I must have become masochistic in my old age

by David Grand
December 9, 2009

For why else would I subject myself to watching the excruciating and endless debate in the Senate-day in and day out-over health reform, if not for my enjoying pain?

Granted, that being retired and with little to do after dong the daily household chores, tending to my dogs needs and digesting the news on the Internet and in the newspapers may take up a goodly portion of my time, that still doesn't explain my obsession with listening to senators playing point-counterpoint, and groaning out loud at their repetitious arguments and histrionics.

If I didn't know better, I'd have thought I was observing the free-for-all battles (sans fisticuffs) that often ensue in the legislative bodies of foreign countries, a la in Japan, South Korea and South America countries.

And the more I see of the torturous debate, the more I've become convinced that it will only come to an end by the Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid, using his ace in the hole, the "reconciliation" process: a legislative process of the Senate intended to allow a contentious bill to be considered without being subject to filibuster and places time limits on debate and number of amendments. (An obvious advantage to the majority party, who would need only 50 votes for a bill to pass.)

Now, even though Reid has consistently maintained that he would not use that maneuver to bypass Republican and moderate Democrats opposition to going that route, but when it comes down to the wire and if he's unsure about having the required 60 votes to pass the bill, and thereby keep his promise to the President to place the approved bill under the White House Christmas tree, he'll have no other choice than to exercise that prerogative.

While Republicans would scream like a pack of hyenas over a kill at what they'd view as a low-down, underhanded move on his part, it would I'm sure be considered by most Americans as a welcomed shortcut for ending all the haggling and emotional outbursts during the marathon debate. Why people might even take to the streets, and with church bells rung, to celebrate being liberated from those money grubbing insurance monopolies.

To answer what predictably will be the Republicans vehement protests, I would hope that Reid is quick to remind them, that when it comes to playing hardball they're the all-time champs. For when they were in the driver's seat in the previous eight years, every bill put forth by the Democrats were squashed like a bug in the rug. And that they never came up with a bill of their own for remedying the dire health situation in the county, which they now, hypocritically, profess that health reform is of the utmost importance to them.

And the creme de la creme example of the lengths they'll go to to stall or defeat the health bill was never more evident than when Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) sent the equivalent of an obstructionist manual he'd penned to his Republican colleagues, on how to go about holding up health care reform by employing all the procedural tools available to a minority party before measures are considered, when they come to the floor and even after passage.

Just think, if he'd accepted Obama's offer to make him Treasury Secretary, as an olive branch to the GOP he couldn't have become the arch foe of health reform. But even if he had, his alter ego, Sen. Joe (turncoat) Lieberman would have easily fulfilled that role, as evidenced by his pledging to mount a one-man filibuster to stop the health bill in its tracks. Ingrate is too mild of a word to describe his backstabbing of the party that forgave him for aligning himself with McCain's campaign.