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Nah, That Would Be a Sucker’s Bet
Jan 26th, 2010 | 16 responses
Greg Sargent, noting a new CNN poll that shows, for the first time since Barack Obama has been in office, that a higher percentage of Americans think that Democratic Party control of Congress is bad for the country than think it’s good for the country, puts the question to us:
The question is whether Dem leaders will decide they’re tanking because voters don’t like the health reform bill they’ve been trying to pass, making them decide to shelve it — or whether they’ll conclude that voters don’t like failure, making them redouble their efforts to pass something they can call a historic accomplishment. Anyone taking bets?
Not in this corner, sorry.
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16 Responses to “Nah, That Would Be a Sucker’s Bet”
They'll shelve it…
Then next year they will wonder why they lost control of the House and Senate… At which point the Republicans will do what they do best, cut taxes, start a new war and double the size of the budget deficit…
Of course they'll shelve it. I am now absolutely certain health care reform will not pass. We'll have to wait another 15 years. If then.
Well, if they pass any kind healthcare reform (which they won't) John Roberts and crew will “handle” it for them.
In any case, I agree with the poll, but with the additional observation that the only thing worse would be if the R's controlled congress. If the pendulum swings back to them in 10 or 12 I think it will be fair to assume (based on their record of past “performance”) that our country will get in too deep to dig out – in which case the real blame will go to a dumb as a fence post electorate.
No shelving. That requires reaching up and their will and arms have atrophied. A lame bill will pass, with a little help from the cats (see the Mouseland clip, it is the greatest).
Yes, they now must act and stop talking. And they must act boldly in such a way that totally pisses off the GOP for realsies. And they must do this repeatedly. All they have to do is make the GOP look like the weaker party and 2010 is a slam dunk. If they don't, yes, the stronger will win even if their policies are suicidal.
That's how monkeys vote. Just ask Mass.
I'm not even sure how to respond to something like this. Perhaps you could try making a point without acting like a 2-year old.
The Dems will pass something, but it will be a pile of garbage that they want to come back to and “reform” at a later date. But it will take a long time, as Kathy suggested. The funny thing is, when the Repubs get in power, they'll want to try and “reform” social security again. Heck, by the time any reform in any area ever gets done, the systems that were meant to be reformed will probably no longer be around.
The Dems have misread the election as a farther-left mandate that never existed, and have misgoverned for an entire year.
Now we get a clumsy “spending freeze” (partial freeze, lots of exemptions) gimmick. Is this supposed to convince the public that some now wants to be “responsible”? I suspect it's political cover leading up to the bipartisan panel (overloaded with Dems) that will find the need for more taxes, with bipartisanship (plenty of GOP DC fixtures can be found to go along with this) as political cover.
“The funny thing is, when the Repubs get in power, they'll want to try and “reform” social security again.”
The Dems had the chance to seize this for themselves, and rescue the program during the Bush years, and mindlessly chose to do nothing, the worst opposition and obstructionism in recent history. (Hinchey: “Social Security will be more valuable later if we leave it alone now.” Who on earth believes nonsense like this?)
The Dems had the opportunity to reform entitlements for an entire year (more valuable a goal than playing at eco-socialists with energy policy and fascism, for example), but of course they haven't done a thing to reform entitlements. (Who believes what they promise people?)
The Dems could still reform entitlements. But who trusts them?
Dems were foolish to try and pass a complete health care overhaul in the midst of the financial meltdown. Fix things, then change them when your not running a trillion dollar deficit. Of course the CBO is predicting a trillion $$ deficit for most of the decade with this spending program. Get the dems out, they obviously don't know what they are doing. Keep smacking the parties out of office until one of them gets it right.
I bet one orange peel that they take at least one more run at passage. First by having the House pass the Senate bill followed be reconciliation 'fixes'. Then by cutting a deal with a Republican — either Snowe or Voinovich. I'm not sure whether they will be successful, but it will even further outrage most of the country.
ok, who's got my orange peel?
ok, who's got my orange peel?”
Orange peel? Better use a banana peel so you can say you slipped. If they can, though, I think they should not use any Reps.
hah, there you go, trying to change the terms of the bet, dduck
Afraid to put your orange peel where your mouth is, eh? eh?
So CNN finally caught up eh?
You could probably pass some parts in 15 days and even more in 15 weeks, if the progressives would break the bill up into its components and let there be a vote on the items in that bill that the majority of the people might like and there is a good chance for real bipartisan reform on.
But I don't think they will, they will obstruct such a vote because they put their political agendas before enacting those healthcare reforms that actually can pass. The last thing they want is for Republicans to be able to join them in passing a reform and to devoid their far to the left parts of the package the cover of those reforms that are acceptable to moderates and a good number of conservatives. They would rather play with the rhetoric for the elections than actually pass items that will help the American people.
“I bet one orange peel that they take at least one more run at passage.”
Avoid Waterloo and maximum self-disgrace (they're in the 90s per cent already!) by being Ahab, if they must. Something with “health care” on it needs to be passed so that they can say they passed something with “health care” on it.
You can get more information here. Note that health care is not the most important issue currently.
http://people-press.org/report/584/policy-prior…
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1476/unemployment-p…