HOW WE SEE IT Party Cutting Lincoln’s Rope

Posted: November 29, 2009 at 3:48 a.m.

• Print item
• E-mail
• Share
• Tweet

Sen. Blanche Lincoln has walked a tightrope throughout her political career. That cord stretched tightly between getting elected at home and working with other Democrats in Washington.

We watch with both horror and fascination as her own partycuts that rope.

There will be no health care bill the Democratic majority insisted, unless a version going forward included a “public option.” That is something that Lincoln has steadfastly said is unaffordable.

Lincoln, under intense pressure from Washington and from her Democratic primary constituency, voted a week ago Saturday toproceed with a version that includes a public option. She insists that the “unaffordable” option will be cut out later.

She plays brinkmanship with both the budget health and her political future. She invites the question of why we should continue to support a Senate majority so opposed to our desires, it would gladly render our senator unelectable to pass this legislation.

We note the irony. This administration and many members of Congress were elected to bring a “new era” of cooperation to Washington. Instead they are more than willing to cut middleof-the-road senators such as Lincoln to pass the public option.

They would seem to welcome a purge of their party.

And what will happen when the health care program they pass needs changing because this broad, sweeping entitlement is not perfect? Because nothing so big can be perfect.

Gridlock will happen. There will be fewer Lincolns left to stake out the middle ground. If this administration lasts eight years, we wonder whether there will be any Mark Pryors.

Meanwhile, Newsweek magazine asks “What’s the matter with Arkansas?” The article below the headline extols the benefits Arkansans would get from the public option. It gives less space to the answer to its own question. To quote: “They’re deeply uncomfortable with budget deficits.”

Bingo. The money is not there. It would all be borrowed.

In Arkansas, we loathe debt. The president who came from here - a Democrat - did more to tame the deficit than any president since Dwight Eisenhower.

Tell us all you want about the health care savings. We do not believe it, not out of this Congress. We heard too little bang per stimulus buck.

Interest expense on the national debt - once interest rates pick themselves off the floor - will be monstrous. We know this - apparently, better than anyone else. Ours is one of the few solvent state governments. Also, our governor - recognized by even the Washington establishment as one of the best in the United States - along with other governors points out that the state’s share of Medicaid expense in this “reform” package would be a state budget-buster.

Unlike the rest of the country, we do not take comfort in buying things we cannot afford. How can the rest of the country go through the disaster caused by wild borrowing and lending in the private economy and learn nothing?

Lincoln has always called herself a “blue dog” - a yellowdog Democrat choked blue by the policies of the national party.

The stranglehold has become too tight. The time has come to break free or choke to death. If she believes the public option is a fiscal disaster, she will not allow it to proceed further - assuming she can still stop it.

Opinion, Pages 10 on 11/29/2009

Comments

To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Please read our comment policy.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.