Let's play a game and pretend, for a few painful minutes, that Democrats are both truthful and accurate in everything they say about healthcare. Let's think like a liberal. Like I said, we're pretending.
Suppose millions of people had no access to care, that most bankruptcies were caused by medical debt, that America's healthcare quality was only about the same as Cuba's, and that tens of thousands of people were dying needlessly each year because they lack insurance. And suppose it's really the practice of doctors to remove organs and limbs when they're having a slow month, that frivolous malpractice lawsuits really don't affect healthcare costs, and that the true value of everything medical is whatever Medicare says it is.
Now suppose you're a liberal Democrat in the House of Representatives. Before you, there's a bill that you know will insure everyone, lower costs, and raise quality. The bill is certain to lower infant mortality, increase longevity, raise cancer survivor rates, and make healthcare worries a thing of the past.
There are just two problems: The bill does nothing for illegal aliens, and it does not pay for abortions. In fact, these aren't really "problems" with the bill so much as they're issues the bill simply doesn't address. Illegals aren't getting free care now, and the government already doesn't pay for abortions. These would be two features of the healthcare landscape that the bill simply doesn't change.
Supposing that everything above was true, and considering the breakthrough such a bill would represent after the struggle Democrats have endured to get it to the House floor, wouldn't you be pretty much duty-bound to vote for the bill? I mean, this would be the Holy Grail of liberal legislation -- it's not like you're going to reject it just because it doesn't provide for some particular special interest, are you?
The way I see it, if libs thought Nancy Pelosi's healthcare bill could accomplish only half of what they claim it will do, then they'd have passed it unanimously long ago. In fact, if Dems actually believed healthcare was just one-third as bad as they say it is -- and that this bill at least wouldn't make things worse -- then I submit that Dems would pass it just to create the appearance that they're doing something.
And yet, there are Democrats who will not vote for this bill unless it covers illegals or abortions. Now, you have to wonder who a legislator represents if they won't sign off on otherwise-utopian healthcare legislation over these seemingly minor points.
Or, it could be that the whole bill is really just a power-grab, a promise to toss a measurable chunk of the US economy into the trough for liberal special interests, and that some libs are simply refusing to play unless their own sponsors get a share of the spoils, too. Decide for yourself.
Okay, we're done thinking like liberals. Don't forget to turn your brain back on.
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