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May 25, 2013
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 The Politics of TenacityPosted on Jul 23, 2009Wow, what big and unexpected news! Reforming the health care system is really hard, and Republicans want President Obama to fail. Imagine that. Oh, yes, and when the public gets a close look at the sausage-making process in Washington, it doesn’t like what it sees. And one more revelation: In a bad economy, it’s tough for a president to maintain approval ratings in the 60s indefinitely. A sense of crisis pervades the nation’s capital. Congress is behind schedule in pushing along health system reform and the president’s poll numbers have dipped slightly. Thus Obama’s prime-time news conference Wednesday, aimed at defending his past actions on the economy and explaining, yet again, why reforming health care is a better idea than leaving things as they are. When this city goes berserk, it’s helpful to entertain an alternative view of reality: that certain problems were going to have to be dealt with eventually, and that only the appearance of a crisis would bring them to the surface. Advertisement Republicans such as Sen. Jim DeMint and commentator William Kristol have been immensely useful in clarifying this—DeMint by saying that defeating health care reform would “break” Obama, and Kristol by defining the GOP’s position succinctly with the words “kill it.” The stakes are now clear. But it has been obvious for months that the issue of how to finance reform would be difficult because it drives a wedge right through the pro-reform coalition. The first sign of trouble came early this year when Obama put a lot of money on the table—$318 billion over 10 years to be precise—by proposing to limit the value of various tax deductions for wealthy Americans. In a remarkable show of bipartisanship, Congress shot this idea down without much debate. If not that, what? Policy wonks of various stripes argue that we should tax the value of the health insurance policies people now get, especially high-end plans. The substantive case for this is strong, since it’s a tax that would, on the whole, fall on better-off people, and taxing the most generous plans could help hold down costs. However, the levy is very unpopular, and not just with the unions, who are among the strongest supporters of universal coverage and have negotiated good health plans for their members. The tax would also have unfair regional effects because of state-to-state variations in the cost of health insurance. And Obama savaged John McCain in 2008 for putting forward a version of this scheme. Aren’t politicians supposed to keep their campaign promises? Democrats in the House responded by proposing that we tax the very rich, the latest version of their idea being a surtax on millionaires. There is nothing wrong with asking the wealthy to pay for covering the uninsured, and good for the House for showing how much money such a tax could raise. The main objection is that we may need to tax the wealthy again later to balance the budget and we’re better off financing health coverage with taxes on the health care system itself. OK, but see above for the problems that entails. As for measures to contain health care costs, they are absolutely essential. But I’m anxious to see what members of Congress now yelling for cost controls say after providers in their districts start complaining about the burdens such cuts would impose. Indeed, some opponents of health care reform are playing both sides of the street, arguing for cost containment while simultaneously warning that reform would limit “freedom of choice.” It was entirely predictable that we would have this cacophony once the debate was joined in earnest and once citizen-consumers began counting up the costs and benefits of reform. But the only choice that matters is whether we want to cover all Americans and begin the multiyear task of fixing the health system, or whether we prefer, once again, to use the details as an excuse for evading what we know must be done someday. The politics of escape uses difficulties as an excuse for inertia. The politics of tenacity accepts that some problems are excruciatingly difficult, and resolves to deal with them anyway. The crisis in Washington arises because that choice is now upon us. E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is ejdionne(at)washpost.com. © 2009, Washington Post Writers Group  TAGS:
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By Louise, July 25, 2009 at 8:43 am Link to this comment
cyrena,
“Republicans have been like a massive PLAGUE over our existence as a society for at least a decade ...”
~~~
Actually I see the plague as extending all the way back to the rescue of a slaughtered economy following the Great Depression. But I could be wrong. After all I’m only at my three-quarter century mark!
I lived in Utah when Hatch first ran for the Senate. I remember why he switched from his long-time family tradition of being Democrat. He knew the incumbent Democrat Senator Moss was unpopular and saw the opportunity to defeat him, with Republican support. So he did the time-honored political thing ... stopped being a Democrat and became a Republican.
~~~
“I honestly don’t KNOW why any of us continue to allow ourselves to be executed by their insanity.”
~~~
And therein lies the conundrum. Why DO we allow the Republican Party to control the conversation? Nobody knows why, certainly not the Democrats! In Hatch’s case the answer is obvious and simple. Master the few hot-button issues in political speech, like tax, sex, religion, family values and big government, while at the same time avoiding extreme rhetoric like the Palin or deep South brand. He has become a master, just as he masterfully slid out of his responsibilities to address health care by taking a positive stand to do nothing. He knows the folks back home are to busy surviving to examine his actions, and ask why. Which brings me back to the quote from the article:
“The politics of escape uses difficulties as an excuse for inertia. The politics of tenacity accepts that some problems are excruciatingly difficult, and resolves to deal with them anyway. The crisis in Washington arises because that choice is now upon us.”
The issue Hatch was most vociferous about when running against Moss remains to this day! In other words, once in Washington Hatch did NOTHING to remove that which was in place:
“... to assist the several States in the carrying out of their programs for the construction and modernization of such public or other nonprofit community hospitals and other medical facilities as may be necessary, in conjunction with existing facilities, to furnish adequate hospital, clinic, or similar services to all their people;”
Which sounds good, but led to the HMO, which led to the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) and is just one facet of our health care crisis today. “For Profit” entities figuring out how to profit even more on the public dime, which all good republicans everywhere embrace. So maybe I need to amend my “NOTHING” remark and say instead, the repubs and Hatch, worked very hard to make sure any legislation intended to correct defects in our health-care system became Corporate Capitalist friendly, aka, profitable by virtue of the public dime. So for all their protests regarding taxes and government intervention ... the repubs actually encourage and embrace government intervention that can be twisted to provide more private, for profit, Corporate control. The most recent and well known example is the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, aka the senior drug bill.
The record is clear!
Meanwhile ... generational ignorance ... that human factor ALL politicians count on, especially Republicans, keeps the conversation firmly locked in the corner of the whacky rights! And as pointed out by Hulk2008, [July 23 at 1:49 pm;] mainstreammedia keeps it there!
Report thisBy tmullins, July 24, 2009 at 3:24 am Link to this comment
Profit care is more important than patient care in Tennessee and Virginia. UnitedHealth is making record breaking profits and people are being either denied or are getting rationed care. Mitch McConnell is worried about reform leading to people having to stand in long lines just to see a doctor. We already have that. It’s time for real reform now. http://www.wisecountyissues.com My father died partly due to rationed health care.
Report thisBy cyrena, July 23, 2009 at 6:39 pm Link to this comment
By Louise, July 23 at 9:24 am #
“I read yesterday, Senator Orrin Hatch, (R) Utah, has withdrawn from the committee debating health care, because he couldn’t support the path they were on, which begs the question what path are they on, and why does he object to that?”
Then..
“No matter, the Senator has followed a time honored political policy of “no show” when the going gets tough. Taking a stand, without stating what you stand for. Objecting mightily without defining objection. Or maybe he did and I just don’t know how to read republican-speak.”
Nope Louise, I heard him with my own ears…though the TV that is. He can’t state what he stands for, on account of he doesn’t have a clue, and obviously neither do any of the others of his party. All they know is that they don’t want to spend any of their own personal wealth on anything that benefits the US society inclusively.
So, he doesn’t know what path anything is on, and this is standard bullshit for the likes of Orrin Hatch.
Actually, you said it much better here…
• “Difficulties such as, money, taxes and cost, always a handy excuse for standing in the way of change. Only in this case, given the enormous amount of money borrowed to fund Bush’s expensive, destructive and unnecessary war in Iraq, (money still to be repaid, by the way) the repubs objections border on the insane. And only highlights and underlines ... it’s not health care they care about .... it’s controlling the conversation.”
The objections don’t even ‘border’ on insane, because they ARE insane!! And, I honestly don’t KNOW why any of us continue to allow ourselves to be executed by their insanity. In any realistic scenario, these republicans should have been run out of Dodge long ago. But, that hasn’t happened, as witnessed by the entrenchment of people like Orrin Hatch and others of his ilk. We already know they don’t care about health care or anything else other than controlling the conversation, not to mention the money. And, there are still too many of them entrenched in the apparatus.
Republicans have been like a massive PLAUGE over our existence as a society for at least a decade, probably longer. Everything the Cheney Bush regime touched, turned to absolute shit; the damage not yet calculated, but visible everywhere.
Like…here in California, where they are currently trying to steal everything that isn’t nailed down, to keep Arnold’s buddies from having to pay taxes on their billions. Same story with all of them, but it’s a cruel irony in a state as populous as California, with the political demographics as they are, which is 2/3rd’s Democrat. Maybe I should say it’s cruel but not surprising, since it’s that 1/3rd of the Republican population that has all of the money they don’t pay taxes on, and don’t plan to.
So, back to the same old thing..republicans never wanna pay their fare share….That is aside from the insanity governing the party, or maybe not.
Report thisBy MThomasNC, July 23, 2009 at 12:55 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Poor President Obama, what a fight he has on his hands to get health care reform done the way 80% of the voting people want he to do. He has to fight the following:
Report this1) the lazy, lazy congress who would rather spend their time passing renamed ‘post offices’.
2) the congressional democrats with no spine, no loyalty, no sense, no communication skills, no vision.
3) the democratic punditry with no spine, no fight, no debating skills, no historical knowledge of whose policies have gotten us to this stage (same for congressional democrats).
4) corporate media who makes or creates news, reports on nonsense items, too in love with the daily ‘whose up, whose down’ mentality, too focus on the horse race - no substance.
5) the republican establishment (corporations - large and small, conservatives, moderates, libertarians, conservadems) who is totally against all that the president stands for except WAR Spending).
President Obama stands alone fighting all these entities for the good of the american people.
By dihey, July 23, 2009 at 11:12 am Link to this comment
E.J. don’t worry, he will fail to bring us a system “that works”. In the men time E. J. take a nap and stop writing useless pieces. Perhaps you may wake up when the most byzantine “health” system has been passed by an equally byzantine Congress and signed by our byzantine President.
Report thisBy Hulk2008, July 23, 2009 at 10:49 am Link to this comment
Maybe the MEDIA are the real foot-draggers. The Pres (and others) scarcely utter an idea and the talking heads blow it away, demanding deep study and analysis. Last night was no exception. Obama mentioned limiting some itemized deductions for the ultra-wealthy and Dr. Nancy et al declared it “DOA” as a way to pay for costs. The Pres mentioned a case where someone was treated by more than one provider and each provider re-ran the same tests/x-rays - and Bill-O at Fox said that was “too complicated” - he couldn’t “understand” what was said.
Congress has been charged with reforming health care since 1948 by one Pres after another - each Rep or Senator acts like this task has just fallen on his/her head from a passing plane - And the MEDIA heartily agree with each such statement.
The same frothing-at-the-mouth media that doggedly track down every minutia about Michael Jackson approach health care reform as a runaway train.
Each day that Congress AND the media delay reform, 14,000 people lose their health insurance.
Health care needs its own CCU. (Critical Care Unit)
Report thisBy Anarcissie, July 23, 2009 at 7:14 am Link to this comment
The difficulties of reforming the medical (not health) care system in the U.S. are a good illustration of the major role plutocracy plays. If there were any sort of active Left the problems would be an excellent organizing focus. Instead, those who substitute for the Left debate which servant of the plutocracy is nicer or more “pragmatic”.
Report thisBy Louise, July 23, 2009 at 6:24 am Link to this comment
I read yesterday, Senator Orrin Hatch, (R) Utah, has withdrawn from the committee debating health care, because he couldn’t support the path they were on, which begs the question what path are they on, and why does he object to that?
Is the path, like so many regarding Republican policy, one of no, not, kill it? Or one of ok, lets find some way to make meaningful health care reform. Or is the path cluttered with pesky campaign promises? Promises to the powers that be, aka Insurance Giants, or powers that jam the inbox from disgruntled constituents, complaining about change ... or no change.
No matter, the Senator has followed a time honored political policy of “no show” when the going gets tough. Taking a stand, without stating what you stand for. Objecting mightily without defining objection. Or maybe he did and I just don’t know how to read republican-speak.
And why do I pick on the Senator from Utah? No reason other than he seems to be the only repub who’s actually done anything in the last couple of days, although what he did was nothing. And I guess that’s better than throwing more gasoline on the fire, and I suspect that may be what he wanted to avoid. Because when it comes right down to it ... building a fire under the peoples House, then holding the fire department hostage, lest they put it out, seems to be the “positive” path to reconciliation the repubs are marching down. And sometimes, in the effort to please all the people all the time, the best thing for a politician to do is not be found at the scene of the fire.
And all that sprang to mind when I read from the article:
“The politics of escape uses difficulties as an excuse for inertia. The politics of tenacity accepts that some problems are excruciatingly difficult, and resolves to deal with them anyway. The crisis in Washington arises because that choice is now upon us.”
Difficulties such as, money, taxes and cost, always a handy excuse for standing in the way of change. Only in this case, given the enormous amount of money borrowed to fund Bush’s expensive, destructive and unnecessary war in Iraq, (money still to be repaid, by the way) the repubs objections border on the insane. And only highlights and underlines ... it’s not health care they care about .... it’s controlling the conversation.
So here’s a question for “honest” politicians everywhere: When are you going to stop allowing them to do that?
And regarding “Congress is behind schedule in pushing along health system reform” I have to take exception. Schedules are nice, but seldom take into account the absurdities of “rules” governing debate, or the insanity governing the party of the right. So all in all, as congressional politics go, this issue has moved with lightning speed. Relatively speaking.
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