Rep. Kirkpatrick’s Image Problem

Democrats in conservative districts must thread a careful legislative record between now and the midterm elections in November.  It will not be easy since the Obama administration is determined to push through healthcare reform, climate change legislation and a new immigration policy.  But aligning with President Obama and Speaker Pelosi on such a divisive agenda will cost some Democrats their seats.

Therefore, announcements in support of President Obama’s reforms are generally defensive and diluted with anecdotes of prior votes in opposition to the Democratic party agenda.  Consider Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick’s (D-AZ) recent announcement of her intention to vote in favor of the healthcare bill:

“In my first year in Congress, I have always put the needs of my district first — that’s why I stood up to the President and congressional leadership and opposed the auto and bank government bailouts, the cap-and-trade bill and billions in deficit spending. I am doing so again by voting for this reform package. Health insurance reform is critical to ending denials of coverage based on pre-existing conditions, making sure our children can get the care they need and protecting our seniors from unaffordable prescription drug costs. I will be working to improve the bill moving forward, including addressing the potential costs for AHCCCS and eliminating politics-as-usual special deals like the Cornhusker Kickback.”

Not a very enthusiastic endorsement of the healthcare bill.  Then again, what does the bill present worth championing?  Supporters of the bill point to the 32 million that will become insured.  But as I have pointed out in the past, there is a significant difference between providing a mere insurance policy and actually providing quality and timely healthcare services.  Doctor shortages and long waiting periods are not just the machinations of a right-wing conspiracy.

Scored by the Congressional Budget Office, the bill will cost more than $1 trillion over the next decade if it includes the Medicare “doc fix” that rolls back the proposed cuts to the Medicare fees doctors receive.  Taken together, this puts the bill $59 billion in the red and wipes out any anticipated deficit reduction.  Additionally, the legislation includes an individual mandate requiring Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a fine.  Failure to buy insurance will result in penalties up to $750 per family.

While some of the more liberal features, such as the public option, have been dropped from the bill, make no mistake that it remains a significant federal government encroachment of one-sixth of the economy.  The political strategy, as Charles Krauthammer observed, avoids overt nationalization.

“It is all done through private insurance companies.  Ostensibly private.  They will, in reality, have been turned into government utilities.  No longer able to control whom they can enroll, whom they can drop and how much they can limit their own liability, the will live off government largess – subsidized premiums from the poor; forced premiums from the young and healthy.”

Some vulnerable Democrats, including Rep. Kirkpatrick, are already ‘repenting’ for backing this government expansion.  Within a few days of announcing support for the healthcare bill, Rep. Kirkpatrick issued a strong statement against the expansion of the EPA.  As I wrote in a previous editorial, Cap and Trade 2.0, the EPA is attempting to circumvent congressional gridlock.

After Congress could not pass a cap and trade bill last year, the EPA issued an ‘endangerment finding’ on greenhouse gases that would allow the federal agency impose draconian carbon dioxide regulations on the private sector.  On March 19, Rep. Kirkpatrick stated that small businesses in her district could face ‘serious consequences’ and the four local coal plants could be ‘badly hurt.’  Among her most critical statements was that the EPA regulation would be a ‘radical expansion of the federal government’s reach.’

Who could disagree?  But the incongruity of her two positions, issued within the same week, cannot be overlooked.  On Tuesday, she backs a major government expansion.  By Friday, she opposes excessive federal regulation.

Even if the Democrats are able to gather enough votes to pass the healthcare bill this week, the victory will certainly be challenged and possibly short-lived.  Nineteen state Attorney Generals have already committed to challenge the constitutionality of the individual mandate.  In Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer recently informed the Democrat leadership that she would join the state Attorney Generals in their legal challenge.

In the meantime, everything else will be politics as usual.

Neil Rosekrans