McCain's no maverick, but a bitter partisan

I really wish someone could find the 2000 version of John McCain, because that man is long gone. He became a far right-wing conservative after getting cheated, lied about and bullied by the Bush campaign following the 2000 South Carolina GOP primary. It really is a shame.

Anyway, as McCain's appearance on Good Morning America Monday morning clearly shows, he's pretty out of touch with what's going on in the country, specifically with regard to health care. I have a major bone of contention with McCain's assertion that the Democrats "went against the will of the American people" (an assertion that just about every GOPer is parroting over and over and over again, putting a fresh topping on the old, unfortunate adage "keep on telling a lie over and over 'til they start to believe it"). More on the polls in a minute.

Yesterday, McCain ratcheted up the rhetoric, saying There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year. They [Democrats] have poisoned the well in what they've done and how they've done it." (From The Washington Post) Wow, that's pretty astounding from a so-called "Maverick" who in the past has made some pretty historic and honorable legislation from working with Democrats to get stuff done. If the people of Arizona are stupid enough to send this guy back to the Senate for six more years, then they deserve whatever they get. What a disgrace. Why not just retire then, "Mav"? Clearly the people of Arizona deserve something better than this crybaby.

Happily, David Axelrod, President Obama's Senior White House Advisor, wasted no time in issuing a tart response: "You know, that's okay on the sandlot, but it's not okay when you're trying to govern a country and move a country forward. It's a disappointing attitude." That about sums it all up.

If McCain was my Senator, even if this tirade was about a bill I disapproved of, I'd like to think I could rise above partisan politics and tell him that this sort of language is totally unacceptable coming from someone who is sent to Washington to do the people's work, and to quit pissing and moaning when he doesn't get his way, or win a presidential election. (Most except the most ardent McCain supporters would probably agree that he's become a bitter, cranky old codger since he lost to Obama last year. Give up the dream John, give up the dream. Spare yourself some dignity in defeat - if you need some instructions, see Kerry, John and Gore, Al - two people who behaved with truckloads more dignity than you are and who had a whole lot more to be angry about. In short, grow up - it's not all about you.)

Following Axelrod's comments, Brooke Buchanan, McCain's spokeswoman, shot back, "Senator John McCain will always stand on the side of the American people. Get used to it, Mr. Axelrod, that's what strong, independent members do - you'd know what if you had ever worked for one."

It just kept getting better and better. I guess when we need to hear from McCain now, we can rely on his pit bull spokeswoman for comment, or we can go to his Website to look for a press release, since he won't be cooperating with the Democratically controlled Congress.

Following all that, Jim Manley, spokesman for Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Majority Leader and a man who I don't have much admiration or respect for, scored some points with me yesterday with this acidic rebuke: "For someone who campaigned on 'country first' and claims to take great pride in bipartisanship, it's absolutely bizarre for Senator McCain to tell the American people he is going to take his ball and go home until the next election. He must be living in a parallel universe because the fact is, with very few exceptions, we've gotten very little cooperation from Senate Republicans in recent years."

~~

I firmly believe that once all of the right-wing propaganda clears from the GOP smokescreen machine, the American people aren't going to want this law repealed. Amended and tweaked? Without question, but that's already happening; the $750 fine for not having insurance has already been reduced to... ZERO. That was a good start.

Back to polling on the health care bill...

As I've already written, I take serious umbrage with Republicans saying, over and over, words to the effect that the Democrats "defied the will of the American people." Polls do not bear this out (at least the legitimate ones.) From Gallup, via The New York Times yesterday and MSNBC, on Monday, both obviously following Sunday night's passage of the health care bill:


Whoops! This is "defying the will of the American people"? In two words, that's unadulterated bullshit. These poll numbers should tilt further and further toward favoring this bill as the facts become clear to the American people. But, in order for that to happen, Obama and Democratic leaders have to do a much better job of articulating their messages - Repubes have always been better at getting phrases and terms that "stick" with the public; time for Democrats to do the same. I don't like it that America is largely a soundbite electorate, but that's the culture now, and Democrats need to get with it.

will.i.am's great Boehner remix

I have so much to get to- I've, ahem, EARMARKED some blogging time this morning before getting back to condo repairs, but I had to share this first. I found this on Salon this morning, and my laughter jolted me out of my pre-caffeinated slumber. This could very well be some sort of Mastercard "Priceless" commercial, but that's about as far as I can take it.

Will.i.am is awesome; maybe he should change his name to will.i.am.a.genius or something- just a thought. I've seen him on Real Time with Bill Maher numerous times, and he's not just another annoying celeb with an opinion, he's informed about the issues, and he knows how to resonate with his message.

Anyway, there's obviously a deeper message here. When I first watched this, I laughed, but after I watched it again, it got me to thinking- I'm sick to death of the right giving me 15 reasons why I CAN'T have something, especially when in the end our enormously massive federal budget piles up to one big nothing / one big nothing at all (cue Dave Matthews Band music) if we can't provide basic health care to everyone. If you've been following the health care debate, and you even have a scintilla of an open mind, it all boils down to this - Democrats are fed up with a health care system that favors the well off and largely screws the middle and lower classes, while Republicans and conservatives (I'm lumping a few Democrats in the latter group) have whined about "cost."

Of all the reasons to oppose a much-needed health care overhaul, cost is among the stupidest. At the risk of sounding like a broken record because I keep carping about it, in our government's next fiscal year, we are spending around $708bn on our defense budget (not counting the Iraq and Afghanistan missions). Hey, if the military industrial complex, which along with the pharmaceutical companies, banks, and Wall St. pretty much own this country and our politicians, can get theirs, then there's no justifiable reason that any American citizen should be denied health care, period.

I'd like to think that's the underlying theme of will.i.am's nicely produced video.

BTW, extra kudos to will.i.am for putting this together so quickly- it's not like this happened weeks ago.

A better pic than the one I posted yesterday

Click on Image for Larger View

My first thought when I saw this picture was, "Ohmygod, there's Gary Coleman with Obama!" but in fact, the diminutive Coleman doppelganger is actually Marcelas Owens of Seattle, who became a proponent of national health care after his mother died due to a lack of coverage.

Seriously though, this is a historic day, and I'm proud to see it happen - FINALLY the day is here where all Americans have hope for affordable, reasonable health care. I've been saying for weeks that this bill, pass or fail, marks just the beginning in the health care battle. Or new system will be far from perfect, and we have to keep demanding even more changes that we need to get the system we want. The politico in me can't wait to see Republicans campaign against the bill. My first thought - they don't have the balls, and I'd like to see them try. Their biggest gripe is cost, and a fifth grade student could write rebuttals to that charge.

Anyway, today was a darn good start on the long road to reform. Hey Sarah Palin - that "hopey changey thing" is working out for me pretty nicely today, you two-bit cocktail waitress.

I'm not even remotely done talking about the health care bill or the bill's passage, but I have to get back to work. I'll be back later this evening.

Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times

Health care reform is finally here, but there's plenty of work left to do

I'm very happy that meaningful health care reform is upon us. I'm not thrilled with everything, but I think that this is a significant step in the right direction. More on that in a minute, but first, I can't stop myself from commenting on some of yesterday's theatrics.

First, right-wing media's reactions to the bill's passing is cracking me up. One of my favorite idiotic responses is from the contemptible Matt Drudge (above). "A Day Which Will Live in Infirmary"? Really? Evidently, there are plenty of clever morons over at Drudge - I'm underwhelmed by the pithiness and wit.

Even more entertaining was House Minority Leader John Boehner's speech before the vote - in case you missed it, here it is...

Seriously? Is this guy for real? This was straight-up D-Level acting fit for a straight-to-video Steven Segal movie.

First, this guy must think that all Americans are stupid. Well, I've got news for you, Mr. Boehner, not all of us are. I not-so-fondly remember when Republicans ruled Congress during the Dubya Bush administration, and Democrats were frozen out of any substantive negotiations on the GOP agenda - quite frankly, because they didn't need their votes to get anything passed. Full disclosure - I didn't like it then and howled about it, but you know what? Elections have consequences, and that's the pendulum that is American politics. The day will certainly come when Republicans rule Congress once again, and when that happens, don't hold your breath for Democrats to be consulted if and only if the GOP can pass their agenda without Democratic votes.

Secondly, I can make two pretty educated guesses as to why Boehner's so angry: 1. This is a major legislative victory for Obama, and 2. A new tanning salon tax is part of the new health care bill. Good God, I haven't seen a fake bake this bad since, well, ever, actually.

What's more, I think Mr. Boner (I will never believe the real pronunciation of his last name is BAY-ner - what a joke) needs a cigarette to calm his nerves. A notorious, habitual smoker, he probably ought to think of cutting back, as his voice isn't exactly pleasant to listen to, especially when he starts screaming. Maybe I should give him a break - if my last name was Boehner, I'd be angry, too. Seek therapy, John.

Another lowlight of the evening last night was someone calling Rep. Bart Stupak a "baby killer" as he was getting ready to speak before the vote last night. Here's the video, courtesy of Talking Points Memo:

I'd say "unbelieveable," but nothing surprises me out of Washington anymore. Two of the most disgraceful instances of political discourtesy in recent memory have come thanks to Republicans - Rep. Joe Wilson screaming "You lie!" during Obama's speech on health care reform to a joint session of Congress last September, and yesterday an unidentified Congressman calling Bart Stupak a "baby killer" in the House chamber. (I don't think anyone thinks it came from a Democrat, but if it did, I'll post an apology, guaranteed.)

What's more, it's curious that someone would single out Stupak as a "baby killer," since he's a pro-life Democrat and his opposition to federally funded abortions nearly derailed the health care bill entirely.

Anyway, I won't pretend to be an expert on this bill, but I think it's a very good start to giving ALL Americans the health care system and coverage we deserve. I'm not happy that private insurance companies are going to be raking in billions more, but this bill did bring much needed reform. The parts that I like...

1. No more denials of people based on pre-existing conditions (this one's a BIGGIE)
2. No more lifetime "caps" on insurance company payouts
3. Policyholders can no longer have their policies canceled in the middle of a major illness
4. College graduates can stay on their parents' policies until the age of 26, ensuring that they will have coverage in college and during the start of their careers
5. Medicaid expanded to 16mn people
6. Larger employers must cover workers or pay a penalty

There are some things I dislike, too, without question:

1. No single payer system, or universal health care, or whatever you want to call it
2. For small businesses, there's something called a "health insurance exchange," and I don't exactly know what that means, but considering I'll have a small business moving forward, this is something I need to look into
3. I don't know that I like the $750 fine for not having insurance, either, but I understand why it's in the bill

Nothing's perfect, and this system will no doubt need some tweaks in the coming years, but like I said, it's a good start. (Suggested tweak #1 - a mandatory grace period for paying premiums. I guarantee that people with private plans with major illnesses will get their policies canceled at midnight the day after their premium's due if it isn't paid on time.)

Of course, the right is whining that there was no tort reform, a battle cry we've been hearing for years. I won't pretend to have all the answers, but I don't agree with what the right proposes - capping monetary awards in medical malpractice suits. Sorry, but I'm siding with the public on this one - I'm not giving up my right to sue and get damages in the event that a doctor or pharmaceutical company makes a tragic mistake. And I don't like the idea of capping punitive damages at $500,000, an idea that was bandied about during the Bush administration. Can one really put a dollar amount on a life? Sure, there are plenty of examples of ridiculous awards handed out by juries, but there are also examples of wanton malpractice by hospitals, doctors and pharmaceutical companies, and their getting away with it, too. So, I side with the plaintiffs.

I get a kick out of the right trying to make political hay out of the "trial lawyers" by reminding us every five minutes that they give so much to the Democratic Party. Hmm, and what party does the insurance industry give most of it's cash to? Let's face it, neither political party in Washington has cornered the morality market when it comes to campaign cash, which is another issue I hope Obama tackles before his presidency is over. (Although that will probably have to wait 'til his second term.)

Something else that's getting some press this morning - the student loan industry got a major overhaul as part of the health care bill. Three words - IT'S ABOUT TIME. More on that later.