Republicans: WAKE UP!!
Posted by David Edman in Healthcare Reform Blog, January 2010 on February 3rd, 2010 | No Comments »
It is February 2010. The Obama Presidency is one year old. Health reform as passed by the House and the Senate in late 2009 is essentially dead—these bills cannot be reconciled. So, it is time for Republicans and Democrats to come together, focus on their areas of agreement, and pass a smaller, incremental, and low cost health reform bill.
The Mess We Are In
The focus in Washington is now on jobs, jobs, and jobs. But guess what, we have an employer-based system of health insurance in this country and employers are not hiring new workers (i.e., NO NEW JOBS) in the current climate of uncertainty. One of the principal reasons is our failure to control healthcare spending in this country and address the exorbitant cost of health insurance. Small business is the economic engine that drives our country, so the President is correct when he says we will not fix our economy until we fix our broken healthcare system.
Voters Send A Message
The American people delivered a message in recent elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and now Massachusetts. The same message was delivered in the waning years of the Bush Administration. That message is that we are a people guided by certain principles and values and we want to be governed accordingly. We do NOT want to be governed by partisanship or extreme political ideology (right or left). Politicians who fail to understand this phenomenon will be gone.
Democrats desperately want to deliver on their promise to the American people to pass health reform. While some Republicans may see political advantage from not passing a bill in 2010, the truth is that a major Republican constituency, small business, NEEDS a health reform bill. Any political advantage from the politics of obstruction will be short lived. Both parties need to commit themselves to getting something positive accomplished for the benefit of the American people.
Starting Down The Road To Bi-Partisanship
Republicans should reach out to Democrats who have shown an interest in meaningful reform and who claim the mantel of fiscal responsibility. There are 40 Democrats who voted against HR 3962. There are currently 54 conservative Democrats who are members of the Blue Dog Coalition. This is a good place to start.
If our legislators need more guidance on what to do next, we can help there too. Read our blog called, “After Massachusetts: NOW WHAT?” It is time for the grownups to take charge in Washington, DC. And just in case our politicians need a little push, I would urge everyone to call their Congressman or woman, and call your two US Senators, and tell them to pass a good health reform bill, and do it NOW!!