They Do It For A Reason

I'm not sure what the most sickening aspect of Saturday nights vote in the House on the healthcare bill was.

Was it the fact that an American elected body voted to destroy a vast part of the economy, destroy jobs and nationalize an industry unconstitutionally, the standing ovation it got or the fact that a group of leftist women representatives got into a tearful screaming match when it became apparent that abortion would have to be cut from the bill to get it passed?

As appalling as the thought is of federal representatives being brought to tears because they won't get to pay to kill babies (for now) that isn't the right answer. There is no right answer, it's all a disgrace and reminds us why the framers decided to have House elections every two years.

Because the House if prone to do all kinds of nutjob things.

The very composition of the body ensures it. House Representatives only have to win the backing of a small number of people from a limited geographical area. Naturally this allows fringe candidates with radical ideas to get elected.

This is why Saturdays vote should be disappointing but not surprising to anybody. If anything was surprising about the vote, it's that it took so long and was so close given the extreme leftist composition of the House and its leader.

Sadly for some Dems, this vote may destroy them and be all for naught. The Stupak amendment was a sham and will provide no cover for moderate Dems in red districts. The amendment can very easily be removed when (if) the bill ever makes it to the reconciliation process and don't think Pelosi won't try to do it. Harry Reid is a jellyfish and Pelosi will bulldoze him if a bill ever makes it out of the Senate into reconciliation. Voters know this and the moderates won't be able to justify their votes based on the success of the Stupak amendment. Besides, many moderate Dems have always claimed they were moderate because of fiscal issues and this bill is still a trillion dollar plus atrocity.

I suspect these Dems who sided with Pelosi will greatly regret it as they end up being voted out of office and the bill they sacrificed their job for winds up dead in the Senate along with Cap and Tax.

Thankfully, the House is the one area where retribution by the people can occur swiftly and decisively. If the Senate were a collection of radicals (more than it is anyway) then the people could only institute change every six years, staggered. With the House, the people get the whole enchilada every two years, plenty close enough where Saturday won't be forgotten. To the ultimate demise of many.