The Need for Boldness...and Universal Coverage

It is so frustrating to see the Democrats rocking back on their heels, once again shocked, shocked by the misinformation and outright lies about the health care plan. As usual, they look like kids who are new to the schoolyard and keep trying to give the bullies lunch so they won't get beaten up. So they give the bullies their lunch (and their lunch money, and their favorite sweatshirt) and guess what happens? They get beaten up anyway.

The Republicans were never going to support this health care reform, period. What they are doing is coyly holding out the idea that if only certain changes are made, certain things are stripped from the bill, then maybe they'll consider voting for it. And the Democrats, who seem to want to do this bipartisan bullshit (why? who cares? what's the electoral upside to this? I bet you a hundred fucking thousand dollars that no one in America votes based on whether or not someone is "bipartisan") keep falling for it. But what is really going on here is this: the Republicans will dangle their meaningless promises, and get the Democrats to effectively castrate their own bill. Any meaningful change will be eviscerated, and what will be left is a bloated, incomprehensible cluster of fuck that will do nothing, but somehow cost a kazillion dollars. All of the Republicans will still vote against the bill. Then, in the 2010 midterm elections, the Republicans will point to this bill, rightly call it bullshit, say "Government is not the solution to problems, government is the problem" and point out how they staunchly voted against it, because of the freedoms. Then the goddamn Republicans will win back the Senate and proceed to fuck the Democrats six ways from Sunday.

And all the Democrats will be shocked, shocked, that the Republicans are such mean old bullies.

The only health insurance reform worth contemplating is a system of universal coverage. It is the only way that Americans will have a simple answer to the question: what's in it for me? It is the only way to undercut the current propaganda which says that some people (some brown people) will get something at the expense of other people (some nice old white people). With a universal plan, everyone gets a health insurance card in the mail next week that they can then use to get actual health care. Just like Medicare. For everybody.

Sadly, though, it's party politics like it's 1999. Where once again we are reminded that Democrats too are corporate shills, bought and paid for, and they're not about to go against the insurance industry or the pharmaceutical industry. Even if it's better for people, better for the society, and essential for American businesses to remain competitive in the global market.

Thanks for the change, Obama. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.