The Real Reason Cynical Dem Pols Should Vote for the Health Care Bill

[babylonsister]

The Real Reason Cynical Dem Pols Should Vote for the Health Care Bill
Posted Wednesday, February 24, 2010 3:36 PM | By Mickey Kaus


Megan McArdle notes that

Progressives have been making the almost-plausible argument that the public is going to treat a vote for the House or Senate bill as a vote for final passage, so Democrats might as well go ahead and pass the thing.

Or, to put it more cynically, Republican attack ads will blast Dems for their initial "yes" vote whether or not they vote "no" the second time around. McCardle, while skeptical, call this the progressive's "best argument."

It's not their best argument. If support of health care reform really is damning, then there's every reason to think scaredycat Dem waverers could buy themselves some measure of protection by confessing error and changing their vote. Happens all the time in politics.

There's a much better argument. It's that passing health care reform offers Dems, in the not-so- long term, a chance to do more than avoid Republican attacks. It offers the chance to disprove them. For months, both GOP and Fox hosts have been talking about socialized medicine and death panels and vicious Medicare cuts and the government coming between you and your doctor, etc. If Democrats pass the bill and none of this happens, Republican opponents will be more than defeated. They'll be discredited. Not permanently, of course--nobody's permanently discredited anymore. But discredited enough to give Dems some running room for a few election cycles. Retreating on health care, on the other hand, gives credence to the Republican claims. Indeed, for all practical purposes it lets them win the argument.

What do Democrats want to do--punt, or change the whole playing field to one where they have the advantage?

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[Clio the Leo]

1. lol, how DARE you throw some positivity up in here...

... you're making folks ANGRY! lol

Ah, well, you tried, kick and rec anyway.

[babylonsister]

2. Yea, no r/w trolls around here. Passing hcr would advance the

Dems agenda-can't have that! :spank: ;)

[Mass]

3. What about because they are here to help the people, not try to keep their seat.

It is getting tiring to see politics and media people only talk about process. F*ck them. If, rather than talking about the number of votes in the House and Senate, they were talking about the number of people dying every day because lack of access to healthcare, may be we would be a lot closer to a reasonable solution.

[babylonsister]

4. Mickey Kaus has no interest in discussing how people will benefit,

so luckily there are plenty of people and articles that do. I see this as just another way to look at passing HCR and additional benefits Dems can gain.