical whistleblowers need to be empowered. Lastly the whole concept in Prez Obama's plan putting nurse practitioners and other midlevel staff as the directors of the patients "Medical Home" is outright laughable. Get rid of it.
Bravo, Sirota:
Take names & kick:
Max Baucus, D-Mont.;
Kent Conrad, D-N.D.;
Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.;
Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.;
Charles Grassley,
R-Iowa,
and
Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.
Seems folks got some unvoting to do.
We have a filibuster proof democratic majority and we can't get a single payer bill off of the ground.
Yet a republican president can get an unnecessary war started that kills thousands of troops and civilians killed, without a debate.
It is scary when you see what can be done in the name of death compared to what we can get done for the purposes of life.
We need massive support for single payer in blue dog territory. Can somebody tell me where I can catch that bus?
"Can somebody tell me where I can catch that bus?"
3rd parties ! Except libertarian of course. Take a look at BeForKids's idea of Main Street Party (it's in the archives where she describes this) and see if you can get it started in your area. The Democrats (with a few exceptions) and Republicans are both one and the same.
Those 13 million people? I venture to guess these Senators are not speaking for them either. Mostly rural? Mostly under- or insecurely insured, I'd bet.
These obstructionist "blue dog" senators are representing the interests of the insurance companies -- probably significant financiers of their campaigns.
I wish there were a way that members of Congress had to suffer with the same inadequate, unreliable, incomprehensible and expensive insurance coverage that most of us have. If they all ran the risk of losing it all, and/or being denied medical treatment except at their own expense there would be a very quick change in their tune.
To David Sirota.
I fear that there are more than 13 Obstructionists. With few exceptions, the whole US Congress is nothing BUT Obstructionist. The White House is also Obstructionist regarding Health Care Reform. Only last week the White House changed the name to "Health Insurance Reform". That is what is sinking the current debate.
Supporters of HR 676 will eventually prevail.
Please read
Top Ten Ways To Tell Your President & His Party Aren't Fighting For Health Care For Everybody
by Bruce Dixon
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/07/31
Why don't the Dems just pass the bill they want to pass (which is still a lousy pro-corporate bill)? What can the Republicans do? Filibuster? Let them. How long could they keep it up?
In current practice, Senate Rule 22 permits filibusters in which actual continuous floor speeches are not required, although the Senate Majority Leader may require an actual traditional filibuster if he or she so chooses.
So the Republicans and Democrats who oppose the bill would have to indefinitely make fools of themselves (and look like obstructionists) by babbling on and on like Jimmy Stewart until they collapse. Great. Let them do it.
A comment that appeared in my local paper is relevant here. The writer felt that politicians should wear suits adorned with labels showing the names of their sponsors.
They should be issued Nascar-style jumpsuits :-)
The real obstructionists to progress are the other members of Congress who won't simply ignore these 13 but feel they have to "compromise" with them.
Pelosi goes into high dudgeon and denounces the health insurance companies. In reality, they are winking at each other. The health insurance companies know they have to be denounced by somebody in power. They take one for the team. The blame is then passed onto a bunch of lunks from Cabbageville who are also taking one for the team. None of the hits, however, will be fatal or even cause a bruise.
Pray you don't fall ill with something really serious.
David,
love your writings on open salon. I've posted my own H.L. Mencken analysis of the US Congress on my latest posting under old new lefty.
Have you given any thought to the fact that once Hillarycare passes Congress, Obama will have the secret power of writing the Federal Regulations that dictate how the program will be implemented. As an old bureaucrat, I can assure you that you can do wonders with Fed Regs.
As I've been saying, us progressives and liberals need to stop with the high-and-mighty nonsense and start legally bribing these 13 greedy bastards to do the right thing... for once.
Seriously - they do not care where their bribes come from, and $12 million ain't nothin in a country with so many millionaires and billionaires.
It's like us progs and libs are a team in the NFL, and we refuse to accept the fact that we keep losing because we have a moral problem with long passes.
If I were in Congress, and I was handed a million with orders to pass universal health care? In a f@#king heartbeat...
Right you are Frank. Someone who cared could buy these parasites again. Since we know that none of them are virgins in the 'bought and paid for Prostitution Congress' marketplace; it should simply be a matter of an extra million or so to buy them for the People.
Failed People = Failed government.
We don't have the money to, because we have honest jobs :-)
Obama could make a real difference here. He should call them all into the oval office and tell them that he plans to travel to each of their 13 districts, rent a stadium, and give a speech describing his vision of a health care solution and exposing them for what they are, corporate stooges who don't give a damn about their constituents. I doubt he has the guts.
Think it's just corporate money? It's also folks like Old Man Wilson down the street. You know the one: always sitting on his porch grousing about "commyounism" and "lazy folks these days". He waxes poetic about the days when the doctor lived 3 houses down, made housecalls and no insurance was needed.
Of course he doesn't tell you that the bills were paid with things like eggs, meat or housework.
I wish my doctor would take a juicy porterhouse in lieu of payment.
The congressmen are right. We waste far too much of our limited resources on useless old people who want to see tomorrow. If we finally get the courage to abolish communist welfare programs like medicare and social security, we can put the money to better use.
For example, with those resources freed up, we can build about five new carrier battle groups with enough mobility and firepower to secure the resources in the entire African continent.
Another side benefit of course, is that we can free up a lot of nice condos in Florida for healthy young people.
And when we chant 'drill, baby, drill' we'll be talking about Africa. Win, win.
I'm sure that Africa is full of terrorists who need to be hunted down and killed, along with 20 or 30 collaterally damaged. Besides that, we need to bring democracy to them. But I'm not sure five carrier groups will be enough. Surely we'll need several large fleets of strategic bombers and thousands of artillery pieces and transport vehicles, all the way from unarmoured humvees to tractor trailers and "deuce and a halfs". This will all provide LOTS OF JOBS, GOOD WELL PAYING JOBS in the military industrial complex. Hey hey USA, all they way, USA!!
Give me a break.
The latest ploy by Democrats to ignore their recent majority is to hide behind the Blue Dogs. They'll do anything to avoid being exposed.
How did Bush get everything after the 2006 midterms? He got it cause a lot of Dems serve the same special interests and corporations as Republicans. They refused to stop funding the Iraq war despite knowing the country was really fed up by then because they had to "support the troops." Supporting the troops was bringing them home from a war of lies instead of sending them back on their third tour, breaking their minds and bodies. It's as simple as that. Or how about the dancing around they did before FISA, favoring telecom immunity. It's all choreographed to abide by the wishes of those they serve. Anyone still believeing otherwise is a sap.
I don't see any reason to allow these thieves to keep bleeding us to pay for them. Since bribery (lobbying)isn't illegal for Congress, let them go on the payroll of their corporate masters. They're going to wind up working for them sooner or later. I'm sick of paying for these arrogant liars to screw us over time after time.
Health care is delivered by doctors not the corporations.
Apparently the corporations merely prevent the sick from getting health care.
Corporate care. First they bankrupted Chrysler and GM. They produced the Citation and the Pacer and the Pinto.
Yet people want to trust their HEALTH with them ?
Since Mr. Sirota is so interested to get this health care "reform" as he terms it passed, its painfully obvious who he works for and in whose interest he pushes the lie of this Health Care Reform.
Shame on him. Lets relabel this article..."Just One More Liar"
"...its painfully obvious who he works for and in whose interest he pushes the lie of this Health Care Reform."
You don't say who that would be.
The DNC/insurance industry Siamese twin.
If we're gonna be stuck with corporate care what with our government who can't get a single thing done right and I don't trust that they'll allow single payer to last even if it did pass, let's punch our employers into reforming healthcare with good models such as COSTCO CARE. See my post under today's Paul Krugman's article.
@ maxpayne
Those of us who benefit from single-payer, and love it, will remove from government ANY politician who tries to take it from us, though some have tried. They are gone from politics & we still have our health care.
Employers cannot reform health care. Employer based health insurance does not cover those who are among the rising number of unemployed.
Lily_otv, I do support single payer 100% and agree with you on its benefits. I'm just not feeling confident that our Congress will keep it alive. We need to seriously change our politicians in Washington and as a backup in our local and state levels as well. You're correct that employer based insurance isn't worth the trouble. My company itself has had issues with its provider and has had to change repeated times. The unemployed are SOL on health insurance unless they're willing to fork over for more only to get one that doesn't cover in more cases when you need it the most.
Obstructionists? There are no Obstructionists...they are all committed to "feeding" us to their richfilth animal friends. No health care? You die. Got health insurance? First they BK you, then they kill you by withholding care...same result. Like the Pirate's Code: Take everything, give nothing back. White America wants a society based on Exclusion, and now they are excluded...
We will not have good government in the US until the young people who voted for Obama have grandkids. The problem with America is that it is full of Americans.
"The problem with America is that it is full of Americans."
The problem with America is that it lives as if its media was actual reality, rather than a representation of it, its democracy was real rather than a representation of it, and its president was a real hero rather than a constructed media hero.
If you live on mythology, you eventually end up eating the pages of the bible for dessert after dining on your TV Guide.
"The problem with America is that..."
...the rich & corrupt are still trying to appease the masses with a handful of cheap damn beads. They are very expensive now, but they are still junk. Better beads are thrown from Mardi Gras floats.
And the thousands of obstructionists for single payer in the House and Senate offices yesterday? Any news about them?
Helooooooo...