Harry Reid (Demagogue, Nev.)

Ok folks, here it is, via The Hill (here's the link: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/70917-gop-senators-rebuke-reids-slavery-remarks), straight from the mouth of the moron who doubles as the Majority Leader of the United States Senate. How embarrassing:

"Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, 'slow down, stop everything, let's start over.' If you think you've heard these same excuses before, you're right...When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said 'slow down, it's too early, things aren't bad enough.'"

Sigh...where to begin? Let's start with a point that anyone with the least bit of knowledge of US history knows: it was the Democratic Party that "dug in their heels" on the slavery question, and the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, that led the charge to free the slaves.

But that's just a minor point. The real travesty here is the breathtaking demagoguery that Harry Reid spewed on the floor of the Senate today. Comparing Republican Senators who respectfully disagree with the hyper-partisan approach that congressional Democrats have taken on health care reform to legislators who fought against ending slavery is mind-numbingly absurd. Slavery was an immoral institution that rightfully shocks our conscience today. Is a desire to prevent the incredibly flawed legislation in Congress from passing immoral? Are those lawmakers guilty of defending an injustice by opposing the bills?

What we need is clear-headed, reasoned debate about health care reform. As the Democrats in Congress rush to ram a 2,000 page bill down the throats of a deeply skeptical American public (most polls show support for the Democrats' plan hovering in the high 30's, with opposition somewhere in the low to mid-50s), we have no use for an airhead from Nevada (whose tenure in the Senate looks like it will mercifully end next year) standing up on the Senate floor and likening his opponents to supporters of slavery. Reid's asinine remark calls to mind the statements of some in recent months (that's you, Jimmy Carter), who have posited a staggeringly daft (and unsupported) theory that says opposition to President Obama's policies stems from, you guessed it, racism.

Of course, any reasonable person can see that Reid's comments are, like Carter's comments, a distraction (and an irresponsible one at that). Democrats are worried, Democrats are scared...because as the midterm elections get closer by the day, they see their support slipping in every poll. Independents defected in droves in Virginia and New Jersey last month, sending Republican governors to their statehouses just 12 months after sending Barack Obama to the White House. It was a preview of coming attractions for congressional Democrats who continue on the Pelosi/Reid/Obama path of the stimulus plan, government-run health care, cap and trade, and draconian financial regulation.

Remember when Barack Obama promised to have a bipartisan debate about health care reform? Remember when he said there would be C-Span cameras in the room during those negotiations? Well, Mr. Transparency, Mr. HopeAndChange, Mr. Post-Partisan, Mr. I'm Gonna Change the Culture in Washington, Mr. I'm Not Your Typical Politician has (SURPRISE!) turned out to be...well, your typical politician. And perhaps even that isn't entirely accurate. He cut his political teeth and began his rise to stardom while firmly ensconced in the corrupt Chicago machine. Obama is your typical CHICAGO politician...and that means he's every bit of your typical politician, and then some.

The bills before Congress would overhaul the health care system as we know it, create an incredibly costly new entitlement program, weaken the doctor-patient relationship, and could very well lead to rationing down the road. Perhaps most importantly of all, though, it would do nothing to bend the cost-curve downward. In fact, it will affect the cost curve...by bending it UPWARD.

Controlling cost needs to be the starting point for any legislation that aims at reforming our nation's health care system. Our legislators should be focused on these two questions first and foremost: 1) Will the legislation make health care more affordable, and 2) Will it keep the high quality of American health care intact? The bills before Congress right now do neither. Rejecting them in favor of starting from scratch is not akin to protecting the institution of slavery. It is a vote for common-sense health care reform. It is a vote for the American people, the same people whom legislators claim to serve. If the Democrats need a reminder about to whom they owe their seats in Congress, all they need to do is pass their version of reform. They'll get their reminder in November 2010.