Are we going to be paying for her Botox?
House Democrats rolled three impressive feats into one when that chamber approved their health care overhaul.
First, Saturday’s House vote was the first time that either chamber of Congress voted — albeit by a razor-thin, three-vote majority — to force all Americans to purchase health insurance.
Second, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., cajoled a majority to vote for the bill, even though a majority of the House does not support it.
Third, Pelosi did all this before the Congressional Budget Office could report that the bill costs far more than supporters claim.
Forcing Americans to purchase health insurance has been a goal of the American left since the Roosevelt administration — that’s Teddy, not Franklin.
Despite Weak Support
Though Congress enacted Medicare in 1965, neither chamber had ever voted to force people under age 65 to buy health insurance.
The Clinton health plan would have done so, but it never even came up for a vote.
That makes Saturday’s vote historic, especially since the House bill is more radical than the Clinton plan. It would not only make health insurance compulsory, but would also create a government program — the public option — that supporters hope will displace private health insurance.
One might expect such a radical bill to lack majority support — and indeed it does. According to public opinion polls, most of the public opposes it, as do most House members.
Pelosi got a majority of the House to vote for it anyway. Some moderate Democrats, like Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee, fear the enormous cost, but voted aye just to keep the process moving.
Read More: www.cato.org
Hi! I think Nancy Pelosi will go down in history as the best bar none speaker of the House inthe history of America.
I think she deserves credit for an outstanding job and an outstanding health care bill just passed despite republican opposition. Three cheers for Nancy — my hero!