The fall of the health care bill (while it is not dead yet, it is on life support.) I will lay at the feet of two people.
1. Looking back over the past year, it was the glacial pace of the markup of the Health Care bill the really killed the bill. Max Baucus made the really bad decision to try and get repub support for a bill that repubs had determined early to never support this piece of legislation. Max helped kill this bill
2. The lack of leadership from Obama. While leaving the mark up of the bill in congressional hands, when things were flagging, (during Baucus's mark-up) he did not come out and lead. Blame it on his tenor in the senate, but he did need to come out and bust some heads. 6 months on a bill when you have a majority was way too long. He needed to show some leadership and expedite the process.
What is left? There is a bill the senate passed and the house could pass it. It sucks but it could be passed and can be amended later. Now more than ever we need leadership and what do we see. No one. We see repubs steeling the headlines. Very discouraging.
