No Surprise That Democrats Will Push Obamacare To Passage

Why did anyone think the outcome would be anything but that? Democrats control Congress with filibuster proof majorities. The Democrats don't need Republicans to pass health care. They haven't needed Republicans since Congress was sworn in back in January to do anything on their sweeping agenda.

Any talk of bipartisanship is pure political spin.

It was never like President Obama was going to listen to the right wing Republicans to adopt any of their policies on health care. If he's concerned that there were moderate Democrats (the Blue Dogs who represent previously Republican held seats or seats that tilt Republican) who might not vote for this, he'll do his part to cozy up to those Republicans who might go for some form of health care overhaul.

President Obama was never going to listen to folks who didn't make up the Gang of 14, and even on this, the left will see this as a sell-out of their positions, particularly on health care.

That's why we're going to see the left complaining about anything other than single payer. Take Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), who went on MSNBC to proclaim that his ultimate goal is the elimination of private health insurance.

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The Democrats know they have the numbers in Congress to make it happen, but President Obama realizes that any push to single payer might result in losing Congress in a big way in 2010 and his chances in 2012 slip precipitously especially if the economy continues to lumber along in the doldrums.

Democrats can pass health care in any fashion they see fit right now - they own Congress and the White House, so the debate isn't so much a debate as to provide political cover into 2010 and 2012. Ed Morrissey notes that Senate Democrats may attempt to use reconciliation to push the health care program through in order to avoid even the threat of filibuster, even though it would create a whole series of problems in its own right, but it goes to show the disdain that Democrats have for the American people who are showing up at town hall meetings unable to get basic answers about the cost of this program and what it will mean in terms of higher taxes and fees down the road.

The anger swelling up from Americans at town hall meetings all over the country is over the arrogance of the White House to impose something that most Americans are instinctively opposed to - a government imposed health care system that is unaffordable even in the best of times. Trying to attach the blame solely to disgruntled right wingers misses the point that most Americans are wary of such a massive overhaul to the health care system.

The veneer of bipartisanship on the health care bill is to provide political cover for when everything turns sour. It isn't because he needs Republicans to pass the health care overhaul, and President Obama is there to sign it (though whether he reads it, or provides the bill for the American public to read as per his prior promises is a debatable one).

UPDATE:
As Don Surber correctly points out, Democrats can afford to let 10 Senators and 38 Representatives in the House vote against the health care bill and still see it pass. They've got the numbers to make it pass politically.

UPDATE:
Keith Gabryelski put together a tremendous resource of questions that proponents of Obamacare have been unable to answer or have not even been asked. That includes the media and various town hall meetings.