The Fallout

Amongst the pundit class, there seems to be a consensus that the "ObamaCare" individual mandate provision is going down and, perhaps, the entire bill with it.

Is this awful (from a progressive perspective)? Yes, this is awful.

But is it the end of the world (metaphorically speaking)? Absolutely not.

Let's not forget that this was really a conservative bill, anyway. The individual mandate was an idea spawned in The Heritage Foundation (a right-wing think tank). Paul Krugman was one of many journalists/pundits who recognized that "ObamaCare" was to the right of President Richard Nixon's proposal in 1974.

So, while I am not necessarily fully trying to talk Furriners readers (or myself) into believing this is absolutely going to, in the long run, prove to be a good thing because it provides an opportunity to get a better bill. It does just that, I suppose. Of course, technically, everyday is an opportunity to make your life, your nation, and your world a better place... and most of us do nothing of the sort (at least, not beyond the incidental benefit we do in being consumers and producers, parents and mentors, friends and neighbors, etc - all important, of course - and not in that order).

Anyway, this post has taken an unexpected turn; I didn't necessarily plan on going down that path. What I planned on focusing on was a quote I pulled from yesterday's The Dylan Ratigan Show. Before I quote it, I would like to add that this is merely a succinct summation of what I was already saying around the Furriners offices on Tuesday afternoon after the initial reports of "Train Wreck".

Without further ado, here is a quote from Rob Cox from Reuters on The DR Show:

(Republicans) have to be careful what they wish for here. Strike it down. Beat it up. Get it declared unconstitutional. They can "win"... and they can deal with 50 million uninsured people - with no plan. Good luck.

Exactly. That said, the American electorate do perplex me. We've had 30+ years of policies favoring special interests and the rich and, yet, the electorate is not voting in politicians committed to reversing these policies. So consider me disappointed, yet hopeful, yet forelorn.

We all, as Americans, deserve better.