Late this afternoon, Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell waved the white flag. As reported by RollCall, McConnell made an agreement withHarry Reid to pass a two month extension on the debt limit and waive the remaining time required to get to the final vote on the passage of Placebocare. McConnell, recognizing that he never had any bullets (heck, even Barney Fife at least had one bullet) decided it was the better part of valor to waive the time and allow a timely departure for the Christmas holiday for all senators and staff rather than hold to the last second and be labeled a Scrooge on top of the label of “dolt!”
By Christmas there will be two versions of Placebocare that couldn’t be more different. In fact, about the only thing the two bills have in common are the allegation that they both pertain to health care. Now that both houses have passed a bill, the questions become these: Can the two bills be reconciled and if they are, will both houses vote to support the reconciled bill?
The question of whether the bills can be reconciled is obvious. Nancy, Harry and Rahmwill do anything and everything to get a bill that will go back to both chamber floors. Don’t think for a second that there will be an issue that one of them can’t strong arm or buy their way through. So, that leaves the question of whether the reconciled bill can be passed.
There’s lots of new bad news out for President Obama the Democrats and Placebocare. In a new Quinnipiac poll, 72% oppose using any public money from placebocare to pay for abortions. The same poll found that by a margin of 52% to 36%, Americans oppose placebocare and by a margin of 56% to 38% they disapprove of the way that President Obama is handling the issue of health care reform. Perhaps most significant out of the Quinnipiac poll is that there is no economic or age demographic that now supports Obama’s handling of placebocare. Not even the young people support Obama on placebocare any longer.
The latest Rasmussen polls are even more damaging to President Obama and Placebocare. After having shrunk to about a 10 point deficit, Rasmussen now shows that public opinion is back, and holding, near it’s high of a 15% deficit, and that’s the good news!
Early today, Rasmussen released it’s daily presidential tracking report. After hitting a new high, or rather low, of -19 ten days ago, the trend had been improving for President Obama recovering to a -12 a week ago. However, in the past few days the trend has not only reversed, it’s reversed at a staggering rate. On December 20th, the rating was -15. In just two days the poll leaped to a -21, a 6 point swing! Does anyone thing it coincidence that the health care votes are occurring during the same time frame as this dramatic change? The same daily poll shows even amongst African-Americans Obama’s support is now only 58%. Do you remember when 90% of African-Americans voted for President Obama?
Finally, early last evening, Rasmussen released the latest generic poll. Republicans now lead Democrats by 8 points, the highest level this year and the highest level for a considerable period of time.
Back to the question. It’s clear that placebocare is shunned everywhere and by everyone. It’s clear in all the polls, including President Obama’s favorability rating, that the public is rigidly set against the bill. That said, I won’t put one penny of a bet against Nancy, Harry and company and their ability to rig another set of votes. I will say this though, if the Democrats manage to pass this bill, the political tables will turn 180 degrees from where they were in 2008. In 2008 you almost couldn’t buy an election if you were a Republican. If placebocare is passed, in 2010, Democrats won’t be able to buy an election and that’s saying something! The fact that the Democrats either don’t see this or believe that they can somehow avoid it is a willingness to suspend disbelief that is far worse than that required by Hillary Clinton when she questioned General Patraeus!
Regardless of the way that placebocare proceeds from here, I have a suggestion for the Republicans. Rather than the normal congenial hand off of time on the chamber floor i.e. I yield my time to the good Senator from the State of XYZ, I propose that the Republicans brand the Democrats in a way that will keep the issue in the forefront for the foreseeable future. I propose the Republicans brand the Democrats what they are by saying each time, “I yield my time to the good Senator from the State of Denial!”
