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Dionne: Why Democrats Are Fighting For A GOP Health Plan

That's the title of his latest column:

Here is the ultimate paradox of the Great Health Care Showdown: Congress will divide along partisan lines to pass a Republican version of health care reform, and Republicans will vote against it. Yes, Democrats have rallied behind a bill that Republicans—or at least large numbers of them—should love. It is built on a series of principles that Republicans espoused for years.

[. . .] Republicans always say they are against “socialized medicine.” Not only is this bill nothing like a “single-payer” health system along Canadian or British lines. It doesn’t even include the “public option” that would have allowed people voluntarily to buy their insurance from the government. The single-payer idea fell by the wayside long ago, and supporters of the public option—sadly, from my point of view—lost out last December. [. . .] Democrats, including President Obama, are so anxious to get everyone health insurance that they are more than willing to try a market-based system and hope it works. It’s a shame the Republicans can no longer take “yes” for an answer.

Shorter E.J. Dionne - progressives got rolled.

Speaking for me only

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  • Display: Sort:
    Shorter Still (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by waldenpond on Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 07:53:51 PM EST
    Republicans have great ideas!  

    Republicans are demonstrating (as of tomorrow's vote) they have creative and effective solutions to serious and difficult challenges. It is now universally accepted ideology that private, free-market philosophy is the rational solution to the most important of societal issues.

    Right, to solve global warming, (none / 0) (#3)
    by observed on Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 08:06:15 PM EST
    we just need to open up the Indian automobile market, and preferably the Chinese too. Ridiculous, you say?
    Not ridiculous!
    Once those multi-billion car markets are fully opened up, economic pressure from oil prices and from the need to deal with global warming (which we all admit is happening, if its perfectly natural and has nothing to do with man or any Republican Presidents in any way) will cause a solution to be found---a new car which doesn't use oil and doesn't produce CO2.

    Voila`. The free market probably already has the solution. We just need to allow that solution to be emerge.
    Once the pr

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    Climate change is (none / 0) (#12)
    by BackFromOhio on Sun Mar 21, 2010 at 01:46:08 PM EST
    the p.c. term now.

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    It's true that it's politically incorrect ... (none / 0) (#7)
    by Demi Moaned on Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 10:01:39 PM EST
    for federal office-holders to suggest anything other than
    private, free-market philosophy is the rational solution to the most important of societal issues.

    That hardly proves it's a great idea.

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    Chill, it was snark (none / 0) (#9)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Mar 21, 2010 at 08:21:26 AM EST
    No doubt you're right, but ... (none / 0) (#10)
    by Demi Moaned on Sun Mar 21, 2010 at 09:39:52 AM EST
    the actual positions of Republicans show an uncanny knack for placing themselves beyond parody.

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    And therein lies ... (none / 0) (#15)
    by sj on Sun Mar 21, 2010 at 11:42:34 PM EST
    ... the great failure of the Democratic party.

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    It (5.00 / 5) (#2)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 07:59:51 PM EST
    shouldnt be progressives got rolled. It should be progressives got rolled again.

    Agreed, but (none / 0) (#14)
    by BackFromOhio on Sun Mar 21, 2010 at 02:02:49 PM EST
    who is supporting the bill?  Pollster.com has Obama's approval rating on health care at 40.7%.

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    I wish Dionne would point out that every (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by esmense on Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 08:10:01 PM EST
    "reform" since Medicare has been grounded in Republican "market based" ideas -- AND THEY HAVE NOT WORKED AS ADVERTISED (to lower cost and broaden coverage and access to care).

    From HMOs to HSAs to excise taxes of "caddilac plans" to "exchanges" they are and have always been ideas intended to first and foremost serve an ideological purpose -- to prevent broadening the "socialization" of medicine (that Medicare has proved was both popular and pragmatic) -- not to, as the American people would like, actually make comprehensive health care more available and affordable.

    Not even that (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Mar 21, 2010 at 08:20:19 AM EST
    It's been partisan politics" based.  Their terror is that if Dems. are allowed to pass stuff like "socialized medicine" that actually *works, the Republicans will never win another election.

    It's beyond me why the Dems. don't get this.

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    What is so flliping funny to me... (5.00 / 6) (#5)
    by masslib on Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 09:48:22 PM EST
    is the naivete:

    Democrats, including President Obama, are so anxious to get everyone health insurance that they are more than willing to try a market-based system and hope it works.

    Come on.  Obama wanted an historic win and chose the path of least resistance and highest campaign coffer value, ditto Congress.  Lipstick on a pig.

    I still think it's funny to here libs brag about the Democrats passing a Republican bill and how the hypocritical Republicans oppose it.  Irony is apparently lost on them.

    I did not support Obama (5.00 / 3) (#6)
    by Spamlet on Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 10:00:08 PM EST
    during the primary season in part because he declared himself against mandates.

    But now that he supports mandates, which I also continue to support, I am opposed to him because of his refusal to fight for even so much as the consolation prize of a so-called public option.

    This bill does a few good things. And those things could have been quietly accomplished with targeted bills, and without this whole dog and (excuse my languge) pony show about "historic" health care (sic) legislation.

    Once this passes, people like Dionne (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by MO Blue on Sun Mar 21, 2010 at 12:57:40 PM EST
    can cheer Democrats passing Republican legislation for financial reform, climate control, and gutting SS.

    On medicare (none / 0) (#13)
    by BackFromOhio on Sun Mar 21, 2010 at 01:51:23 PM EST
    I read commentary yesterday indicating that cuts in payments to Drs. under medicare are part of the so-called health insurance reform, and that these cuts may well mean that there are no Drs. willing to provide certain types of medical services to medicare patients in various markets.  This could  be disastrous, not only for those who need the care, but for Dems at the polls.  Some are predicting that the Dems will pass delay the cuts until after the November elections, but I wonder if it's reasonable for them to think they can pull the wool over voters' eyes.  Are Dems going to attack SS next?

    Seems to me, this legislation also establishes the principle that reform means no caps on insurance costs.

    What a legacy.

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