Blue Dogs more bark than bite (not original with me)

By now most folks keeping up with the news know (comparatively) “conservative” members of the House, known affectionately or otherwise as the “Blue Dogs,” have caved in to Democrat arm-twisting and came to some sort of compromise to enable the Healthcare Destruction Bill (H.R. 3200) to come out of Committee but supposedly not to be put to a vote of the full House until September. What this means is that no matter what they say, Democrat dogs will ultimately show their true color which is a strong shade of yellow.

Although it is incredible to me, most everyone in congress is focusing entirely on the Obamacare cost. While I appreciate any reason for opposing this monstrosity, there are so many substantive reasons for consigning Obamacare to the trash which Democrat members of the House refuse to acknowledge or discuss.

The Blue Dog compromise would cut the cost of the "$1 trillion-plus package" by $100 billion, according to one member of the Blue Dog Coalition. [However the cost is much greater than $1 trillion according to the Congressional Budget Office.] I wonder how they can feel shaving a mere ten percent assuages their “fiscally conservative” mind set. They also seem to think that their deal would also ensure that the proposed government-run insurance program would not be forced on anyone; but note: a government-run insurance program is still in the bill. No one ever complained about a direct mandate to enter a government program; what anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows is that private businesses can’t compete with the endlessly deep pockets of government so there is no level playing field.

Seven Blue Dogs had held up passage of the bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee over concerns about cost and the speed at which Democrats were advancing the legislation. The committee is the only House panel that hasn't voted on the bill because of this opposition. Not only was the cost compromised but their principles as well since the Democrat leadership is still rushing the House to vote on the bill at breakneck speed considering the importance of revamping our entire health care system.

Chief Blue dog barker, Representative Mike Ross, (D-Ark.) said "We have reached an agreement that will allow health care reform to move forward." Ross said four of those seven colorful dogs agreed to the compromise Wednesday which is enough for Chairman Henry Waxman, (D-CA) to get passage of the bill out of committee.

As the Blue Dogs surrendered, the chief of the kennel has looked at focus group poling and reworded his pitch for demolishing the finest medical care in the world. The Obama news media calls this “retooling his message.” Now Obama is attacking the insurance companies and says that his plan would protect Americans and limit insurers' power.

Obama told people gathered in a North Carolina high school gymnasium: "We have a system today that works well for the insurance industry, but it doesn't always work well for you. What we need, and what we will have when we pass these reforms, are health insurance consumer protections to make sure that those who have insurance are treated fairly and insurance companies are held accountable."

Obama also mentions insurance portability and coverage for pre-conditions but fails to say that both of these issues can be addressed without draconian changes in the current health care system and without spending $2 trillion.

The failure of the bill to address the supposed goal of providing health insurance to all (including illegal immigrants) is also unmentioned. The Congressional Budget Office has reported that there would still be millions uninsured even if Obamacare becomes law.

Since both the House and Senate have sufficient majorities to pass whatever they want, the only hope is that when the Blue Dogs return home for the summer recess their constituents will tell them that unlike these pseudo conservatives their bite is greater than their bark.