The Anonymous Truth

"The Massachusetts election obliterated the argument that we could [govern] all on our own," said the administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. "What we're doing now is actively reaching out and demonstrating our interest in bipartisanship -- but not passively standing by if Republicans are not willing to meet us halfway.” This quote from a LA Times story by Peter Nicholas reporter says it all. The Obama Administration thought its Democratic majority could pass anything he and they wanted and shut Republicans out from Day One. The Democrats seemed to forget that the American people are also part of the equation; they have been reminded, most recently by Scott Brown. So this week in yet another attempt to box the Republicans into a corner, Obama wants a healthcare sit-down where he dictates the terms and tries to blame the ultimate failure of healthcare on the Republicans instead of where the blame belongs: On the legislation itself. How the upcoming healthcare confab can be seen in any other way is just wishful thinking. As it stands the Senate version of the bill will never get approval from the House, reconciliation or not. If the Democrats thought they could pass it they would already have done so. The simple truth is it cannot pass because when you cut through all the euphemisms what the Democrats want is a single payer system. The American people know that despite its shortcomings ours is better than any single payer system found in other countries so why lower the quality and raise the price of what is already the premiere healthcare system in the world. If the Obama Administration continues to chose parlor games over serious discussion healthcare will fail, and Obama and the Democrats will also fail, to live up to the expectations of the American people.