Democratic voice is needed in the Senate
“Politics is the art of the possible.”
Or, as John Kenneth Galbraith said, “Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.”
We can probably agree that politics is not the art of perfection. It’s not for purists.
But it’s the only way that citizens of a democracy can bring about a better future.
The untiring efforts – over decades of service — of people of good will are occasionally rewarded by an inching forward of progressive legislation. It has been painful to follow the developments, but the health care legislation passed first in the House of Representatives, and then in the Senate on Christmas Eve, may become law early this year, if difficult compromises can be made between the House and Senate versions.
If it is does become law, once all the provisions are implemented (which will occur over several years) it will provide a significant relief for millions of Americans who now can barely pay their health insurance premiums, or can’t afford any insurance, or are denied insurance because of ill health, or who must stay in a terrible job just to maintain insurance for their families. It will also mean that the rest of us don’t fall into those categories in the future. Many lives will be happier, healthier, and longer.
The disastrous choice is what we have today for a health insurance “system” for those not old enough for Medicare. Without the new legislation, in the coming years our health and our country’s economic well-being would be further threatened.
In future it may be possible to pass laws that do more to improve access to appropriate health care. (Other advanced countries have done it, with far less political turmoil.) Historians point out that when Social Security was first enacted, many Americans were not entitled to its benefits. In later years, as the public became more conscious of its positive effects, Social Security was expanded.
One of the clear lessons of the present health care debate is that political parties do matter.
Republicans in Congress are doing everything they can to block progress on health care. This isn’t new. Republicans have traditionally voted in large numbers against legislation that would improve the lives of millions–such as Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, and Medicare–when it was first introduced. After programs become popular with voters, Republican opposition is less vocal, but it’s always lurking (remember that our last Republican President tried to “privatize” Social Security).
Another lesson is how hard it is to get progressive legislation through the Senate even after it has passed in the House.
It takes 60 votes in the Senate to prevent a Republican filibuster. Currently the Senate has 58 Democrats and 2 independents. One independent is Sanders of Vermont, always a progressive voice; the other is Lieberman of Connecticut, who left the Democratic Party during the last election but whose vote was desperately sought in order to prevent Senate Republicans from blocking the legislation.
Another staggering fact about the Senate is that every single state has two senators and therefore gets two of the hundred possible votes.
Rural states get two votes. Industrial states get two votes. Heavily populated states get two votes (for example California, with almost 37 million residents). States with almost no one living there get two votes (for example Wyoming, with half a million people). Southern states get two votes. Northern states get two votes. States with more Republicans get two votes. States with more Democrats get two votes. And so on.
Massachusetts has two precious votes. We must keep our two Senators in the Democratic column, working and voting – like Kennedy and Kerry –for the common good, for improving the lives of people, for a more just and compassionate society.
Don’t forget to go to your polling location on January 19 to vote for Martha Coakley, Democratic candidate for Senate in the special election to fill the seat formerly held by Kennedy. Polls are open from 7am to 8pm.
If you know that you won’t be able to get there on January 19, call or visit your town /city hall today to make arrangements for an absentee ballot:
Gloucester City Clerk, Dale Avenue, 978-281-9720
Manchester Town Clerk, 10 Central Street, 978-526-2040
Rockport Town Clerk, 34 Broadway, 978-546-6894
Your vote affects what gets done – or not done – in Washington. Many close elections have been lost because a few supporters stayed home. Circle Tuesday, January 19, on your new calendar now!
