Healthcare Reform: Speechifying and Voting on the Hill

Sooooooo. As Hot Air reports, Blue Dog Democrat, Mike Ross (D-AR, and potentially my future representative!), suggested that the Town Halls he conducted during the August recess changed his mind on the "public option" facet of healthcare reform. His constituents clearly demonstrated an overwhelming disapproval of most of the proposals that emerged from the House shortly before the recess, and he found their "feedback" helpful. (I think that probably means he found the implicit threat to his re-election in 2010 intimidating. Good! Every stinking member of Congress should feel and fear the groundswell of term limits -- whether by Constitutional amendment or by ballot box -- rising to engulf them).

I guess this means that Nancy will have to drag out the buggy whip -- if not the bull whip -- in days to come. I wonder if that means she'll bring the Dominatrix duds out of mothballs, too. Ewwww, I hope not! But, maybe the moths have gotten to them. Maybe her powers of persuasion have eroded a bit, too, at the "astroturf-stained" hands of the no-longer-silent electorate. I just ache to see her running scared in designer stilettos!

This morning, Walton & Johnson (irreverent "Radio Gawds" in the Gulf South) relayed the White House promise that the Young President intends to come out swinging tonight as he addresses Congress (and commandeers yet another prime-time TV gig) to explain his "positions" on healthcare reform; he'll be angry, emphasizing the crisis in health care that demands immediate action and the pressing need to get it done. W & J characterize the YP's planned performance as that of "an angry and vengeful god;" "no more Mister Nice god." Yet, many other reports suggest that he'll leave a lot of wiggle room around the "public option"(translation: Government Insurance, not to be confused with Government Motors or Government Banking) insurance program.

So, who will he be? Thor with the lightning bolts and hammer-pounding; or the "I'm willing to step across the aisle to secure affordable, comprehensive healthcare for everyone in our fair land" guy (even though this clearly came into focus in August as a non-partisan debate); or the know-it-all Professor, chastising and guilting his captive students for failing to recognize his superior intellect and resources.

Whichever persona he assumes, the YP has burned a big pile of political capital over this issue -- perhaps enough that not even the Fed can print enough replacement bucks to finance his campaigns on Cap & Trade and Education reform. Not to mention EFCA! Or so we can Hope.

Regardless, comprehensive reform of anything is unwise in this time of recession and growing deficit. There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking baby steps -- trying out a few deficit-neutral ideas to shape-up the current system before adopting a brand new, broad and untried costly leap towards socialized medicine. It remains a marathon, not a sprint.

Any bets on the trigger-words for tonight's Health Care Speech Drinking Game?