They're Finally Taking My Dare

So, back on September 6, 2009, as Congress was returning from their recent round of beatings at the Health Care Town Halls during the August recess, I dared the D's in a note to go ahead and pass the health care legislation on their own. They had the votes. Why wait around for the R's to get on board? If the bill was that great, the D's could monopolize the credit for a revolutionary new health care system.

So I posited.

And, it appears now, that they're finally taking me up on my dare. (I was kinda hoping they wouldn't. Again, I like the Wyden/Bennett bill.)

But, it hasn't been pretty in rounding up those D votes.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/11/the-100-million-health-care-vote.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/19/AR2009121900797_pf.html

These are two examples of the sausage making process that produces votes.

And, for those who haven't been following closely the sausage-making process, there's no bill! There's no stack of papers that says "the health care bill" on it for Senators to read. Our elected officials don't have the rumored-to-be 700 page bill they can thumb through, to survey exactly what they are voting on (see my June 30, 2009 note).

In all the negotiations within their own party, the D leadership have been swapping sections in and out so much, there hasn't been a "THE BILL" that anyone could actually look at. Especially the R's. Reports from the Hill are that they have been completely shut out from the negotiation process. I'll grant that there's little reason in negotiating with someone who's premise is different from yours. But the D's should at least provide the R's a working copy of the bill so they can read it and establish their own reasons for voting no on it.

Or, are the D's concerned that if the R's have the working draft, they'll actually let the citizens of this good country know what's in it?

I'll leave that question hanging out there for all of you to consider.

In the meantime, I'm gonna drink (hot chocolate) to my health, and wonder how much time all of the Senators will have to read the 700'ish page bill once a final draft gets kicked out onto the floor of the Senate...before the vote is called.