Health Reform Powder Keg

There’s a powder keg sitting squarely in the middle of the House, and the fuse is lit.

The deal reached with the “Blue Dog” Democrats of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on its version of the health care reform bill, has driven a wedge into the middle of the party. The Liberal arm of the party is not pleased.

It was a close vote, 31-28. The passing of this bill out of committee has caused some stir and has added to the dissension among the party’s ranks. On Thursday this week, fifty-three lawmakers from the Congressional Black Caucus, the Progressive Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and key committee chairmen formally opposing the deal. Their “opposition” called the agreement “fundamentally unacceptable” and a “large step backwards.” “We’re going to fight this with every effort that we have,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said  Thursday. ”We’re not obstructionists. … We’re not here to embarrass or divide our party,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. But he and other liberal Democrats have said that without a meaningful public plan included in the final bill, they cannot support it. Read the rest of this entry »