I’d like to laugh about Sen. Joe Lieberman and his announcement yesterday to filibuster the already close to meaningless health care legislation in Congress. But, sorry, he’s just not funny anymore. And neither are the Democratic Party nitwits who keep bending over for Lieberman every time he so much as grunts in their direction.
Lieberman, the so-called Independent from the insurance capital of the nation, Connecticut, has been crapping on the Democratic Party for decades. And the Democrats have responded by tippy-toeing around him and offering him committee chairmanships and seats at crucial negotiating tables whenever he launches into his now all-too-frequent political tantrums. Yeah, that’ll show him.
Now Lieberman’s at it again, and this time the political stink of it is as transparent as transparency can be.
Lieberman’s balking at the latest health care compromise because – surprise, surprise – the tiny little step of offering 55-to-65 year olds access to Medicare is offending his insurance industry pals in Connecticut. So, if you’re keeping score at home, when it comes to the health care debate, it’s Lieberman 3 and the rest of us zero. Way to go, asshole.
Lieberman and his cold-hearted neo-con brethren have denied a single-payer option to even be considered. They’ve killed the public-option compromise. And now they’ve said “boo” to the Democrats again with regard to the increased Medicare access.
Worse, before the news of Lieberman’s latest tantrum could even hit the newspapers, President Obama sent a directive to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to cut a deal with Lieberman to make him happy. As of now, it looks like that deal will be to kill the Medicare buy-in.
Like I said, it’s not funny anymore.
Sorry, but it’s way beyond time for the political left (is there such a thing anymore?) to start having some serious tantrums of our own. I mean, they certainly seem to work.
Specifically, it’s time for senators like Sanders (I-VT) and Feingold (D-WI) to push back with some threats of their own to walk away from this already compromised-to-death legislation. Because meaningless legislation passed today will only hinder meaningful efforts tomorrow, mostly because the Lieberman’s of the world will declare health care as “solved.”
My late, great mentor, Wally Burnstein, loved to say that “sometimes nothing is better than better than nothing.” And so it is with the health care legislation at this point.
Enough already.
Of course, it would certainly help if the left had an activist presence, willingness and/or commitment to its causes. Because, if it did, now would be the time to take it to the streets and make the Lieberman’s of this nation see, feel and hear the pain of families like mine – and probably yours – who remain scared shitless about health care.
This may be a cute little power game for Lieberman and his pals, but for the rest of us it’s nothing short of a high-stakes game of economic survival. I think it’s high time that that message got some front and center attention during this so-called debate.
I await your call, Mr. President.
The Congressional Health Care ‘reform’ is a farce. And Lieberman is just an excuse–he’s playing his role. They’ve all got their little parts, Michael, and the whole country’s a stage. Look into what’s doin’ here in Vt. on Health Care Jan. 12 at Statehouse. That’s where the Left maybe can do something, if we’re not all too busy, that is.
Take to the streets and what? Chant slogans and wave signs and sing “Imagine”? Blow shit up? Line up like the Indians in India in the 1920′s and let wave after wave of people walk into the police batons and be beaten? What level of commitment we talkin’ here? Cuz we already know the first option doesn’t do shit, and nobody seems to have the nutsack (you and me included) for options 2 and 3, so what are you talking about?
Lieberman’s flip flops
when he was Al Gore’s running mate, Lieberman campaigned on a platform of offering everyone 55 and older an option to “buy-in” to Medicare. That proposal—which was a central part of the Gore-Lieberman campaign’s health care plan—essentially would have created a robust public option for people aged 55 to 65.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/12/joe-liebermans-medicare-dodge
Lieberman added that he supports mandating that no one can be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions and that everyone be required to have health insurance.As to how 47 million uninsured will afford coverage, Lieberman said only 12 million don’t have insurance because they cannot afford it.By allowing citizens who are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid to buy in for a rate below the private market, the government can extend coverage to more of those who are currently uninsured, he said.
http://www.connpost.com/ci_13257617
“Of course, it would certainly help if the left had an activist presence, willingness and/or commitment to its causes.”
It appears we have finally defeated you!
Joe Lieberman is a monumental douche-bag, no doubt. Of all the people in America (so glad I live in Canada) that you could give the final say in health care reform, her is the least capable. How the hell did it ever come to this?
Here is an idea for you. Get a hold of the records of all the health-care benefits paid to members of Congress (at the taxpayers expense) and publish them, itemized with their names, income and net worth next to the expenses. Explain to me again how tax-payers subsidizing the wealthy and powerful is not socialism, but helping out working people and the poor is? Isn’t America a christian nation of God-Loving (if not Fearing) people? Isn’t helping your fellow man part of that? What the hell is wrong with y’all?
Heh. It’s nice to see my graphic getting some good viral mileage!
–mf