Where are the Democratic Grownups (in the Health Care Debate)?
It has been more than a week since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid together with a team of his fellow partisans cobbled together a deal to replace a controversial “government-run insurance option with a scaled-back non-profit plan“. In announcing the “broad agreement,” however, the Nevada Democrat refused “to provide details of the healthcare proposals to be sent to the Congressional Budget Office.”
More days have passed since he announced that deal than the number of days left before Christmas and as Michelle reports:
We still haven’t seen Harry Reid’s Demcare legislation or the CBO scoring of said vapor bill or the language on how illegal aliens would be handled or the text of the so-called “compromise” on abortion coverage/subsidies.
In short, Harry still hasn’t provided those details. A google search for “harry reid health care bill text” (without quotation marks) gives no hits dated after November 23 (at least not on the first six pages of the search–and I couldn’t find any text in the posts (on subsequent pages) with more recent dates).
So, we’ve get the Senate Democrats in a mad rush to pass a bill which their own leaders have not yet seen, a bill which will remake one-sixth of our economy, creating numerous new government panels and regulating some of the most personal matters of our lives and they’re criticizing Republicans for their delaying tactics!
Doesn’t it bother any of the senior Democrats, indeed, any of their junior colleagues, many elected last fall on the ticket of a man promising greater transparency in government, that they’re rushing to pass a bill they haven’t even seen? Shouldn’t they wait to debate a bill until they have the actual text before them — and have had time to consider its contents, perhaps in consultation with their constituents?
Where are the Democratic grownups, asking that their fellow partisans proceed with greater deliberation on a matter of this magnitude?
Mrs. Feinstein? Mr. Lautenberg? Miss Mikulski? Mr. Wyden? Mr. Feingold? Mr. Warner?
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Progressives are asking themselves, “What ever happened to Barck Obama ?”…… conversly, the talking heads like Chris Matthews and Harold Ford, Jr., refuse to believe “real” long time legit-Democrats are voicing their objection to the lack luster bill taking shape on Capitol Hill… Democrats have no one to blame but themselves for the current intermural free-for-all …..This is what ya get when you vote for an urban myth rather than a proven track record.
Comment by Spartann — December 17, 2009 @ 8:01 pm - December 17, 2009
Should it not be illegal for members of Congress to vote on legislation they haven’t seen or read? This whole farce is getting entirely out of hand….
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — December 17, 2009 @ 11:57 pm - December 17, 2009
When “Democratic politician” and “grownup” are put together, an oxymoron is created.
Comment by Classical Liberal Dave — December 18, 2009 @ 2:15 am - December 18, 2009
This whole farce is getting entirely out of hand….
Not if you recognize their point.
People forget that laws are written by Congress, but ultimately executed by the administration and then interpreted by the judiciary. In short, the more vague the legislation, the more Obama can argue that it gives him power to regulate, and the less clear it is, the more racist justices like Sonia Sotomayer can read into it their bigoted beliefs.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — December 18, 2009 @ 2:58 am - December 18, 2009
Isn’t voting on a bill that hasn’t been seen (much less read) illegal? It should be.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — December 18, 2009 @ 7:39 am - December 18, 2009
Democrats=grownups?! Surely, you jest! It is the kiddies running the house. Want grownups? Elect conservative Republicans to take back congress!
Comment by Mark J. Goluskin — December 18, 2009 @ 2:27 pm - December 18, 2009
Even if a legislator’s voting on a bill he/she hasn’t read is not illegal, it ought to result in an automatic removal from office. What did we send those people there for, anyway?
I am now very interested in what those Republicans were waving during The One’s great healthcare speech to Congress. We are continually being told that they have no plan. The screeching needs to stop, and we need to learn exactly what that plan is.
Comment by Lori Heine — December 18, 2009 @ 9:08 pm - December 18, 2009
the dems don’t want the bill read out loud-they know that once all the BS that’s in that bill is out into the public conciousness……well, i’m gonna borrow a phrase “the genie’s outta the bottle”!
the dems know that once America finds out what’s REALLY in the so-called “health care reform bill”-they’ll be inundated with emails, texts, letters, calls, etc from their constituents voicing their disapproval…..
not to mention that those exact same constituents will be voting them out of office in 2010
Comment by NARNC60AC — December 18, 2009 @ 10:28 pm - December 18, 2009