Health Care Reform Will Be a Pyrrhic Victory at Best

I agree with Matt Taibbi: "The point is that an economic team made up exclusively of callous millionaire-assholes has absolutely zero interest in reforming the gamed system that made them rich in the first place."

I think this applies to the entire government; Republicans, Democrats, what have you, this system is run by the rich for the rich at the expense of everyone else. They will always place their own well-being and their (and their friends') paychecks above what is actually in the best interest of the country. And this is why it's so hard to be patient with the democratic system and to continue to believe that voting or political activism do any good: because as long as the government remains under corporate control, everything will be rigged in favor of the rich and against everyone else.

This reform is shaping up to be yet another corporate giveaway that hands off billions to companies that are, we're constantly told, "too big to fail."

In 2007, when the long primary was beginning, Barack Obama said he would cut insurance premiums for a family of 4 by $2500. Now he's backing a plan that will increase premiums by $1000 every year. His plan does nothing to meaningfully address rising health care costs, but instead does exactly what he promised it wouldn't do and shifts the burdens without relieving them.

Remember when he said he'd go after drug companies that sell the same drugs in America for double what they charge in Canada and Europe? Just so much lip service. Not only does the health "reform" guarantee that there will be no negotiation for Medicare prescription drug prices, it bans the reimportation of cheaper drugs from Canada. To protect the corporations, because it forces us to buy their products. And we get penalized by the IRS if we refuse.

I said a long time ago, before the primary was over, that it was naive to think that Obama's health reform would work. Because he was taking money from insurance and pharma for his campaign. And because he wanted to give those industries a chance to participate in the reform, even though those companies are the problem. It's just more corporate protectionism, except it's on the left instead of the right.

And I'm sorry, but I put the blame squarely on President Obama. He has squandered all of his political capital and goodwill on stalled negotiations and a nakedly pro-corporate agenda at a time when America needs progressive action. And it's progressive action that a lot of people voted for. I don't know about you, but I didn't vote for Obama just so he could act like a Republican. I thought he was capable of more. And maybe he is. But he's sure not interested in doing it.

You know who the biggest victim of this is going to be, besides anyone not in the richest one percent? The Democratic Party.

The public option is still popular with a majority in the United States, but polls are showing that people are getting fed up with the reform. Taking the public option out of the reform bill is political suicide for the Democrats, and Obama and Harry Reid don't seem to get it. The Democrats in Congress are working hard to kill the public option, despite the fact that people want it. And they're probably going to be very shocked next year when the Democratic base doesn't rush to the polls for the midterm election.

And let's not forget that the House bill contains the biggest rollback of women's reproductive rights in a generation.

And the Senate bill attempts to appease the teabaggers with a vile, bigoted piece of legislation that would make it illegal for undocumented immigrants to pay full price for private health insurance. Not only does that not make sense for the economy, it's going to end up costing taxpayers more money, because it forces undocumented immigrants to use the emergency room for basic health needs. And this is a Democratic bill?

You know, where's the immigration reform, anyway? Where are the torture investigations? When is "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" going to be repealed?

Is it disheartening to anyone that progressives can keep the public option alive and popular with the majority of the public against a multi-million dollar campaign by the health insurance industry, and we still can't get any legislation on it?

I think the legislative process just doesn't work. Because everyone in Congress is looking out for themselves and their corporate sponsors.

Joe Lieberman throws a fit and President Obama and the Democrats in Congress abandon every principle they stand for, break every campaign promise they made, and ignore the wishes of their constituents.

Matt Taibbi again: "There’s no other way to say it: Barack Obama, a once-in-a-generation political talent whose graceful conquest of America’s racial dragons en route to the White House inspired the entire world, has for some reason allowed his presidency to be hijacked by sniveling, low-rent shitheads."

This is why I can't call myself a Democrat and can't give my support to any one party. No one cares about what they're doing. Everyone is chasing the money. And those kind of people don't get my support. Nor do they want it.

That's why I say it's a Pyrrhic victory. Because it's a win for Obama's corporate masters, but, if he's not careful, it's going to destroy his party.