I know it's nowhere near perfect. But let's get it done.
What persuaded me was the analogy to the Civil Rights Acts. There have been eight Federal Civil Rights Acts. The 1957 Civil Rights Act, which established the Civil Rights Commission, was vehemently opposed by the racist wing of the Democratic Party, back in a time before the two parties switched sides. The 1871 Civil Rights Act is the one which gives the Feds the power to criminally prosecute civil rights violations. The 1960 Civil Rights Act, the first of the voting rights acts, was also vigorously opposed by the white supremacists, as were all of the `60s era civil rights and voting laws. It took a lot of time and several laws to come close to getting it right. And there is still more work to be done in the civil rights field, all of which is also vigorously opposed by the goons in the pro-discrimination party.
We should not let the perfect become the enemy of the possible.
Pass the bill.
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A local columnist just made an interesting suggestion: pass a meaningful bill, with maybe 55 votes, and let the bastards filibuster it. Let it go on, and on, and on, while they all cement their place in history alongside the assholes of the Sixties...
Did the Civil Rights Act accept Jim Crow laws, and extend their strictures to all fifty states? If they did, then your analogy makes sense. Otherwise, it doesn't come close.
This bill will make things worse. And when 30 million Americans have to figure out how to pay for insurance that doesn't work, they aren't going to be blaming the Republicans for that.
From a political perspective, this will be a disaster. From the perspective of someone who needs genuine health insurance, it's a tragedy. Apologizing for this piece of shit doesn't make it anything other than a piece of shit.
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