Tuesday’s dramatic election results have left Democrats in Congress scrambling to salvage a bill (or any bill for that matter) overhauling the nation’s health care system.  It became immediately obvious that the bill was in jeopardy.  House members indicated they would not quickly pass the bill the Senate approved last month.  At least one centrist senator, Jim Webb (D-Virginia) urged Senate leaders to suspend any vote on the Democrats’ health care legislation until Mr. Brown is sworn into office saying that the election was a referendum on health care and the integrity of the government process.

In some quarters, the reality has not yet set in.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) commented that “…the dynamic will change depending on what happens in Massachusetts; just the question of how we would proceed. But it doesn’t mean we won’t have a health care bill.”  She added,“Let’s remove all doubt. We will have health care one way or another.”  The editorial page of the New York Times, commented: “To our minds, it is not remotely a verdict on Mr. Obama’s presidency, nor does it amount to a national referendum on health care reform.” Really?  Don’t think the New York Times editorial staff is showing much in the way of street smarts. Apparently, they along with the Democratic leadership are in denial.  How could the populace possibly not see the wisdom of their leadership? How could the average American citizen possible reject their insightful legislation?

Arrogance is the only word that comes to mind.  The demeaning manner in which the Massachusetts election has been greeted by the media and by the Democratic leadership in Washington DC suggests an elitist mentality devoid of any connection to the real values of America as well as the real issues of concern.  The entire health care reform process has been dominated not by those in the field of health care, but by political ideologues married to a single set of ideas regarding how health care should be delivered and paid for in the United States.

Even now, Democrats in Congress, especially the leadership, are talking compromise while they secretly connive amongst themselves to find a parliamentary trick,  political scheme or legislative maneuver to move their health bill forward.  Both the House and Senate version of health reform, as currently written, are bloated, lack realistic health reform, over reaching, intrusive and doomed to failure.  They also contain essentially hidden or disguised language which will amount to massive cuts in Medicare spending over the next ten years.

It is time for President Obama to decide – are you the President of the United States of America or a leftist ideologue determined to side with the misguided leadership of Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid come what may? Real health reform has ALWAYS been within your grasp.  Bipartisan support, which you say you want, has ALWAYS been there for the taking.  What has sidetracked you?  Your decision to stay out of the fight and above the fray.  Your decision to allow the most radical left wing elements of your party to write the bills in both chambers and then let the most partisan leadership seen in some time steer a course which resulted in almost 100% partisan voting.  No major social legislation in the past century has passed without some degree of true bi-partisan support (no, Senator Collins, Senator Snowe and Representative Cao do not count – they are merely tokens).

Real health reform can be achieved by following a simple approach of voting up or down selected items which are common sense.  Such as elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions for coverage.  Such as elimination of allowing insurers to drop or deny renewal to subscribers who become ill.  Such as mandating that health insurers rate based on their ENTIRE subscriber pool, not a sub set, group or cherry picked population.  Such as eliminating the arbitrary rules which vary from state to state determining what constitutes a family or group for coverage purposes.  There are other items that common ground can be found on. These items alone would go a long way to solving many vexing problems faced by Americans every day.

Mr. President, push the reset button on health care reform.  Unhitch your wagon from the bankrupt leadership in the House and Senate and be the agent of change you said you wanted to be.  If you stay on your present course, not only will your political future be imperiled, but real health reform will likely be a casualty as well, and that would be a real tragedy . . . obi jo and jomaxx

G.O.P. Senate Victory Stuns Democrats – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/us/politics/20election.html

Democrats May Seek to Push Health Bill Through House – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/health/policy/19health.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

The Massachusetts Election – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/opinion/21thur1.html

Obama Weighs Paring Goals for Health Bill – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/health/policy/21health.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Pelosi: House won’t pass Senate bill to save health-care reform – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012101604.html

Democrats step back before deciding how to move forward – http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/21/democrats.policy/index.html

Reconciliation Cometh? – http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/reconciliation-cometh

What Coakley’s Defeat Means for Healthcare Reform – http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100201/beyerstein

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