Yesterday the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid of Nevada found something he had been searching for for years: a backbone. With an utterance in his telltale sing song voice, Reid announced that the healthcare reform bill in the Senate would indeed include a public option. And as if to stick the knife deeper into the hearts of conservatives nationwide, he then said that it would be an opt out option.
In response to the announced opt out public option, the stocks of major insurance companies tumbled yesterday, as it became clear what phantom menace had just been unleashed by the mild mannered Senator from the Silver State. And Olympia Snowe was saddened by the inclusion of a public option without a trigger. But no one really gives a shit about the Snowe Princess, do they?
Reid’s decision to support an opt out option was made to woo the more conservative members of the Democratic Caucus into voting for cloture, while giving them the political cover to vote against the bill once it comes to the floor for a final vote. But more importantly, Reid’s choice of an opt out option over a trigger now puts Republicans on the defensive across the country.
As states get to choose to participate or not in the public option, the blue states will immediately jump on board. The purple states will be on the fence, and the red states will be screwed. Or more accurately, the Republicans in the red states will be screwed.
With high unemployment, states like Texas and Georgia may actually turn blue by 2012. Those who vote against the bill may find themselves unemployed in just a few years. As Texans and Georgians see people from New York and California enjoy a public option, they will either force out the Republicans leading those states, or they may move in order to get affordable insurance. Companies deciding on a location for offices or factories may move to a state with a public option in order to save money.
The Democrats in Harry Reid have found a potent political tool for many elections to come. Those who stand in the way of health insurance will find their political futures uncertain. The masses, which once could be counted upon to vote for Republicans because of the gay, will place social issues on the back burner as they struggle to keep their families from dropping dead from the piggy flu. Candidates who threaten to undo healthcare reform on the campaign trail will find themselves accustomed to election night conciliatory speeches.
With a simple presser, Harry Reid not only secured his reelection in 2010, but also kicked Republicans to the curb. By vowing to move on, relating Snowe to irrelevance, Reid’s message was clear: if you want change, you must vote Democrat.
The Republicans are screwed in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and possibly even 2020.
Let’s just hope those fucking Mayans were right.
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And then there was Joe.
2006 campaign: I am for Universal Health Care for all.
Then came 1.6 million from Insurance and Pharm.
2009: I am against any kind of Public Health option.
Lieberman should have been kicked out of the Democratic caucus November 5th 2008.
Harry Reid found his backbone and Joe Lieberman found his true calling–as the world’s biggest buzzkill!
http://democralypsenow.com/joe-lieberman-sees-opportunity-to-fulfill-his-destiny-as-biggest-buzzkill-ever/