The Not So Magnificent Six

Paul Krugman notes that of the six Sensible Centrist senators that are threatening to kill Obamacare, five of the six voted for Bush's Medicare Part D drug benefit plan, which turned into a windfall for Big Pharma.

What’s especially galling is the hypocrisy of their claimed reason for delaying progress — concern about the fiscal burden. After all, in the past most of them have shown no concern at all for the nation’s long-term fiscal outlook.

Case in point: the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which denied Medicare the right to bargain for lower drug prices, locked in overpayments to private insurance companies, and did nothing, nothing at all, to pay for its proposed outlays. How many of these six self-proclaimed defenders of solvency voted no on the crucial procedural vote? One. (Joe Lieberman, to my surprise.)

And let’s not forget that Ben Nelson, who appears to be the ringleader, has fought tooth and nail against competition from a public option — which would almost certainly save a significant amount of money, as well as providing much-needed competition.

If the Gang of Six really does kill reform, remember their names; they will bear the responsibility for vast, unnecessary suffering over the years to come.

At least Joe F'ckin Lieberman is consistently a douchebag, but Krugman's point still stands: Obamacare is in mortal danger right now because the health care lobbyists have gotten to the Sensible Centrists in a big, big way. This time last week, it was looking very rosy for the program. Now, we have the President trying to "regain momentum" and going on the defensive.

What happened? I still stand by my theory that Obama's choice to not stop Eric Holder's investigation has precipitated all out war in Congress on Obama's domestic agenda. Many of the same folks on Capitol Hill who are now kvetching up a storm about Obamacare are the same folks who gave Bush blank check after blank check and authorized some pretty foul stuff. They are the ones that stand to lose the most here.

They are making sure Obama feels that pain too. If Obamacare tanks, serious health care reform is done for another generation. Obama's presidency will be damaged, perhaps fatally. Time is running out.

Next week will determine if Obamacare will survive or not.