Dems’ Health Care Strategy: Seek Forgiveness Instead of Permission

Consider this irony: Democrats and their special interest allies are in the fight of their lives to keep the seat formerly held by the champion of socialized medicine in the bluest of states.  Democrats should be tap dancing on the foreheads of Republicans in Massachusetts.  But instead, they’re racing against the clock for a deal on health care reform because they run the risk of losing their critical 60^th vote in just a few days.

So the Democrats strategy is clear:  seek forgiveness of American voters in November instead of permission now because they’re likely fearing the message from Tuesday’s election will equal not granting permission.  Democrats are “hoping” to have an overall deal on health care reform, the tax-dodging Ways and Means committee chairman Charlie Rangel told NationalJournal.com just in time to avoid the Tuesday Massachusetts vote.

The Huffington Post quoted SEIU vice president Anna Burger as saying, “Let’s go on and actually pass this bill.”  Anna’s wish is, of course, this White House’s command. 

The special election this week in Massachusetts can easily be viewed as a referendum on Obama, his policies and specifically government-run health care.  And in a state that is navy blue, it’s a dog fight, with SEIU stepping in to plop down over $600,000 for TV ads savaging Republican candidate Scott Brown.  And RedState.com reported House Democrats are spending beaucoup bucks to elect a Democrat to the Senate.  It’s pure panic time for Democrats in Washington.

But they’re working as fast as they can to make health care reform a non-issue by the time the newest senator from Massachusetts is seated.

And worse still, more giveaways are emerging from Washington, DC but this time, not to lawmakers but to campaign-funding special interest groups.  News broke Thursday afternoon that Democratic leaders had “negotiated” a compromise with labor leaders over the so-called “Cadillac” tax.  They must have made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. 

The New York Post said it well in Friday’s edition:

Big Labor got some big love from President Obama and congressional Democrats yesterday after they agreed to exempt union workers from the whopping “Cadillac tax” on high-cost health-care plans until 2018.

The sweetheart deal, hammered out behind closed doors, will save union employees at least $60 billion over the years involved, while others won’t be as lucky — they’ll have to cough up almost $90 billion.

So Andy Stern can go back to his members and say, “See what our $60 million investment in electing Obama got us?”

 And CNN.com reported that, “AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka has made looking out for all workers — not just union members — a big part of his platform.”  What a peach!  That must be why benefits negotiated through collective bargaining were exempted but not those for non-union workers.  Way to look out for everyone, Richie! 

The Post also reported:

Powerful unions were well-represented around the bargaining table.

Participants included AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and Andy Stern, head of Service Employees International Union; Anna Burger, head of Change to Win [and SEIU vice president]; and the leaders of unions representing teachers, government workers, food and commercial workers, and electricians.

Isn’t that great?  Obama’s pledge to rid the special interests from the halls of power seems to be more than a little phony these days – it’s bordering on insulting.

This Christmas Tree for campaign funders and liberal groups is the turd in the punch bowl for Americans.  And the bad thing for Democrats is this time, Americans know it.  And in all likelihood, the Democrats know it too and that’s why they’re scrounging up a compromise because the wheels may fall off Tuesday.