Update: Repugnants, lead by broadcast gas bag and de facto party leader, Rush Limbaugh, is making the passage of health care reform a purely partisan fight intended to damage Obama's political fortunes regardless of what failure means to millions of Americans. They have no new alternative legislation to offer, and in fact their strategists are encouraging Repugnant legislators to "go for the kill" rather than cooperate with Democrats. The same advice was given in 1993 when Clinton attempted to pass health care legislation, and the same advice was given by 'Saint Ronnie' Reagan in 1965 when he framed pending Medicare legislation as the first step toward a socialist America. Total poppycock. Repugnants know they are increasingly irrelevant in the debate on needed health reform as their hysterical opposition demonstrates. The real policy battles are now being waged with the Democratic Party's own right wing.{7.23.09}Majority leader Henry Reid announced today that the Senate will not meet the President's timetable for a bill before the Senate recesses. The announcement comes after 44 held an hour long press conference on the subject of reforming the broken system yesterday. The development is not good news for reformers who see the delay as the coercive effect of intense lobbying from the health care industry and feet dragging by reluctant conservatives in the Democratic Party. According to a Politico blogger, Rick Scott, a former hospital executive leading a conservative counterattack is telling supporters by email that the public option "will die" if no bill is passed before recess[1]. Public option is the proposed main mechanism for controlling the exploding cost of health care in this country. Democratic progressives are becoming increasingly impatient with the slow pace of the Senate Finance Committee chairman, Max Baucus, who supposedly is trying to draft a bill two or three moderate Repugnants can support. In contrast, the Senate HELP Committee chaired by Senators Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd (D-CT) has already passed a bill on a party line vote. Some colleagues are beginning to wonder if the claim of bipartisan support is worth the potential damage to passage of any bill. Baucus has voted with Repugnants in the past on important issues like tax cuts and the controversial Medicare prescription drug bill. Roll Call reports that Democrats on the inside and outside of the negotiations say his progress reports are too vague. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) told constituents, "It's time for them to fish or cut bait". Perhaps Montanans should ask their six term senator what exactly he is doing to solve their unaffordable health care problems.
[image: Repugnant's health care chart propaganda]