Paul Begala - A Health-Care Goal for Progressives: Progress Not Perfection - washingtonpost.com .
I commented on this post as follows:
You say you don't think bipartisanship should be so lauded, yet isn't that term just another term for compromise? You cite the Constitutuion's phrase "more perfect union" in recognition that we are not perfect, yet you use the Social Security Act as an example of imperfection. Why not use the Constitution itself as your example? One of the more eloquent explanations of the merits of compromise comes in fact from Ben Franklin in his address to the Constitutional Convention:
"I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others. Most men indeed as well as most sects in Religion, think themselves in possession of all truth, and that wherever others differ from them it is so far error. Steele a Protestant in a Dedication tells the Pope, that the only difference between our Churches in their opinions of the certainty of their doctrines is, the Church of Rome is infallible and the Church of England is never in the wrong….. In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such…. I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better Constitution. For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected?... Thus I consent, Sir, to this Constitution because I expect no better, and because I am not sure, that it is not the best. The opinions I have had of its errors, I sacrifice to the public good."
The problem with the far right and the far left in the debate over health care and other debates is that they are like the Catholic Church and the Church of England. One is infallible and the other is never wrong. The truth is that nobody has perfection on their side and neither is right absolutely all the time. The Republicans' return to their roots of Anti-Big Government and reduced spending follows eight years of Republican increases in the size and intrusiveness of Government and huge spending deficits. On the flip side the Democrats/Progressives have whined for the last eight years about profligacy, earmarks and outrageous republican spending only to turn around and throw money at problems as if they could print it from no until kingdom come and in the mean time do arrogant and insensitively idiotic things like attempt to buy extra private jets for a Pentagon that said they didn't need them (when was the last time that happened?).
I believe that bipartisanship is and was something very important to the American people. "Change You Can Believe In" was a slogan based on reforming the way Washington worked. Obama had opportunities to take leadership on bipartisanship and failed. Now, "Progressives" (democrats, liberals, whatever you want to call the democratic party base) like Begala are minimizing bipartisanship and compromise. Why? Because they have the power, just like the Republicans had the power when they ruled the Senate not too long ago. Same arrogance, different party. I now have no faith that the democratic party will change the the way Washington works, just like their counterparts didn't change it. Politicians are all the same and they wonder why we have no faith in Government.
Which brings us to the current debate. Americans of whatever stripe are passionate and angry about health care. It costs too much. The care is not that good. There is fraud and waste at all levels. People pay for health insurance and find they are not covered. People pay for health insurance and then, if they have the misfortune to need it, must spend three quarters of their waking hours dealing with the Insurance beauraucracy. And you wonder why they are worried that the Government will be involved?
The fact is that the system needs a complete and total overhaul. Regulation, payment, tort reform, information gathering and dissemination, costs and delivery systems are all in need of fixing. The Republican idea of "free enterprise" doing the job is as silly as the Democrats' idea that the government can fix it. Free enterprise, in the form of a bunch of bookies, now runs the Healthcare system in America for all intents and purposes. Since when did your bookie have your best interests at heart?
Why bookies? Because that is what an Insurance company is. Insurance was invented at a Coffee House on the docks of London. The name of that Coffee House was Lloyd's and Ship owners would go down to the docks to have coffee and watch the ships come in. They would bet on whether particular ships would come in and they came up with the great idea of betting against themselves to "insure" that they would not lose too much if their ship didn't make it. Insurance companies for everything from cars to Healthcare are the same. You are betting against yourself. They calculate the odds, they take your bets, they lay them off (no called re-insurance) and they figure out ways to make sure that if you "win" you don't win too much or too often. Those are the people in charge of the Health Care industry and we have handed them the keys. Obama's solution is to make the Government and competitive bookie. Wow, there's change we can believe in.
Clearly this is not the answer, but at this point it may be the best we get. The bookies want the system not to change (obviously) and they are mostly behind the anti-reform rhetoric. For that reason alone I will have to take Ben Franklin's approach. I consent to this Health Care reform bill because I expect no better, and because I am not sure, that it is not the best. The opinions I have had of its errors, I sacrifice to the public good.
The U.S. Congressmen within our Democratic Party are like the false prophets of old, willing to say whatever their political backers wish to hear. They are like Absalom, the ancient King David's son, who conspired in the gates by telling people whatever might win their hearts. Does anyone remember all the glowing promises made before their elections? Does anyone care? Obama-mania has swept the land, but is starting to find it's place in the gutter. Why? It is more political deception for which the people are quickly growing tired of hearing as false promises.
On the other hand, we as Democrats of the Democratic Party must focus first on the radical agenda, and show how dangerous it is. Under the direction of President Obama, our Congressmen within the Democratic Party are setting in place measures intended to ensure the domination of socialist liberals in the political system for decades.
Furthermore, Nancy Pelosi and her fellow socialist liberals in Congress have made enormous changes in the level of government spending and power. They have repealed welfare reform, set us on course to socialized health care, put an energy policy in place that will drastically increase our gas and electricity costs and cripple industry, and are waging war on productive people and businesses. A recent Newsweek cover declared, "We are all socialists now."
These are only some of the measures our Democratic Party representatives in Congress have put in place, and we have never had such an assault on the foundations of our individual Liberty and Freedom within this country.
Altogether, we see our U.S. Congressmen within the Democratic Party for what they are, and as members of the Democratic Party we could have only once hoped our U.S. Congressmen would of impassioned themselves to the words of our founding fathers. On the other hand, we as Democrats should remember the words of William Samuel Johnson, "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels."
Thank you, and God Bless America.
Eric Pearson, for Democrats seeking reform with the Democratic Party.
Web site: http://www.democraticreformparty.com
Posted by: Eric Pearson | January 27, 2010 at 09:34 AM