Healthcare reformers and opponents: You’ve been used by vote buying pols

What if it was the Republicans that had soaked the nation for $1.2 billion in earmarks as part of a piece of landmark, highly partisan, legislation? What if it were the Democrats that were tossed to the sidelines while at the same time Republicans auctioned off their support for this major piece of legislation to secure big spending in their districts; spending these members of Congress will use to buy their reelections?

Democrats would be furious. And rightfully so.

The Democrats would do everything they could to fight this abuse of the people’s money. But when it was all over and the fighting was history, the Republicans would still win votes by pointing to the vast treasures they had brought back from Washington. Americans are very happy to get some of other people’s money.

The scenario above was a hypothetical situation. The party currently buying votes is the Democratic Party because they are the party in power – so they can. Cash for Cloture is Cash for Votes. The blog Sweetness and Light reports that the Congressional Budget Office told legislators Sunday night that the“CBO Says Reid’s Vote Buying Cost $1.2B.” According to White House strategist David Axelrod, these deals that amount to vote buying are “the way it will always be.”

Now that’s change I can believe in!

And you have to love Harry Reid’s comments that, “So this legislation is no different than the defense bill we just spent $600 billion on.” According to columnist Dana Milbank at the Washington Post, that bill had 1,700 earmarks, and Reid said, “It’s no different than other pieces of legislation.”

Please don’t bother to explain to me that my example of Republicans buying votes is reality and not just a hypothetical example. I am well aware that Republicans also buy votes by granting favors to their supporters. Earmarks are both party’s bread and butter. Washington DC is a giant feeding trough; the powerful spread our money around so that they can remain in power, but never has Congress tossed around such staggering dollar figures.

One of the principles of this blog, number 5, is that we need to enforce separation of power when our party is in office for the day when our party is out of office. This principle applies to any type of power expansion or abuse of power. The Democrats won’t always be in power. I have no doubt that when Republicans return to power they will pull similar stunts; the job of a politician is, after-all, to get reelected. Democrats will be, as my scenario suggests, very angry.

Or, we can, as a nation, demand the earmarks come out of this bill and every other bill going forward.

Folks, we can either allow the Axelrods of the world to win with their declarations that this is “the way it will always be,” and allow these people to remain in power by transferring our money into vote buying schemes, or, We the People, all of the people, both health care reform supporters and opponents, can say, Enough!

Do you want to do something for the long term good of your country? Write or call your members of Congress (info available at: congress.org) and tell them “Enough with earmarks.” Then every November, ignore party lines and vote your principles.

Tagged as: 60 votes, buy my reelection, cash for cloture, cash for clunkers, filibuster, harry reid, Health care, health care reform, healthcare, Joe Lieberman, lieberman, medicare, Medicare compromise, obama, reid, Republican, Sen. Joe Lieberman, Senate Democratic caucus, Senate Democrats, senate health care reform, Senator Joe Lieberman, Sunday political shows