Headed “GOP assails special-interest provisions in health care bill”, the article reports “’This process is not legislation,’ said Sen. Tom Coburn, R.-Okla., referring to a variety of special-interest provisions. ‘This process is corruption. It’s a shame the only way we can come to a consensus in this country is to buy votes.’”
WATCHDOG: Although no lover of the bill as passed by the Senate at 2:00 AM this morning, we see Coburn’s position and that of several other protesting Republicans as hypocrisy and grandstanding. If a few centrist Republicans had been willing to make the bill bipartisan rather than opposing as a solid block, the Democrats would not have had to dilute reforms and offer special concessions in order to achieve the 60 votes from their membership to shut off debate. Rather than having to placate every last Democrat, the Democrats might have included additional Republican input into the final version.
The Republicans’ recalcitrance in part resulted in a Senate bill long on benefits and short on cost curtailment. Had they cooperated rather than demagogued, the nation would have been much better served.
