Pelosi's Miscalculation

Tucked in the health care bill is a bit of a poison pill for dems. In it is the Stupak ammendment, named after Bart Stupak, dem from Michigan, that would not fund abortions in the public option but also not pay for private plans that fund abortions. (A HUGE overreach by government)

There is a provision already on the books that's called the Hyde amendment that bars using federal funds for abortions. (passed in 1976) This simple amendment could have been used and all would have gone gingerly. But in trying to win support from about 10 house dems to pass the bill, she might have inadvertently sunk the bill.

To many progressives, even myself, this is way too much. If it is going to be in the bill, it needs to be scaled back to the Hyde amendment and not such a big reach into the private lives of women.

What are the consequences for putting this in the bill? From Politico:

"Abortion-rights advocates are calling in the cavalry to help fight off an anti-abortion provision House Democratic leaders swallowed in order to win passage of their health care reform bill. Planned Parenthood summoned 80 progressive groups to plot strategy for keeping the anti-abortion amendment — named for sponsors Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.) — out of a final health care bill."

Pelosi has a HELL of a job to do. To try and navigate this huge bill through the house while trying to appease everyone in her caucus is a huge task but you really don't want to be fighting your base in this debate. Pelosi, in her zeal to get the bill passed, might have miscalculated.

Repubs Are The Bureaucrat Between You and Your Doctor

The repub talking point against the public option is they don't want a bureaucrat between a patient and a doctor. Then comes this from Think Progress:

"The Senate Finance Committee has been writing a health care reform bill and struggling to create legislation that will have bipartisan support. Chairman Max Baucus considered several compromises to win Republican support, so they can claim it is bipartisan legislation. One of these potential compromises comes in the form of an abortion exclusion, which would prevent abortion services from being covered by some or all insurance plans in the Health Insurance Exchange. We fear that members of the Senate Finance Committee are considering such a compromise."

The repubs just became what they said they didn't want, a middle man. There is no way this will be considered. Not on political reasons but because if dems are true about the public option, there can, in no way, be a bureaucrat telling you which treatments you can get.

However, I do find it ironic repubs are already starting to pick which services will/won't be available in the public option. An option they DON'T support.

Steele Is Toast

If you are not up to date about Steele, it is kind of a joke. He's the newly elected chairman of the RNC. He was elected about 6 weeks ago and has done everything he can to stick his foot in his mouth.

First, he went after senate repubs saying he won't help them if they don't fall in line. Then, he went after Limbaugh and had to apologized two days later. He's also tried to seem "hip" with using hip hop jargon.

Now, in an interview with GQ that transpired back in february, he has really jumped ship on two of the biggest issues to repubs: Abortion and Homosexuality.

On abortion:

How much of your pro-life stance, for you, is informed not just by your Catholic faith but by the fact that you were adopted?
Oh, a lot. Absolutely. I see the power of life in that—I mean, and the power of choice! The thing to keep in mind about it… Uh, you know, I think as a country we get off on these misguided conversations that throw around terms that really misrepresent truth.

Explain that.
The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know, I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to stating a case for one or the other.

About Homosexuality

Do you think homosexuality is a choice?
Oh, no. I don’t think I’ve ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there’s a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can’t simply say, oh, like, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being gay.” It’s like saying, “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being black.”

So, basically the new RNC chairman says that women have a choice and gays are born the way they are. Steele could also have run for the DNC chair position that was vacated by Dean.