Bi-Partisan Time is Up

I don’t really blame Obama for giving it a go at the bipartisan approach. This is the dudes style and who am I to pan it. But it is rapidly coming time to fish or cut bait.

And after Grassely’s nutty endorsement of Palin’s Death Panel shit, it is now time to cast aside any hope of getting a few GOP votes in the Senate. Obama knows and every dem on Capital Hill knows, that the wingnuts were never going to let government touch their precious cash cow we call our Health Care System, at any degree more than it does now with medicare, which they hate with a white hot passion.

Political Kabucki has it’s place, but is not the game. And as surely as repubs won’t vote for govment involvement, there are a plethora of progressive dems in the House who won’t vote for a meaningless bill, with no PO. This die was cast before the curtain even opened. We have heard a lot about the Blue Dogs, but they are only about 50 in number. There are a whole lot more liberal House members.

Obama’s error and dems in the Senate was letting the Senate Finance committee drag out their non-sense and become THE focus of attention. I suspect the corrupt Baucus and his winger pals were more than delighted they could.

But this isn’t an election year, thank Gawd. And when congress returns and hands are forced, we will have something solid to debate and the largely pre ordained drama will play itself out, and it will come down to Senate dems having the gumption to go it alone and do the right thing, or not.

I really don’t think we are going to get a bill without a strong PO. The House liberals, even though they are presently quiet, won’t have it. So it will be either a good bill, or none at all. Opinions are like A-holes, everbody got one. This is mine.

That Was Then, This Is Now

It isn’t 1970 anymore and moderates and independents are wiser from suffering 15 years of GOP congress control and the past eight of Bushism. No going back to the old race baiting, God, Guns and Gays, at least for the foreseeable future.

Economic destitution wrought by the goopers still trumps faux patriotism wedge plays and hate mongering has permanently turned off NE fiscal conservatives. And young people are having none of the old bullshit. Throw in thoroughly alienated Hispanics from the RW Xenophobes and the gettable vote contracts even more.

The only viable card in the winger deck is spending/deficit concerns that are at least legitimate. But the racial fears, anxiety, and outright hatred are mussing up any message on spending trepidations of the center. Welcome to the GOP entrenched southern base and the blood curdling Rebel Yell serving as political debate for hope and prosperity. You bought it wingnuts, now you own it.

I Call Your Death Panel and Raise a Denial Engine

Sarah says democrats want to establish “Death Panels” to deny health care.

I give Sarah the “Denial Engines” currently being used by private insurers to deny claims when people get sick.

“Denial Engines” exist and are killing people, Government “Death
Panels” do not, nor will they ever. Herein lies a lie versus the truth.
There are many more.

The problem is bound to grow as insurers make use of
sophisticated data tools dubbed “denial engines,” which are touted to
reduce reimbursements by 3 to 10 percent. Bearing brand names like
Ingenix Detection Software and Bloodhound Technologies’ ClaimsGuard,
they search patient records for any signs that claims have strayed
outside company parameters. Weeding out fraud or speeding up processing
is one thing; serving up excuses to deny legitimate coverage is another.

Technology of death.

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The World of Megan Mcardle

Here is another Mcardle article on how people who don't pay their own medical bills do not add on to the rising cost of healthcare. She uses a graph by AEI to show the level of Veterinary care people pay for their pets is commiserate with the what the country spends on healthcare. both of which rise at same rate.

the graph is a gross total expenditures for pets and people health care and not per capata, or doesn't account for the fact there are more people than in 1984 with steady population growth. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but wouldn't more people also mean more pets and vet visits overall during this time frame and account for the lineal correlation?

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