Olympia Snowe, Abortion, and the Public Option

It's been some time since I posted here, and I must admit much of it is out of frustration. It's bad enough that Congressional Republicans practice obstructionist politics, but Max Baucus seems set on being a one-man show, developing his own healthcare bill that does not include a public option, just because. And now, big surprise, Republicans are trying to eliminate coverage for abortions from any plan that is part of the pool from which uninsureds and small business will purchase coverage.

Orrin Hatch's proposed amendment denying abortion coverage was defeated in the Senate Finance Committee by a vote of 10-13. Abortion is legal, so I wish these folks would get over it. Frankly, I think it's absurd that Medicaid does not cover abortions, meaning those who need it most must figure out a way to pay out of their own pockets. Proponents of healthcare reform have danced around the issue by saying that only amounts attributable to individual premiums can be used to fund abortions. Of course, that's impossible to do administratively, but honestly, saying women have the right to seek an abortion while at the same time allowing state and federal laws to make it all but impossible, is like saying every accused has a right to a fair trial only if your state doesn't want to build a courthouse and hire judges they have the right to just put you in jail. Expect more screaming and yelling from the nut jobs on the right, but this time I really hope the Dems will treat this as the non-starter it is.

In other interesting news, it turns out according to a Poll by Democracy Corps the majority of Senator Snowe's constituents in Maine support the public option. I can't help but think Ms. Snowe, like Mr. Baucus, just enjoys having her name in the news and being courted by both sides. Both want to come up with that "compromise" plan that will mesh both sides of the aisle. The American people long ago realized that was a pipe dream, and that there's no value in compromise for compromise sake. It's becoming more and more obvious that Congressional Republicans represent no one but themselves. So if Ms. Snowe wants to break from the pack and represent the people who voted for her, she's going to have to warm to the public option.

Finally, my favorite amendment comes from Senator Charles Grassly who proposed that members of Congress should have to purchase their medical coverage from the same pool they establish for uninsured Americans.

“My interest in having members of Congress participate in the exchange is consistent with my long-held view that Congress should live under the same laws it passes for the rest of the country.”

Short of the public option, I think that's the best idea they've come up with yet.