|
by: One Citizen
It's a rhetorical question. Of course he doesn't. At least not the real Pope.
Now let's ask a real question of our rhetorical Pope (depicted above). Did Rockefeller really believe that his "public option" had even half a chance? Really?
Jay certainly acted all holier-than-thou when he tore apart Dr. Howard Dean for criticizing the Senate bill the other day. Funny, but I never heard Rockefeller get fired up like that during entire time congressional Neocons were staving off the much-needed intelligence oversight of the Bush administration by Rockefeller's panel. Even when Cheney tried foisting the responsibility for torture over onto Congress, Rockefeller never got as upset as he did at Howard Dean.
There's got to be some reason for his outburst. Rockefeller certainly didn't get torqued when Obama abandoned his public option amendment. There is always the strong possibility that Rockefeller's bargaining away of real reforms for giant giveaways to the insurance industry may be connected to how the health industry stocks jumped as an immediate reaction to what his Senate Finance Committee passed. Check it out at this link.
By the way, most folks aren't aware that insider trading is still entirely legal for members of congress. |
| Senator Rockefeller seems to have almost papal-like infallibility, at least when it comes to never getting seriously grilled by the media. And, like the real Pope, he seems to always pontificate about being at peace with settling for less, urging followers to just keep faith, all-the-while wearing tailor-fitted designer raiment of the finest cloth.
Coincidentally, Jay's infallibility has also been passively sanctioned practically in perpetuity by the Republican party. For some odd reason the GOP never spends any serious cash to run anyone against him.
It is notable that Rockefeller very quickly and relatively quietly sacrificed the strong public option bill he'd sponsored, for the purpose of "bi-partisanship". In contrast, by holding out, Senator Ben Nelson earned himself an amazing mandate which requires the taxpayers of West Virginia (along with the other 48 states) to pay for the expansion of Medicaid for his entire state of Nebraska. Virtually forever.
Of course, hindsight being 20-20, it's easy to opine that back when Obama made it clear that single-payer was off the table practically at the outset of legislation, Rockefeller could have planted his heels firmly right then and there. That way, his public option likely would have had a far better chance of surviving.
I wonder if he learned anything from the experience. By his over-the-top reaction to Howard Dean, he pretty much telegraphed that he never really wanted to learn from the experience, just carp at Dean.
But this health care "reform" legislation has really not yet played completely out. We'll have to wait and see what Rockefeller finally does. My bet is that he'll vote to pass anything, including (or perhaps especially) the giant bonus package his Senate is striving to award insurance industry CEO's.
As for bargaining on behalf of health care for West Virginians (Rockefeller's constituents), I'm left wondering how is it that he can still remain so staunchly in support of the coal industry despite experts having recently revealed how it poisons coalfield families at alarming rates.
It just so happens that
[b]uried in the deal-clinching healthcare package that Senate Democrats unveiled over the weekend is an inconspicuous proposal expanding Medicare to cover certain victims of "environmental health hazards."
Unfortunately, the proposal doesn't cover the victims of coal ash, slurry in our aquifer or black lung for Rockefeller's constituents. It's for asbestos victims from a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana for Max "Blue Dog" Baucus.
Which goes to prove that Wabi-Sabi was right. Rockefeller's no Blue Dog. He hasn't the spine of a Blue Dog. And unfortunately he lacks the integrity of a progressive like Senator Bernie Sanders I-VT, who was angered after a new government-run health plan was dropped from the legislation to win over moderates like Nelson and Landrieu, held out on backing the bill until Reid, D-Nev., agreed to a $10 billion increase in support for community health centers. source
Finally, check out FireDogLake Jane Hamsher's Top 10 Reasons to Kill Senate Health Care Bill
1. Forces you to pay up to 8% of your income to private insurance corporations - whether you want to or not.
2. If you refuse to buy the insurance, you'll have to pay penalties of up to 2% of your annual income to the IRS.
3. Many will be forced to buy poor-quality insurance they can't afford to use, with $11,900 in annual out-of-pocket expenses over and above their annual premiums.
4. Massive restriction on a woman's right to choose, designed to trigger a challenge to Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court.
5. Paid for by taxes on the middle class insurance plan you have right now through your employer, causing them to cut back benefits and increase co-pays.
6. Many of the taxes to pay for the bill start now, but most Americans won't see any benefits - like an end to discrimination against those with preexisting conditions - until 2014 when the program begins.
7. Allows insurance companies to charge people who are older 300% more than others.
8. Grants monopolies to drug companies that will keep generic versions of expensive biotech drugs from ever coming to market.
9. No re-importation of prescription drugs, which would save consumers $100 billion over 10 years.
10. The cost of medical care will continue to rise, and insurance premiums for a family of four will rise an average of $1,000 a year - meaning in 10 years, your family's insurance premium will be $10,000 more annually than it is right now.
And to think that Rockefeller jumped on Howard Dean in public with both feet just for speaking ill of the bill. Although Jay may have gotten publicly cranky with Dean because he failed to deliver on his health care amendment and then never brought home any special concessions to his home state, it's a pretty safe bet that once Congress starts to pass legislation to stop global warming, Rockefeller will finally draw a line and deliver millions in tax subsidies to his pals running WV's coal industry. All-the-while leaving the development of green job alternatives out in the cold.
Since there's no stock ticker measurement for the success of subsidizing green jobs here, in the estimation of some, it'd be a worse sin than smoldering cash just for the smell of it. |
