To Your Health

On March 21, 2010 the American people were handed a victory. Many are disappointed because it is not all we hoped it would be. We still have a lot of hard work ahead of us to drive down the cost of medical care. But this health care reform bill is a very remarkable and desirable reform non-the-less. The most egregious abuses of the health insurance industry will now be curbed. This victory is all the more remarkable because of the obstacles the Democratic Party had to overcome in order pass this vital reform. The Republican Party chose to represent the insurance industry rather than the people of this nation. In doing so, the Republicans waged an unconscionable campaign of outrageous fear mongering and outright lies. In addition to the lies and all of the procedural obstacles the Republicans erected, the Democrats also had to contend with the anti-abortion members of the Democratic Party. Like the Republicans, the anti-abortion Democrats used misinformation to push their agenda. Representative Bart Stupak and others insisted that the proposed bill did not prevent government funds from being used for abortions when the bill clearly did forbid the use of government funds for that purpose. This use of misinformation was a blatant attempt to further restrict abortion by preventing private insurance from paying for them. I found it odd that people like Bart Stupak could proclaim the morality of their agenda while using misinformation and holding the health of their fellow citizens hostage to that agenda. As Keith Olbermann points out, health care reform is literally a matter of life and death. It is estimated that forty thousand people died last year because their insurance carriers denied them coverage or because those carriers priced them out of the insurance market.

What this health care reform vote demonstrated is the basic decency of the people who truly want to serve their country. Bart Stupak and most of the other anti-abortion Democrats abandoned their campaign of misinformation. They also rejected the ends justifies the means argument of the lunatics who shoot doctors and bomb reproductive health clinics. Those anti-abortion congresspersons chose life! They voted for health care reform even though the reform was not all they wanted it to be. This took a lot of courage. It is going to cause trouble for them in their conservative districts. In fact, many of them risked their political careers to do the right thing. I really want to commend them for that. I have always been reluctant to use the “Pro-life” label because it implies that people who favor a woman’s right to choose are anti-life, and this issue is far too complex for that to be true. In this instance, however, I think that Bart Stupak and the other representatives who made such a sacrifice to do the right thing have earned that label. They are indeed pro-life. I will continue to oppose their efforts to restrict a woman’s choice, but they have more than earned my respect and my gratitude.

The difference between what those courageous Democrats did and what the Republicans are still doing could not be greater. The lock step partisanship of the members of the Republican Party is a clear indication that none of those elected representatives are following their consciences. They are not representing the people of this nation; they are representing a very powerful and greedy special interest. The Republicans are choosing huge campaign contributions over the health of their constituents. I hope they are enjoying those contributions because that money will not help them four years from now. By then the benefits of the Senate bill will be apparent even if the Republicans manage to defeat the badly needed fixes passed by the house. As the voters begin to reap the benefits of the reform they will remember who represented them and who represented the insurance industry. They will also resent the fear mongering and the lies of the politicians who failed to represent them. There is little doubt in my mind that the vast majority of the electorate will vote accordingly.

One has to wonder how the Republicans fell into this nihilistic trap. It does not and must not continue to be this way. Franklin Roosevelt’s progressive programs, including social security, inspired as much vitriol as the right wing is using today. There were, however, enough courageous and responsible Republicans to provide bipartisan support for the legislation needed to deal with the crises. The current polarization is not caused by the Democratic Party, which is trying to effectively deal with the problems now confronting us; rather it is caused by the irresponsible behavior of the Republican Party. Even a minority party must assume some responsibility for governing this great nation rather than trying to destroy a President who was elected by a very large majority of the people. To put it in terms the Republicans might be able to understand, they must abandon their unholy and self-righteous war. The people want and deserve a government that functions. They want a government that will provide leadership and will work to overcome the challenges we face. If one of the major parties is making it impossible for the government to provide that leadership and meet those challenges, the consequences for that party will be severe.

The fait of our two party system is now in the hands of the Republicans. If there are any brains left in that party, those intelligent people must take control. They must take a page out of Bill Clinton’s playbook and move their party toward the center. They must provide bipartisan support for the things that need to be done. If they do this, they will be able to take some of the credit for what we accomplish. If they fail to do this, we will need a third party to emerge and replace them. There will and should be some honest disagreements. If those disagreements lead to give and takes based on the facts, we will have a good government again.