A defense of the Senate Bill

Which I enjoyed reading as I am tired of hearing the ridiculous Republican spin on any kind of reform. Let's remember. Republicans have told us that our healthcare system is the best in the world and accused Democrats of A) wanting to bankrupt America, B) wanting to kill old people, or C) that the reform will do nothing.

Sigh.

Rauch concludes:

"no guarantees. The transition would be very gradual, and political blowback could easily disrupt it. But the point is that the reform contains a pathway to sanity. No one can say that about the status quo."

Yes, the status quo is the preferred place for Republicans? Actually, I don't believe that is true. We have been rewatching the first two seasons of West Wing. There is a great scene where Ainsley Hayes accompanies one of the senior staff to meet with the Republican leadership's staff about some test ban treaty. The Republicans are insistent that they won't support it, and Ainsley says something like:

I don't think you think this is a bad bill. I don't think you think this is a good bill. I just think you want to beat the President. This President. That is all you want to do.

That describes the Republican approach to health care. If you look at this bill, (as Rauch points out) it keeps the big insurance companies and private insurance firmly in place. In a different world, this is a Republican bill. But not these Republicans. Nope.

Speaking of which, I have started reading Susan Jacoby's Age of American Unreason, which may best describe the Republicans. We shall see.