Sunday Sermon: "We Are Either a Nation or We Are a Subsidiary"

Hunter has a succinct summary of the Romneycare the proposed healthcare legislation coming out of the more conservative committees (italics original):

But a trade of mandated purchase of a for-profit, private product in exchange for a meager promise to not abuse customers is -- let's all say it together, for good measure -- goddamned asinine. The government of the United States should not have to bargain to get an abusive industry to be slightly less abusive. What a fucking insulting thought. Especially when (1) the industry in question has a historical pattern of rampant customer abuse, and (2) when our Noble and Brilliant Goddamn Legislators have no recent history of being able to enforce corporate competence or fairness on any industry, at any point in the last several decades. The notion that suddenly, in exchange for a windfall of a trillion dollars or so, one of the most hated, manipulative, dishonest industries in America will suddenly become worthy of nationally mandated fealty is so preposterous that it could only be dreamed up by someone as crooked as a politician.

And then, the question:

We have been more than patient; we have been more than accommodating. But no more. Our parties are kept properties of those that finance them; our politicians are so intent on not biting the hands of the most powerful one percent that the needs of the other ninety-nine percent are continually reduced to begrudging afterthought. The Republican Party has joyfully reduced themselves to a band of bigots, of know-nothings and nihilists, who to a person would rather peddle the most absurd, fear-mongering lies than engage in actual governance of the sort they were elected to -- they stand for nothing, at this point, and can hardly be called a political movement at all. The Democratic Party continues to be at war with itself, trying to toe the line between being bought and remaining in power, knowing that there is only so many corporate fanfares that can be blared out from Capitol Hill before the public comes to the conclusion that they, too, represent no one but themselves.

Yes, it is a harsh pronouncement, but there are only so many years that a nation can be patient, and only so many crises that can be resolved by funneling cash to America's corporate behemoths. We are either a nation or we are a subsidiary.

I really don't think congressional Democrats realize how demoralizing passing bad healthcare legislation will be to their rank-and-file. I'll have more to say about this, but failure on this issue would seem more likely to hurt those Democrats in swing districts, not those who win by massive margins in Democratic strongholds.