tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post6038632668035647431..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: What Exactly Are You Blocking?Jonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-63614727522218165732010-01-27T05:36:31.028-06:002010-01-27T05:36:31.028-06:00I can feel that you have put in hard efforts. Good...I can feel that you have put in hard efforts. Good job!!Best Neurosurgeonhttp://www.puhuachina.com/departments/neurosurgery.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-68489403540939321792010-01-27T01:15:07.269-06:002010-01-27T01:15:07.269-06:00Jana,
Your arguments are all about health care as...Jana,<br /><br />Your arguments are all about health care as a bill. I'm arguing that if it's a law, all of that changes. In that case, the choice for the Senate isn't whether or not to enact health care reform; it's whether or not to improve the current law. <br /><br />Moreover, it's really not hard to imagine the patch bill being far more popular than the current Senate bill. For one thing, the patch bill will eliminate the Nelson thing; opposing it would mean protecting the Nelson thing. Now, pols can argue anything they want, so there are no guarantees that the GOP won't make claims that make no sense at all....but remember, the big substantive part of the bill is going to be a shift from one tax structure to another - and it's a shift that presumably will poll well (reducing the Caddilac tax and adding a tax on rich people -- the latter usually polls well). The bill won't have a public option, won't set up complicated exchanges (because they'll already be law), won't impose individual mandates (ditto), won't set up a Medicare commission (ditto)...and on and on. Sure, Senate Republicans will take the opportunity to bash the health care law, but since that won't be up for a vote, it's not clear to me why Dems wouldn't generally support the patch.<br /><br />(Oh, and by the way, I do think it's very likely that if this thing becomes law, it will quickly become about as permanent and well-liked as Social Security and Medicare. Not down the road, but right away).Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-36269638218941593512010-01-26T18:00:05.737-06:002010-01-26T18:00:05.737-06:00This scenario seems somewhat unlikely. You neglec...This scenario seems somewhat unlikely. You neglect to mention that what the Democrats will be doing is saying, "We went ahead and passed a bad bill that polls very poorly. And now we're desperately trying to fix our unpopular bill by using a complicated budgetary process deliberately designed to bypass the 60-vote threshold. The reason we have to do this is because a deep blue state elected a Republican to the Senate who signature campaign promise was to 'be the 41st vote'. Furthermore, though a recent CNN found that an overwhelming 70% of respondants cheered the loss of the filibuster-free Senate, we don't think that the overall message of the entire affair is to pursue bipartison consensus on an incremental set of reforms. Trust us, you're gonna love this bill...in 3 - 5 years maybe when it is actually operational."<br /><br />This is logical? I don't think it is the Republicans that will be experiencing the general pushback.Janahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17699904881644356367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-72925882327063237312010-01-26T14:47:31.039-06:002010-01-26T14:47:31.039-06:00Congressional Democrats were elected to represent ...Congressional Democrats were elected to represent their constituents, not pander to the far left-wing of the Democratic Party. According to a Gallup Poll, “55% to 39%, Americans say the president and Congress should now suspend work on the healthcare bill and consider alternatives rather than trying to pass the current version.” Check it out: http://www.gallup.com/tag/healthcare.aspx. Instead of pushing a desires to control everyone’s healthcare, perhaps Democrats should consider going back to their original premise….which was to lower the cost of healthcare and make it possible for anyone who wants coverage to purchase it… just a thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com