Your Daily Dose of Health Care Reform Stupidity

Everybody knows the health care reform bill passed the Senate, right?  Yes.  Good.  Then we can move on to the stupid.  Newt Gingrich is already moving on to the stupid.  He's moving right to committing the Cons to running on the promise to repeal the bill.  I can't wait to see that.  I think Steve Benen's pretty excited, too:

"Every" Republican candidate will pledge to repeal popular consumer protections? Caps on families' medical expenses? Cost-containment measures? Deficit-reduction provisions? Subsidies for families who can't afford coverage? I really doubt it.

Thing is, they may be forced to run on repeal.  The Teabaggers are demanding it.  And it doesn't seem Cons will be able to pacify them with non-committal, Mitch McConnell-style prevarication.

This is going to be hysterically funny to watch.  I don't know if the usual summer movie fare can compete.

For a really good time in the meantime, go check out some lame Con excuses as to why the Medicare prescription drug boondoggle they foisted on the country without paying for is totally legit, whereas a health care reform bill that's fully paid for is not.  It's priceless.  Hard to choose my favorite, but I think Olympia Snowe's lameassery is a definite contender.  I'll let you lot decide:

The AP's Charles Babington reports that most GOP officials no longer want to talk about their own record.

Six years ago, "it was standard practice not to pay for things," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "We were concerned about it, because it certainly added to the deficit, no question." His 2003 vote has been vindicated, Hatch said, because the prescription drug benefit "has done a lot of good."

Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, said those who see hypocrisy "can legitimately raise that issue." But he defended his positions in 2003 and now, saying the economy is in worse shape and Americans are more anxious.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said simply: "Dredging up history is not the way to move forward."

Translation: we fucked up and we don't want to talk about it because we were really hoping you'd all forget just how fucking stupid we are.

And, finally, the next time some Con starts whining about bipartisanship, remind them that their plan all along has been to play the obstructionist dickweed game for partisan political gain.  Arlen Specter knows - he was there, and he's revealed their dirty little secrets.