The Politics of Procrastination

Posted on 07/29/2009 at 8:57 am by Bob Cesca

There’s another reason why the Republicans and Blue Dogs want to delay healthcare reform. Sure, if they delay long enough, the 2010 midterms will strip away the political balls for reforming the system. But also, while reform is further delayed, the bullshit crazy talk has more time to leach into the minds of voters and thus providing voter support for the delay.

With every day that goes by, more and more voters can potentially be convinced (despite their better interests) to believe insane anti-reform attacks — like the one about killing old people or the classic socialism thing or the most ridiculous argument of all: shielding private insurers from the evil competition of the public option.

Meanwhile, 14,000 people are losing their healthcare every day. Now if this was due to terrorists blowing up health insurance policies with tiny explosives, healthcare reform would’ve been passed months ago.

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  • http://www.osborneink.com Matt Osborne

    Bob, maybe that’s the way to go: call it the “insurance bomb” and put a color-code on it.

  • http://nanotyrnns.blogspot.com/ Nanotyrannus

    The longer the delay, the more time Max Baucus and his ridiculous coalition has to convince us that the bill that comes out of his committee is “reform” even though it doesn’t have a public option. They’ll be able to spend the month of August on the airwaves telling us how awesome it is, how much money it’s going to save, how easy it will be for everybody to participate, how many magical unicorns are going to shoot from our assholes, how it forces insurance companies to lower costs, how the Blue Dog PAC was not at all influenced by all the money and BJ’s from the industry, blah blah blah. And the Enabling Talking Head shows will be more than happy to give him and the other Blue Dogs/Republican “Moderates” all the time they want.Something I heard yesterday that I think is a good idea is for the President, and in my opinion Nancy Pelosi, to pledge that no bill will go to the floor for a vote or be signed by the President that doesn’t have a strong public option. I know that’s too much to expect from BO. He has to pretend to be open to all ideas so that the Blue Dogs don’t wet their pants with rage at their lack of control over everything, but Speaker Pelosi could take that heat for him and I think she’d do it. She’s been very vocal in her support of a public option, almost to the point that she makes Harry Reid look like a fucking Republican in opposition.

  • Jan

    Great post Nano however we still have the Harry Reid problem and the Senate in general problem.I am struggling with BO thinking a watered down, crappy bill with no public option is ok because it’s bi partisan. Why he can’t just stand up and say no bill without a public option?I mean W.T.F.? Why the hell is this so hard?

  • http://www.bobcesca.com Bob_Cesca

    Jan – The healthcare lobby is spending $1.3 million a day to stop reform. That’s why this is so hard.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/38911730@N05/3579489061/ bjritz

    On Morning Without Joe this morning, Mika was talking with New Hampshire Repulican Sen. Judd Gregg.At about 1:55 in, he states that the public option wouldn’t work because innovation and entrepreneurship in medical technology and research would be hampered because there would be no investment because the returns wouldn’t be there.There it is in a nutshell, unless healthcare is a massive or at least an acceptable ROI it’s not worth doing.My bet is these guys have all sorts of VCs and IPOs waiting on this with a good deal of profit waiting for them if this public option/real competition thing gets sidelined.The other thing I wonder is how the Canadian/English/Australian ROI on health care innovation is being stifled by single payer. Not having done any research yet, I bet it’s not held back at all.

  • Eric

    I hope like hell that I’m wrong, and that I just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but suddenly the prospect of meaningful reform (public option) seems to be covered in flop sweat. NPR interviewed Grassley this morning, and he cited all kinds of CBO stuff proving that the public option was a bad idea, and was never questioned about his ‘interpretations’.I keep thinking about the post from the Australian ‘moderntime’ a few days ago. As I recall, they now pay 1.5% of taxable income for healthcare, and low income people pay nothing. That 1.5% is one tenth of what I was paying Anthem for my individual policy, before I let it lapse, and that was with a $2,500 deductible.I don’t know what else to do. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve emailed, or signed petitions, or called.Sorry, I’m in a funk today.

  • http://nanotyrnns.blogspot.com/ Nanotyrannus

    “NPR interviewed Grassley this morning, and he cited all kinds of CBO stuff proving that the public option was a bad idea, and was never questioned about his ‘interpretations’.”Kind of like the Birthers are entertained and allowed to assert that there is no proof that BO was born in Hawaii but instead he was born in Kenya, but are never asked to provide proof that he was born in Kenya.The press for some reason has slipped into Be Slightly Adversarial (but not too adversarial. We want them to come back on next week) Mode which means they ask a question and just nod at whatever insanity comes out of the mouth of the guest.In the month of August, the Blue Dogs are going to do their best to reap what they’ve sown. They will sit down and cite CBO numbers that are either outdated or complete fiction, and the host, have done no research at all beyond what they read on Drudge, will nod and give little challenge.Maybe we should flood the email boxes of Chris Matthews, the Steph, and that other guy, just as we flood the email boxes of our senators and reps.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/38911730@N05/3579489061/ bjritz

    I think Gov. Dean was right last night on MSNBC (Mostly Sucky Network Bullshit for Corporations) that we may need to make some noise in August to let these guys know what Americans really want, a single payer at best, or public option at least. Rallys, Iran style?

  • Jan

    I meant why is this so hard for Obama. Certainly he’s not taking lobby money. At the end of all this it lands on HIS desk.I still refuse to think he’s selling us out to satisfy a few rethugs who won’t even vote for it in the end.

  • http://nanotyrnns.blogspot.com/ Nanotyrannus

    I think he knows his outreach to the Republicans will result in no cooperation. Perhaps his wish is that their constituents will finally realize that those fools are not really working for them and bring about change in their districts. He’ll be able to demonstrate that, hey, we tried to bring you guys to the table to participate and never ever said that any idea was off the table but they offered little input and then voted against even the concessions they secured.We have the votes to do this without them, but I think he’s laying the groundwork for maybe some fresh moderate blood from the Republican Party.I do remember speculating in January, however, that the biggest obstacle to the President’s agenda would probably be the Democrats. He’s not only having the massage the egos of the Republicans on some level, but also the massive egos of the Blue Dog Democrats.

  • vyccan

    @ bjritz:”..we may need to make some noise in August to let these guys know what Americans really want, a single payer at best, or public option at least. Rallys, Iran style?”I think so. If the numbers were there [peaceful protests - like the thousands who gathered peacefully during the President's campaign], then there would be no mistaking the will of the people. I can’t believe American politicians wouldn’t respond to that. Remember their comments when the President didn’t rush into speech re the Iranian protests?

  • Eric

    I just heard this little nugget on NPR (The Diane Rehm show):The number of people enrolling in medical clinical trials is growing because of job loss and loss of health care.To the reform opposition: right – we’ve got the best health care system in the world. All you have to do is become a guinea pig.

  • Jan

    Oh we definately need a rally. Not some half assed 1000 people rally but a million person rally. But that takes a bunch of organizations grouping up to do it. Obama has a 1.3 million person email list. That’d be a start. Maybe the DNC should get on it. Somehow Americans need to get motivated and get in on this conversation.Hell, I’d walk to DC for that.

  • http://nanotyrnns.blogspot.com/ Nanotyrannus

    I don’t know about the rally. Americans just don’t do that anymore. Why do you think everyone was so shocked when a million Latinos took to the street when the Republicans were talking about busing them all back to Mexico (’cause we all know that’s where all the illegal aliens are from)? We don’t protest like that anymore. It’s difficult because we suffer from scandal fatigue. And with 23783 channels on tv now, it would actually get little exposure, showing up for 30 seconds between a water skiing squirrel and a teaser for “Zappolo’s People”. Almost definitely the Senator’s holding us hostage would ignore it. David Sirota is talking about right now on the magical radio machine about how Senators that represent 4% of the population have the entire process by the balls. You think a senator from Sheepfucker, Wyoming or Sisterkissing, Arkansas is worried about a bunch of communist/islamofascist/marxist/French Loving!/pinkos from New York or California marching on their statehouses? Nope. They have unending support from their hayseed, Jesus-warrior, bring-a-gun-to-church constituents. I think our pressure has to come to bear on the leadership and the Party. We have to let them know that if this thing fails, their sorry asses will lose money for the upcoming elections. Money makes the world go ’round, and if they think their reelection coffers might suffer, they’ll listen a little more closely.If I thought for a minute that a few million people would come out for a march, I’d be right there with you. But I honestly don’t see it happening. We can, however, overwhelm them with emails, faxes, phone calls and letters.

  • Jan

    You’re right nano.I must be high wishing for Americans to, you know, participate in our democracy with their boots on the ground.I saw somewhere that the majority is pretty damn happy with their current insurance and are afraid they would lose it if we had strong healthcare reform with a public option.But wait- 50 millions of us have NO insurance and I’m not real damn happy about that.

  • http://politicalpartypooper.wordpress.com/ Political Party Pooper

    Now if this was due to terrorists blowing up health insurance policies with tiny explosives, healthcare reform would’ve been passed months ago.

    That’s pretty good!I have another one; If this were health insurers requiring bailouts because they couldn’t survive without the public option, this reform would have been done decades ago.

  • http://nanotyrnns.blogspot.com/ Nanotyrannus

    Oh, patience, PPP. If they are required to offer coverage to everyone no matter the health history and prevented from dropping clients for any reason other than fraud, they’re gonna need that bailout eventually. They can’t stay in business by actually, you know, providing health coverage. They can only operate profitably by denying services.They’ll need that bailout, and if I know my little bastards in congress, they’ll allow the industry to insinuate it itself into the new system enough that not bailing them out will take down the whole shebang. We’ll have another “too big to fail” situation on our hands.

  • Hielo

    Somehow the MSM missed this one…..http://www.newsrunner.com/display-article/?eUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greatfallstribune.com%2Farticle%2F20090725%2FNEWS01%2F90725003%I like Jan’s comments about a big rally. Baucus doesn’t give a rat’s ass about emails, letters, etc. A million marchers or a million dollars for the weasel. Only two choices.Maybe MoveOn could get something going.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/38911730@N05/3579489061/ bjritz

    Hielo, something is missing in your newsrunner url. I only get the top 1/2 inch of the page.

  • Hielo

    Sorry about that. Longest URL in the world?http://www.newsrunner.com/display-article/?eUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greatfallstribune.com%2Farticle%2F20090725%2FNEWS01%2F90725003%2F1002%2Frss&eSrc=Great+Falls+Tribune+-+Great+Falls+MT&eTitle=Single-payer+advocates+protest+Baucus