Democrats and health care
Joseph Aziz, Contributing Writer
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: Editorials and Opinion
We are in the midst of one of the most defining moments in generations, closer now to real, tangible change than any of us have ever been in our lifetimes.
It may be redundant to repeat what's already been said time and again, but health care reform is one of the most important challenges this country is facing, and it's been said repeatedly for a reason.
Yet,as often happens, the people that seem to grasp this the most are those who resist this change, a change that threatens the indulgent recipients of a broken and easily-abused health care system, among many other problems that leave the bulk of the American people vulnerable to corporate and political
exploitation.
A week ago, this country witnessed one of the most shameful moments in Democratic Party history unfold when Republican State Senator Scott Brown, a well-camouflaged super-conservative, won in the overwhelmingly Democratic state of Massachusetts, a state that hasn't voted for a Republican president or senator in more than two decades.
How can such a seemingly obvious idea like
health care reform become a dirty term in a country where almost 50 million citizens lack health insurance? Even more frustrating is that the people aren't to blame for the last-minute cold feet spreading around much of the country.
Instead, we can thank the deception on the opposing side and incompetence on the side of Democratic leadership, which has failed to defend their bill in the face of an onslaught of uninformed criticism. Rather, Democrats have opted to rely on their assumed Senate majority to pass a historic bill without actually explaining it to the people.
This has proven catastrophic not just for the
Democratic Party, but for those who are actually affected by the decisions politicians make: the aforementioned 50 million people who are still waiting for help, as well as the millions of others who continue to be taken advantage of by an unfair and unjust health care system.
It may be redundant to repeat what's already been said time and again, but health care reform is one of the most important challenges this country is facing, and it's been said repeatedly for a reason.
Yet,as often happens, the people that seem to grasp this the most are those who resist this change, a change that threatens the indulgent recipients of a broken and easily-abused health care system, among many other problems that leave the bulk of the American people vulnerable to corporate and political
exploitation.
A week ago, this country witnessed one of the most shameful moments in Democratic Party history unfold when Republican State Senator Scott Brown, a well-camouflaged super-conservative, won in the overwhelmingly Democratic state of Massachusetts, a state that hasn't voted for a Republican president or senator in more than two decades.
How can such a seemingly obvious idea like
health care reform become a dirty term in a country where almost 50 million citizens lack health insurance? Even more frustrating is that the people aren't to blame for the last-minute cold feet spreading around much of the country.
Instead, we can thank the deception on the opposing side and incompetence on the side of Democratic leadership, which has failed to defend their bill in the face of an onslaught of uninformed criticism. Rather, Democrats have opted to rely on their assumed Senate majority to pass a historic bill without actually explaining it to the people.
This has proven catastrophic not just for the
Democratic Party, but for those who are actually affected by the decisions politicians make: the aforementioned 50 million people who are still waiting for help, as well as the millions of others who continue to be taken advantage of by an unfair and unjust health care system.
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