I don't know about you, but Obamacare is making me sick. Yeah, the sweeping piece of legislation that was supposed to be the 'remedy' that was going to single-handedly save all of the people who were uninsured from the evil, capitalist insurance companies is making me and the rest of the country ill. I'm personally sick of the national conversation being about Obamacare. I am also sick of begging my Congressman to defund Obamacare. So, you see, I'm really terminal here.
As if I hadn't had enough talk of the ACA otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act, voted on and passed in 2010, I went to an Obamacare summit put together by FreedomWorks to talk about ways that Republicans in Congress can still defeat this monstrous bill. While I was there, I was lucky enough to meet up with some great Freedomworks staff. One Dean Clancy public policy guru also affectionately referred to as Father Freedomworks. Also on hand to rally the troops was none other than Matt Kibbe to let us all know that yes, there is still hope for the American people, Lord willing and the creek don't rise. Okay, I added the last part, but Kibbe is known for his ability to not only pick fights, but win. I knew I liked him for a reason.
There were many different ideas and strategies discussed, but one of the things that we have to realize is that the victory or defeat of Obamacare is not about the republicans versus the democrats anymore. This is about the insiders versus outsiders now and the American people need to be reminded of this. This is becoming more and more about Chicago style politics as we are seeing personal favors aka 'campaign contributions' being repaid by the president through waivers making those who donated to the president's reelection exempt from Obamacare. Not to mention the fact that Congress AND its staffers were one of the latest recipients of those precious waivers. Hmmm...if Obamacare is good enough for the American people, then why on earth wouldn't it be good enough for the lawmakers who made Obama's dream and our nightmare a reality?
You could say that when it comes to the American people and the relationships that we have with our representatives, there is a failure to communicate, or better yet, a failure on the part of Congress to listen to us. They all love to be the smartest person in the room with all of the answers. The problem is that the answer usually consists of more government regulations meant to keep the people from prospering, not to mention the hefty price tag that the answer will cost the American people in rising taxes. While reviewing my notes from this past weekend, something jumped out at me and I thought I'd share it with you. Jackie Bodnar is my new hero, although she probably doesn't know it yet, put this in a handout: "This issue is simple and our position is reasonable: Why would you fund a bill with money we don't have, that nobody in this town thinks works yet including the President? If you're not ready to implement the law, the American people should not be paying for it. Period." #BOOM.
Another point that I'd like to drive home is that not only has Congress continually turned a deaf ear to we the people, they forget who elects them and who pays their salary. They need to realize that not only do elections have consequences, but the legislation they pass and fund does, too. Hey, turnabout is always fair play in my book. A vote to fund Obamacare is now like a vote to pass Obamacare. To quote Senator Lee, "If you fund it, you're for it."
Lawmakers have just returned to Washington this week after August recess, and don't think for a minute that those who didn't show for a town hall in their home districts went unnoticed. There was a cardboard Cornyn town hall held courtesy of FreedomWorks with about 500 people in attendance. Lindsay Graham was also a victim of a FreedomWorks town hall complete with cardboard Lindsay and the sad thing is, I think that Senator Graham folds easier than the cardboard version of himself. Heh.
If you didn't already know, there is a lot of emotion when you are involved in politics. When I say 'involved' I don't mean just watching the news and cursing the screen, although God knows I have done the same thing at times. Involved means getting off the couch and calling your representative, talking to neighbors and friends about what's going on and really trying to make a difference. I should know, because I am that 'involved' person and I have had some highs and lows over the past five years. However, at this point I am on a 'high' because I can see that there is a grassroots tsunami rising up. Again, from Jackie Bodnar, "The message from grassroots America to establishment Washington is clear: If you're not going to come to us to defend your policy positions, we will come to you." Hey, Congress, consider yourselves warned!
No comments:
Post a Comment