GOP, Democrats Fiddle With Health Care as Unemployment, Tax Cut, and Debt Crises Loom

[stormcris]

House Republicans voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a symbolic gesture Obama will ignore. Lawmakers offered absurd ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ and ‘Fatal Attraction’ comparisons—but made no attempt to address serious problems like the debt ceiling, unemployment, and tax cuts that expire at year’s end.

The dueling fools’ errands cemented the impression that has been growing for some time—that official Washington has become little more than a backdrop for partisan campaign commercials, a land of make believe where bills never need to pass, press conferences substitute for negotiations, and both parties’ behavior would be comical if the problems facing the country were not so serious. (Not only is there no agreement in place, or even being discussed, to deal with the looming debt-ceiling increase, unemployment remains above 8 percent, and the payroll tax cut and Bush tax cuts will both expire at the end of the year.)

But let’s hold off on serious for a minute, since that’s what the House did as it debated whether to repeal the health-care bill that affects one-fifth of the American economy and potentially the health of every American.

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) showed up to the debate Tuesday with a life-sized portrait of Boss Hogg from The Dukes of Hazzard, explaining to his fellow House members that Mr. Hogg “uses his position of authority to terrorize the citizens of his community.” Gingrey said that “life is now imitating art” (assuming that by “art” he meant The Dukes of Hazzard and warned, “We have another boss in our midst and I call this boss Obamacare.”

But as if to prove that absurd comparisons and basic-cable rhetoric are not only the domain of Republicans in Washington, Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) followed Gingrey, comparing the GOP with Glenn Close’s bunny-boiling mistress character in Fatal Attraction.

“Have you ever seen Fatal Attraction? Great film,” Murphy began, as he explained that Republicans are as obsessed with the health-care bill as Glenn Close was infatuated with Michael Douglas. “House Republicans have finally hit their boil-the-bunny moment. Enough is enough.”

But is enough enough? It didn’t seem like it when the House finally voted 244 to 185 to repeal the Affordable Care Act for the 33rd time this Congress, but word spread that unsatisfied conservatives will now push their leaders for a vote to de-fund the health-care bill entirely, since defeating it altogether has gotten nowhere in Washington, despite their best efforts.

Knowing that the repeal bill will die in the Senate again, House Speaker John Boehner defended Wednesday’s vote as “another chance for the Senate to heed the will of the American people…and for those who did not support repeal the last time, it’s a chance for our colleagues to reconsider.”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said she did not need to reconsider the Republican’s latest repeal efforts, which she called “a useless bill to nowhere.” But she did take the time before the repeal vote to try to force anyone who voted to repeal Obama’s health-care reform to also give up their own federal health benefits. Pelosi’s bill, of course, went nowhere.

But just because legislation is dying in the Congress as potential catastrophes loom for the country, it’s not entirely true to say members of Congress are getting nothing done.

Moments after the repeal vote, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent an email under Pelosi’s name blast to supporters, reporting the House’s move to repeal, and inviting donors to “Stand with President Obama and donate $3 or more to defeat Tea Party Republicans.” The vote was just what Democrats needed to fire up their base, and pump them for money at the same time. Republicans, for their part, launched a series of attack ads against Democrats, telling voters that the only way to repeal the health-care bill now is to repeal their local Democratic representative in November.

While Congress bats health care and taxes back and forth, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the work they are supposed to be doing is not getting done. In addition to the infamous fiscal cliff looming at the end of the year, Congress has not passed a single appropriations bill to fund the government past September.

Washington seems like little more than a backdrop for partisan campaign commercials; a land of make believe where bills never need to pass, and press conferences substitute for negotiations.

LINK

Are you sick of it yet and it is both sides?

[Mortiferouslatt]

I'm tired of it on both sides but especially the republicans. I feel as if their only point is to keep any progress from happening.

[conniecabe]

There was a time when I would blame both parties for the dysfunction in DC.  But not this time. It is the House Republicans who have voted to repeal the affordable care act, not once but 33 times. How many times have they voted to pass a jobs/stimulus bill?  Zero. Democrats are only "fiddling" with health care because the GOP is beating a dead horse. Let's move on already.  

[wenchmommy381]

Quoting conniecabe:

There was a time when I would blame both parties for the dysfunction in DC.  But not this time. It is the House Republicans who have voted to repeal the affordable care act, not once but 33 times. How many times have they voted to pass a jobs/stimulus bill?  Zero. Democrats are only "fiddling" with health care because the GOP is beating a dead horse. Let's move on already.  

I look at it this way-- a whole bunch of co-workers at a company are waiting to see if their supervisor gets replaced. If you can do something to make sure the guy with whom you most agree can snap up the supervisory position, why wouldn't you?

Note I said 'supervisor.' The American public is the Boss. But we spend our time watching TomKat and voting for a Pop Idol instead of a political leader. We want celebrity. 

Long story short.... I can't blame either party. Not at this point.

[cjsbmom]

I agree. It's too bad we can't suspend their salaries until they do some actual work.

Quoting conniecabe:

There was a time when I would blame both parties for the dysfunction in DC.  But not this time. It is the House Republicans who have voted to repeal the affordable care act, not once but 33 times. How many times have they voted to pass a jobs/stimulus bill?  Zero. Democrats are only "fiddling" with health care because the GOP is beating a dead horse. Let's move on already.  

[Nighttiger]

Quoting wenchmommy381:

Quoting conniecabe:

There was a time when I would blame both parties for the dysfunction in DC.  But not this time. It is the House Republicans who have voted to repeal the affordable care act, not once but 33 times. How many times have they voted to pass a jobs/stimulus bill?  Zero. Democrats are only "fiddling" with health care because the GOP is beating a dead horse. Let's move on already.  

I look at it this way-- a whole bunch of co-workers at a company are waiting to see if their supervisor gets replaced. If you can do something to make sure the guy with whom you most agree can snap up the supervisory position, why wouldn't you?

Because if the only work you were getting done is just showing up to try to get your new supervisor without actually doing your job, work would stop and you would potentially put the company under, costing everyone their jobs!  Or, more likely, if all you were doing all day for the next 4 months was campaigning for your new supervisor, you would be fired. On the plus side for Congress, they have the ability to sit on their a$$s and get nothing done for the next 4 months because it will only be the American people that get hurt...not them. Putting this bill through for the 33 time is crazy. We get it...you don't like it. Can you do something to actually help now?

Note I said 'supervisor.' The American public is the Boss. But we spend our time watching TomKat and voting for a Pop Idol instead of a political leader. We want celebrity. 

Long story short.... I can't blame either party. Not at this point.

[_Kissy_]

Only the gop with their 35th vote and 50 million wasted. They even voted against a small business bill because of partisan bullshit. But lets let 2 million children suffer by cutting 4.6 billion from food program

[OHgirlinCA]

 We really need to vote these idiots out and vote in some fresh blood that is willing to work together to fix our country's issues.  We need responsible adults, not temper tantrum throwing children, to represent us.  I'm talking about BOTH Democrats and Republicans.  They all are absolutely vile right now.

[OHgirlinCA]

 

Quoting wenchmommy381:

 

Quoting conniecabe:

There was a time when I would blame both parties for the dysfunction in DC.  But not this time. It is the House Republicans who have voted to repeal the affordable care act, not once but 33 times. How many times have they voted to pass a jobs/stimulus bill?  Zero. Democrats are only "fiddling" with health care because the GOP is beating a dead horse. Let's move on already.  

I look at it this way-- a whole bunch of co-workers at a company are waiting to see if their supervisor gets replaced. If you can do something to make sure the guy with whom you most agree can snap up the supervisory position, why wouldn't you?

Note I said 'supervisor.' The American public is the Boss. But we spend our time watching TomKat and voting for a Pop Idol instead of a political leader. We want celebrity. 

Long story short.... I can't blame either party. Not at this point.

 Sadly, I think you're right...

[gsprofval]

Having "party" affiliations is really stupid to begin with. The "party" shouldn't have anything to do with running the country; the PEOPLE of the country are what matters.

Of course, none of the bills are actually written by Congress anyway. Lobbyists write the bills to further their causes and line their own pockets.

It's just so stupid to vote based on party affiliation and I don't see any reason to have the parties anyway.  Sure would save millions if parties were done away with.