Health reform and immigration becoming linked in media narrative

Nice work validating yet another right-wing narrative, Max Baucus and Kent Conrad.

Health care negotiators in the Senate pressed for a way to ensure that illegal immigrants can't get access to government-funded insurance, a contentious issue now front and center after a Republican congressman's outburst during President Barack Obama's speech.

The issue is one of several thorny problems that came up as a small group of negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee met Friday morning. Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., is aiming to finalize legislation on Obama's health overhaul by next week — though whether it's bipartisan or not remains to be seen.

Right-wing nutcase shouts stupidly at the president when the president states a fact: that illegal immigrants will not be covered under a proposed health plan. Right-wing noise machine rallies around right-wing nutcase despite, or maybe because of, the fact that he is wrong.

Next obvious step: Democrats cave in to non-existent pressure to solve non-existent problem thereby validating right-wing nutcase and the noise machine that loves him.

Why do the Democrats have to keep learning over and over and over again that you gain nothing by caving in to right-wing nutcases? When has it ever worked?

Iraq - Democrats caved in to Bush on the grounds that if they didn't the Republicans would call them Soft on Terror. What happened after they caved? The Republicans called them Soft on Terror.

Torture - Democrats caved in to Bush on the grounds that if they did not, the Republicans would call them Soft on Terror. What happened after they caved? The Republicans called them Soft on Terror.

Warrantless Surveillance - Democrats caved in to Bush on the grounds that if they did not, the Republicans would call them Soft on Terror. What happened after they caved? The Republicans called them Soft on Terror.

And it's not only national security. The dynamic applies to domestic policy as well.

Taxes - Democrats caved into to Bush on tax cuts for the wealthy. It did not stop the Republicans from calling them Tax-and-Spend Liberals in the next election cycle.

Again and again and again, Democrats surrender to the Republicans in the hope that doing so will blunt the GOP's ability to hurl smears at them. Again and again and again the GOP pulls all the old smears out right on cue to predictable effect.

It was only after the absolute and undeniable failure of the Republican approach to governance that the Democrats took control of congress despite same old tactics of character assassination. The Democrats' inclination to surrender without a fight did nothing to prevent the attacks. After six years of conservative failure, voters just didn't buy it anymore. But by then, the damage - to our economy, our security, our national prestige - was done. Now, the Democratic president and the Democratic majority in congress are spending most of their time and energy trying to clean up the Republicans' mess.

Now, on health reform, we have weakness and capitulation making things even more difficult on the Democratic Party's signature issue. The only apparent reason for the surrender is to pre-empt Republican smears about publicly-funded health care for illegal immigrants. But we already know that nothing - nothing - will stop the Republicans from making those accusations. After all, H.R. 3200 specifically prohibits federal payments for undocumented aliens and that didn't stop a right-wing nutcase from calling the president a liar during a joint session congress.

How stupid can you be, Max Baucus?

Apparently, at least stupid enough to think that surrendering is a winning strategy.

Obviously we'll find out who wants to support the (bill) and who doesn't," Baucus said. "I'm hopeful that there will be bipartisan support. And I'll keep working on it frankly over the weekend, on the telephone talking to people, so on and so forth."

Yeah, good luck with that.

Baucus and Conrad surrender to right-wing nutcase Joe Wilson

What would it be like to have a Democratic Party that believes in challenging and delegitimizing extremist Republican narratives, rather than validating them every chance they get?

[T]hough Wilson's allegation was false, and the political impact has been largely negative, Democratic leaders on the Senate Finance Committee seem to think it's worth fixing the non-existent problem Wilson was complaining about.

"We really thought we'd resolved this question of people who are here illegally, but as we reflected on the President's speech last night we wanted to go back and drill down again," said Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), according to Time. The incident reportedly has led Finance chairman Max Baucus to insert a provision in his legislation to require participants in the health insurance exchanges to provide proof of citizenship.

If anyone needed yet another object lesson on why Democrats are perceived as weak and Republicans are perceived as strong in the minds of so many voters, look no further. Surrendering reflexively to your opponents without a fight is weakness. Refusing to stand up for yourself even when you are right is weakness. Persistently seeking compromise with people whose stated goal is your total defeat is weakness. These constant demonstrations of weakness from the Democrats serve only to demoralize their allies and embloden their enemies.

What do Baucus and Conrad think, that if they do this then Republicans will support health reform? Or, did it never occur to them that ignorning or pushing back against the GOP's anti-immigrant demagoguery is even an option?

Now, these so-called Democrats have reinforced the notion that health reform and immigration policy are linked in some way - just as the Republicans want it.

Joe Wilson's non-apology apology

Rep. Joe Wilson, who apparently mistook last night's joint session of congress for a town-hall meeting, has issued a standard Republican non-apology for calling the President of the United States a liar.

Wilson scurried out of the House chamber last night after the president's speech and had his office issue the non apology.

“This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the president’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the president’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.”

It's fine for Wilson to acknowledge the obvious about his lack of civility toward the president and, frankly, the entire country. But a real apology would also admit that what he said was wrong. A real apology would not seek to justify the outburst by defending what motivated it. That is what Wilson does by including the phrase, "While I disagree with the president's statement..."

The president's statement was that the health reform plan he is supporting will not cover illegal immigrants. That is a fact.

SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.

Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

So, on what basis does Wilson disagree with the president's factual statement that the plan will not cover illegal immigrants? There is no basis, other than Wilson's ignorance or dishonesty. He either has no idea what he is talking about or he is lying.

And Wilson's "apology" is nothing of the kind. Saying you're sorry for calling the president a liar only works if you apologize for what you said, not just the tone you used when you said it.