Republicans Must Avoid Being Suckered Into The Health Care Bill

With the recent election of Scott Brown to the Senate in the special election, Democrats have been furiously working to find a way to still pass health care in a way that won’t require another senate vote or a filibuster by Republicans. Their options are slim.

Looking at it closer, the Democrats can do one of three things;

1. The House can just vote to accept the Senate version of the bill which won’t require another house vote to send the bill to Obama.
2. They can use the “nuclear option” which would only require a simple majority vote to end any filibuster by the Republicans.
3. They could use the win by Scott Brown in Massachusetts to sucker the Republicans into joining on a bi-partisan bill that can get a super majority vote in the Senate.

The first two options would cause such a backlash by the American people that it would destroy the Democrat Party forever. The third option, which I think is the most likely and the worst for conservatives, will draw the Republicans to the table to hammer out a “bi-partisan bill” that could pass both the House and the Senate.

The Democrats are already positioning for this maneuver. Comments by Reid, Obama, Bayh and Webb in the last 24 hours indicate that they are going to take the position that no vote will take place in the Senate until Brown is seated. Why such an about face from the tone just a few days ago? The Democrats, knowing how unpopular it would be to ram health care through using the first two options above, are now going to be conciliatory and invite the Republicans to join in on future negotiations of the bill as it moves forward. A few days ago they were meeting behind closed doors, trying to make backroom deals and payoffs to wavering Democrats to jam the bill down our throats.

The worst thing that can happen now is for Republicans to fall for the bait. They must back away from health care completely and let the Democrats take full responsibility for the debacle. The people have spoken loud and clear through the special election on Tuesday, that they do not want health care reform now. They want jobs!

The Democrats have overreached and have painted themselves into a corner. If they don’t pass some sort of health care bill, they run the risk of losing the left wingers of the party. It will also make them look weak in that they have accomplished nothing while controlling the executive branch and both houses of Congress. Obama’s ego will not permit him to back down now. I say let them own it!

Republicans must stay away from the negotiation table and put a stop to the stimulus spending, cap and trade, immigration and the financial reforms. They have the 41st vote. Enough is enough.