Today the so-called "Gang of Six" in the United States Senate -- Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) -- sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid urging the Senate to slow its roll on health care reform, and not impose an "arbitrary" August deadline for passage.
Citing testimony from CBO Director Doug Elmendorf's testimony, which the Gang of Six characterized as stating that "the currently introduced health reform bills will not reduce costs" -- a characterization that our own mcjoan has noted is not exactly what he testified.
The Gang of Six will undoubtedly be the story of the day on health care reform, and the possibility that they could put a stranglehold on health care reform -- a possibility that will undoubtedly be described as putting the burden on Obama and not on these Senators for their foot-dragging and ties to insurance lobbies -- may give aid and comfort to those who would seek to secure the status quo.
This is what we are up against:
The Gang of Six writes:
While we are committed to providing relief for American families as quickly as possible, we believe taking additional time to achieve a bipartisan result is critical for legislation that affects 17 percent of our economy and every individual in the U.S.
Bipartisan, they say. They want a "bipartisan" result.
Even if you take them at their word that they are doing this because they want to proceed "thoughtfully and responsibly," to achieve a "bipartisan" result, as they state in their letter (and with the amount of lobbying money from insurance interests I am guessing fill their coffers, that, my friends, is a gargantuan, planetoid-sized "if"), then one must ask: Are the six of you, pardon me, out of your fucking minds?
Do these six Senators really, truly, honestly think that any amount of time would lead to a result that will be palatable to people like Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who had this to say about whether he was "committed to providing relief for American families" just today:
I am not going to be able to persuade my colleagues to do the right things, so I am just going to have to create pain. . . This health care issue is D-Day for freedom in America... If we're able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.
If they believe this, they are truly beyond stupid. Undoubtedly Joe Lieberman -- who has joined so many centrist "gangs" that he needs his own goddamned hand sign -- is quite possibly that stupid.
Whether idiocy or good-intentions or just plain old graft, it shouldn't matter.
Make them filibuster.
If Harry Reid doesn't have the sack to make them filibuster a health care reform effort and get this through on 51 votes, then screw him.
If we can't get this done, then the Democrats don't deserve to lead this dance.