Pass The Bill

So yesterday was pretty crazy. Not teh win-est of threads - perhaps this was what was meant by the Breitbartocalypse. HCR has really been shitty for building community - one of those excellent signs for any progressive reform.


Still, this is actually looking like the one last final ultimate push - the do or die, the next six days are critical to the fate of &c. Time for progressives to take a big bite of the shit sandwich and proclaim it the yummiest EVAR. I've made my feelings about the Senate bill pretty clear, and the reconcilliation bits being bandied around do very little to sway me. I think it's a bad bill. I think that passing it may have some great short term effects, but by itself - this HCR package has more potential for harm than good.

Still, this is what's on the table. Single payer was apparently never an option, and the public option was basically the bait for the insurance industry bribery switch. Basically - this is as good as it's going to get right now. And despite the fact that I believe that the basis and foundation of this reform is bad - I'm now lining up behind the centrists. Pass this fucker.

Why? Well first, it's not going to get any better. At the rate that this legislation has been developed, sooner or later it was going to turn into mandatory organ donation by anyone making less than six figures. Secondly, despite this bill being a victory for conservatives (it's an affirmation of the twin ideals that teh poor are evil and markets will solve everything) it'll be seen, even by our stupid media, as a victory for liberals.

Okay, it's a mark in the win column, bestowed by the geniuses of teh liberal media establishment. That and a bottle of Coke gets you a bottle of Coke to wash down the shame. What's the big deal then, why is this something that might make me change my position on the HCR package?

Well, firstly - the cost of my waffling is small. It's not like there are policy-making gurus who know that I exist, let alone hang on my every endorsement. Second, and more importantly - it's because Health Care isn't the be-all-end-all. Democratic leadership has decided that it's going to tackle Education and fix the mess that is No Child Left Behind. They are currently working on regulatory reforms for financials. They still have to get DADT repeal passed. Sure the useless wads stinking up the place with their brilliant political maneuvering are probably still going to try and give away anything worthwhile in those reform efforts - although there are some indications that patience is a little thinner for courting GOP senators. But the momentum from passing the LIBERALEST SOCIALISM OF ALL TIME!!exclamationpoint1! might mean that some good stuff might get rammed in there too.

TL;DR version - meaningful Health Care reform is dead - but we should pass the bill as a means of reanimating the corpse to supply momentum for progress on other reform efforts.