Minnesota Public Radio gives us a timely reminder that no matter what they say, the Republican strategy since Obama’s election has always been to stop health care reform efforts.
In this story, former Republican Senator Dave Durenberger, who’s no longer in office so he doesn’t have to toe the party line, spells it out.
“Durenberger contends most Republicans never intended to commit to changing health care policy, even with ideas brought forward by other Republican senators -- for example, tax changes that John McCain recommended or Medicare changes that Olympia Snow recommended.
“‘There were plenty of good Republicans in the past that have worked together with Democrats -- [Charles] Grassley, Orrin Hatch and others,’ said Durenberger. ‘Those people made a choice, along with the Republican leadership, to be negative this time, not to play ball. And of course that was a factor that perhaps should've been anticipated by the Democrats, but clearly wasn't.’”
It didn’t matter how much the Dems tried to work with the R’s, it didn’t matter how many Republican ideas were incorporated into reform legislation, the Republicans were not going to support it. And they still won’t.
Somehow, that message has to be part of this story: that one party wants to address a critical problem, and the other would rather see Americans go bankrupt, get sick, and die because they’re playing politics.
I have no problem with Republicans who have different ideas of what we should do. I have a problem with them refusing to do anything, and refusing to allow the process to go forward because they don’t get exactly what they want. And that’s where we have been for some time.
In the meantime, health care providers here in Minnesota can take comfort in the fact that because of the Brown victory in Massachusetts, well, we’re screwed.
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