(Guestpost from Drew)
As long as Democrats can get the spineless Lieberman to sign off on the insurance subsidy bill also, it looks like they might finally be able to pass something. From The Washington Post (H/T Wintery Knight),
Asked if he had secured the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) told reporters, “It seems that way.”
Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.), the final Democratic holdout on health care, announced to his colleagues Saturday morning that he would support the Senate reform bill, clearing the way for final passage by Christmas of President Obama’s top domestic policy priority.
I still don’t see how they can get it passed by Christmas if the Republicans force them to read the entire bill. But maybe I’m just a slow reader.
Democratic leaders worked for days to hammer out a deal with Nelson, and finally reached a tentative agreement late Friday night with him on abortion coverage provisions that had proven the major stumbling block to winning his support.
As I understand it, the new plan will require that each state maintain access to at least one insurance plan not covering abortions. Individual legislatures may also choose to take affirmative measures to restrict abortion subsidies inside their own states. I guess that type of agreement soothes Ben Nelson’s conscience: Even though the taxpayers will be subsidizing abortions through the entire institution, at least consumers will not be directly paying for abortion plans themselves.
Imagine the date is 1850. Imagine a senator claims to oppose slavery and yet signs off on a bill that would expand the institution in every state except possibly his own. Would it be correct to call that man a hypocrite, a spineless wimp, or both?
Nelson secured full federal funding for his state to expand Medicaid coverage to all individuals below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Other states must pay a small portion of the additional cost. He won concessions for qualifying nonprofit insurers and for Medigap providers from a new insurance tax, and was able to roll back cuts to health savings accounts.
I liked Wintery Knight’s comment about these incentives. He called them “Thirty pieces of silver.” Rather fitting, given the spiritual nature of the treachery.
Wicked decisions like this ”compromise” from so-called “moderates” demonstrate the futility of remaining a moderate in spiritual matters. You cannot simply take one stand for God while serving the devil with the remainder of your life.
I don’t know much about the theological beliefs of Senator Ben Nelson, but I can say with certainty that he isn’t living a life full of the Holy Spirit. I’m not even charismatic, either, but I can recognize fleshly living when I see it. When you live a life of wickedness, you quench whatever gifts of the Spirit you may otherwise have. You begin a slippery slope downhill. God has little incentive to assist you in resisting additional temptation once you have abandoned your sanctified status.
So many people – Christians and otherwise – assume they can delve into just a smidgeon of immorality for the sake of expediency. But evil consumes you! This foolish man thought that he could still maintain one shred of decency while allying himself with godless socialists. He was wrong. To him who has, more will be given. But to him to has nothing – even what he has will be taken from him!
This is such a disgrace. But it still has to pass muster with SCOTUS, and I think the mandate will cause them to kick it back. I hope so, anyway. But failing that, we can still reverse it later – the fact that it’s not being implemented for a few years is a unique opportunity for us.