The debate and vote on Sunday regarding Barack Obama’s health insurance makeover were as amazing as they were tragic. Never before have I seen legislators not only lie repeatedly on the House floor, but also so brazenly defy the will of the American people.
There was not a poll in the country, whether it was CNN, Fox News, Rasmussen, or Gallup that showed Americans in favor of the Democrats’ plan. Yet they pushed forward. Why? Because they could. As the American people were making their voices heard by saying, “Don’t pass this bill,” the Democrats were chanting, “Yes we can.” Pathetic.
By a vote of 219-212, the House of Representatives passed Obama’s legislation. Spearheaded by Nancy Pelosi and with some arm-twisting by Obama, the Democrats were able to hold enough of their caucus together to ensure passage. Just listen to what Pelosi had to say following the vote. I can’t believe she has the nerve to say that this was an “all-American act.”
An act of patriotism? This bill will cost trillions of dollars, will raise insurance costs, and decrease choice as more doctors group coverages like Medicare. It imposes an unconstitutional heath insurance mandate, and it brings with it a host of new tax increases. So much for our economic rebound.
Here’s what House Republican Leader John Boehner said during the debate:
The roll call vote of House members can be found here.
There are so many things that upset me about the bill, and I’ve listed a number of those reasons already, but what upsets me even more is how the bill passed. First, it passed despite overwhelming opposition from the American public. Second, it passed because so-called “pro-life Democrats” caved in and sold their souls for politics. As a pro-life Catholic, I am stunned to see that politicians would trade their stated belief in the sanctity of human life for a political favor or pay-off.
Politics trumped life. What’s even more disheartening is the shear bogusness of the “deal.” Pro-life Democrats like Bart Stupak (D-MI) switched their votes because Obama said he would sign an executive order stating that federal funds can’t be used for abortion. Hello!!!! The bill that was just passed says that federal funds CAN be used, and an executive order does not trump the law of the land. Surely Stupak is not Stu-pid… is he?
As my friend Deal Hudson wrote in Catholic Advocate, “Bart Stupak looked hollow and shame-faced as he made the rounds of cable news shows on Sunday explaining the reasons for his change of mind. For the past 160 days Stupak has become a hero to millions of Americans who believe the right to life is the basis of all other human rights.
Now, Stupak has become a hero to the other side and just another example of why our young people view politics cynically, not as a vocation but as an excuse to put partisan interests ahead of transcendent truths.”
As noted in the AP story on GOPUSA, Obama’s executive order that won over Stupak and others “sets out a mechanism aiming to ensure that community health centers cannot use federal funds for abortions.” Aiming to ensure? Nice wording. That sure does inspire confidence.
There is just so much to write about this disaster, and I’d love to read your comments. Here’s one last bit of information that readers can pass along to their left-wing friends or colleagues…. Nancy Pelosi had the gall to call this bill bipartisan during her floor speech. The only thing bipartisan about it was the opposition. Not a single Republican voted for it, and 34 Democrats voted against it as well. That’s bipartisan. And yet it passed. The left-wing elite have spoken. Now it’s our turn!
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