The Legislative Process

It's fascinating to me how much fanfare Democrats have accorded the mere passage out of the Democratically-controlled Senate Finance Committee of a health care bill. It would seem that they are wasting a lot of powder on what should have been a non-event back in February.

After all, once Wonderboy was elected, why didn't the Senate Democrats simply write their wish list into a health care bill and ram it through committee to the floor on January 21st, at the earliest? Or certainly within a week of the inauguration.

But, no, that's not what happened. Apparently leery of voter reactions, they actually tried, unsuccessfully, for eight months to write a bill that would attract more than token, expected defections from the Republicans, in the form of Arlen Specter wannabe Olympia Snowe of Maine.

By the way, of all the states in which a Senator might not want to risk being identified with the Democrats' health care schemes, you'd think Maine, with its own failing universal health care mandates, would be one of them. Massachusetts and Tennessee being two others.

In any event, still to come is the Senate's reconciliation of the Finance and Health Committees' two bills. By the way, since there is a Health Committee, doesn't that make you wonder what on earth the Finance Committee was even doing trying to propose a bill?

What's next, agricultural subsidies from the Telecommunications Committee?

Then you have the separate, much more left-wing House health care bill. And the eventual reconciliation of that with whatever monstrosity may have passed on the floor of the Senate.

Of course, there is the slight chance that there won't be a Senate health care bill actually passed on the floor. The more people understand the risks and costs of this entire effort, the less some Democratic Senators may wish to risk their precious asses....errr...seats....by voting for it.

I was actually quite surprised to see Mary Landrieu (D-LA) in this exchange on CNBC the other day.



Imagine that. A Democratic Senator endorsing fewer mandates at the state level and inter-state purchase of health insurance. Granted, it's in the twisted, unworkable so-called 'regional exchanges,' but the concept has reared its head. And Landrieu explicitly comes out against the vaunted "public option."

Seems to me that some Democrats, like Landrieu, may be fearful of voting blindly for whatever their leadership hands them. Especially after conferencing with Frisco Nan's minions over this legislation.

There is so much further to go with this that you just wonder how desperate Wonderboy and his followers are to crow about the smallest steps. Steps which can't really be called a victory when they control both chambers of Congress and the White House.