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Frankly, I haven’t had a lot to say about health care reform for some time. I grew tired. I grew disgusted. I could feel my blood pressure soar at the mere contemplation.

Nothing has changed. The “Summit” turned out as expected. Mitchy McConnell worries that his side only has gotten 13 minutes and the other side 52 minutes so far, and Johnny McCain cannot avoid the temptation to mewl about the lost election but again. In between, the same tired old arguments, most all of them argued, debated, and proven wrong or right a kazillion times already.

So, I’m not wasting your time with arguments, you’ve heard them all before. What I can do is point you toward some useful information. One of these nuggets of truth is a piece from TruthOut written by Professor George Lakoff about how brains work. It’s a fascinating article and really helps one realize why conservatives are as they are and why liberals are as they are.

Basically, we are wasting time talking. The worldview of the average Republican suggests that anything Obama is destructive, thus even pointing out that Democrats are willing to push certain Republican points, Republicans will LOGICALLY flip and now oppose them. They view any action to support this president to be counter productive. They believe that they are doing the right thing in being the party of NO.

In part it depends on how one is raised. Conservative Republicans tend to be brought up in authoritative father dominated families. The world is dangerous, dad protects, children are obedient, and punished physically for failure to comply. Liberal Democrats are tend to be brought up in nurturing supportive families without gender control, where helping family and others is seen as being empathetic and responsible. Both tend to place make these “governing” models onto new institutions such as church, work, and government.

So, you cannot shame a conservative into doing the “right” thing because he doesn’t and will never see it as right. Flipping and flopping are seen as necessary to stop the ruination of America.

Lance Simmens writing at Huff Po, suggests that congress is the new death panel. They clearly and uncategorically deny that health care is a human right, thus they are the ones who are willing to decide who will receive it and who won’t. Let’s don’t go do fast, a step  at a time, and cost governs all. Such is their mindset.

His advice: Democrats must forge ahead, forget the Republicans and pass whatever they can. They will never get help from Republicans who pretty much have dug in their heels. And, their base, is of the same opinion, doesn’t listen to opposition arguments anyway, and want no truck with compromise at all. Witness what has happened to the new Senator from MA who is now being vilified by the ultra right for his voting yes on the jobs bill.

Iowa’s Tom Harkin has re-introduced legislation to end the power of the filibuster. He did so some years ago when his own party was a minority, so he has cred on this issue. Dick Durbin has gone one better, and is enlisting the public’s help in petitioning for the ending of this blocking technique. Follow the link and you will be directed to the website where you can sign a petition to that effect. For those of you in a hurry, go there directly by linking here.

Will Marshall, also writing in Huff Po, sums up the Summit by arguing that at least Republicans have been forced to put forth what they would do.  His conclusions are:

  • Republicans do not fundamentally believe that health care is a human right. Their plans would insure about 3 million more people, without explanation of what standards would apply and still leaving 43 millions without care.
  • They wish to reduce premiums by using methods mostly of benefit to healthy policy holders. Their solutions favor giving people options that reduce to bare bones their coverage at bigger savings by buying out of state and use of medical savings accounts.
  • They have no interest in working with Democrats because their base says just saying NO is fine.

Probably the dust up between John Sydney and the President was the best moment of yesterday’s events. If you want to read a really really scathing comment on Johnny, by all means read Paul Slansky’s piece, again at Huff Po.

Of course one of the most shocking elements of this debate is that so-called strong Christians are lined up behind Republicans on this issue. Somehow they find a Christ who is not “for” health care. Paul Rauchenbush speaks to this issue, and finally admits it is basic selfishness. I agree.

Well, enough I guess. One could go on for hours, reading and linking up to various opinions. My advice: Screw the Rethugs. Get something together, and push it through. Use reconciliation. Ignore the polls. Giving some relief will have a bigger effect than doing nothing. Ignore the Republicans. Ignore the Republicans. Ignore the Republicans. Is that getting through?

And just in case, you think I have nothing else on my mind, I’m getting increasingly disappointed in Canada these days. I think they have done a fairly lousy job all around on the Olympics. I guess I should explain, but I won’t for now. Trust me. You know you can’t don’t you?

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