I like how people in this thread are still trying to point fingers at each other like it's either the Left's fault or the GOP's fault. It's the same thing those guys have been doing for years, and it's why congress constantly blows. You guys are no better than that field of old white garbage, and by that account, it's no wonder the government is as fucked up as it is. Perfect representation of the clusterfuck that is this thread (and most NS political shistorms)
Simply put, for those who don't get it, or who've been listening to too much Cable news, or Uncle Jim who took a Political science course in 1973, and totally knows his shit, and what's right/wrong on every issue... here's the basic tenants of the issue at hand, rather than a side like many of you are obviously taking.
The AHA passee. It's signed into law. It was a massive compromise as it was to even get it that far, and in some ways it's freaking amazing that it even passed. It's not perfect by any stretch because of said compromises, but it's something new, and whether you like it or not, it's there.
The AHA is then said to be constitutional by the supreme court. It's good to go. Nothing can stop it other than some law that somehow blocks it, or in the case of this situation, a law that puts it on a year-long hiatus.
To Republicans, they feel like this is plenty of a compromise. It doesn't repeal it, but it passes the spending bill. "Take what you can, Democrats because we aren't budging. We don't want Obamacare, because we liked the old way better. It kept the government out of people's healthcare - which is where it shouldn't belong (except medicare, because our voting base loves that shit). Don't talk about our own free medical coverage we get from the government's coffers though, because we're special and we are public servants, so we obviously deserve that shit.
To Democrats? they don't like this at all. "A year? Are you kidding me? November is in a month. That gives the republicans time to win a few seats in congress and gain more power in order to repeal it within the next year. Or, even if they lose seats, it gives them at least a years worth to figure out how to repeal it anyways." None of these can be compromised on from their point of view, because it would put us all back at square one, and it's not a good trade anyways. If they back down here, than it means that blackmailing works in the congress, and it's going to become a much-more often used technique. Nobody wants that other than the winning side.
Republicans see this as a screwed up situation, and they are still mad that they lost the Obamacare vote to begin with. This is their main prerogative and they are going to focus on this and use politics and any other backdoor way they can to get this bill done.
Democrats are going to defend the AHA at all costs, and are not going to give into said backdoor attempts from the republicans to take it down.
Neither side is compromising on this, but ultimately, after that bill was set in stone, the actions of the Republicans to try to take it down using a blackmailing technique (IE: We won't vote in a spending bill of any sort unless you give up the healthcare bill) is pretty fucking pathetic as far as even politics go. I know it's been used many times in the past, but jesus fucking christ, this is such a last-ditch effort, that I don't even know what to think.
The spending bill needs to happen, and it shouldn't include anything that has to do with healthcare. Period.
