Markos: Strip the mandate, and put GOP on the spot

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/16/815264/-Strip-the-mandate,-and-put-GOP-on-the-spot">Strip the mandate, and put GOP on the spot

Republicans have gotten much mileage by railing against the insurance mandate, and it's a key point of contention with the teabagging Right. But the dirty little secret is that Republican senators really don't want it to go away -- it is, after all, an epic giveaway to the health insurance industry.

So Republicans are salivating at this win-win opportunity -- keep their corporate lobbyist friends happy, while also having a potent campaign issue with which to beat the crap out of Democrats.

The mandate puts the government in the untenable position of forcing everyone to buy a shitty product from private companies enjoying ant-monopoly protections. Funny how all the measures that helped people in this reform bill were stripped out, but the one that screws over many people and bails out a failed industry (that doesn't even need a bailout) somehow has no problem staying in. Yet another symptom of a broken government.

So here's the deal -- a progressive should step up with an amendment to strip out the mandate. He should get a non-Wall Street Republican to join him, be it Tom Coburn or Jim DeMint, one or more of those guys. And then force a roll call vote on the issue.

SNIP

This sounds like a good plan. Have to find a way to initiate blowback on the Repukes and Lieberman and I think Markos has a good plan.

Why not just shoot for single payer while we're at it?

... and inoculate dems against against potent campaign jab

And the backlash will be horrendous. Ditch it now. Oppose the bill if it's not stripped, people!

And will effectively wreck the insurance system by eliminating the capacity to share risk.

They were never against MANDATES!

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7262644

:evilgrin:

:hi: