Chuck Grassley Agrees with the Netroots

Like many of us, Grassley argues that if you bring an issue that has widespread support among the electorate up for a vote often enough, you will eventually convince intransigent Republicans to vote for it.

Grassley said if he were the Democrats, he would send the SCHIPexpansion to a vote every three months, along with campaignadvertisements accusing Republicans of abandoning children. That way,pressure would mount either on Bush to sign the bill or on HouseRepublicans to override the veto.

Of course, Grassley is referring to SCHIP and not the Iraq War. But the comment–and the article more generally–is worthwhile nonetheless. For Grassley states clearly that the Bush Administration is willing to sustain awful policy outcomes to make an ideological point.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and White Houseaides agreed that Bush’s opposition to the legislation stems not fromits price tag but from far larger health policy issues. The White Housewants to use the issue of uninsured children to resurrect thepresident’s long-dormant proposals to change the federal tax code tohelp the uninsured, adults and children alike, Grassley said, callingthat a laudable goal but unrealistic politically.

[snip]

Asked if Bush was holding the children’s health bill hostage, Grassley said, "Yes."

The reporter should have posed that last question again, asking Grassley whether Bush is holding children’s health–and not just the bill–hostage. Because that’s clearly what is happening.

And, as Grassley makes clear, Bush has created this crisis–in which children’s health will suffer for Bush’s ideological ideas. Back in the spring, Grassley encouraged Bush to work with Congress to push his privatized insurance scheme. But Bush did nothing, setting up the crisis we’ll see after this bill passes and Bush vetoes it.

In talks this spring with Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt,White House National Economic Council Director Al Hubbard and Hubbard’sdeputy, Keith Hennessey, Grassley discussed linking an extension of the10-year-old SCHIP program to a more ambitious effort to address theadult uninsured. Grassley encouraged the White House to try to round upDemocratic support for that approach, but when White House officialsmade no such effort, Grassley told them in April that the children’shealth program would have to stand alone. [my emphasis]

Bush will willingly make anyone–including uninsured children–suffer to win his ideological pissing contests.
And if Democrats can’t make it clear that these are the stakes, we might as well fold and go home.

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  1. Jane S. says:

    Apropos of very little, I have a soft spot for Grassley because his son Jay was in my 5th grade class. I remember my teacher telling us that Jay was a little bit sad because he missed Iowa. Even though I am now 40 and I don’t remember Jay after 5th grade, everytime I look at Sen. Grassley, I can still see Jay’s face.

    It is unlikely that media outlets will have time to cover this SCHIP story b/c they are still busy talking about the Move On ad. But then ads that ran 2 weeks ago really are more important than children without health insurance. Silly me.

  2. …. says:

    your last paragraph is exactly right jane.

    >>And if Democrats can’t make it clear that these are the stakes, we might as well fold and go home.

  3. Silver Owl says:

    If insuring children were as important as everyone is saying it is, why put their insurance at risk from the very start by funding it with a rickety disappearing tax?

    Less than 20% of the population currently use tobacco products anyways. With an extereme increase in price that will drop even lower. Then how long it will take for yet another funding source be found and implemented? Years?

    I’d like to believe congress and America was serious about the children with no healthcare but I don’t believe it. It’s more about emotional bullshit than it is about giving children a secure and stable source for healthcare.

    Dems implementing a failing and disappearing infrastructure that can not possibly maintain the funds need to actually help children on purpose is piss poor to say the least.

    What I find interesting is the number of people claiming to want to help children but will not ever purchase a tobbacco product. It’s the whole I’m really serious about the issue but only if I’m not paying for it crap.

    The children deserve better.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Another possibility, according to the (subs. req’d.) Wayne Madsen report is that Bush’s position…

    â€is due to massive fraud in Medicare/Medicaid carried out by the insurance and medical industry. In many cases, the corporate insurers and health care providers that have defrauded Medicare/Medicaid have given generously to Republican political campaigns.â€

    Is that even possible? [Can’t believe I’m even asking that question.]

  5. Anonymous says:

    Another possibility, according to the (subs. req’d.) Wayne Madsen report is that Bush’s position…

    â€is due to massive fraud in Medicare/Medicaid carried out by the insurance and medical industry. In many cases, the corporate insurers and health care providers that have defrauded Medicare/Medicaid have given generously to Republican political campaigns.â€

    Is that even possible? [Can’t believe I’m even asking that question.]

  6. emptywheel says:

    Dunno Karen.

    But a person close to me turned in his boss for Medicare fraud. ANd he promptly lost his immigration visa and sent out of the country.

  7. William Ockham says:

    Karen M,

    Health care fraud isn’t the reason for Bush’s opposition. The insurance companies are actually ok with the current bill. There is an option for states to work with private insurers. Bush really is in a silly proxy fight against universal health care.

  8. readerOfTeaLeaves says:

    Asked if Bush was holding the children’s health bill hostage, Grassley said, â€Yes.â€

    Brownie points to Grassley for honesty.
    More, please.

    About that medical insurance and ’fraud’ issue… having been harrassed for over $20,000 in fraudulent medical claims for a relative, let’s simply say that I have a bird’s eye view of several aspects of this mess. It’s sinister.

    I also have a friend who recently retired from medical practice — despite enjoying her patients — because the costs of supporting, billing, and justifying insurance claims to over 500 different health care programs for her patients put her over the edge.

    Not enough doctors — because health care is driving them out.
    Uninsured families — because insurance is too expensive.

    Basically, we have patients.
    And we have doctors.
    The two don’t meet because of… insurance costs.
    Hmmmmm… the logical remedy would be…

    This system is actually tailor made for fraud. It’s very, very scary.
    Hope you all have good lawyers, because a few hundred dollars on very expensive stationary can be well worth it when a total sleaze operation is out to fleece you.

    It’s maddening enough to push a formerly nice, suburban parent like myself completely over the edge – so far that I comment on blogs to total strangers. Yikies!

    I heartily wish G.W.Bush and his insipid, enabling wife 12 hours in an E.R., endless hours of phone calls tracking down fraudulent claims, hundreds (possibly thousands) of dollars in attorney feeds to avoid being fleeced by frauds, and complications from misadministered meds. One week of that, and even clueless Bush would be praying at the altar of Single Payer. I think it’s located roughly in the sixth level of Dante’s New, More Horrid Medical Insurance Inferno. But I hear — from my doctor friend — that there’s an 8th I’ve not yet experienced. Maybe Dubya could check that one out while he’s at it.

    Oh, yeah… that relative was at one time a big pharmaceutical exec.
    I swear, the knowlege of his medical bills pushed my Dearly Beloved rapidly into his grave.