Re: [Marxism] Top Democrat says national health care legislation is "off the table"--Surprise!

[Eli Stephens <elishastephens@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Finally, Democrats at this moment have a popular and newly elected president, 
along with the biggest majority in the House and Senate they have enjoyed in a 
generation. If Democratic leaders are reluctant even to try to put a national 
health care plan on the president's desk under these favorable circumstances, 
when will they ever try?"

It's that "60-vote filibuster-proof" majority in the Senate that's holding them 
back, don't you know. They would have just *loved* to push through national 
health care (ok, national health *insurance*, which is not the same thing, but 
still a step up) if only they had those 60 votes in the Senate. And the 
stimulus bill? Why, it wouldn't have included any tax breaks for the rich if 
not for needing to appease the Republicans and that darn 60-vote thing.

Of course, the Democrats could have changed that 60-vote rule the first day 
Congress was back in session. But then what excuse would they have left?

There's a similar situation here in California, with an absurd and undemocratic 
2/3 rule required for passage of the state budget (not for putting in new 
taxes, just for the stupid budget). With public attention focused on the absurd 
delays and the fact that the state is just about to start giving out IOU's for, 
e.g., income tax refunds (I wonder if they'll be paying interest when they fork 
over the cash?), the Democrats *could* have been pushing for the elimination of 
that rule. But then what excuse would they have?

Along completely different lines, Presidents always seem to wait until the last 
week or two of their terms to pardon people, presumably so they won't suffer 
the political consequences. But why not right at the *beginning* of a term? 
Surely there wouldn't be a big political price to pay, or any price at all, if 
Obama were to pardon Leonard Peltier this week? Anything stopping him?


Eli Stephens
 Left I on the News
 http://lefti.blogspot.com


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