Democrats Lose Their Backbone Again

Everybody in Washington is celebrating because the politicians have reached a new budget deal. But the Republicans have to be celebrating more, because all of the cuts in the new bill will be suffered by those who can afford it least. Some of us had thought the Democrats might have actually found their spine recently, as it looked like they might actually stand up to the Republicans. Sadly, that is not the case.

The new spending bill cuts heating bill aid for the poor by about 25% ($3.5 billion), lops 3% off the EPA budget, and cuts more than 100,000 college students out of the Pell Grant program. But the military budget (already larger than the 15 other biggest military spending countries combined -- about 44% of total military spending worldwide) was increased by 1% (and 1% of the military budget is a sizable sum several billion dollars). So the environment, the poor, and college students take a hit, while the corporations supplying the military get a raise.

Then we have the bill to renew unemployment benefits and the payroll tax for workers. This was only extended for two months because Republicans wouldn't agree to more right now -- and this was after the Democrats dropped a provision to put a small surtax on millionaires. So the rich get to keep all their money while the workers get a temporary reprieve on their small payroll tax cut -- and the Republicans will demand more before extending it further.


Once again, the Democrats have shown they are no match for the Republicans when it comes to playing political hardball. And the pitiful part of all this is that the Democrats have a significant majority of the public agreeing with the positions they support. If they would just stand there ground and call the Republicans bluff (even if it meant allowing the government to shut down for a while or the payroll tax to expire), the Republicans would be the party to take the political hit because most people know they are the obstructionists.

But instead, the Democrats keep giving in, and it makes them look weak. And no one wants to vote for weakness. They are not just hurting Americans they have pledged to protect, but they are in the process of destroying any political advantage they have.

But perhaps the worst move recently is the White House giving up many of the gains that they fought for and won in the health care reform bill. It was not a great health care reform bill, but it did accomplish a few things that needed to be done -- and one of the most important of these was to mandate a minimum schedule of benefits that insurance companies had to offer, no matter what state they were operating in.

Now the president has backed down and eliminated that provision. He now says that the states can determine what benefits must be offered in health insurance policies. You can be sure that many, if not all, of the Republican-controlled states will allow insurance companies to sell policies that virtually cover nothing -- and the people in those states will be no better off than they are now (maybe worse off, because they will be forced to buy those worthless policies).All you have to do to know this is true is just look at the Medicaid and CHIPS programs offered by Texas (which are so bad that a significant majority of doctors won't even accept them).

I am very disappointed in the congressional and White House Democrats. I was just starting to have a little faith in them again, and then they go back to their timid way of giving in to Republicans. The Green Party is looking better every day to me.