It Sucks To Be You

If it's Sunday morning, it means we're watching the political talk shows, and one of the morning's most intriguing moments came when David Gregory interviewed House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor, (R-Va), this morning on "Meet The Press". Gregory attempted to pin Cantor down on several specific questions, but Cantor is more slippery than a greased pig at a prison rodeo, and he managed to skim through the question and answer session giving away nothing more than generalities and campaign talking points. Cantor was especially oily when Gregory asked him about the Health Care debate.
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So since your elected representative in Congress won't answer any questions, we'll do it for him. Last week, the Republicans in the House voted to repeal the new Health Care Law, even though they knew the Law wouldn't be repealed because their vote wouldn't be upheld in the Senate. But the Republicans still need their talking points, and they claim that they want to "replace" the Law with a better one. We'll sum this one up for you: No, they don't.
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Look at it this way. The Republicans are in between a rock and a very hard place. The only two ways to provide health care coverage for all Americans is through a form of "socialized medicine" or "Medicare for all" plan, or to keep the status quo, and continue to let our health care system operate on a "for profit" basis. The Republicans hate "socialized medicine", (even though they really don't understand what it is or how it really works), but they also have to admit that a "for profit" health care system doesn't work for most Americans, and is continuing to disentegrate our health care system into one in which only people with substantial means can afford care. Currently, under the "for profit" system, 50 million Americans are without health care insurance, and that number is growing.
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So what are the Republicans to do? They hate "socialism", and so they couldn't bear to let "America become like Russia", even though Social Security, Medicare, our schools, police departments and fire departments are all already forms of "socialism", and everyone seems to love those institutions. Oh, and don't forget, the Republicans all take their government paid-for health care as members of Congress, and they don't seem to have a problem with that "socialist" institution. But hating "socialism" with such a passion as they do, they'll never vote for "Medicare for all", but if they continue the status quo of health care delivery in this country, soon our health care system will completely collapse. So the Republicans are, once again, screwed. They have no answers, and they're not ready to make those "big boy decisions" that they claim have to be made in the new Congress.
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So while it's a little painful knowing that for the next two years, our Republican-led House of Representatives won't provide any real leadership on our most pressing problems, it at least will be enjoyable to watch them squirm for awhile before they finally "cut and run" on the big issues. Watching the Republicans in charge is more entertaining than a three ring circus; the only thing we can't figure out is how they get so many Tea Bagger clowns in that tiny little car.