by Stephen Alexander

Created on: March 23, 2010   Last Updated: March 24, 2010

Petulant Politicos

After successfully shepherding a comprehensive health-insurance reform bill through Congress, Democrats rightfully rejoiced. Republicans, however, reacted with puerile, petulant responses. Almost immediately, Republicans vowed to campaign against the bill with a promise to repeal the bill if they regain a majority in Congress.

This seems unlikely if the best they can do is to campaign against disallowing the dropping of sick children from insurance policies or adopt campaign positions in opposition to the discontinuance of guidelines that deem determination of pregnancy in woman a “pre-existing condition.”

I would like to see public reaction to such a stance. If Republicans expect they can make hay with such rhetoric they are welcome to try. The display by House Minority Leader John Boehner on the night of the vote was galling to the point of embarrassment.

What exactly was his intent? Was this display some sort of call to arms for the petulant child in American hinterlands? It would have been embarrassing if it were not so laughable.

Despite the response from the assembled lawmakers (opposite of what he expected, one must assume), he continued, his voice rising like a small child having a temper tantrum.

I listened to Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, call for Nancy Pelosi’s ouster from her position as Speaker of the House.

Someone should inform Mr. Steele that unlike his party appointment, Ms Pelosi is an elected official. Mr. Steele could not get himself elected dogcatcher and until somebody actually elects him to an office, he should kindly shut up.

Republicans should desist with all of this Monday morning quarterbacking. They are not doing themselves any favors. In fact, they are in all probability hurting more than helping principles that are dear to their collective hearts, tiny though they may be.

If one thing has become abundantly clear throughout the whole health-care debate debacle, it is that the Right cares not at all for the downtrodden, let alone the merely less advantaged.

When Bush was pushing his tax-break agenda and turning a budget surplus into huge deficits, nary a peep of protest came from that side of the aisle, yet now they are up in arms when matters turn to spending money to alleviate some of the deprivations of the under classes.

Suddenly, all the talk is of our inability to afford these programs. Where were these assiduous advocates of fiscal discipline when the outflow was lining the pockets of those already comfortably affluent?

Will the Right ever tire of their support for the arrogantly wealthy? Their support of wealthy insurance companies in their fight to maintain the status quo in the recent health care debate has been appalling. Their support and later shoring of Wall Street was an abomination.

Surely, the common-man does not understand an arrangement that allows for commoner failure but does not countenance the same for the upper classes. Explain to them the inequities seemingly built into a system already rigged toward the rich

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