Meat of the Meeting

John Stewart's ironic take on the recent healthcare summit hosted by President Obama was (as usual) insightful and amusing. He had his Senior Summitologist query the feasibility of a body of legislators gathering to decide how to run the government, with bilateral branches designed to represent both populist and state interests. What it left me with, however, is the nagging question: Why did this summit happen?

After some days of research and reflection, my answer is rather disturbing. It had to happen. Left to their usual playgrounds, the parties simply spout their usual taglines and send them out to their usual media outlets for their usual responses. This dreary ritual is based in a Rovian, if not Machiavellian, design for reelection. Those that put you there want to see you as spitting out the same pablum with which you garnered their vote. Progress, common sense, and the betterment of the nation be damned (reference Prime Minister Scott Brown's support of MassCare and rejection of a Federal program because "we already HAVE healthcare reform in Massachusetts, why should we pay for everyone else's?"), they posture in front of the C SPAN cameras and cash the usual checks from their usual sources without any usual balances or accountability to their actual constitutional function. Got mine, screw yours.

President Obama masterfully recognized this runaway bully pulpit as an opportunity to hold a summit that could expose the trap Mitch McConnell, John Boehner (hehe), and the Contrarians had set for themselves. The Party of No was never excluded from the crafting of this legislation. They were prevented from circumcising it. This made them unhappy, but left enough Republican-influenced meat on the bone to allow Obama and the (incredibly lame public figures representing the) Democrats to point to the legislation and say "Wait, this is what you are asking for, and now you're saying we need to start from scratch? Clearly a partisan approach."

Obama called out the talking points time after time with virtually no resistance. It was as if just saying "government takeover of healthcare" was the only value to the P.O.N. Their only retort was to reference an averaging of public polls implying citizen disapproval of the legislation. The greatest opportunity missed by the Democratic contingent there was to correct the interpretation to its reality: Americans polled opposed the Republican characterization of the legislation. Period. (The unfortunate truth behind that statement is the underlying ineptitude of the White House media folks at conveying the actual content of this bill, juxtaposed with the well-oiled fear machinery brought to us daily by Fox Beck "News".)

The President went further to establish his moral high-ground by acknowledging McCain's exposure of the bizarre sweetheart deals (negotiated by defenders of the insurance industry as represented by such nudniks as Bill Nelson, a democratic senator from Florida) after berating the defeated former GOP candidate's party spew.

Bottom line: nobody in congress has the guts, the intelligence, the cache, or the street credentials to call out a talking point in front of his colleagues because he would then have the same inconvenience thrust upon himself. The congress is full of cowards, the parties support crusty old-boy networks, and the voters should pay attention. Again. More often. Then vote these buffoons out so that the President doesn't have to stop the silly name-calling in the schoolyard. Be ashamed, congress. Be very ashamed.