The Holy Grail of Progressive Politics

The Signing Ceremony -- Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
On March 21, 2010, the US House of Representatives voted (by a razor thin margin of 4 votes) to approve the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – the so-called "health care overhaul”. Democrats also referred to it as the health insurance overhaul to avoid more angry flak, by empasizing the bill's insurance reforms. They shouldn’t have been so modest; the bill was one hundred or more years in the making – way overdue considering that it was an unmet goal for Teddy Roosevelt around the turn of the last century. Just some of the highlights of the bill, which is supported by AARP as well as AMA:

· Insurance companies cannot deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions
· Insurance companies can’t put a yearly cap on coverage
· Every American must have health insurance coverage – aid is available for low earners and insurance exchanges are available for people who can’t find other coverage.
· Dependents can be covered all the way up to age 26.

There are several other stipulations which add up to an amazing piece of legislation. As a left-leaner, I would’ve preferred to have a flat-out single-payer system or a public option. I'm still very glad that the D.C. sausage factory gave something approximating universal health care. The bill that we have leaves most of our present (capitalistic) mechanisms intact – there was very little for the Republicans to really worry about.

The bill is a testament to the “carrot” provided by smooth-talking Obama and the “stick” evidenced by the aggressive Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Both people overcame amazing obstacles – some people likened the bill’s passage to Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead. When Scott Brown was elected as GOP senator in Massachusetts, many people wrote the whole deal off. Pelosi figured out the a way to pass the bill using a process called “reconciliation” where only a simple Senate majority is needed to approve a conciliatory companion bill. Of course, she reached into a GOP bag of tricks to use that approach. We have to pause and acknowledge that it took a black man and a white woman to deliver what no combination of white men has done before. Just a thing worth mentioning (and I’m a white male).

Obama captured a political Holy Grail sought by every Democratic President of the last century. If he twiddled his thumbs for the next 6 or so years, his term would still be of monumental historical significance.

Based on GOP alarm bells, you would’ve thought Godzilla was approaching as the House prepared to vote. The bill has variously been called fascism, socialism, government-takeover and robbery by the Party of “No”. Even before the ink was dry on Obama’s signature, 12+ state attorneys general (including one Democrat) prepared a joint lawsuit claiming that the bill violates “states’ rights”. Just hearing that phrase “states’ rights” gives me the willies – it harks back to the days of Dixiecrats and segregation.

How ugly did it get right after the bill was signed on March 21st? Well several Democratic party state headquarters had bricks tossed through their windows. One Texas legislator, Republican Louie Gohmert made a motion to repeal the 17th Amendment – he feels that the popular vote can’t reliably give us a good group of Senators. GOP talking heads ranted and raved about repealing the bill after the 2010 elections (unlikely to happen). Former candidate Sarah Palin did a PowerPoint of the USA, using crosshairs to show which legislators need to be “taken out” in the next election.

So what are the real, dire consequences that we Americans have to look to? The DOW financial average actually surged for the two days following the bill signing; both Obama and the Health bill’s approval ratings went up too. There will be some legal challenges, and devil is in the details of course. But one of the major, major legislative goals has been achieved – very much like the fabled pot of gold at the end of the political rainbow.

Obama also redeemed himself in the eyes of Democrats who once thought he was too professorial and aloof to move anything along. In truth, Nancy Pelosi was the bulldozer who cleared much of the path -- appeasing the likes of pro-lifer Bart Stupak as well as public option champion Dennis Kucinich to move the bill across. No matter who provided the most push, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. It’s a grand, almost mythic moment which will live in our memories (and history pages) for many years to come.

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