A Little Truth Never Hurt No One

The last year of debate over health care has given us much anger and shown the dark side of many in this country. The bill has grown and been scrapped up multiple times as new changes and adjustments get made to it. Those in favor of health care reform have gone about showing the necessity for it and the positives of the bill. While a more vocal and obviously critical crowd on the other side of the debate has spoken of the harm of the bill and danger it could do for the country and its people. Part of the debate has gone off what I would consider "the side road" that does not help debate and create a healthy political arena. I am not foolish either and know that politics is a dirty business and mud was bound to be thrown.

The Republican Party last spring locked arms and knew that as the minority that had limited control and power. But they had themselves and knew that if they stayed together, the bill would struggle to pass and if it somehow got through it was a partisan bill. At the same time, a few moderate Democrats were on the fence only complicating matters. And as any outsider would think; if the bill passed with only Democratic votes then it lacked a mandate for something as large this. President Obama has taken criticism from his own party for taking his foot off the gas at times, but the man who promised health care reform is inching closer through his persistence. Obama has majorities in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives yet he could not get his party to act in unison like the Republicans. He was not as demanding as past presidents in similar situations. He was not as cut throat as others who were in his same position.

You have to remember that in 2008, he campaigned on being bipartisan and that has caused him to be weak unfortunately because the other party refuses to be willing for change. He has worked to get Senator Olympia Snowe to come across the aisle. He has worked to add multiple Republican amendments that pertain to spending and waste. Yet, they continue to turn their heads when he talks. So, what more could he do, but to give the power to the members of Congress. However, things have still not gone as planned and now President Obama is asserting his executive power and outlining what needs to be done and there will be no more pushing back deadlines and waiting.

And that leads me to where we are today, both the U.S. House of Representatives in November and the U.S. Senate in December voted for a health care bill. There have been tweaks and minor changes and it is packaged for one final vote. Since those votes, the Democrats lost their filibuster proof majority in the U.S. Senate with the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts in January. However, the Democrats just need 51 votes to get this through the final vote and they certainly have that. But, with their chances to "kill the bill" quickly fading, Republicans are pegging "reconciliation", the term used to pass a bill with a majority vote; as this horrible thing and a "back-door" tactic by the Democrats. Traditionally, reconciliation is used with minor things and budgetary items and normally you want more than 51 votes for something like this bill. Yet, the changes are so minor that they are virtually what reconciliation is normally used for. Democrats are not "ramming down our throats" a health care bill as like I said the vast majority of the language has already been passed.

These claims are a big farce. It is another example of Republican hypocrisy. They say one thing and constrict themselves. They I would assume know what they are doing when they say these things, yet they continue to do so. Unfortunately not everyone is very sharp and informed of proceedings and their words could sway a lot of opinions. But a little truth never hurt anyone, Mr. McConnell? A little truth goes a long way. However, truth and politics do not go together for Republicans. What the reconciliation vote is doing passing a series of amendments. End of story. It is not the large bill. THAT HAS PASSED. So, stop saying that they are jamming it down through a "convenient" vote.

Adding to this cluster of misinformation is the fact that they fail to make consistent statements a lot of the time. They say one thing and conveniently forget that already said something different or that they obviously voted on something already. Also part of this bending the truth approach is taking quotes and statements out of context that make it sound like someone said one thing when they actually said something else or their statement meant something else. And ironically hypocritical is the fact that when the Republicans controlled the White House and Congress they "rammed" through large bills under reconciliation. Tax cuts during Bush's first term were far from 3/5th majority and there were even votes of large significance that Vice President Dick Cheney broke ties.

Hence, after coming this far, it only makes sense to use the necessary measures to finish the passage of this health care bill that will change the lives of so many hardworking and less-off Americans for the better. If reconciliation is the solution, the Republicans will have to deal with the fact that they had their chances to be part of history. They need to stop running a campaign and trying to get reelected and possibly take back majority of Congress and deviate from the script a bit. Both parties are guilty are not being 100% truthful, but the Republican Party what not make it 30 seconds on "To Tell A Lie" with their actions this last year. Just remember a little truth is what the American public want. How about you stop construing facts.