If the health care reform debate were about health care or the crisis in the delivery of heath care in America, it might be interesting, something to keep up with in the news. Americans might sit down at the diner and talk about the choices available and their relative merits. The guy across the table might explain over the counter that the "public option" is a nonprofit medical insurance program that would keep medical insurance companies honest by entering the competition. If no one takes that option – fine. But that’s not what the health care debate in Congress is about – either the problem or the issues. Sadly, it’s about something else.
Alan Grayson [D-FL] has emerged a powerful voice in framing what’s happening to Congress:
I don’t really know how to frame the real topic of the current state of our Congress, but it almost doesn’t matter what one thinks the Republicans are doing right now, or why. The reasons, or what they’re thinking is hardly the point. The best way I can personally frame it has to do with a folksy version of systems theory that once occurred to me: "A system is only composed of parts when it’s not working." So, as far as I’m concerned, my car is a magic carpet. I get in it and it takes me places without any attention to how it works. The, one day, it sputters, and I begin to think about it in a different way. Is it the carburetor? the fuel pump? a chip? Am I out of gas? is it over-heating? The system is failing, and I start deconstructing my magic carpet to figure out what’s wrong.
The system "Congress" is not functioning as a body to get the work of running the country done right now. We don’t read about things like, "Today, Congress passed the …" because there is no noun "the Congress" right now – just Democrats and Republicans. We read stuff about the Republicans, or about Socialism, or Communism, or Fascism. Democrats who don’t go along with the party are called "blue dog" Democrats. Senator Arlen Specter [R D PA] who voted for the Stimulus plan changed parties because he was so maligned for his vote. The system has broken down [or has been broken down], brought to its knees by reflex opposition to President Obama. The why of that doesn’t even matter.
Alan Grayson stepping forward and telling it like it is is so refreshing. I keep thinking of the movie “A Few Good Men” and the line from the movie spoken by the actor Jack Nichelson, “you want the truth, you can’t handle the truth”. Well, if Republicans can’t handle the truth, that is just too bad. I hope more good people will tell the truth and I don’t just mean some one member of Congress from Florida, I mean Democrats and Republicans with the good conscience to give us affordable health coverage for all. I like many others feels it’s immoral not to have health coverage for all and if someone doesn’t want that they should check in to finding out where they can get some mental healthcare.