Brushfire of Freedom
Ram Rants
If you’ve spent any time reading newspapers or watching any of the state-run media, you’ve most likely heard that Congress is paralyzed because of “partisan gridlock”. They try to convince us that the reason Obamacare is not yet law is because the evil GOP has blocked the “noble” liberals at every turn. If only the GOP would just get on board with the program, we could save the planet, pass health care, give everyone a job, and bring peace to the universe.
I need to raise the “Bullshit” flag here.
The GOP does not have enough votes to block anything, in either side of Congress. Republicans can not be held accountable for the failures of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid because they lack the power. They lack the power to stop Democrats, they lack the power to enact new legislation, they lack the power to even amend the bills presented. Please take a look back through the past year’s debates and discussions on Obamacare. Each and every amendment presented by Republicans for either of the bills that have already passed were summarily rejected by the votes of Democrats.
Liberals demonstrated that they had the power to make these bills whatever they wanted. They passed both bills. They passed them the way the wanted to, with back-room discussions and vote buy-outs. You did not see pay-offs to GOP Senators for their vote to pass the health care bills. The “Louisiana Purchase” is a deal for a Democrat to buy a Democrat vote in the Senate. The “Cornhusker Kickback” is another deal for a Democrat to break the democrat-led filibuster. Chris Dodd, the Connecticut Democrat, got what he wanted so he would vote for the bill. Everything that has happened around this health care debate has been defined and driven by the Democrats in both houses of Congress.
Ok, maybe not just Democrats.
There is another factor that seems to be having some impact on the health care debate, and on other topics and debates flowing through our government. If you recall just a few years ago there was an attempt by the Bush administration to push through an amnesty bill to give illegal immigrants in this country a “free pass” to citizenship. In effect, we would be rewarding criminal behavior. This caught fire in the US, and people began calling, writing, visiting, and basically demanding that their representatives, well, represent them. The end result was a “gridlock” and the amnesty bill eventually died. It was a slow and painful death but it became clear to the politicians of both parties that passing amnesty would mean the loss of their jobs. Since all politicians really love the sweet retirement packages, killer perks, and pseudo fame they get with their office, they were inclined to act in a self-preserving manner and stand against amnesty. In other words, the will of The People was enacted.
The same can be said for the health care bill. You most likely recall the town halls from this past summer, where Congressional representatives were assaulted with questions about cost, impact to the economy, impact to health care, and other specific questions regarding the legislation. The House bill (HR 3200), which had already passed in the House, was quoted and commented on and representatives were asked to account for the things they had voted for in the House. Several Democrats began canceling town halls, or restricting access, to prevent embarrassment in these open, and often televised, public events.
The Tea Party sprang up, and millions of people filled the streets around state capitals and federal offices to make it clear to their representatives that they were not interested in socialized medicine. Despite the clearly biased negative media coverage, the American People were speaking as one voice and they were saying “HELL NO!” The result was the passage of the Senate bill. The Senators made a bet that The People would forget their betrayal and they could cheat the people and still keep their jobs.
They were very wrong.
January came and The People spoke again in Massachusetts. A Republican was elected to the seat previously held by “The Liberal Lion” of the Senate, the late Teddy Kennedy (Philanderer, Chappaquiddick). The specific reasons given by the voters for this dramatic shift was the vote buy-outs, back-room deals, and underhanded methods used to pass the Senate health care bill. Senators realized they made a mistake and their reaction was telling. Many Democrat Senators have announced that they will not seek another term in the coming elections. They are convinced that they will lose their seats in an open election as the result of their stance on health care. They could not be more right.
Now, nearly two months after Senator Brown was elected in Massachusetts, we’ve seen the Congress come to a screeching halt on health care. Many Democrats blame the GOP, but it is their own party that holds up progress. The Republicans have little power to stop anything. But The People have flexed their muscle and are beginning to fight back. It is The People that are voicing their opinions and holding their representatives accountable. It is The People that are pushing for some basic common sense on this issue. It is The People that are trying to drive this nation away from socialism. And it is The People that will hold every single representative who fails them accountable in the November 2010 elections. Politicians really love the sweet retirement packages, killer perks, and pseudo fame they get with their office. They are often inclined to act in a self-preserving manner. Some of them are standing against Obamacare. But this gridlock, this freezing of the legislative process is not their doing. This is The People’s Gridlock. And that is as it should be.
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