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Mitch McConnell confirms it.
Before the health care fight, before the economic stimulus package, before President Obama even took office, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader, had a strategy for his party: use his extensive knowledge of Senate procedure to slow things down, take advantage of the difficulties Democrats would have in governing and deny Democrats any Republican support on big legislation.
Republicans embraced it. Democrats denounced it as rank obstructionism. Either way, it has led the two parties, as much as any other factor, to where they are right now. Republicans are monolithically against the health care legislation, leaving the president and his party executing parliamentary back flips to get it passed, conservatives revived, liberals wondering what happened.
In the process, Mr. McConnell, 68, a Kentuckian more at home plotting tactics in the cloakroom than writing legislation in a committee room or exhorting crowds on the campaign trail, has come to embody a kind of oppositional politics that critics say has left voters cynical about Washington, the Senate all but dysfunctional and the Republican Party without a positive agenda or message.
That’s what this health care ‘debate’ has been about from the beginning for Republicans. Politics. This is why they have no answer when asked what to do about the 45,000 Americans dying each year from a health care system modeled on corporate greed and interests. This is why they focus on process instead of substance. This is why they continue to lie unabashedly about death panels, state funded abortion and Dems wanting to kill Medicare.
They have a single narrative: make it impossible for Democrats to govern. Period. Republican Senator John Thune summed up Republican strategy in a single phrase.
“Throwing grenades is easier than catching them.”
People die as Republicans play politics and if ever an entire political party deserved a collective ‘Fuck you!”, it’s these guys.
If mouthing obscenities at evildoers is not your style (good), then don’t read the NYT piece. You might get tempted.
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“They have a single narrative: make it impossible for Democrats to govern. Period.”
So well put, and so true. The problem with dems is that all they want to do is “govern” us. The American people don’t need governing. We need government to get out of our way.
I don’t like neo-con repubs any better than I do dems, but at least in this case, with regard to this specific bill and the method by which the dems are attempting to pass it, they’re standing up for what the majority of Americans want.
I only hope that if it fails to pass, they’ll immediately introduce the legislation that will truly solve the problem of rising health care costs.
Sure. Start over while one uninsured American dies every 12 minutes from the current h/c system. Spend another 3 years debating the issues until everyone is blue in the face and find yourself at the exact same point you’re at now. If you’ve been watching and listening, you should know that Republicans don’t want health care reform of any kind passed. That is clear.
I also find it ironic how some people don’t want any government intrusion in their lives but are content with insurance execs having such a major say in life and death matters. It makes no sense.
That first post was from me (as if you didn’t already guess).
Government intrusion is the problem. It’s caused the high cost of health care. Logically, more of it won’t reduce the costs.
The high cost of health care isn’t because of the Government it is because of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
I’ve been wondering why libs keep attacking insurance companies. Now I get it.
Their rates are going up because their costs are going up. Ultimately, the rise in costs can be traced back to government intrusion into the market. Remove the intrusion, and the markets will self-correct to levels that people can afford and are willing to pay.
Tommy, please tell me how the Government has intruded into the health insurance companies.
you are all for removing restrictions. removing restrictions on Wall Street didn’t work out too well did it?
I’m sorry Janine, I really thought this was common knowledge.
State governments mandate what health insurance companies must cover. This precludes companies who are unwilling to meet the mandates from marketing in those states. Since it costs more to meet the mandates, the insurance companies have to charge more.
The government has allowed drug companies to do consumer marketing, thus increasing costs to cover the marketing, and increasing demand for the product. Higher demand means the insurance companies are paying out more.
Employers are currently given a tax break for health insurance costs. If that was removed, and the tax break given to the individual instead, each of us could carry our own insurance regardless of our employer.
Which Wall Street restrictions were lifted that caused the problems there?
I am sorry Tommy, I thought the financial deregulations by the government were common knowledge.
Let’s see I believe there was the Depository Deregulations in 1980 that expanded the type of financial institutions that could get overnight loans from the Feds. Then there was the 1982 Garn-St. Germain Act which loosened mortgage restrictions which paved the way for the subprime mortgage debacle.
How about if I don’t respond to your non-response.