tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697320.post7037271533279139420..comments2023-04-01T04:12:01.589-06:00Comments on The Daily Fuel: On Killing The FilibusterThe Daily Fuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12636581068441603099noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697320.post-87230317989070630142009-12-30T21:52:24.563-07:002009-12-30T21:52:24.563-07:00John, I vehemently disagree.
When 40 Republicans ...John, I vehemently disagree.<br /><br />When 40 Republicans vote in bloc against anything at all it is not disingenuous to call them obstructionist. (Republicans can vote in bloc against almost anything Democrats are trying to pass. Cosider that more than 30 of the 40 Republican senators managed to find the gall <a href="http://minnesotaindependent.com/46483/franken-amendment-to-protect-victims-of-sexual-assault-passes" rel="nofollow">to vote against the Franken Amendment</a>.)<br /><br />Keep in mind that one theoretically Democratic senator is Joe Lieberman, whom I'd like to waterboard just a little (since he himself is not against it) to make him confess that he is really the 41st Republican in the Senate. There goes your so-called "filibuster-proof" majority. <br /><br />If you then add to the despicable Joe Lieberman the many Democrats in name only like Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Max Baucus, etc. (incidentally all Democrats in predominantly Red states) you can see that there is nothing disingenuous about complaining about intransigence (or corruption, masked as ideological intransigence) of any stripes. <br /><br />Also, a majority of Americans have declared they are in favor of health care reform (if reform is used to keep insurance companies in their place, the majority is quite substantial, the number decreases a little when government involvement in providing health care is at issue). <br /><br />The reason why recent polls have shown that most Americans disagree with the health care reform proposal that president Obama seems intent on signing is that a great number of progressives have joined the core opponents of reform (mostly disgruntled Republicans and right-leaning independents) in opposing reform IF it does not include a public option. I am one of the not-so-enthused individuals who hold their nose and tepidly support a bill which provides that all Americans must now buy a bad product, health insurance provided by companies hell-bent on screwing their customers. <br /><br />Here's to hoping the New Year brings us a better class of Congressmen and women than the one we have now. (Holding nose, not holding breath.)The Daily Fuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636581068441603099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697320.post-4437625778686116632009-12-30T20:48:30.847-07:002009-12-30T20:48:30.847-07:00According to a recent Gallup poll:
http://www.gall...According to a recent Gallup poll:<br />http://www.gallup.com/poll/121814/more-disapprove-than-approve-obama-healthcare.aspx<br /><br />a mere 44% of the US population favors Obama<br />Care. The Republican party is representing the<br />other 60%. <br /><br />Basically, the Republicans are dead in the water.<br />With a filibuster proof 60% in the Senate and<br />a majority in the House, the Democrats basically<br />run the game. <br /><br />Complaining about perceived Republican intransigence is what is really disingenuous.John Stockwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03496308585336775569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697320.post-13742832512723596622009-12-28T10:22:49.100-07:002009-12-28T10:22:49.100-07:00One more thing, about "loyal opposition"...One more thing, about "loyal opposition": If you are looking for loyal opposition, you will find it among the progressiv Democrats who have chastised the president over and over for his seemingly lackadaisacal approach to health care reform, for caving in to special interests (banking, insurance, PhRMA, etc.), for keeping in place some of the most obnoxious "security" policies of the Bush era. People who put their loyalty to the country ahead of their loyalty to party or president. Just look for the many posts on this blog critical of the Administration.<br /><br />There is nothing loyal about the opposition of those who say to the American people "Kill health care reform or you grandma will die." Just the basest politics at their worst.The Daily Fuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636581068441603099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697320.post-13627324577712637762009-12-28T09:57:15.349-07:002009-12-28T09:57:15.349-07:00I find the "loyal opposition" argument q...I find the "loyal opposition" argument quite disingenous, since the Republican opposition to things like "cap and trade" or health care reform has been less than loyal (unless by loyal you mean loyal to the masters of the Republican party, in which case I would have to agree). Had it been loyal in the sense I interpret loyal we would not have had to sit through months of scare tactics such as the threat of "death panels", "abortion paid with federal funds", "government bureaucrats making health care decisions instead of you or your doctor", etc. That does not fit the definition of loyal, much less that of honest.<br /><br />And no, the Senate should not be a rubber stamp for the will of anyone, but it should not require a supermajority for every piece of important legislation to pass. That confers way to much power (which engenders corruption) to a handful of key senators. In any case, go back and review most of the Bush years, and honesty tell me that the Senate was not a Republican rubber stamp for the will of President Bush and the G.O.P.<br /><br />And no, I would not be singing a different tune if the shoe were on the other foot, because, unlike Republicans, I don't see such things through the lenses of political convenience, which is changing and ephemeral by nature. <br /><br />In any case, the whole health care reform fiasco underscores how important it is to move towards public campaign financing and remove (some of) the influence of money from the political process.The Daily Fuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12636581068441603099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7697320.post-70433856861461977542009-12-28T08:20:13.911-07:002009-12-28T08:20:13.911-07:00So what? The Republicans are being the loyal
oppos...So what? The Republicans are being the loyal<br />opposition. Now, if the public gets behind everything<br />out of the Obama administration, then those<br />Republicans will be on the wrong side of the<br />vote, and may be out in the next election.<br /><br />The Senate should not be a rubber stamp for <br />the whims of the Democratic party. <br /><br />If the shoe were on the other foot, you would<br />be singing a different tune.John Stockwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03496308585336775569noreply@blogger.com