I can't say I'm surprised to see this.As Democrats reel from the loss of a U.S. Senate seat in deep blue Massachusetts, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb becomes the first senator we've seen tonight to call for suspending all votes on health care until newly elected Republican Scott Brown can take office.It's been obvious to me for months now, just from observing Webb's body language and listening to his words, that he was not happy at all with the health care reform legislation, either the substance of the process. For months now, I've been wondering whether Webb would jump ship, and now he appears to have done so. The questions are: 1) has Webb really pulled the plug on health care reform; 2) is there any way the White House and Senate leadership can keep Webb from bolting; and 3) does it even matter at this point, given that health care reform might very well be dead regardless?
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As Democrats reel from the loss of a U.S. Senate seat in deep blue Massachusetts, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb becomes the first senator we've seen tonight to call for suspending all votes on health care until newly elected Republican Scott Brown can take office.
By the way, I have such mixed feelings about this watered-down health care bill that I can barely summon up any anger over Webb pulling the plug, if that is indeed what he's done here. What I really can't get over is the right wingers' hysterical, laughable claims that this is a "government takeover of healthcare," "socialism," etc., when in fact this is actually a large private sector health insurance expansion bill (with some additional regulation thrown in on things like preexisting conditions). In fact, the people who should be most frustrated with this bill aren't right wingers, but good-government progressives who want to break up "trusts" (to use Teddy Roosevelt's word for "monopolies") rather than defend and expand them.
