Pelosi: Math-Challenged On ObamaCare Bill

If you will recall, the “Blue Dog Democrats” got some concessions during committee meetings in order to get their support… specifically, the Waxman bill that came out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Nancy Pelosi has decided to renege on the deal and move the bill back towards the left.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/59839-pelosi-nixes-deal-with-blue-dogs-on-healthcare

Speaker Pelosi is backing away from a deal she cut with centrists to advance health reform, said a source familiar with talks.

Pelosi’s decision to move away from the agreement that was made with a group of Blue Dogs to get the bill out of committee would steer the healthcare legislation back to the left as she prepares for a floor vote.

Pelosi is planning to include a government-run public option in the House version of the healthcare bill. She wants to model it on Medicare, with providers getting reimbursed on a scale pegged to Medicare rates.

For the life of me I can’t decide if this is a good or bad development.


On the one hand, it’s bad because the government “option” is probably the worst provision in the plan… as well as being the part that has the least public support.

On the other hand, it’s good for a couple of reasons. This move shows the world that the Democrats are going to keep pushing a radical-liberal agenda even when the majority of Americans don’t want it. It also highlights the fact the Pelosi must have failed basic mathematics, because she’s not exhibiting basic addition skills.

You see, the liberal-Democrats cannot pass this bill alone. They need a number of votes from either Republicans or the “Blue Dogs” in order to pass the bill. Making a deal with the Blue Dogs and then backing out on it isn’t going to endear herself to them, and it is unclear how many of them will vote in favor of the legislation. Doing this will make it HARDER for her to get the bill out of the House, not easier.

So I’m not sure if Pelosi’s decision is a good one for the Country or a bad one. Certainly I’d prefer if she bowed to public opinion and withdrew the legislation completely, but that’s not going to happen this time around.