The popular 19th century English nobleman, Lord Acton, is perhaps best remembered for the statement: “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” History is littered with public figures that are appropriately described by those words. Considering some of the shenanigans going on with the health care legislation in Washington, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can certainly be added to the list.
There is no doubt that Reid is in a tough spot. President Obama has stacked up a huge pile of political poker chips, betting on a winning hand on health care reform. He will be harmed politically if he loses, and his fellow Democrats in Congress will feel the collateral damage. But it is not easy to muster the votes necessary to make significant changes to one-sixth of the U.S. economy—as Harry Reid has learned. Adding to Reid’s difficulties is the fact that he has to run for re-election next year, and polling data indicate that he is far from being a shoo-in.
The last thing Reid needs is to be a major factor in passing legislation that will push the crumbling budget of the State of Nevada further into the abyss. One of the central features of the proposed legislation could do just that. It would allow millions of individuals whose income levels currently preclude them from qualifying for Medicaid to meet eligibility requirements for the program. But there is a rub: states must put up a five percent match to help cover the additional costs.
Reid has made no bones about what he plans to do to avoid any political fallout back home. He has stated unequivocally that he will not allow a health care bill to come to the floor if it increases Medicaid costs for Nevada. He seems to be getting his way. The Senate Finance Committee bill would exempt four states—Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, and (yes) Nevada—from the requirement to pay the five percent funding match. The alleged justification for making the exception is that those states have been the hardest hit by the recession.
The Senate should rebel against Senator Reid feathering his own nest.
Other states shouldn’t have their budgets savaged by another huge unfunded mandate coming down from Washington while watching Reid and a handful of his cronies grin like bandits counting their loot. If states are going to have to be fiscally penalized to make the numbers work for the health care reform legislation, then all states should have to bear the burden.
The health care reform debate is starting to focus attention on what happens when arrogance meets partisanship. It is almost impossible to pass legislation that will cover all of the uninsured, reduce the overall cost of health insurance, and “not add a dime” to the deficit as President Obama promised. There are going to be winners and losers—and some very big losers—if the legislation passes. The likely losers will be young Americans and healthy policy holders who will have to pay much higher costs to insure or subsidize the elderly, the uninsured, and individuals with health problems or unhealthy life styles.
The main science driving the health care debate at this juncture is political science. After watching the political class making hash out of health care legislation, voters might want to ponder another quote from Lord Acton: “It is easier to find people fit to govern themselves than people to govern others. Every man is the best, the most fit judge of his own advantage.”
Senator Reid is living proof of the wisdom in those words.
Showing posts with label democrats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label democrats. Show all posts
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Independents Are Taking a Second Look
By Dan Juneau
Presidential campaigns are in some respects like a gruesome war. Large, well-financed armies of partisans slug it out in battles designed to rally their voters into action and to drive down the favorable impressions of the opposing candidate.
But the growing trend in modern elections centers on securing the votes of independent voters not affiliated with either party. This block of voters has increased significantly in the last few decades. They tend to be more conservative than most Democrats on fiscal issues and more liberal than most Republicans on social issues. Recent Democratic successes in both congressional and presidential elections have revolved around securing a majority of these independent voters to back Democrats.
A recent public opinion survey by the Gallup organization contains a clear message that independent voters may be becoming concerned about their decision to place one-party rule in the hands of the Democrats.
The poll, conducted July 17-19, had some interesting findings. Some 59 percent of the respondents said that the Obama administration’s proposals called for too much federal spending. Not surprisingly, 90 percent of Republicans felt that way, compared to only 28 percent of Democrats. But a solid 66 percent of independents expressed strong concern about the high level of federal spending.
In a similar vein, 52 percent of the respondents felt that the Obama agenda was moving toward too great an expansion of the federal government. Again, 83 percent of Republicans held that view while only 17 percent of Democrats concurred. But 60 percent of independent voters expressed a concern that the federal government is growing too large, too fast.
Other recent polling data show that the president’s popularity is falling, support for his handling of key issues is diminished, and the generic ballot question of whether the voters would prefer a Democrat or Republican in Congress is moving more in the direction of the Republicans. Next year is an election year in which every House member and roughly a third of the Senate face elections. That being the case, this recent Gallup poll should be a wake-up call for the president and the congressional members of his party.
Americans have recently seen the enactment of a “stimulus” package totaling almost $800 billion. But they have seen few positive results from that huge amount of government spending.
Voters have also seen the House pass a thousand-page energy/climate change bill that will expand the government’s role in the economy and pit winners against losers in various states and industries. And now Congress is debating perhaps the largest and most expensive expansion of government ever in the form of health care legislation, including a public insurance option backed by the federal treasury.
Many Democrats in Congress are getting uncomfortable with the rush to enact huge new spending programs that will lead to an increase of direct government intervention in the economy. The Gallup poll indicates those Democrats have good reasons to feel that way. The president and the Democratic leaders in Congress are getting concerned that public opinion is shifting away from them on these crucial issues.
They are trying to ram the health care legislation through before members of Congress go home for their August recess. But moderate Democrats are not moving lockstep behind President Obama and the Democratic leadership at this juncture.
One of the major reasons why they are getting cold feet is the fact that they know they must have the votes of those fiscally conservative independent voters if they are going to retain the seats that many of them won from Republicans in the last few elections.
Presidential campaigns are in some respects like a gruesome war. Large, well-financed armies of partisans slug it out in battles designed to rally their voters into action and to drive down the favorable impressions of the opposing candidate.
But the growing trend in modern elections centers on securing the votes of independent voters not affiliated with either party. This block of voters has increased significantly in the last few decades. They tend to be more conservative than most Democrats on fiscal issues and more liberal than most Republicans on social issues. Recent Democratic successes in both congressional and presidential elections have revolved around securing a majority of these independent voters to back Democrats.
A recent public opinion survey by the Gallup organization contains a clear message that independent voters may be becoming concerned about their decision to place one-party rule in the hands of the Democrats.
The poll, conducted July 17-19, had some interesting findings. Some 59 percent of the respondents said that the Obama administration’s proposals called for too much federal spending. Not surprisingly, 90 percent of Republicans felt that way, compared to only 28 percent of Democrats. But a solid 66 percent of independents expressed strong concern about the high level of federal spending.
In a similar vein, 52 percent of the respondents felt that the Obama agenda was moving toward too great an expansion of the federal government. Again, 83 percent of Republicans held that view while only 17 percent of Democrats concurred. But 60 percent of independent voters expressed a concern that the federal government is growing too large, too fast.
Other recent polling data show that the president’s popularity is falling, support for his handling of key issues is diminished, and the generic ballot question of whether the voters would prefer a Democrat or Republican in Congress is moving more in the direction of the Republicans. Next year is an election year in which every House member and roughly a third of the Senate face elections. That being the case, this recent Gallup poll should be a wake-up call for the president and the congressional members of his party.
Americans have recently seen the enactment of a “stimulus” package totaling almost $800 billion. But they have seen few positive results from that huge amount of government spending.
Voters have also seen the House pass a thousand-page energy/climate change bill that will expand the government’s role in the economy and pit winners against losers in various states and industries. And now Congress is debating perhaps the largest and most expensive expansion of government ever in the form of health care legislation, including a public insurance option backed by the federal treasury.
Many Democrats in Congress are getting uncomfortable with the rush to enact huge new spending programs that will lead to an increase of direct government intervention in the economy. The Gallup poll indicates those Democrats have good reasons to feel that way. The president and the Democratic leaders in Congress are getting concerned that public opinion is shifting away from them on these crucial issues.
They are trying to ram the health care legislation through before members of Congress go home for their August recess. But moderate Democrats are not moving lockstep behind President Obama and the Democratic leadership at this juncture.
One of the major reasons why they are getting cold feet is the fact that they know they must have the votes of those fiscally conservative independent voters if they are going to retain the seats that many of them won from Republicans in the last few elections.
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