Health Care Reform: More Political Bickering

By aaroncynic in News on Oct 21, 2009 7:00PM

If Americans needed further proof that health care reform amounts to little more than partisan talking points and political bickering, Mark Kirk came to the rescue yesterday. A Politico report on the GOP’s feelings about a Democratic health care reform bill quotes Kirk: “Several dozen House Democrats risk losing their jobs if they vote for reform.” Kirk’s no stranger to ridiculous statements regarding health care reform; in August, he helped to spread the lie that proposed legislation would give federally subsidized health care to illegal aliens.

Soon after, several of Kirk’s contenders in the Illinois Senate race sounded off. State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias said “Congressman Kirk has made it clear he puts politics ahead of our families” and candidate Cheryl Jackson said Kirk’s Politico statement “shows he is first and foremost focused on political gain at the expense of sound policy and the needs of Illinois families.”

So far, Republicans and sympathetic media outlets have managed to railroad any real reform to America’s crumbling health care system by a combination of town hall side shows and calling any Democratic legislative attempt “socialist.” Kirk and other Republicans seem to have no plans to quit this strategy, with Kirk also saying, “In practical terms, our bill won’t find an opening unless the Democratic bill stalls.” Democrats haven’t fared much better in getting their act together, with five separate bills still on the table. One has to wonder if we’ll see any kind of meaningful progress before Congress heads home for the holidays (probably not). If not, it’s a good bet that we might not see any before midterm elections, as candidates will need a hot button issue to grandstand on. Politicians appear to need reform as badly as the millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans, though only as a political bargaining chip.