Everyone on Capitol Hill is waiting for President Obama to exert his leadership on the health care reform measures tonight at 8 p.m. Washington D.C. time when he is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on the issues. Yet, none of the Congressmen and Senators are quite sure what he is going to say.
Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus is still pressing members of his committee to come to a bipartisan agreement on his "compromise" version of health care reform, which he proposes to issue in detail as a chairman's mark the week of September 21. Baucus proposes to provide coverage for the 40 million Americans who can't afford health insurance coverage by imposing a fine of as much as $3,800.00 per year on families who don't buy health insurance. How will that fine help the families who don't have the cash now to pay for insurance?
In the final hours before Obama's health care reform address to Congress, his disapproval rating on the issue has gone up to 52% according to an AP poll released earlier today. And no wonder. Democrats in Congress are split on several aspects of the legislation pending in six different committees. Congressman Lynn Woolsey, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, threatens that Housel liberals will kill any bill without a public option. Her latest pronouncement: "Tonight is the next step in this debate. I don't know what he is going to say. I'll be raving tomorrow if there's no support for the public option."
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have expressed similar views, vowing to kill any legislation which does not include a government run health insurance program. On the other hand, it doesn't seem there is any chance at all such a bill will ever pass the Senate. So, what are the Congressmen thinking? Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York said it best today: "As we stand here today, there's probably not the votes for anything."
Still, to my amazement, no one at all is even trying to explain how 40 million more people can get health care for less money than 267 million of us are spending now. Some voters are going to lose big in this fight, and no politician wants to point to them and say "You are the ones who are going to pay for all this." Until they do that, it's all smoke and mirrors.
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